High-performance audio solution manufacturer AudioControl earned kudos at CEDIA 2017 thanks to two new and impressive products: The Director M4840 amplifier for whole-house entertainment, as well as its new Maestro M5 home theater processor.
Touted as the industry's first shallow-depth, high-performance multi-zone amplifier, the M4840 is engineered to address tough installations with a form factor that's over 30 percent more shallow than traditional rack-mounted amplifiers. It won a 2017 CE Pro BEST Award at CEDIA this year.
“[The Director Model M4840] delivers superb sound quality and fine-tuning capability all within a compact form factor that is a scant 11.5-inches deep, elevating it far above all other solutions in the multi-zone amplifier marketplace,” says Alex Camara, CEO, AudioControl.
Using technology from the company's high-esteemed Director M-Series amplifier line-up, the M4840 delivers 100 watts/8-Ohms, 200 watts/4-Ohms per channel into an 8×10 stereo matrix. AudioControl says integrators can tailor the sound based on DSP profiles of several speaker brands as part of AudioControl’s Sound Partners Program, and then fine-tune these DSP profiles by individual zones based on environment.
The M4840 can be used as a standalone matrix-amplifier or as part of a complete smart home environment with drivers available for popular third-party control systems like Crestron, Savant, RTI or Control4.
Another important note for integrators: AudioControl adds the flexibility to deliver 8-channels of premium performance from a 1U (M4800) or a 2U shallow (M4840) chassis to accommodate nearly any system configuration.
“Speaking with other manufacturers we deal with and speaking with the dealers, they love our focus,” says Camara. “They love the sound quality, and they love the build quality… all our amplifiers are made in the USA. All our products have a 5-year warranty.”
The Director Model M4840 is available now in brushed aluminum and Black Espresso finish, exclusively through AudioControl dealers. Suggested client price is $2,700.
Maestro M5 Surround Sound Processor
The company also debuted its Maestro M5 surround sound processor, which offers Dolby Atmos and DTS-X immersive audio surround formats and Dirac Live room correction along with dual balanced XLR inputs and balanced XLR outputs for all channels.
There are inputs for seven HDMI sources plus dual HDMI outputs (ARC compatible) as well as an ultra HD 4K video pass-through and upscaling capability that includes support for High Dynamic Range (HDR), which is great for integrators in the channel.
“We are solely focused on the custom integration channel, and that will continue to be important to us for the next 40 years,” says Camara.
The M5 features unbalanced RCA outputs on all channels as well. Each input can be named and renamed to match the source unit as desired by the user, and there is a USB input on the rear panel for connecting an external source and/or for facilitating firmware updates.
The M5 comes equipped with an intuitive programmable remote control and has Ethernet plus RS232 jacks and software drivers available for compatibility with popular smart home platforms. But it’s biggest advancement is its lower price point. The M5 is well suited for use in sub-$10,000 home theater projects, says Camara.
The Maestro M5 will be shipping September 1st, 2017. Suggested client price is $5,900.
WATCH: AudioControl CEO Alex Camara says its new Maestro M5 surround-sound processor and Sound Partner Program will help custom integrators succeed.
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