SMZ16-PRE Frequently Asked Questions
The ARC input is designed to connect to the ARC port of your TV. Most TVs will automatically detect the SMZ and configure themselves automatically, but on some TVs you may need to adjust the TV settings so that the TV audio is transmitted to the ARC port and formatted for PCM Stereo output.
Yes. The ARC input is designed to work with a specific zone on the SMZ, called a Primary Zone. For example, if you are connecting the Master Bedroom TV to the ARC input, the Primary Zone would be the Master Bedroom.
Once the ARC connection is made and the Master Bedroom is configured in Web Config as the Primary Zone CEC (Connected Equipment Commands) are used for communications between the bedroom TV and the Master Bedroom zone of the SMZ. Using your TV’s remote control, you will be able to adjust the Master Bedroom’s volume, turn on/off the Zone when the TV is turned on/off, etc.
Yes, you can share the TV audio to any other rooms. Because the SMZ utilizes an advanced digital audio matrix, there is no noticeable delay or lag when other rooms are listening to any source. This is different from many wireless audio systems where it isn’t possible to share the audio signal from a video source like a TV without having a problematic delay.
The DSP settings on the SMZ are very robust and are configured using the Russound app. You must have App version 1.7 or higher in order to control the SMZ. From the app, you can choose from preset speaker modes for using the SMZ with any current models of Russound speakers, or custom tailor the 7-band EQ as desired. There are also 24 acoustic presets:
| Acoustic | DJ Set | Hip Hop (Hard) | Loudness | Oldies | Rock (Hard) |
| Blues | Electronic | Hip Hop (Soft) | Lounge | Piano | Rock (Soft) |
| Classical | Flat | Indie | Metal | Pop | Speech |
| Dance | Folk | Jazz | Movie | R&B | Trip Hop |
Like the SMZ8 and the MBX-Series, the SMZ16-PRE uses RIO and will be supported for Control4, URC, and RTI. Drivers are still in certification but beta versions are available to anyone who needs them.
Yes, just like with the MBX products and MCA controllers today, the Alexa voice control using Russound’s two custom skills works with the SMZ-Series
Yes, you can use all of the internal streamers. The SMZ-Series have a special dedicated “Streamer Out” connection that solves this problem. Each internal streamer has its own source number default based on the Controller ID dial on the SMZ’s rear panel.
| Controller ID | Streamer ID (Source Number) | |
| SMZ8 | SMZ16-PRE | |
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 4 | 12 |
| 3 | 5 | 13 |
| 4 | 6 | 14 |
| 5 | 7 | 15 |
| 6 | 8 | 16 |
The Stereo/Mono option is available to the installer in Web Config
The SMZ8 and SMZ16-PRE are not designed to work in the same system, just like you wouldn’t use an MCA-66 with an MCA-88.
If you use a total of 6 SMZ16-PRE chassis, you can have up to 96 audio zones in a system.
The RNET protocol is not needed when using the SMZ-Series controllers. All SMZ controllers need to be on the same network and have their individual Controller Number dials set properly on the rear panel. The first controller is always Controller #1. The second controller would be #2, etc, all the way up to the sixth controller which would be Controller #6.
We’ve been discussing this for some time but we don’t have a timeframe for that feature yet.
The outputs can be set for stereo or mono but not the inputs. The inputs are all stereo inputs.
No. Not currently. We’ve been considering adding some kind of password protection to limit that. If you use an XTS7 you can use Android protection features such as requiring a passcode or pin to access the touchscreen.
There is one embedded streaming module on the SMZ16-PRE. You can additionally add on external MBX-PREs as sources on the unit as well to add additional streamers. Russound recommends having a streamer for every person in the home so that they can each listen to their own music anywhere in the home.
Although we still have inventory of the KNX-RIO-1, we have not been doing any updates on it and it does not support Sources 9-16 or any of the new features available for the SMZ Series such as DSP or advanced audio support. Please reach out to Russound International Sales for some suggestions on using KNX with Russound.
If you’re using our MBX-Series, here’s a link to BAB Technology that supports a KNX MBX installation of up to 32 MBX devices. https://bab-technologie.com/neu-im-appmarket-ambx/
We do not currently have a driver for Crestron, but our RIO protocol is available on our website for download for anyone who would like to write a control driver for Russound MBX, MCA, or SMZ-Series products.
