Chowmain - Anthem MRX-520/MRX-720/MRX-1120/AVM-60 Driver (FREE)

[alanchow]

Chowmain - Anthem MRX-520 / MRX-720 / MRX-1120 and AVM-60 Driver
Chowmain launches FREE Anthem MRX driver for Control4 supporting the MRX-520, MRX-720, MRX-1120 and AVM-60 models. Anthem’s award-winning Third Generation MRX Series of high-end multi-channel A/V receivers are known the world over for their excellent sound quality, efficient power handling, and the ease with which they integrate into an entertainment system. The MRX Series is packed with exclusive audio innovations like Anthem Room Correction (ARC®) Technology and Advanced Load Monitoring (ALM) Technology, 4K Pass-Through with fast HDMI switching and more.

The MRX driver for Control4 allows the following functionality.

Features

• IP & RS232 control (19200 baud no flow control)
• Auto Room On when manually switched to Play-Fi input (eg Spotify starts a stream remotely) or Tuner input
• Speaker Profile control from Navigator
• Commands - Both Zones - Volume Up/Down/Set, Mute On/Off/Toggle, Set Input, Power On/Off
• Commands - Main Zone Only - Set Audio Listening Modes, Set Speaker Profile
• Tuner - Tune Up / Down, Seek Up / Down, Preset Up / Down, Direct Tune, Select Preset
• Keypad Button Maps - Key 0-9, Info, Up / Down / Left / Right / Select, Page Up / Page Down, Cancel (Last command), Menu (Setup command)
• Mappable Buttons - Mode, Dim Level, Tone, Bass, Treble, Lip Sync, Balance, Dynamics, Clear, Preset
• Front Panel Brightness
• Discrete Balance
• Up/Down/Discrete Bass
• Up/Down/Discrete Treble

FAQ

What cool things can we do with this driver?

• Starting PlayFi from another device will cause Control4 to automatically select PlayFi as the source for the room. This is useful for Spotify Connect and other PlayFi sources where you would initiate it from the Spotify app or PlayFi app. Once the MRX changes to the PlayFi input Control4 will detect it and automatically select PlayFi as the source in any room that has the MRX as the audio endpoint. This allows you to control volume, mute, select speaker profiles, surround modes or to room off.
• FM media lists can be loaded for direct selection of FM stations from Control4 navigator.
• Speaker profiles can be selected from Navigator with names and feedback on which profile is currently selected.

What products will this work for?
This driver is designed to work with the MRX-520, MRX-720, MRX-1120 and AVM-60

How do I buy the driver?
This driver is sponsored by Anthem AV and is free of charge.

How do I find out more information about the driver?
Please see the links below for more information about the driver.

Chowmain Website

[cdepaola]

Hey Alan, have a question...  I've created a custom button I want to use to turn on Zone 2, which is set in the Anthem AVR to follow Zone 1, however the Power On action doesn't seem to work. 'The "feature list" says that we can turn on/off zone 2.  Is it possible to just turn on the Zone 2 in this way? 

Background, the project I'm working on is in an open basement. There are back speakers in a game area that are only getting used in a party setting, otherwise they are off and only the front speakers are on. 

Thoughts? 

Thanks!

 

[alanchow]

3 hours ago, cdepaola said:

Hey Alan, have a question...  I've created a custom button I want to use to turn on Zone 2, which is set in the Anthem AVR to follow Zone 1, however the Power On action doesn't seem to work. 'The "feature list" says that we can turn on/off zone 2.  Is it possible to just turn on the Zone 2 in this way? 

Background, the project I'm working on is in an open basement. There are back speakers in a game area that are only getting used in a party setting, otherwise they are off and only the front speakers are on. 

Thoughts? 

Thanks!

 

The best method of doing this is to create a media scene that joins the rooms together and enable / disable that media scene from the custom button.  That will work perfectly.

[cdepaola]

Ok... Was hopeful there was a way to programmatically turn on zone two without creating a second room, was trying to stay away from that method.  Was hopeful that the anthem driver had functionality similar to the Yamaha receivers where you can turn the zone on and off without it being a separate room. 

The Anthem receivers are nice in that they can play digital audio to Zone 2 and you can set the receiver to always have Zone 2 follow the Zone 1 input.  So what ever is playing on zone 1 will play on zone 2 when turned on.  We'll just have to live with opening the Anthem app and manually turning on zone 2. 

[alanchow]

3 hours ago, cdepaola said:

Ok... Was hopeful there was a way to programmatically turn on zone two without creating a second room, was trying to stay away from that method.  Was hopeful that the anthem driver had functionality similar to the Yamaha receivers where you can turn the zone on and off without it being a separate room. 

The Anthem receivers are nice in that they can play digital audio to Zone 2 and you can set the receiver to always have Zone 2 follow the Zone 1 input.  So what ever is playing on zone 1 will play on zone 2 when turned on.  We'll just have to live with opening the Anthem app and manually turning on zone 2. 

In general i would stay away from programming in this method as tracking would be lost.  You can hide rooms from navigator.  The programming is really simple.  Just add in a room.  Set the endpoint to zone 2.  Add in a media scene tying the room power, volume, mute and source selection.  Program custom button (or experience button) to activate / deactivate the media scene.  All in all it should take you 30-60 seconds to complete all of that programming.