Audio Control The Director D4400 Assembly instructions

The Director
Model D4400
Model D3400
16 Channel
High Efficiency • Digital Signal Processor •
Ethernet Interface & Control
Power Amplifier
Professional Installer’s
Gratification Guide
®
22410 70th Avenue West • Seattle, WA 98043 USA
425-775-8461 • Fax [phone] • www.audiocontrol.com
©2013. All rights reserved.
®
Making Good Sound Great

®
Important Information
Dealer Name _____________________________________
Date Installed __________________________________
Serial Number ___________________________________
Ethernet MAC Address _________________________
IP Address Dynamic / Static ___________________

TheDirector
Model D3400 • Model D4400
Installer’s Guide
®
Table of Contents
The Director Model D3400 • Model D4400
Cool and Different Features .........................2
A Guided Tour
Front Panel .....................................5
Rear Connections ...............................6
Making sense of the trigger ins and outs .............8
Internet Connectivity and Control
Control using a browser ...........................9
Control and Queries via Telnet ....................14
Operation without an Ethernet connection ..........17
Hook-up Guide with System Diagrams ..............18
An Introduction to Acoustics and Equalizers
Room Acoustics ................................22
Benefits of Equalization..........................23
Adjusting the Signal Processing
Equalizing the System................................24
Parametric and Graphic Equalization ..............25
Subsonic and Tweeter Protection Filters ............26
Memories......................................26
A Brazen Plug ....................................27
Table of Contents
more 

®
The Director Model D3400
Table of Contents
Advanced Topics
Speaker and wiring impedance ....................28
Amplifier bridging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
In wall volume controls ..........................29
Installation of multiple units of The Director........30
Level matching and gain controls..................31
Sound level (SPL) in large areas and unique rooms ...31
Troubleshooting ..................................33
Warranty and Service Information ..................35
Block Diagram ....................................37
Specifications .....................................38

TheDirector
Model D3400 • Model D4400
Installer’s Guide
®
1
Introduction
Introduction
To label The Director® Models D4400 and D3400 just
multi-zone amplifiers is like calling a Ferrari just a car. There
is so much more to both products in terms of performance
and capability.
Ethernet control, unparalleled energy efficiency, rack
saving compact design, superb sound quality and bulletproof
reliability are just a few key features of The Director. More
features are discussed in the next section so please read on.
Since we build The Director Models in the AudioControl
factories in the Northwest Rainforest outside of Seattle, USA,
we can continually improve it and our other products. Simi-
larly, the AudioControl web site is regularly updated. We
encourage you to check our web site, www.audiocontrol.com,
if something is not answered in this manual. Of course, you
can always chat with us on the phone during normal business
hours.
Lastly, this is a professional installer’s manual. We
assume you are experienced with multi-channel amplifiers
and the Ethernet. The product setup, adjustment and opera-
tion require network access.
The Director is a registered trademark.

®
2
Cool & Different
Features Cool and Different Features
Unlike Other Amplifiers
Here is a list and description of features that are part of
The Director series from AudioControl. Most are rare or non-
existent in other companies’ amplifiers.
New Features
• DHCP: An IP address for The Director Model D3400
and D4400 is obtained via DHCP by default. If a DHCP serv-
er is not found on the network, The Director Model D3400
and The Director Model D4400 will default to 192.168.0.249.
• UPnP: Device discovery is enabled on The Director
Models D3400 and D4400 for ease of connectivity from a PC.
• nUmbering: In the device discovery /UPnP window, if
you are using multiple Director amplifiers, you will find that
each Director is numbered in the sequence they were added
onto the network.
• groUPs: Grouping has been enabled for quick control
of zones through Telnet commands. Up to 4 groups can be
defined for control over Standby and Source Selection.
• imPort/exPort: Exporting and Importing of the ampli-
fier’s settings – including EQ settings – has been enabled.
Now you can configure your EQ settings as a template and
apply these to each Director amplifier in your system.A little
refining of those settings for each amp and you will be in and
out in no time.
• EthErnEt Control: Via a browser or Telnet commands
you can control and query almost all the functions of The
Director. You can mute zones, change source inputs, adjust
equalization, recall memories, check line voltage, display pro-
tection logs and get an email if something goes wrong. And
this is only a partial list!
• Signal ProCESSing: You have at your command graphic
equalization, parametric equalization, tweeter protection
filters and low frequency cutoff filters. In addition, you can
set up two zones with a two way crossover. The equalizer set-
tings are ganged left and right channels together or your can
separate. Plus, there are three memories to save and recall
settings.

TheDirector
Model D3400 • Model D4400
Installer’s Guide
®
3
• UnParallElEd EnErgy EffiCiEnCy: Whether from the
point of view of saving electricity or from the viewpoint of
less heat in the rack, The Director has no equal. It is VERY
energy efficient during operation and equally impressive with
its efficiency during standby.
• SavE raCk SPaCES: With 16 channels in only three rack
spaces, you save one or even two spaces over other amplifiers.
• lightdrivE anti-CliPPing: With durability in mind,
Lightdrive anti-clipping protection defends the system
against clipping, distortion, damage and even teenage parties.
• SElf rESEtting ProtECtion fEatUrES: Protection
features in The Director are extensive and include thermal,
short circuit, clipping, ultrasonic and DC offset among oth-
ers. If the fault is removed, the amplifier resets. Plus, The
Director can send you an email if something happens.
• SUPErior SoUnd QUality: Pristine sonics happens first
in all AudioControl designs and is not compromised by any
other feature. You get the feeling that sound quality is an after
thought with products from other companies.
• rEliablE and rUggEd: From the beefy rack mounts to
the brawny transformer mounting, The Director continues
with AudioControl’s legacy of building bulletproof product.
• PaCifiC northwESt hEritagE: Hard to believe, but we
make this product in the USA. We are very proud of that fact.
What is more important to you is the care we craft in at every
step and the extensive knowledge we have in all aspects of the
product. Plus, we back this up with a five year warranty.
Really Cool Stuff in The Director
As great as these features on the previous page are, here is
a list of some of the new and unique parts of The Director;
• oUtPUt PrESEnt lEd: Ever wonder if there really was
a signal on the speaker outputs of an amp? No wondering
with The Director because there is an LED flickering with
the signal level right next to each speaker connector.
• vEry low Standby CUrrEnt: When The Director is
in Standby, ready to turn on via a trigger, it draws less than 5
watts. Compare that to a typical amplifier.
• namE thE ZonE: Use the browser to type in any name
on the zone. Also give The Director amplifier a specific name
so that you can easily identify it when there is more than one
in the system.
Cool & Different
Features

®
4
• digital Signal SEnSE: Signal sense is digital, accurate
and reliable. Rejoice.
• groUnd lift SwitCh: Here is a legal and safe way to
combat 60 cycle hum. If the flip of this switch solves the prob-
lem, maybe you can get home earlier tonight.
• 12 volt triggEr oUtS: Every multi-zone amp has trig-
ger ins. The Director has regular trigger ins, plus triggering
via the Ethernet, and it has mini-jack 12 volt trigger outs for
turning on another component or two.
• front lEvEl diSPlay: We think the front panel level
display is way cool, pretty, and useful. However, if you want to
turn it off, we have provided a switch to do so.
• timES SQUarE light Show: Look at the rear of The
Director and we forgive you if you think of Times Square
in New York City. There are indicator LEDs aplenty. Not
only for the speaker outputs but also for signal sense, mono
switching, local input active, and ethernet bypass. On the rear
panel there are 30 indicator LEDs in total (that is not a typo).
Counting the front panel indicator LEDs, the total is 66! If we
can make your system setup faster, we want to.

TheDirector
Model D3400 • Model D4400
Installer’s Guide
®
5
A Guided Tour Of
The Director Model D / D
Front Panel
1Power LED - Starting with the easy one...
when you have the AC Power switch on the
back panel turned on and The Director is
plugged into an active AC outlet, this little
Blue light will beam forth.
2Protection LED - There are two states to
this LED. In normal operation it glows Blue
when the unit is on and in standby or op-
erating. If this LED is Red, then one of the
internal protection circuits is activated.
3Network LEDs - You have seen this type of
LED a million times on computer network
cards. One shows an active connection while
the other LED flickers with the passage of
data. There is a duplicate set on the rear
panel.
4Zone Status LEDs - At the bottom of the
columns are the channel status LEDs which
are dual color and serve two purposes. First,
they illuminate Blue when the correspond-
ing two channels are active and operating
properly. The second function of the status
LED is to turn Red if something has caused
that zone to go into protection.
5Level Activity LEDs - These three LEDs
dance with the music. They tell you that sig-
nal is passing in each zone and at what level.
It is an attractive and useful light show, but
if you really want, you can turn this off with
a switch on the rear panel.
1 2 3 4 5

®
6
A Guided Tour Of
The Director Model D3400 / d4400
more rear panel features on the next page
Rear Panel
1Ethernet LAN Connection - Plug The
Director into a 10BaseT network here. The in-
ternal web server allows remote control of all
channels, signal processing and source selec-
tion. See the section on Internet Connectivity
and Control for detailed information.
2Ethernet Triggered LED - When this LED
is on, the unit is being “triggered” via the
Ethernet and the 12 volt mini jacks are active
and powered for turning on some components.
3 Bypass Switch and LED - For diagnostics
only. This button disables all the Ethernet
control and forces all channels on. If there is
a problem with the home automation system
and you really need music, this is quite useful.
4 Ground Lift Switch - Be safe, use this switch
instead of a “cheater” plug. The switch selects
the isolation between the audio ground and
the AC earth ground. In normal operation,
the switch should be in the Ground position.
If there is AC hum, try the other two settings.
For safety, the chassis is always connected to
earth ground regardless of the switch setting.
5Bus Inputs 1 and 2 - These inputs provide
two distribution busses for sending a common
signal to multiple zones. The bus input switch
on each amplifier zone, or the ethernet con-
trol, selects which input is playing in that
specific zone. For Bus 1, the second pair of
jacks can be used to daisy chain to another
multi-zone amplifier.
6Local Inputs - Any standard line level au-
dio signal may be connected to these inputs.
As the name implies, this source will be
available only in a particular zone and only
if switched to local via the ethernet control
or the zone switch.
7Input Gain Control - Use a screwdriver to
adjust this level control for the input sensi-
tivity of the zone. In general, you want the
gains turned down, counterclockwise, and
the pre-amp level running stronger for best
signal to noise.
8Source Select Switches - The “Bus 1/Net”
setting allows the source to be selected via
ethernet commands and the browser inter-
face or come from “Bus 1” in the absence
of a ethernet connection. If the switch is
in “Bus 2” or “Local”, the audio signal
will come from that source and can not be
changed by ethernet commands.
1 2
3 4
5 6 7 8