Input selection, Stereo direct, Zone 2 – Arcam AVR280 User Manual
Page 22: Headphones

AVR280
22
Input selection
To select a particular source, press the corresponding button on the front panel or on the remote control. 
There are eight inputs available: DVD, Sat, AV, AUX, VCR, Tape, CD and MCH (DVD-A multi-channel). In 
addition, AM and FM radio reception can be selected from the built-in tuner. Any picture signal associated 
with the selected input is switched to the monitor output.
On selecting a source, the AVR280 will attempt to use the digital input in preference to an analogue 
input, assuming a digital signal is detected for the source. If you want to override the digital input and 
select the analogue input instead, however, this can be achieved by pressing and holding the button for 
the selected source for at least two seconds.
The processing mode and ‘Stereo Direct’ functions are remembered and recalled for each input. The 
digital input and high quality video input associated with each source may be configured in the device 
menus.
The 
DVD-A
input is intended for direct analogue pass-through of DVD Audio or SACD surround sources.
Apart from volume control and level trim, no processing is performed on this input.
Tape operation
The
TAPE
button selects the audio from a cassette deck connected to the
TAPE IN
phono sockets of the
AVR280.
Pressing the 
TAPE
button will select audio from the tape input; the
TAPE
LED will illuminate, together
with the LED of the previously selected input. Illuminating the tape and source LEDs indicates that the 
tape loop is active and indicates the source that will be recorded.
Example:
If you want to record from the CD input:
<
Select the
CD
input;
<
Press the
TAPE
button – you can now listen to the sound returned from the recording device. In
the case of a three-head cassette deck, this will be the audio as recorded onto the tape.
Note that selecting a different source from CD will cause the recording to change to this new source.
VCR/AUX Operation
The AVR280 has VCR and AUX record loops for audio and video (Composite and S-video only). These 
carry the audio and video (if any) from the currently-selected source. The VCR output is muted if VCR is 
the selected source; the AUX output is muted if AUX is the selected source.
Example:
If you want to record the SAT input:
<
Select the
SAT
input.
<
Press the button labeled ‘record’ (or similar) on your VCR/AUX to begin recording.
<
Note that, if you select a different source from SAT, the recording changes to this new source.
Stereo Direct
To listen to a pure analogue stereo input, press the
DIRECT
button. The Direct mode bypasses
automatically all processing and any surround functions. In Direct mode, digital processing is shut down 
to improve the sound quality by reducing the digital noise within the AVR280 to an absolute minimum. 
The LED above the 
DIRECT
button on the front panel will illuminate to indicate this mode.
Important: When ‘stereo direct’ mode is enabled, bass management is disabled. For this reason, 
‘stereo direct’ mode is not recommended in systems comprising small ‘satelite’ speakers, as the full-
frequency information that would be directed to these units may cause damage to the speaker.
Zone 2
Pressing the
ZONE 2
button allows both the volume and the source being viewed in Zone 2 to be changed
from the main zone. While in this ‘Zone 2’ mode, the LED above the Zone 2 button is illuminated.
When first pressed, the text 
ZONE2 SRC
is displayed on the front panel (where ‘SRC’ indicates the source
being viewed in Zone 2). Pressing the source buttons on the front panel while in this state changes the 
source routed to Zone 2; moving the volume knob adjusts the Zone 2 volume.
To exit this state, press 
ZONE 2
a second time.
Headphones
To use headphones with the AVR280, plug the headphones into the socket on the left hand side of the 
front panel.
When headphones are plugged into the headphones socket the main output is muted.
