Just like with our earlier 8-zone controllers, zones 7 and 8 are not amplified and have the option to be either fixed or variable level outputs so that installers are free to choose the best amplifier for their customers’ needs. The main reason for this is that there are typically between 1-2 zones of a home that require more power. This could be in a Great Room with a large footprint or high ceilings, or in any outdoor zone where even the 50 watts of the SMZ8 are not enough power for the customers’ needs.

We support Control4, URC, and RTI. Drivers are currently in development and going through the certification process at each of these companies. Contact Russound if you have an upcoming job with any of these control systems until the drivers are fully certified and released.

The Stereo/Mono option is available to the installer in Web Config.

Yes, and no. If you have a single MCA-88 controller, it can be replaced by an SMZ8 fairly easily with one important distinction – the MCA-88 was able to support proprietary Russound keypads and touchscreens such as the SLK-1, MDK-C5, MDK-C6 and TS3. Those keypads and touchscreens are NOT compatible with the SMZ8. The SMZ8 can be controlled through the Russound app, through the Russound XTS7 touchscreen, or with the convenience keypad, the IPK-1.

Any keypads/touchscreens that required a connection to the rear panel of the MCA-88 are NOT compatible with the SMZ8. The keypads/touchscreens mentioned were last sold by Russound in 2021.

No, the SMZ8 cannot be combined with any different controller models in the same installation. Just like it wasn’t possible to combine an MCA-88 with an MCA-66, the SMZ8 must be combined with additional SMZ8s whenever more zones are needed in a system.

Yes, unfortunately, that is the case. Russound does offer special upgrade pricing for these situations as we understand how important it is to support our older installations as much as we possibly can.

Yes, you can, but keep in mind that there are some limitations. When you add MBX-AMPs in a system with an SMZ8, the MBX-AMP will be an independent zone and will not be able to share any sources or synchronize audio with the SMZ8 zones. The MBX-AMP zone will only be able to access any sources that are directly connected to it. The exception to this is Apple AirPlay and Google Cast. Because these have their own grouping system, it is possible to synchronize audio with them among SMZ8 and MBX-AMPs on the same network.

Yes, more than one group can be active at the same time. There are still network bandwidth limitations and using more than 10 total speakers at the same time is not recommended.

The SMZ8 uses separate advanced Class D amplifiers for each of the six amplified zones.

The legacy KNX-RIO has not been tested with the SMZ8.

The IP address of the device that is being controlled by the Russound app is available in the Advanced Settings menu accessed by pressing and holding the settings icon in the Russound app for a few seconds. Keep in mind that the Russound app can connect to any Russound device within the home so if there is more than one Russound device, the IP address shown will be for the connected device only. Once you tap on the IP address, Web Config will open and you can use the drop-down menu in the upper right corner of Web Config to quickly access every other Russound SMZ or MBX product on the network.

The USB-C port is for audio input and will work with flash drives, USB hard drives (with external power) and as a side benefit when you’re on a job site, can even charge your phone while you’re working

The ARC input is designed to connect to the ARC port of your TV. Most TVs will automatically detect the SMZ8 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. Only PCM Stereo is supported. The SMZ8 does not perform any audio decoding or down-mixing from multi-channel audio to stereo.

The DSP settings on the SMZ8 are very robust and are configured using the Russound app. You must have App version 1.7 or higher in order to control the SMZ8. From the app, you can choose from preset speaker modes for using the SMZ8 with any current models of Russound speakers, or custom tailor the 7-band EQ as desired. There are also 24 acoustic presets:

Because the baluns are ARC capable, they should work but this is entirely dependent on the baluns. Russound recommends testing any baluns in their intended application to confirm that any particular brand/model works for the intended use.

Yes, you can configure both of these. The Turn-On volume is available in the Russound app settings menu. The max volume level for a zone is configured in Web Config by the installer using the Volume Trim settings for a zone.

Yes, you can use all of the internal streamers. The SMZ8 has a special dedicated “Streamer Out” connection that solves this problem. Each internal streamer has its own source number default based on the Controller ID switch.

Yes. The ARC input is designed to work with a specific zone on the SMZ8, 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 SMZ8. 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. The ARC input is designed to work with a specific zone on the SMZ8, 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 SMZ8. 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 SMZ8 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 noticeable delay between the video source and the accompanying audio.

The SMZ8 uses less than 1/2-watt when it is on standby.

The Russound app is all that you need to control any room in the home with the SMZ8. We do recommend adding at least 1 convenience keypad like the IPK-1 or even a full control option like the XTS7 touchscreen in at least one room of the home, but they are not needed to operate the system if using the Russound app.

Yes, the Russound app has an advanced settings menu accessed by pressing and holding the settings icon for a few seconds. There is a reboot option for any particular Russound network product as well as an option to reboot every Russound device on the network.

Yes, the Russound app supports both phones and tablets. The larger screen area of an iPad/tablet allows for a lot more area to access favorites, view sources and rooms, etc.

There is no limit for this with the SMZ8. That is one of the advantages of using the advanced digital matrix design of the SMZ-Series. You can have synchronized audio in every zone in the system, up to the maximum size of 48 zones using 6 SMZ8s in the same system.

• Built-in Hi-Res streamer – We’ve included the same popular streaming technology from our MBX-Series in the new SMZ8. This means you can easily add MBX-PREs as additional streamers so that everyone in the home can have their own personal streamer.
• HDMI Input – With out-of-the-box support for the ARC port on any TV, instantly add a TV as a source in your SMZ8 installation. With CEC support, your TV remote will now control the corresponding zone’s volume level. It also allows for lag-free synchronization across all of the SMZ zones, so when watching the big game, you can have every room in the house play the TV audio, perfectly synchronized with no lip synch issues or delays. Setting that room as the “Primary Zone” in Web Config allows the TV to turn on the SMZ’s audio zone whenever the TV is turned on.
• DSP – Russound’s first full DSP system with a 7-band graphic EQ (controlled through the Russound app) and including customized presets for optimizing the sound with all of Russound’s speaker models. It includes a pink noise generator and settings for stereo/mono output for any zone, perfect for all of your outdoor zones where stereo sound isn’t needed.
• 2-Port Ethernet Switch – Tired of running out of free ethernet ports in your installs? Russound has you covered by providing a 2-port 10/100 ethernet switch. Connect one port to your router and use the available 2nd port to connect a second ethernet device. Keep in mind that if you turn off the power to the SMZ8, it’s the same as turning off the ethernet switch and any connected device will lose its network signal. This does not include standby mode. During standby mode, any connected device continues to work normally.
• Powerful 50 watts per channel – With six zones of amplification @50 watts per channel and a design that is stable to 4 ohms, you have the freedom to use up to 2 pairs of 4-ohm speakers for every zone. The SMZ8 pairs perfectly with any Russound D-Series amp. Use Bus Input A for Zone 7 and Bus Input B for Zone 8 for example and then customize every amplifier zone to add more speakers wherever needed, or even more amplifiers for even larger systems or outdoor installations.
• Built-in Wi-Fi – We always recommend using a wired network connection whenever possible but we all know that there are some installations where that just isn’t possible. Because of that, we have included built-in Wi-Fi support (802.11ac) so that you can use it whenever needed.
• Bluetooth^® and more Bluetooth – Not only is there a built-in Bluetooth source, but the SMZ8 has Bluetooth options that can work regardless of the layout or size of the home. If the SMZ8 is placed in an equipment rack in the basement, the built-in Bluetooth may not have the necessary range to reach the right part of the home. For that reason, Russound incorporates a proprietary port, for adding an optional BTC-2X Bluetooth transceiver that can be placed up to 500’ away from the SMZ8 using a single CAT cable to connect them. Additionally, the SMZ8 has RNET ports that allow additional Bluetooth inputs, each located up to 500’ away using Russound’s unique BSK-2 Bluetooth Source Kits. Using the BSK-2 allows you to get full song metadata as well as control of the Bluetooth source from the Russound app, IPK-1 keypad or the XTS7 touchscreen.
• Expandable up to 48 zones with the freedom to locate additional SMZ8 controllers wherever your wiring plans need them to be. Each additional SMZ8 controller will be placed on the network and can be located anywhere in the home. The only consideration is that audio sources shared among controllers must be brought to each SMZ8. Audio baluns using simple CAT wiring is an easy way to accomplish this.
• When using more than one SMZ8, every built-in streamer is available – Previous generations of Russound products were not able to take advantage of the built-in streamers in larger systems that used additional controllers. The SMZ8 solves that problem by incorporating a dedicated “Streamer Out” analog output that can be fed into other controllers as a source. So now, if you have a 10-zone audio system using two SMZ8 controllers, both of the internal streamers are available as sources to anyone in the home at any time.
• Simplified App Setup for faster installations – Use the Russound app (Version 1.7 or higher) to set up the SMZ8. Many of the initial setup that was previously done in the Google Home app or in Web Config can now be done seamlessly in the Russound app. The app will discover new Russound devices, walk you through the basic setup, including network or Wi-Fi configuration, RCI unlocking, and even firmware updates if any are available. You’re even able to unlock other Russound products that are on the same network and initiate a firmware update on all Russound devices, too, all with the press of a single button. Please note that these features will be made available in Q1 2025 for all MBX products, too.

Yes, just like with the MBX products and MCA controllers today, the Alexa voice control using Russound’s two custom skills works with the SMZ8, too.

While Apple Music is not one of the built-in services, it is easy to use by using AirPlay to send the content to the SMZ8 and if a Primary Zone is configured, AirPlay can automatically turn on the zone and then adjust that zone’s volume levels from your iPhone or iPad.