General; Welcome; Included In The Box; Features - Focal ASTRAL 16 Manuel D'utilisation

ASTRAL 16
™
U s e r m a n u a l

General

Welcome

Thank you for your purchase of Astral 16 and for
sharing our 'Listen Beyond' philosophy. Astral
16 has been designed to provide state of the
art audio performance with immersive surround
formats and legacy surround formats alike.
Innovative hardware and software make it possible
to customize theaters of up to 16 channels with
12 high power amplified channels and 4 balanced
channels.

Included in the box

• This Owner's Manual / Installer Guide
• Power cable for your locality
• Rack mount ears (requires T20
screwdriver to mount)
• UMIK-1 USB microphone and extension for
RTA and StormMonitoring feature.
• 32.9ft (10m) cable with infra-red sensor

Features

Focal Astral 16 includes the following features:
• 7 Input / 2 Output HDMI switch, 3 TOSLINK
and 3 RCA S/PDIF legacy digital inputs plus
software configurable analog input (7.1 or 4x
Stereo)
• Mandatory network connectivity for control
and firmware updates.
• 12 software configurable amplified outputs
• 4 software configurable analog XLR outputs
• 4 programmable trigger outputs
• IR control
• Available control modules for 3rd party
automation systems available on the Client
Portal at http://www.Focal.com

Shipping Box and Packing Material

Please keep the original shipping box and all
packing material. In the unlikely event you have a
problem and must return it for service, you must
use the proper packing material as the unit is
not insurable by carriers otherwise. Replacement
packing materials is available from Focal for a
small fee.

Installation

Prepare your installation site by following the
steps below: Consult page "Rear Panel" for
rear panel diagram indicating location of key
connections.
• For non North American models that are
delivered with a fuse attached to the AC cord,
install the fuse before plugging the unit into
mains power.
• Ensure your electrical circuit has a good
ground connection with all audio equipment
connected to the same ground node to avoid
noise or hum due to a ground loop.
• Prepare attached equipment such as display
or projector, audio amplifiers,
network switch and associated cables.
Torx
• Network should be running a DHCP server to
enable Astral 16 to obtain an IP address.

Ventilation

Astral 16 integrates high power amplification.
Although based on very efficient Class D
technology, it will dissipate a decent amount
depending on the overall output load. It is
therefore required to not obstruct the front
openings and back panels Fans and leave enough
space for the desired airflow, especially when
Astral 16 is under heavy load. You can change the
settings of the ventilation in the web UI.

Connecting to A/C Power

If necessary, install the included fuse into the fuse
socket. Plug the IEC-320 C14 end of the power
cord into Astral 16, then plug the other end into an
approved and grounded A/C receptacle.

Connecting to Network

Using at CAT5e or better cable, connect Astral
16 to your local area network. See "Get Network
Access" to identify IP address.

Connect IR Interface (Optional)

Should you choose to use an IR interface, you will
need to connect an IR receiver to the IR Input of
Astral 16.
ASTRAL 16
U s e r m a n u a l
10

Connect Source Components

Legacy digital sources can be connected to the
digital inputs 1-6. Stereo or surround analog
sources can be connected to the Analog Inputs
section. Analog input configuration is defined
at "4. Main Audio In". HDMI sources can be
connected as well.

Connect to Display

Connect your displays using HDMI outputs.
Note that outputs are parallel (same content)
but eARC/ARC is only supported in HDMI OUT
1, so the recommended output to interface with
a TV receiver. HDMI OUT 2 is recommended for
Projector interface.
speakers,

Connect Audio Outputs

If you choose to connect your outputs at this
step, take note of which output number is routed
to each channel so that you can map them
appropriately in a later step. Otherwise, when you
setup the theater using the web UI, the default
outputs will be noted for you. At that point, you
can connect your amplifiers based on the default
output channel mapping.
™
Upon first run, you must configure Astral 16
according to your specifications using the web
based user interface. There is no on-screen
display or provision to configure the unit using
the front panel.

Power On

Turn the main switch on the rear panel to the ON
position.
The front panel display will show the Focal logo
for a few seconds, then will go blank as Astral
16 enters sleep mode. The power LED will show
steady red.
Once in sleep mode, press the front panel POWER
button. Astral 16 will begin the startup sequence.

Get Network Access

Press and hold the EDIT button for about
5 seconds.
The display will show a list of information including
the IP address at the top which was assigned by
DHCP. Note this address.
Note: In case the unit is not in DHCP mode,
and you need to restore DHCP mode from the
front panel, follow the above steps, then press
and hold EDIT for a few seconds more until a
message appears asking for confirmation of this
action. Confirm by pressing the ENTER button
Using a web browser on a device (laptop
preferred) on the same network, enter this IP
address in the address bar of your web browser.
Note: only one instance of control via web UI
can be opened at a time. If a window is already
accessing Astral 16 web UI, a message will ask
you to close one.
Browsers supported:
Edge (Windows), Safari (macOS) and FireFox,
Chrome (Windows, macOS et Ubuntu). Others
might show issues.
Astral 16 home page will be shown.
11

First Run