M&S Systems dmc1 — Whole-House Music/Communications System Finish-Out Installation Instructions

Finish-Out Installation Instructions for the M&S Systems dmc1 Whole-House Music/Communications System — Room Station, Patio Station, and Door Station wiring, Master Station termination, chime module, external audio, antenna connections, and power-up procedure.

Introduction

Designed for installation in new homes, the dmc1 is a whole-house music and communication system backed by M&S Systems' 50+ years of experience in precision acoustical equipment. Technical support: 1-800-421-1587.

Important Safety Instructions

• Read and retain all safety/operating instructions before installing or operating the dmc1.
• Do not use near water (bathtub, sink, wet basement, pool, etc.) — risk of fire or shock, and it voids the warranty.
• Clean only with a dry cloth; do not use attachments not recommended by the manufacturer.
• Ensure proper ventilation — do not block ventilation openings by placement on soft surfaces or inside enclosed cabinets.
• Keep away from heat sources (radiators, stoves, other heat-producing appliances).
• Connect only to the power supply type specified in the rough-in instructions or as marked on the unit; do not defeat grounding/polarization.
• If using an outdoor antenna, keep it away from power lines and ensure proper grounding per NEC Section 810 (ANSI/NFPA No. 70).
• Replace fuses in the Master Station or CD Player only with the same type/rating (3 Amp Slo-blo).
• Never push objects into the unit or spill liquid on it — risk of shock/fire.
• Service should only be performed by qualified personnel — beyond what's described in the operating instructions.
• Have the unit serviced if: the power cord/plug is damaged; objects/liquid have entered it; it's been exposed to rain; it doesn't operate normally or shows a marked performance change; it's been dropped or the enclosure damaged.
• Use only manufacturer-specified replacement parts; unauthorized substitutions may cause fire, shock, or other hazards.
• Mount to a wall or ceiling only as recommended by the manufacturer.

Wiring Cautions

• A licensed electrician must run a 120VAC line from a dedicated 15-amp breaker to the dmc1 (and dmc1CD/dmc1MM, if equipped) transformer.
• Use Cat-5 wire for all dmc1 wire runs except Door Station runs, which require M&S Systems brand MS4DCXSC wire (included with dmc1H/dmc1HC wall housing kits).
• Individual wire runs must not exceed 350 feet from any room or Door Station to the Master Station, or 1000 feet total for the entire system.
• Label all wire runs — incorrect connections can damage the system.
• Run a single "home run" cable from the Master Station to each Room Station and Door Station — do not loop between stations.
• Do not staple or splice cables — staples cause shorts, and splices are unreliable and defeat signal isolation.
• Keep cables at least 18 inches from fluorescent light fixtures, dimmer controls, and other wiring (AC, security, control) to avoid hum/buzzing.
• Keep cables away from HVAC ducts, metal construction plates, and sharp edges.

Room Station Placement — Do Not Install

• Near air return ducts.
• In exterior walls (insulation changes speaker range/efficiency; temperature swings reduce speaker life).
• In saunas (extreme heat/moisture).
• Under cabinets or over countertops.
• In stud cavities with other wiring, appliances, or other Room Stations.
• Within 10 feet of other Room Stations or the Master Station, or facing them — causes acoustical feedback.

Ensure all Room Station mounting rings are level and correctly oriented per the instructions — failure to do so can cause equipment malfunction and void the warranty.

Finish-Out Cautions

• Do not install the dmc1 system until after wall covering material is applied.
• Only use satellite speakers rated 45-ohm impedance — other ratings will damage the amplifier.
• Do not power up the Master Station until all remote stations and speakers are connected.
• Authorized attachable devices: dmc1MM CD/MP3 Dock/Player, dmc1CD 6-disc CD Player, and audio components via line-level or docking inputs.
• Do not install Patio Stations in direct sunlight or water spray — use covered patios/porches only.
• Do not leave unterminated future-speaker cables connected to the Master Station — this can cause electronic feedback and damage the unit.
• Do not over-tighten screws on remote stations or the Master Station — face panels may crack.
• Use only M&S Systems certified replacement parts, installed by a qualified dealer/installer.
• Clean the Master Station and Room Stations only with a damp cloth — no liquid or aerosol cleaners.

Tools Required

• #2 Phillips screwdriver
• Standard flat head screwdriver
• Wire stripper/cutter
• Level

Finish-out installation should occur after wall covering material has been applied.

Room Station Installation

1. Collect all connectors from the Room Station packages and place them in the wall housing for later use.
2. At each Room Station location, strip ~4 inches of jacket from the Cat-5 cable and separate the colored wires; strip 1/2 inch of insulation from each wire.
3. Connect each colored wire to its respective screw terminal in the Room Station (some terminals accept more than one wire).
4. Mount each Room Station to its mounting ring using the two provided screws.

Patio Station Installation

Use wire nuts for these connections:

1. Strip ~4 inches of jacket and separate the colored wires; strip 1/2 inch of insulation from each.
2. Connect ORANGE to ORANGE.
3. Connect BLUE to BLUE.
4. Connect ORANGE/WHITE to ORANGE/WHITE.
5. Connect GREEN/WHITE to GREEN/WHITE.
6. Connect GREEN and BROWN/WHITE together to the Patio Station's GREEN wire.
7. Connect BROWN and BLUE/WHITE together to the Patio Station's BROWN wire.
8. Mount the Patio Station to its housing with the two provided screws.

Door Station Installation

Door stations are intercom speakers mounted by an entrance door, available with or without a doorbell button.

1. Strip ~4 inches of jacket and separate the colored wires; strip 1/2 inch of insulation from each.
2. At the Door Station end, cut off the cable's drain (shield) wire back to the sheath to prevent shorting.
3. If equipped with a bell button, connect YELLOW and ORANGE to the bell button's screw terminals (either wire to either terminal).
4. Wire-nut the RED wire to the RED Door Station speaker wire.
5. Wire-nut the BLACK wire to the BLACK Door Station speaker wire.
6. Tuck wires into the enclosure and mount using the two provided screws.

Satellite Volume Controls (45-Ohm Speakers)

Caution: any speaker connected to the dmc1 must be 45 ohms — connecting 8-ohm speakers will damage the Master Station.

Use wire nuts for these connections at each MVC1/MVC1A volume control (single-gang J-box):

1. Ground: connect the SHIELD wire (from the MS2SX5SC speaker cable), the RED wire (from the MVC1), and the BROWN and WHITE/BLUE wires (from the Cat-5 cable to the Master Station) together — four wires in one wire nut.
2. Audio signal: connect GREEN and WHITE/BROWN (Cat-5, to Master Station) to the MVC1's GREEN wire — three wires in one wire nut.
3. Speaker (−): connect BLUE (speaker cable) to BLUE (MVC1) — two wires.
4. Speaker (+): connect VIOLET (speaker cable) to VIOLET (MVC1) — two wires.
5. Tuck wires into the J-box and mount the MVC1 with the two provided screws.

External Music Source (AWP Audio Input Wall Plate)

The Model AWP (white) or AWPA (almond) wall plate has two stereo pairs of RCA jacks for a stereo receiver, TV, DVD, or portable music player.

1. Access the left/right audio cables routed to the J-box during rough-in.
2. Connect RCA plugs to the AWP wall plate jacks (use "Y" adapters, not supplied, to combine both input pairs if needed).
3. Tuck cables into the J-box and mount the plate with the two provided screws.

Intercom Master Station Installation

All Room, Patio, and Door Station wiring terminates at the wall housing location, where the Master Station connects. Stations are supplied with screw-down and/or press-on Cat-5 connectors.

Screw-Down Connector Termination

1. Gather all room/patio/Door Station cables, cut to equal length leaving ~12 inches into the wall housing. Keep labels intact — verify unlabeled runs before connecting.
2. Strip the outer jacket back 2 inches to expose the four color-coded twisted pairs; strip each of the eight wires back 1/4" max.
3. Following the connector's color code label, insert each wire pair fully into its terminal holes.
4. Tighten the terminal screws to secure each pair. Repeat for all four pairs and for each cable.

Press-On Connector Termination

1. Gather and label cables as above.
2. Strip the outer jacket 2 inches — do NOT strip the individual twisted pairs (the connector's insulation-displacement guides cut through wire insulation automatically).
3. Open the four clear plastic wire latches on the connector.
4. Insert each color-matched wire pair fully into its latch's wire holes.
5. Press down firmly on the latch — it clicks twice as the wires seat. Verify the connector body tab is inside the latch's tab slot.
6. Repeat for all pairs and cables. Test each connection by gently pulling — a good connection won't pull free. If re-opened, cut back the cable and start over.

Optional Chime Module (MC3 / MC8)

Snap the chime module circuit board onto the four plastic mounting standoffs inside the wall housing. It's activated by the Door Station pushbutton.

Master Station Pre-Installation

1. Suspend the Master Station from the wall housing using the "third hand" (thick green) wire looped into the hook at the top of the housing.
2. If a chime module is installed, plug its connector into the CHIME connector on the dmc1 circuit board.

Room Station and Music Speaker Connection to Master Station

The Master Station has 15 Cat-5 quick-connector sockets. Systems with more than nine Room Stations share station selector switches for Rooms 5-9 (two sockets each). A maximum of 15 speakers total (Room, Patio, or 45-ohm music speakers) can be connected.

1. Match each connector's printed room number (1-9) to its station selector switch.
2. Insert each Room Station / music speaker quick connector into its correct socket.
3. Label station locations in the numbered areas inside the front access door.

Patio & Door Station Connection to Master Station

Patio: plug the quick connector into the PATIO socket (or, for two Patio Stations, wire both to the screw-type terminal connector provided with the dmc1RW and plug that into PATIO).

Door Station: connects via screw terminals between the quick-connector sockets:

• BLACK wire → DOOR BLACK terminal
• RED wire → DOOR RED terminal
• ORANGE wire (bell button) → COMMON terminal on the chime module
• YELLOW wire (bell button) → one NOTE terminal on the chime module (connect to only one)
• Shield wire → SHIELDS terminal (must be insulated to prevent contact with adjacent components)

Antenna Connections

The dmc1 has an AM/FM tuner requiring an AM wire lead antenna and FM dipole antenna (installed during rough-in).

• AM: the single ORANGE wire lead with a ferrite filter connects to the AM ANTENNA terminal on the tuner module. The GROUND terminal remains unconnected.
• FM: the coax wire (Type "F" connector) connects to the FM ANTENNA connector on the tuner module.

Door Release Connection

The Master Station can wire to a Model DRW electric door strike via a relay with normally-open contacts rated 2 Amps @ 24VAC/DC. Activate by pressing volume up + volume down together for 4 seconds on the Master Station or a remote-scan Room Station (dmc1RS); releasing the buttons deactivates the relay.

1. Identify the two "Door Release" labeled cables.
2. Wire-nut one transformer wire to one door strike wire.
3. Connect the remaining wires from each cable to the DOOR RELEASE terminals on the Master Station.

External Music Source Connection (AUX)

1. Identify the two RCA cables labeled "AUX INPUT."
2. Insert the left cable's RCA plug into the AUX L jack.
3. Insert the right cable's RCA plug into the AUX R jack.

Mounting the Master Station (No CD Player)

1. Verify the circuit breaker for the wall housing transformer is OFF.
2. Plug the Master Station's wiring harness connector into the TE5D power transformer connector.
3. Secure the Master Station to the wall housing with the two provided long screws.
4. Install the speaker grille onto the right side — press only around the edges, never in the center.

Mounting with Optional CD Player / iPlay® Dock

1. Verify the circuit breaker for the wall housing transformer(s) is OFF.
2. Insert the CD Player interface cable into the CD interface connector on the Master Station (center of the middle circuit board, behind the two TUNE buttons).
3. Insert the CD audio cable's BLACK RCA plug into CD L, and RED RCA plug into CD R on the Master Station.
4. Plug the Master Station's wiring harness into the TE5D power transformer.
5. Position the dmc1F combination mounting frame over the dmc1HC wall housing (larger opening toward the top); route CD interface/audio cables through the top opening, down and out the lower opening.
6. Secure the Master Station to the wall housing with the two long screws provided — do not overtighten (the frame may distort/crack).
7. Install the speaker grille — press only around the edges.
8. Insert the CD Player interface cable into the INTERFACE connector on the CD Player.
9. Insert the CD audio cable's BLACK RCA plug into AUDIO LEFT and RED into AUDIO RIGHT on the CD Player.
10. Plug the TE2D power transformer connector into the CD Player's POWER connector.
11. Ensure the area where the CD Player slides into the wall housing is clear of cables/connectors.
12. Attach the CD Player using the two long provided screws — do not overtighten.
13. If installing the dmc1CD 6-disc player, connect the EJECT button cable to the small two-pin connector under the lower right edge of the CD mechanism frame.
14. Install the CD Player faceplate by pressing it onto the player.

Powering Up the System

1. Turn ON the circuit breaker controlling the wall housing transformer(s).
2. Check all system functions (refer to the Owner's Manual for operation details). If any difficulties arise, recheck all connections.

2-Year Limited Warranty

Linear LLC warrants M&S Systems brand products against defects for 2 years, beginning at date of purchase/installation or the closing date on a new residence where originally installed. The warranty extends to the original user and each subsequent owner during the warranty term. Linear will repair or replace parts/materials at no charge, at its option (parts may be new or rebuilt).

If a defect appears during the warranty period, call 1-800-421-1587 before dismantling the product — dismantling first may void the warranty. Obtain a Return Product Authorization (RPA) number before returning any product; unauthorized returns will be refused. Linear returns repaired products freight-prepaid within the continental US.

This warranty excludes damage from improper installation, acts of God, criminal acts, code violations, or use of non-M&S wire/cable (excluding CAT-5 and RG-6). Linear is not liable for consequential, incidental, or special damages, and liability is capped at the product's cost.