Sonifex Reference Monitors RM Series Instruction Manual

Reference Monitors
User Handbook
RM-2S4 Reference Monitor, 2 LED meters & 4 stereo
channel inputs
RM-2S10 Reference Monitor, 2 LED meters & 10 stereo
channel inputs
RM-4C8 Reference Monitor, 4 LED meters, 8 channel
inputs & dual selectors
RM-4C8-HDE1 Reference Monitor RM-4C8 With RM-HDE1
Dolby* Decoder Card
RM-4C8-E1X Reference Monitor RM-4C8 With RM-E1X
Dolby* Decoder Card
RM-4C8-E1B Reference Monitor RM-4C8 With RM-E1B
Dolby* Decoder Card
RM-HD1 3G/HD/SD-SDI expansion card
RM-HDE1 3G/HD/SD-SDI Dolby* E Decoder
expansion card
RM-E1X Dolby* E Decoder expansion card
RM-E1B Dolby* E Decoder expansion card

bReference Monitors User Handbook
REFERENCE MONITOR USER HANDBOOK
REFERENCE MONITORS
This handbook is for use with the following product:
RM-2S4 Reference Monitor, 2 LED meters & 4 stereo channel inputs
RM-2S10 Reference Monitor, 2 LED meters & 10 stereo channel inputs
RM-4C8 Reference Monitor, 4 LED meters, 8 channel inputs & dual selectors
RM-4C8-HDE1 Reference Monitor RM-4C8 With RM-HDE1 Dolby* Decoder Card
RM-4C8-E1X Reference Monitor RM-4C8 With RM-E1X Dolby* Decoder Card
RM-4C8-E1B Reference Monitor RM-4C8 With RM-E1B Dolby* Decoder Card
RM-HD1 3G/HD/SD-SDI expansion card
RM-HDE1 3G/HD/SD-SDI & Dolby* E Decoder expansion card
RM-E1X Dolby* E Decoder expansion card
RM-E1B Dolby* E Decoder expansion card
©Sonifex Ltd, 2009-2012
All Rights Reserved
Revision 1.18, June 2013
Sonifex Ltd, 61, Station Road, Irthlingborough,
Northants, NN9 5QE, England.
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected].uk
Website: http://www.sonifex.co.uk
Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of
the vendor. Sonifex Ltd shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever arising from the use of information or any
error contained in this manual.
No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, information storage and retrieval systems, for any purpose other than the purchaser’s
personal use, without the express written permission of Sonifex Ltd. Unless otherwise noted, all names of companies,
products and persons contained herein are part of a completely ctitious adaptation and are designed solely to
document the use of Sonifex product.
* Dolby and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories
Made in the UK by

Reference Monitors User Handbook c
CONTENTS
CONTENTS
Warranty i
Warranty and Liability i
Unpacking the Reference Monitor iii
Returning the Warranty Card iii
Safety Information iv
Safety of Mains Operated Equipment iv
Voltage Setting Checks iv
Fuse Rating iv
Power Cable and Connection iv
Ordering the Correct Mains Lead v
Installation Information v
Atmosphere v
Electromagnetic Radiation v
WEEE & RoHS Directives - Sonifex Statement vi
Reference Monitors Introduction 1
RM-2S4 Reference Monitor, 2 LED meters & 4 stereo channel inputs 3
RM-2S10 Reference Monitor, 2 LED meters & 10 stereo channel inputs 3
Introduction 3
System Block Diagram 4
Front Panel Indicators & Controls 5
Audio Modiers 12
Rear Panel Connections & Operation 14
Technical Specication RM-2S4 & RM-2S10 21
RM-4C8 Reference Monitor, 4 LED meters, 8 channel inputs & dual selectors 26
Introduction 26
System Block Diagram 27
Front Panel Indicators & Controls 28
Audio Modiers 34
Rear Panel Connections & Operation 36
Technical Specication RM-4C8 40
RM-HD1 Reference Monitor 3G/HD/SD-SDI Expansion Card 45
Technical Specication For RM-HD1 46
RM-HDE1 Reference Monitor 3G/HD/SD-SDI & Dolby® E Expansion Card 47
Technical Specication For RM-HDE1 48
RM-E1X Dolby E Decoder XLR AES Expansion Card &
RM-E1B Dolby E Decoder BNC Expansion Card For RM-4C8 49
Technical Specication For RM-E1X and RM-E1B 50
Fitting An Expansion Card 51
Reference Monitor RM-4C8 with an RM-E1X, RM-E1B or
RM-HDE1 Dolby Decoder Expansion Card 52
Operation of The RM-4C8 With The RM-E1X or RM-E1B Fitted 52
Operation of The RM-4C8 With The RM-HDE1 Fitted 53
Downmix Mode 53
Program Select Mode 54
Multichannel Monitoring Mode 54
Dual Metering Split Scale 56
Serial Interface Commands & Responses Protocol 57
Serial Data Format 57
Remote Control Commands 57
Reference Monitor SCi Remote Control Software 62
Download the Latest SCi Software 62
Connecting Using USB Port 62
Connecting using the RS232 Serial Port 62
Using SCi For The First Time 62
SCi For Reference Monitors 64
Bank & Source Selection & Editing 64
Front Panel Modiers 65
5 Band Parametric Equalizer 65
Firmware Updates 67
Dolby Metadata 67

dReference Monitors User Handbook
FIGURES
FIGURES
Figures
Fig A: Packing List iii
Fig B: Power Connections iv
Fig C: Mains Lead Table v
Fig 1-1: RM-2S4 Reference Monitor Front Panel 3
Fig 1-2: RM-2S10 Reference Monitor Front Panel 3
Fig 1-3: Reference Monitor Block Diagram 4
Fig 1-4: RM-2S4 Front Panel Controls 5
Fig 1-5: RM-2S10 Front Panel Controls 5
Fig 1-6: RM-2S4 Source Selector 5
Fig 1-7: RM-2S10 Source Selector 5
Fig 1-8: RM-2S4 & RM-2S10 Meters 7
Fig 1-9: RM-2S4 & RM-2S10 DIPSwitch Settings 8
Fig 1-10: Meter Labelling Options 9
Fig 1-10a: German PPM Labelling Options 9
Fig 1-11: Brightness Control 10
Fig 1-12: Phase Meter Display 10
Fig 1-13: Balance Control 10
Fig 1-14: Status LEDs 11
Fig 1-15: RM-2S4 & RM-2S10 Modier
Switches 12
Fig 1-16: Reference Monitor RM-2S4 Rear 14
Fig 1-17: Reference Monitor RM-2S10 Rear 14
Fig 1-18: RM-2S4 & RM-2S10 DIPswitch
Settings 15
Reference Monitor Volume & Balance Remote
Control Diagram 19
Fig 2-1: RM-4C8 Reference Monitor Front Panel 26
Fig 2-2: Reference Monitor Block Diagram 27
Fig 2-3: RM-4C8 Front Panel Controls 28
Fig 2-4: RM-4C8 Rotary Source Selectors 28
Fig 2-5: RM-4C8 Meters 30
Fig 2-6: RM-4C8 DIPSwitch Settings 30
Fig 2-7: German PPM Labelling Options 31
Fig 2-7a: Meter Labelling Options 31
Fig 2-8: Brightness Control 32
Fig 2-9: Phase Meter Display 32
Fig 2-10: Balance Control 32
Fig 2-11: Status LEDs 33
Fig 2-12: RM-4C8 Modier Switches 34
Fig 2-13: RM-4C8 Rear 36
Fig 3-1: RM-HD1 Expansion Card 45
Fig 3-2: RM-HD1 Block Diagram 45
Fig 3-3: RM-HDE1 Expansion Card 47
Fig 3-4: RM-HDE1 Block Diagram 47
Fig 3-5: RM-E1B Expansion Card 49
Fig 3-6: RM-E1X Expansion Card 49
Fig 3-7: RM-E1X/B Block Diagram 50
Fig 4-1: Dolby RM-4C8 Front Panel 52
Table 4-1: Program Congurations For Dolby E 55
Fig 4-2: Dual Metering Chart 56
Fig 6-1: SCi Launcher 62
Fig 6-2: SCi Device Discovery Panel 63
Fig 6-3: SCi Device Information Panel 63
Fig 6-4: SCi Launcher Loaded 63
Fig 6-5: SCi Main Screen Showing Dolby
Digital Monitoring 64
Fig 6-6: SCi Main Screen Showing Dolby
E Monitoring 64
Fig 6-7: SCi Main Screen Showing Dolby
Digital Programs 65
Fig 6-8: SCi User EQ Screen 66
Fig 6-9: SCi Misc Screen 66
Fig 6-10: Dolby Screen Showing Dolby
Digital Metadata 67
Fig 6-11: Dolby Screen Showing Dolby E
Metadata 67

Reference Monitors User Handbook i
Warranty
Warranty and Liability
Important: the purchaser is advised to read this clause
(a) The Company agrees to repair or (at its discretion) replace Goods which are found to
be defective (fair wear and tear excepted) and which are returned to the Company
within 12 months of the date of despatch provided that each of the following
are satised:
(i) notication of any defect is given to the Company immediately upon its
becoming apparent to the Purchaser;
(ii) the Goods have only been operated under normal operating conditions and
have only been subject to normal use (and in particular the Goods must have
been correctly connected and must not have been subject to high voltage or
to ionising radiation and must not have been used contrary to the Company’s
technical recommendations);
(iii) the Goods are returned to the Company’s premises at the Purchaser’s expense;
(iv) any Goods or parts of Goods replaced shall become the property of
the Company;
(v) no work whatsoever (other than normal and proper maintenance) has been
carried out to the Goods or any part of the Goods without the Company’s prior
written consent;
(vi) the defect has not arisen from a design made, furnished or specied by
the Purchaser;
(vii) the Goods have been assembled or incorporated into other goods only in
accordance with any instructions issued by the Company;
(viii) the defect has not arisen from a design modied by the Purchaser;
(ix) the defect has not arisen from an item manufactured by a person other than
the Company.
In respect of any item manufactured by a person other than the Company, the Purchaser
shall only be entitled to the benet of any warranty or guarantee provided by such
manufacturer to the Company.
(b) In respect of computer software supplied by the Company the Company does not
warrant that the use of the software will be uninterrupted or error free.
(c) The Company accepts liability:
(i) for death or personal injury to the extent that it results from the negligence of
the Company, its employees (whilst in the course of their employment) or its
agents (in the course of the agency);
(ii) for any breach by the Company of any statutory undertaking as to title, quiet
possession and freedom from encumbrance.
WARRANTY
WARRANTY

ii Reference Monitors User Handbook
(d) Subject to conditions (a) and (c) from the time of despatch of the Goods from the
Company’s premises the Purchaser shall be responsible for any defect in the Goods
or loss, damage, nuisance or interference whatsoever consequential economic or
otherwise or wastage of material resulting from or caused by or to the Goods. In
particular the Company shall not be liable for any loss of prots or other economic
losses. The Company accordingly excludes all liability for the same.
(e) At the request and expense of the Purchaser the Company will test the Goods to
ascertain performance levels and provide a report of the results of that test. The
report will be accurate at the time of the test, to the best of the belief and knowledge
of the Company, and the Company accepts no liability in respect of its accuracy
beyond that set out in Condition (a).
(f) Subject to Condition (e) no representation, condition, warranty or other term,
express or implied (by statute or otherwise) is given by the Company that the Goods
are of any particular quality or standard or will enable the Purchaser to attain any
particular performance or result, or will be suitable for any particular purpose or use
under specic conditions or will provide any particular capacity, notwithstanding
that the requirement for such performance, result or capacity or that such particular
purpose or conditions may have been known (or ought to have been known) to the
Company, its employees or agents.
(g) (i) To the extent that the Company is held legally liable to the Purchaser for any
single breach of contract, tort, representation or other act or default, the
Company’s liability for the same shall not exceed the Price of the Goods.
(ii) The restriction of liability in Condition (g)(i) shall not apply to any liability
accepted by the Seller in Condition (c).
(h) Where the Goods are sold under a consumer transaction (as dened by the
Consumer Transactions (Restrictions on Statements) Order 1976) the statutory
rights of the Purchaser are not aected by these Conditions of Sale.
WARRANTY
WARRANTY

Reference Monitors User Handbook iii
Unpacking the Reference Monitor
The Reference Monitor is shipped with the following equipment. Please check your
packaging to ensure that you have all of the items below. If anything is missing, please
contact the supplier of your equipment immediately.
Item Quantity Reference Monitor
Reference Monitor 1
IEC mains lead tted with moulded mains plug 1
Handbook and warranty card 1
Overlay sheet for metering 1
USB cable 1
Fig A: Packing List
Each Reference Monitor is shipped in protective packaging and should be inspected for
damage before use. Where an item is found to have transit damage, notify the carrier
immediately with all the relevant details of the shipment. Packing materials should be kept
for inspection and also for if the product needs to be returned.
Returning the Warranty Card
In order to register the date of purchase so that we can keep you informed of any design
improvements or modications, it is important to complete the warranty registration
document that is enclosed and return it to Sonifex Ltd in the UK.
For your own records you should write down the serial number (which can be found on the
rear of the Reference Monitor.
Serial Number ………………………………………
WARRANTY
WARRANTY

iv Reference Monitors User Handbook
Safety Information
Safety of Mains Operated Equipment
This equipment has been designed to meet the safety regulations currently
advised in the country of purchase and it conforms to the safety regulations
specied by use of the CE Mark.
Warning : There are no user serviceable parts inside the equipment. If you should ever
need to look inside the unit, always disconnect the mains supply before removing the
equipment covers.
Voltage Setting Checks
Ensure that the machine operating voltage is correct for your mains power supply by
checking the box in which your Reference Monitor was supplied. The voltage is shown
on the box label. The available voltage settings are 115V, or 230V. Please note that all
Reference Monitores are either switchable between 115V and 230V, or have a universal
power supply.
Fuse Rating
The Reference Monitor is supplied with a single fuse in the live conducting path of the
mains power input. For reasons of safety it is important that the correct rating and type of
fuse is used. Incorrectly rated fuses could present a possible re hazard, under equipment
fault conditions. The fuse rating for the Reference Monitor is:
230 or 115 V operation - 2A 5 x 20mm SB
The active fuse is tted on the outside rear panel of the unit.
Power Cable and Connection
An IEC power connector is supplied with the Reference Monitor which has a moulded plug
attached – this is a legal requirement. If no moulded plug has been supplied with your
Reference Monitor, please contact your supplier, because an IEC connector is
always supplied from the Sonifex factory.
If for any reason, you need to use the Reference Monitor with a dierent power cable, you
should use the following wiring guidelines.
Wire Colour Connection
Green, or green and yellow Earth (E)
Blue, or black Neutral (N)
Brown, or red Live (L)
Fig B: Power Connections
Connect the equipment in accordance with the connection details and before applying
power to the unit, check that the machine has the correct operating voltage for your mains
power supply.
Important Note : The terminal marked on the rear panel must be earthed.
SAFETY INFORMATION
SAFETY INFORMATION

Reference Monitors User Handbook v
Ordering the Correct Mains Lead
When ordering a Reference Monitor from Sonifex, it is helpful if you can specify your
required operating voltage and mains lead. After the product code add:
UK, for 230V, UK 3 pin to IEC lead
EC, for 230V, European Schuko 2 pin to IEC lead
US, for 115V, 3 pin to IEC lead
AU for 230V, Australasian 3 pin to IEC lead
Fig C: Mains Lead Table
E.g. order RM-2S4 UK for a UK IEC lead to be supplied.
Installation Information
Atmosphere
The units should be installed in an area that is not subject to excessive temperature
variation (<0°C, >50°C), moisture, dust or vibration.
Electromagnetic Radiation
The cover is connected to earth by means of the xing screws. It is essential to maintain
this earth ground connection to ensure a safe operating environment and provide
electromagnetic shielding.
SAFETY INFORMATION
SAFETY INFORMATION

vi Reference Monitors User Handbook
WEEE & RoHS Directives - Sonifex Statement
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive was agreed on
13 February 2003, along with the related Directive 2002/95/EC on Restrictions
of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic
equipment (RoHS).
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) aims to minimise the
impacts of electrical and electronic equipment on the environment during their life times
and when they become waste. It applies to a huge spectrum of products. It encourages
and sets criteria for the collection, treatment, recycling and recovery of waste electrical and
electronic equipment. All products manufactured by Sonifex Ltd have the WEEE directive
label placed on the case. It gives a contact for individuals who are unsure about the correct
procedure when the product has reached its “end of use”.
Sonifex Ltd will be happy to give you information about local organisations that can
reprocess the products, or alternatively all products that have reached “end of use”can be
returned to Sonifex and will be reprocessed correctly free of charge.
Sonifex Ltd has phased out the use of certain hazardous substances identied in the
European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive. The RoHS
directive limits the use of certain hazardous substances currently used in EEE manufacture,
including lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and halide-containing
compounds PBB (polybrominated biphenyl) and PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ether).
Elimination of these substances will result in more environmentally friendly recycling
of electronic equipment. For the products which Sonifex manufacture, the main area
where products were aected was in the use of lead for manufacturing and assembling
electronics circuit boards.
Sonifex Ltd practices lead-free (LF) manufacturing processes. LF solder is used on the
surface-mount PCB manufacturing processes and for hand soldering. The printed circuit
boards (PCBs) used are either gold plated, or immersion tin plated, both of which use no
lead. Historically the PCBs were hot air solder levelled (HASL) PCBs which used tin/lead
based solder.
The manufacturing processes include the assembly of purchased components from
various sources. Product is oered as RoHS compliant, or LF, only after sucient evidence
is received from the component manufacturers that their components are RoHS compliant.
Sonifex Ltd relies solely on the distributor, or manufacturer, of the components for
identication of RoHS compliance. Thus whilst every eort is made to ensure compliance,
Sonifex Ltd makes no warranty, or certication, or declaration of compliance concerning
said components.
Sonifex Ltd denes “Lead Free” as pertaining to any product, which has been manufactured
by Sonifex Ltd using components which have been declared by the manufacturers as
“Lead Free”. All statements by Sonifex Ltd of RoHS compliance are based on component
manufacturer documentation.
WEEE & ROHS DIRECTIVE
WEEE & ROHS DIRECTIVE

Reference Monitors User Handbook 1
REFERENCE MONITORS
REFERENCE MONITORS
Reference Monitors Introduction
The Reference Monitor Range is a series of rack-mount audio monitors,
combining the latest DSP technology with outstanding audio enclosure design
to produce monitors of the highest standards with exceptional sound quality,
a comprehensive feature set and good looks in the rack.
Uniquely an embedded 5 band parametric EQ allows you to configure the
monitor for your environment or to suit your listening tastes.
Detail In The Design
In the design of the product, every care has been taken to ensure the best and most
accurate reproduction of the audio sources.
In a 1U rack, the propogation of high power sound waves in such a small enclosure could
have a tendency to produce rattles or move components, but the Reference Monitors have
been designed to ensure that their audio performance is not compromised.
Anti-Vibration
A welded and sealed stainless-steel case with milled aluminium fascia provides exceptional
rigidity and has been used to ensure that there are no extraneous metallic rattles. The lid
is sealed with extensive thin foam cut-outs to provide damping to the lid and multi-point
screw xings are used to ensure lid rigidity.
The XLR and USB port connectors on the rear panel are sealed with foam, and silicon
sealant is used on components which could move, or vibrate, under high SPL conditions.
Accurate Sound System
The speaker system comprises a three-way arrangement with two mid/high frequency
speakers providing excellent stereo imaging and a separately driven, forward facing, dual
magnet, mono bass driver.
Custom-moulded, proled, HF enclosures are used to minimise standing waves and
eliminate response peaks, and acoustic damping in the HF enclosures is used to reduce
colouration, eectively creating a separate, sealed, innite-bae enclosure for each driver.
Each of the drivers is magnetically shielded so that the monitors are perfectly safe to

Reference Monitors User Handbook
2
REFERENCE MONITORS
REFERENCE MONITORS
use near CRTs and TFT displays and each speaker uses a separate, highly ecient class-D
switching amplier.
Even cable lengths to and from the speaker enclosures have been kept short to reduce any
potential microphonic induction.
DSP Based Design
The use of a modern electronic architecture allows a much better audio performance to be
realised. The DSP-based, 3rd-order active crossover provides perfect separation between
mid-range and bass sounds.
A DSP-based electronic equalisation is used to atten the frequency response and also
enables the 5 band parametric EQ. Additionally, the fast-attack DSP loudspeaker limiter
protects the drivers from overload damage.
Audio Modiers
Six illuminated soft-touch pushbuttons allow front panel muting and dimming of the
loudspeakers., stereo-to-mono conversion., phase inversion and Middle+Side encoding/
decoding with all front panel settings stored in non-volatile memory which is recalled at
power-up. A universal power supply ensures global voltage operation without adjustment.
5 Band Parametric Equalisation
Each product in the Reference Monitor range contains an embedded 5 band parametric
equaliser.
On testing the units, they are set up to give a at response across the quoted frequency
range, but the parametric EQ allows you to alter the response either to account for poor
acoustics in the room that the monitor is mounted in, or to suit your particular listening
tastes.
Using the free of charge SCi remote control software, preset EQ settings can be selected, or
dierent EQ settings can be created and stored.
Front Panel Lock-Out
The controls on the front panel can optionally be locked out if required by using the free of
charge SCi remote control software.
Optional Expansion Cards
These expansion cards allow the moniotiring of audio in an 3G/HD/SD-SDI stream either as
linear PCM or Dolby E and Dolby Digital encoded.
RM-HD1 3G/HD/SD-SDI expansion card
RM-HDE1 3G/HD/SD-SDI & Dolby E /Dolby Digital Decoder expansion card
RM-E1X Dolby* E Decoder expansion card
RM-E1B Dolby* E Decoder expansion card

Reference Monitors User Handbook 3
REFERENCE MONITORS RM-2S4 & RM-2S10
REFERENCE MONITORS RM-2S4 & RM-2S10
1
RM-2S4 Reference Monitor, 2 LED meters & 4 stereo
channel inputs
RM-2S10 Reference Monitor, 2 LED meters & 10 stereo
channel inputs
Introduction
The RM-2S4 and RM-2S10 are 1U rack-mount units oering quality loudspeaker monitoring
and accurate, high-resolution metering of up to four (RM-2S4) or twenty (RM-2S10 both
analogue and digital) stereo audio sources and more with the addition of optional
expansion cards. Sources may be in any mixture of analogue and AES/EBU digital formats,
with sample rates up to 192kHz accepted.
Sources (and additional Banks of Sources, if tted) are selected via a front panel rotary
encoder, with clear LED indication of the current selection. On the RM-2S10, the Source
LEDs also act as signal present indicators. A pair of line-level audio outputs, congurable
as analogue or AES/EBU digital, follow the selected source at either a xed level or one
mirroring the loudspeaker volume.
The level of the chosen source is displayed on a pair of bright, multicoloured 53-segment
bargraph meters, with a choice of seven accurately modelled scales/responses to suit
dierent applications and local preferences. A separate phase meter indicates channel
correlation or phase error conditions. On the rear panel, open-collector alarm outputs
provide hardware indication of sustained underlevel, overlevel, phase errors and digital
source lock.
Six illuminated pushbuttons provide access to a range of audio ‘modiers’ – instant
dimming of the volume, individual muting of each audio channel, stereo-to-mono
conversion, phase inversion and Middle+Side transcoding. On the rear panel, logic-level
inputs allow direct remote access to the DIM and MUTE functions.
The three-way loudspeaker system is fed via a DSP-based active crossover and a trio of
highly ecient Class-D ampliers. Careful attention to driver selection, materials and
case design, plus active DSP equalisation, has ensured a at response and outstanding
reproduction from such a shallow unit. A protective limiter prevents damage to the
loudspeakers under overload conditions and the front-panel headphone socket
automatically mutes the internal loudspeakers when a plug is inserted. A Balance control
allows you to alter the stereo imaging of the left and right channels.
Fig 1-1: RM-2S4 Reference Monitor Front Panel
Fig 1-2: RM-2S10 Reference Monitor Front Panel

4Reference Monitors User Handbook
REFERENCE MONITORS RM-2S4 & RM-2S10
REFERENCE MONITORS RM-2S4 & RM-2S10
1
A further ve-band parametric equaliser can be accessed for room-equalisation purposes
via Sonifex SCi Windows-based remote control software. Source selection, status
monitoring and unit ID functions, plus rmware updates to add extra functionality, are
all accessible remotely via both USB and RS232 connections in conjunction with Sonifex
SCi software. The open control protocol also allows operation with terminal programs or
customised applications.
An optional addition to the RM-2S4 and RM-2S10 is an SDI video input expansion
card, allowing a single AES group embedded within a 3G, HD or SD-SDI signal to be de-
embedded and monitored, (RM-HD1).
Both RM-2S4 and RM-2S10 units operate from global mains voltages (85-264V AC, 47-63Hz)
without adjustment.
System Block Diagram
Fig 1-3: Reference Monitor Block Diagram

Reference Monitors User Handbook 5
REFERENCE MONITORS RM-2S4 & RM-2S10
REFERENCE MONITORS RM-2S4 & RM-2S10 1
Front Panel Indicators & Controls
Fig 1-4: RM-2S4 Front Panel Controls
Fig 1-5: RM-2S10 Front Panel Controls
Power LED
The POWER LED illuminates whilst internal power is present within the unit. If this indicator
is not on, the most likely reason is simply the absence of mains power, but under fault
conditions it may also indicate a ruptured mains fuse or a problem with the internal power
supply module.
Rotary Source Selector
The rotary Source selector determines which of the four (RM-2S4) or ten (RM-2S10) stereo
audio inputs in the currently selected Bank is routed to the loudspeakers and metering.
Turning the selector anticlockwise increments the Source number and vice versa, with the
currently selected Source being indicated by illumination of the corresponding Source LED.
The currently selected Source can also be changed by the remote control ports (see the
relevant sections of this manual), & such changes will also be reected by the Source LEDs.
The Source selector is an endless rotary encoder; further rotation will be ignored once the
lowest/highest Source has been selected. If the currently selected Bank contains fewer
Fig 1-6: RM-2S4 Source Selector Fig 1-7: RM-2S10 Source Selector

6Reference Monitors User Handbook
REFERENCE MONITORS RM-2S4 & RM-2S10
REFERENCE MONITORS RM-2S4 & RM-2S10
1
than four (RM-2S4) or ten (RM-2S10) Sources, it will not be possible to select
unimplemented Sources.
When mains power is removed, the currently selected Source is stored in non-volatile
memory and recalled instantly once power is restored.
Auto-Selection of Inputs
As standard, the RM-2S4 has auto-selection of the inputs, i.e. whichever analogue or digital
signal is connected to the input will be used. There is also an option (in the serial settings)
for the RM-2S10 to have auto-selection of it’s separate ten analogue inputs in Bank ANA
and ten digital inputs in Bank DIG. For users with a smaller number of mixed analogue and
digital sources, the auto-selection allows the unit to switch automatically between the
analogue and digital banks according to what is connected.
For the RM-2S10, with auto-selection enabled, both the Bank ANA and Bank DIG LEDs are
illuminated (expansion banks can still be selected as normal, if tted). If the current source
selection points to a valid digital input then the digital input will be selected. If it does not,
the similarly numbered analogue source will be used. If both are present then the digital
input takes precedence (hence auto-selection is only useful for a maximum of ten sources).
The analogue and digital presence indications are combined (ORed) and displayed
simultaneously.
Bank Selector
Pressing the Source selector knob inwards steps sequentially through all available input
Banks (groups of stereo inputs). Each press ashes the selected Bank LED and moves the
selected Bank onwards by one step. Once the last available Bank is selected, a further press
returns the selection to the rst available Bank. The currently selected Bank is indicated by
illumination of the corresponding Bank LED.
The currently selected Bank may also be changed via the remote control ports (see the
appropriate sections of this manual), and such changes will also be reected by the
Bank LEDs.
On the RM-2S4, BANK A corresponds to the four autoselecting (analogue or digital) stereo
inputs found on the rear panel, and further Banks become available with the addition of
optional expansion cards.
On the RM-2S10, separate Banks are provided for analogue (BANK ANA) and digital (BANK
DIG) sources – a total of twenty stereo sources may be attached if both Banks are fully
utilised. Further Banks become available with the addition of optional expansion cards. It is
not possible to select Banks which are not tted.
When mains power is removed, the currently selected Bank is stored in non-volatile
memory and recalled instantly once power is restored.
To monitor SDI audio data, an RM-HD1 card has to be tted. Each SDI signal carries 16
channels of embedded audio divided into four groups. To monitor this audio using an
RM-2S10 or RM-2S4 tted with an RM-HD1 card, select each channel pair using the Source
and Bank controls as per the table below:

Reference Monitors User Handbook 7
REFERENCE MONITORS RM-2S4 & RM-2S10
REFERENCE MONITORS RM-2S4 & RM-2S10 1
Bank Source Sdi Channel
Monitored
SDI Audio
Channel Group
EXT A
1 1 + 2 1
2 3 + 4
3 5 + 6 2
4 7 + 8
EXT B
1 9 + 10 3
2 11 + 12
3 13 + 14 4
4 15 + 16
The lock indicator is used to display the channel active bits in the control packet. If either
of the channel active bits are set for the current selection then the lock indicator is set
on. For HD-SDI, control packets must be transmitted, but with SD-SDI, control packets are
optional. So in the case where no control packet is found but audio data is available, then
the unit assumes that all channels are active on the currently selected group and the lock
indicator is set on.
Source Presence Indicators (RM-2S10 only)
On the RM-2S10, the presence of active audio on a Source input is indicated by green
illumination of the corresponding Source LED. The currently selected Source is indicated by
yellow illumination.
This feature may optionally be disabled through the use of the remote control OPT
command (see the appropriate section of this manual).
Main Meters
Fig 1-8: RM-2S4 & RM-2S10 Meters
The main meters are twin 53-segment, multicoloured LED bargraphs, displaying the
currently selected stereo audio source. The upper meter displays the left channel and the
lower meter the right channel.

8Reference Monitors User Handbook
REFERENCE MONITORS RM-2S4 & RM-2S10
REFERENCE MONITORS RM-2S4 & RM-2S10
1
By default, the meters reect exactly what is being heard from the loudspeakers including
any front panel signal modiers that are active, i.e. they are “output” meters. For example,
if Middle+Side processing is active (see the appropriate section of this manual), the upper
meter will display the Middle signal and the lower meter will display the Side. If the CUT
modier is used to mute an input channel, the corresponding meter will display no signal.
If preferred, the meters may be made to behave as “input” meters, i.e. not aected by front
panel signal modiers, through the use of the remote control OPT command (see the
appropriate section of this manual).
Several dierent characteristics are available for the meters to suit dierent applications
and regional preferences. The active meter characteristic is selected by the settings
of DIPSwitches 8, 9 and 10 on DIPSwitch Block 1 (found on the underside of the unit),
according to the following table.
Fig 1-9: RM-2S4 & RM-2S10 DIPSwitch Settings
Note that power should be removed from the unit while making changes to the
conguration switches and reapplied once the changes are complete.
1
ON DIP
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1
ON DIP
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1
ON DIP
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1
ON DIP
23456 7 8 9 10 11 12
Reference Monitor underside
DIPSwitch Block 1 DIPSwitch Block 2

Reference Monitors User Handbook 9
REFERENCE MONITORS RM-2S4 & RM-2S10
REFERENCE MONITORS RM-2S4 & RM-2S10 1
Meter
Characteristics
Scale
Range*
0dBFS
Reference
Amber
Section
Starts at*
Red Section
Starts at* SW8 SW9 SW10 SW11
Dual PPM +
Standard VU
-13 to
+13dBu +18dBu 0dBu +8dBu OFF OFF OFF OFF
BBC PPM or EBU
PPM**
-13 to
+13dBu +18dBu 0dBu +8dBu ON OFF OFF OFF
Nordic PPM -40 to
+12dBu +18dBu 0dBu +6dBu OFF ON OFF OFF
AES Digital PPM -52 to 0dBFS +18dBu -18dBFS 0dBFS ON ON OFF OFF
DIN PPM -54 to
+5dBu +18dBu 0dBu +4dBu OFF OFF ON OFF
Standard VU -24 to +3VU +18dBu -4VU 0VU ON OFF ON OFF
Extended VU -59 to
+15VU +18dBu -4VU 0VU OFF ON ON OFF
German PPM -54 to
+15dBu #+15dBu -54dBu +7dBu ON ON ON OFF
AES Digital PPM
(SMPTE RP.0155) -52 to 0dBFS +18dBu -20dBFS 0dBFS OFF OFF OFF ON
* With 0dB of input gain selected. #With 0dB input gain (SW6 and SW7 o)
** May be BBC or EBU PPM depending on the choice of scale plate.
Meter Labelling
Each meter characteristic possesses dierent scaling, range and ballistics according to
the relevant British or International standards and self-adhesive scales for each of the
characteristics are supplied with the unit.
Fig 1-10: Meter Labelling Options Fig 1-10a: German PPM Labelling Options
AW10332A Reference Monitor 53 segment meter overlay
L
R
dB
-60 -50
-15 -10 -5 0 +5 [phone]
German ARD 9dB Headroom, IEC-268-10

10 Reference Monitors User Handbook
REFERENCE MONITORS RM-2S4 & RM-2S10
REFERENCE MONITORS RM-2S4 & RM-2S10
1
Once the desired meter characteristic has been chosen, proper scale labelling may be
ensured by removing the appropriate scale from the backing paper and applying it to the
recess provided between the two meters.
Brightness Control
The brightness of the bargraph meters and all other front panel indicators may be adjusted
to suit user preference or to match similar units nearby.
Fig 1-11: Brightness Control
A miniature at-bladed screwdriver inserted into the hole next to the BRIGHTNESS symbol
should be turned clockwise to increase the brightness or anti-clockwise to decrease it.
PHASE Meter
The ve-segment LED phase meter indicates the average phase correlation
between the left and right channels of the currently selected stereo audio
source. It is labelled in both degrees of phase shift and amount of correlation.
The phase meter is an “output” meter, reecting exactly what is being heard
from the loudspeakers including any front panel signal modiers that are
active.
A monophonic signal fed to both channels of the selected Source will have
a correlation of 1.0, while inverting one such channel – making it perfectly
out of phase – gives a correlation of -1.0. True stereo signals will produce a
uctuating phase correlation.
Fig 1-12: Phase Meter Display
An interesting situation arises when only one channel of a stereo source is fed with signal.
If the unused channel is perfectly silent (as is possible in the case of a digital source) then
the phase correlation will average 0.0, but a small
degree of crosstalk between the used and unused
channels (as is likely in the case of analogue sources)
will allow the signal to self-correlate and the meter
will display an average correlation nearer 1.0.
BALANCE Control
The balance control is a centre-detented rotary
potentiometer allowing adjustment of the relative
balance between the left and right loudspeakers.
The control characteristic maintains a constant
overall power from the loudspeakers. Turning the Fig 1-13: Balance Control