McIntosh Laboratory, Inc. 2 Chambers Street Binghamton, New York MX180 A/V Processor Owner’s Manual 13903-2699 Phone: 607-723-3512 www.mcintoshlabs.
The MX180 A/V Processor marries McIntosh’s long tradition of uncompromising quality with the latest home theater technologies to bring you an unsurpassed luxury entertainment experience. The MX180’s superior multichannel reproduction combined with RoomPerfect™ room correction technology provides the backbone of your cutting edge audio visual system.
Table of Contents Safety First ������������������������������������������������������������� 2 Thank you from all of us at McIntosh ������������������� 2 Make a Note ����������������������������������������������������������� 2 Trademark and License Information ��������������������� 4 What’s in the box ��������������������������������������������������� 5 Where to put it ������������������������������������������������������� 5 Making the Cuts ���������������������������������������������������� 6 Connectio
Trademark and License Information The McIntosh MX180 incorporates copyright protected technology that is protected by U.S. patents and other intellectual property rights. The MX180 uses the following technologies: Trademark Logo This item incorporates copy protection technology that is protected by U.S. patents and other intellectual property rights of Rovi Corporation. Reverse engineering and disassembly are prohibited. License Information Manufactured under license from Auro Technologies.
What’s in the box Front View of the MX180 Here is what is in the box besides all the shipping foam: One MX180 A/V Processor One accessory package including • Microphone • Microphone stand • Microphone clip • 25-foot XLR microphone cable One manual package including this manual One AC power cord 17-1/2" 44.
Making the Cuts Here are the dimensions for the cutouts needed for custom installation. A ventilation opening is essential for any installation with the four feet removed. 17-3/16" 43.66cm INPUT VOLUME M X 18 0 A / V P R O C E S S O R MX180 Front Panel Custom Cabinet Cutout INPUT FORMAT DISPLAY MODE 6-9/16" 16.
MIC 1 1 USB 2 NET 1 LAN 4 3 2 PROCESSOR SD CARD LS RS L R 5 RF R USB 3 PC AUDIO IN 8 6 5V/1A LF L GND RS232 LTF DIGITAL INPUTS L L SERIAL NUMBER PHONO BAL IN 1 RTR LTR RTF ZONE OUT 7 2 1 R L 4 3 R C LFE LRS RRS AUX 1 AUX 3 AUX 2 AUX 4 CAUTION R AUDIO INPUTS LF C LS LRS RF SUB RS RRS BAL IN 2 A ZONE B OUT 1 3 2 4 A 1 B 2 RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN ATTENTION: RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE-NE PAS OUVRIR MX180 A/V PROCESSOR HDMI OUTPUTS H
Making Connections HDMI The MX180 A/V Processor has 5 HDMI Inputs. A high-performance HDMI cable is recommended to take advantage of the 48 Gbps speed capabilities of all 5 HDMI Inputs. The HDMI cables should support 8K@60Hz, and HDR as well as Ethernet and ARC. Cables certified for HDMI 2.1 are recommended. Though, HDMI is backward compatible, older cables may have issues with the higher bandwidth required for newer protocols.
way, if Zone B is in another room, a Remote Control can be used to adjust the MX180. If using an external IR receiver for Zone A in the same room as the MX180, you may wish to disable the front IR sensor, which also controls Zone A, to avoid timing issues of receiving the remotes commands from two Inputs. The front IR can be turned on/off in the Setup Menu: SETUP>System configuration>General setup (For explanation of menu path notation see the box on page 14.) IR Data Control N/C Ground Figure 05– IR 3.
AUX2 AUX3 AUX4 This is all easier said than done. Setting up speakers for a surround system takes planning, measuring and installation. Depending on your level of expertise and available time, you may wish to employ the services of your McIntosh Dealer for expert setup of your system. Professional installation of in-ceiling speakers is particularly important due to gravity and the location above your head. The number, types and locations of speakers are key elements in setting up the system.
INPUT VOLUME M X 18 0 A / V P R O C E S S O R SURROUND MODE TRIM SELECT INPUT FORMAT C RF LS LFE RS LRS DISPLAY MODE ANALOG SIGNAL LF DIGITAL SIGNAL ROOMPERFECT HD AUDIO 4K VIDEO 3D AUDIO RRS S LATE NIGHT BACK OUTPUT FORMAT LF C RF LS SUB RS LRS BS RRS ZONE B CONTROL SELECT STANDBY ON SET UP ADJUST NAVIGATE Figure 08– MX180 Front panel The Front Panel The iconic front glass panel of the MX180 provides knobs and buttons to control the unit as well as an informational dis
Trim Select Knob Now that you are familiar with the arrow, Back and Select buttons, you can change many settings using the Trim Select Knob. Turn the Trim Knob to access any of the following: • Voicing- There are seven built-in equalization settings. Use the up/down buttons to scroll through the choices. You can push SELECT to choose and return to the previous screen or wait a few seconds and this will happen automatically.
speakers. Auro-3D: • HL (Height Left) • HC (Height Center) • HR (Height Right) • HLS (Height Left Surround) • HRS (Height Right Surround) • TOP (Top ceiling, AKA VoG / Voice of God) Dolby Atmos: • LTF (Left Top Front) • RTF (Right Top Front) • LTM (Left Top Middle) • RTM (Right Top Middle) • LTR (Left Top Rear) • RTR (Right Top Rear) • LW (Left Wide) • RW (Right Wide) For examples, see “Dolby Atmos and Auro-3D Setup Examples” on page 21.
the underlying logic and procedures are the same. To bring up the interface on your browser, put the IP address of the MX180 in the address bar. To determine the IP address, push the DISPLAY MODE button until the IP address appears in the display. Choose SETUP from the top left of the screen. The local version will start in the SETUP menu. (See Figure 09.
frequency for custom speaker setting. Enabling Natural roll-off (choosing “Yes”) will send the full range signal to the speaker as well as sending the bass frequency based on the cutoff to a subwoofer or XXL speaker. Enabling bi-amping (choosing “Yes”) will send an exact copy of the existing signal to a pair of AUX Outputs. This option is only available for the LF/RF speakers. Add each speaker you have by selecting the + by appropriate description and filling in the data.
Audio Processing SETUP>Audio setup>Audio processing This menu allows for management of the audio processing presets for DTS, AURO and Dolby. For DTS, center gain adjustments can be set for the three available DTS presets (Neo:X music, Neo:X game and Neo:X cinema). Dynamic range control, also known as Night Mode, can be enabled and percentage of control set. Night Mode raises the volume of quiet sounds and lowers the volume of loud sounds.
• For example, if HDMI 2 was assigned to “DVR”, then a control device sending the DVR command would select HDMI 2 on the MX180. • Trigger out: A trigger can be assigned to the Input. Available triggers are controlled in the trigger setup menu. A trigger not assigned to a source (Source, Source A or Source B) will not appear as an option. See “Trigger Setup” on page 18. Select Save to keep changes. Video Setup The Video setup menu has two sub menus: Video Output and Video Input.
If the connected unit supports higher bandwidths but only works when the limit is lowered, the cable may be bad or not able to support higher bandwidths. You can use the HDMI Bandwidth as a troubleshooting tool. The options for HDMI bandwidth limit are: • 1200 MHz (Default) • 600 MHz • 300 Mhz • 150 MHz System Configuration The System Configuration menu has three sub menus: General setup, Trigger setup and Network setup.
• • • • • • Source – When the preset source for any zone is selected, it will trigger. Use source setup menu to associate with a source.
officially released version “Select file from USB” will show files located on an inserted USB drive • “Browse” will allow you to search the computer and connected drives for the file If you access SETUP from the front panel, then “Remote server” and files from a local USB drive will be your two update options. • Select the file you wish to install • Choose Start update The MX180 will install the update and then shut down. Do not manually power off the unit while installing the update.
Dolby Atmos and Auro-3D Setup Examples The system supports Dolby Atmos as well as Auro-3D. If Dolby Atmos material is played in an Auro-3D setup, the system will try to match the Auro3D specific speakers to the nearest Dolby Atmos equivalent; the same goes for playing Auro-3D material on a Dolby Atmos setup. The system will also handle hybrid setups with both types of speakers. DTS will work with a variety of setups including the Auro 3D setup below without using the TOP speaker.
Bass Management Examples The following examples show a few different possible setups and how the bass is routed in them. The examples only mention where the LFE channel and the redirected bass is played; the high part of any channel is always played by the speaker for that channel. The same goes for bass that is not redirected, so this will not be specifically mentioned. See Figure 13 represents a more or less typical system. Figure 13– 7.1.4 LFE Sub Figure 14– 7.1.
Voicing Curves Here are examples of default Voicing equalization curves included with the MX180. Voicings are accessible through the Voicing trim settings. Default equalization curves can be edited. New curves can be designed using multiple filters. Custom Voicings can be selected the same manner as default Voicings using the TRIM SELECT knob (see “Trim Select Knob” on page 12).
Description of Remote Control Buttons LEDs illuminate during the time a remote command is sent and when programming the Remote Control Select the DEVICE to issue a Remote Control command to SETUP Push-button selects the Installer Menu Selects AM Tuner Operating Functions (when connected to a McIntosh tuner), also Track Selection on certain McIntosh CD Players Press the Trim Push-button and then the LEVEL UP Push-button to select and adjust various functions.
Remote Control Batteries The HR085 Remote Control included with the MX180 is powered by two AAA batteries. To insert or remove batteries, open the battery compartment by removing the cover located on the back of the remote. To open, pull the clasp located just above the opening downward.
Re-packing the MX180 MICROPHONE When shipping the MX180, it is highly recommended that the unit be packed as it was originally shipped to avoid damage. Failure to properly pack the unit will likely result in damage. (The front panel is made of glass!) If you need any of the packing material, you can contact McIntosh Customer Service (see page 2). Use only packing material that is in good condition and replace nonservicable material.
Technical Specifications Unless otherwise noted, the below MX180 Specifications were taken with RoomPerfect™ set to Bypass Mode and Voicing Mode set to Neutral. Frequency Response Left, Center, Right, Left Surround, Right Surround, Left Back Surround, Right Back Surround: ±0.5dB from 20Hz-20,000Hz Subwoofer: ±0.5dB from 20Hz-8000Hz Total Harmonic Distortion 0.
McIntosh Laboratory, Inc. 2 Chambers Street Binghamton, NY 13903 www.mcintoshlabs.com The continuous improvement of its products is the policy of McIntosh Laboratory Incorporated who reserve the right to improve design without notice. Printed in the U.S.A. McIntosh Part No.