Anthem MDX Distribution Amplifier Serial Commands
Revision 11
Date: 25/10/2019
Related Query Command Asychronous
Command Description
Notification
; (semicolon) Command separator/terminator - note that semicolon is the only valid line there will be a semicolon at the end of a
feed. query
comment Upper case letters represent command, lower case represent variables which
must be entered.
Zone Specific Commands
Zones - Settings "Zx" at the beginning of a command represents zone selection.
MDX-16: x=1 to 8
MDX-8: x = 1 to 4
ZxPOWy Set zone x power. ZxPOW? returns ZxPOWy YES
x=zone: 0 (all), 1=zone 1 ../. 8=zone 8
to y: Z0POW? returns ZxPOWy for all zones
0=off (Z1POWy;Z2POWy;Z3PO…;Z8POWy;)
1=on
t=toggle.
When unit is in 1/2W standby mode, it may be necessary to send the power-on
command twice. Ex:"Z0POW1;Z0POW1;". The first instance is the wake-up from low-
power state. Note that Zx=Z0 applies only to power command.
ZxARCVAL? Query if ARC (Anthem Room Correction) is valid for zone x ZxARCVAL? returns ZxARCVALy (y=0-1)
0=invalid
1=valid.
ZxARCENy Turn ARC (Anthem Room Correction) in zone x to y: ZxARCEN? returns ZxARCENy (y=0-1) YES
0=off
1=on
Returns an error if an attempt to turn it on is made when there are no ARC co-efficients
available.
ZxNAMyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Set zone name: yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy=name. ZxNAM? returns YES
Maximum length of the zone name is 16 ASCII characters. ZxNAMyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Note that the character ";" is prohibited as it is used as a terminator.
ZxINPnn Input Select: nn=input number. ZxINP? returns ZxINPnn e.g. "Z1INP01". YES
01=Analog 1, 02=Analog 2, ... 08=Analog 8
09=Digital 1 ... 12=Digital 4.
MDX-8 supports only input 01, 02, 03, 04 and 09.
ZxIPMy Set zone x listening mode ZxIPM? returns ZxIPMy YES
y=s for stereo
y=m for mono (l+r)
y=l for left only
y= r for right only
Must be set to stereo when stereo bridge mode is required.
Must be set to mono when mono bridge mode is required.
ZxSPKbbllmm Set speaker profile of zone x to brand bb, line ll, model mm. ZxSPK? returns ZxSPKbbllmm. If there is
Numbers start at 01. no speaker assigned ( i.e. generic), it will
return ZxSPK010101
ZxSPENy Speaker profile enable ZxSPEN? returns ZxSPENy
y=0 don't use speaker model profile
y=1 apply current speaker model profile
Zones -
Volumes
ZxVOLyy.y Volume setting: yyy.y=value (0.0 to 100.0). If setting integer values, it is not ZxVOL? returns ZxVOLyyy.y YES
necessary to include the decimal.
Example: Z1VOL35 represents zone 1 volume set to 35. Entry is rounded to nearest
valid value.
ZxVUPyy.y Volume up: yy.y=dB step: 0.0 to 10.0, m=minimum (0.5 dB). YES (ZxVOLyy.y)
Entry is rounded to nearest valid value
ZxVDNyy.y Volume down: yy.y=dB step: 0.0 to 10.0, m= minimum (0.5 dB). YES (ZxVOLyy.y)
Entry is rounded to nearest valid value.
ZxMUTy Mute: ZxMUT? returns ZxMUTy (y=0-1) YES
0=unmute
1=mute
t=toggle
ZxPOVyyy.y Power On volume setting: yyy.y=value (0.0 to 100.0). Example: Z1POV35 represents ZxPOV? returns ZxPOVyyy.y YES
zone 1 power-up volume set to 35. Entry is rounded to nearest valid value.
ZxMXVyyy.y Maximum volume setting: yyy.y=value (0.0 to 100.0). Example: Z1MXV75 represents ZxMXV? returns ZxMXVyyy.y YES
zone 1 max volume set to 75. Entry is rounded to nearest valid value.
ZxOFFyy.y Zone level offset. yyy.y=value (-12.0 to +6.0 [dB] in 0.5 dB steps, default 0.0) ZxOFF? returns ZxOFFyy.y YES
Zones
-Tone/Balance
ZxTONyszz.z Tone setting: ZxTONy? returns ZxTONyszz.z YES
y=0 bass
y=1 treble
s=sign: +/-
zz.z=value
Range: -10.0 to +10.0 (step size of 0.5 dB)
Example: Z1TON0-01 represents a bass cut by 1 dB.
ZxTUPyzz.z Tone up: YES
y=0 bass (ZxTONyzz.z)
y=1 treble
zz.z=dB step
Range: 0.5 to 10.0 (step size of 0.5 dB)
ZxTDNyzz.z Tone down: YES
y=0 bass (ZxTONyzz.z)
y=1 treble
zz.z=dB step
Range: 0.5 to 10.0 (step size of 0.5 dB)
ZxSLOcsyy.y Set the speaker channel 'c' (Table 2) to have a level offset 'syy.y'. s=sign: +/-, yy.y= ZxSLOc? Returns ZxSLOcsyy.y YES
dB value.
Range -12.0 to 12.0
Zones -
Info
ZxAIF? Query audio input format: Returns ZxAIFyy
0=no input (if digital)
1=Analog
2= PCM
10= unsupported
Unsupported format will be reported if a Dolby or DTS stream is detected.
ZxSRT? Query audio input sampling rate (kHz) Returns ZxSRTxxx, 0=no digital input
Zones -
Subwoofer
ZxSUBy For the specified zone x, set the sub mode y to: ZxSUB? returns ZxSUBm YES
0=disabled
1=enabled
t=toggle
ZxXOVyyy For the specified zone x, set the crossover 'yyy' (0=Off/Bypass (fullrange ZxXOV? Returns ZxXOVyyy YES
speaker/Sub), 40=40Hz, 50=50Hz, 60=60Hz, etc..)
yyy should be between 20 and 180 Hz (in 1 Hz increment)
ZxSPHppp For the specified zone x, set sub phase to 'ppp' (0 - 180) degrees ZxSPH? Returns ZxSPHppp YES
ZxSPOp For the specified zone x, set the sub polarity to 'p' ZxSPO? Returns ZxSPOp YES
0=normal
1=inverted
Zones - Bridge
Mode
ZxBRGy 0=not bridged, 1=bridged. Set listening mode to stereo or mono depending on desired ZxBRG? returns ZxBRGy YES
mode of operation.
ZxBSUBy Works only on odd numbered zones. 0 = normal, 1 = Use the bridged output of the ZxBSUB? Returns ZxBSUBy YES
next zone as the sub output.
Input Specific Commands
Inputs Input numbers start at 1
IPTnnsyy.y Set trim level of specified Input. IPTnn? Returns IPTnnsyy.y YES
nn=input number
s=sign: +/-
yy.y=value
Example: IPT08-3.5 represents analog input 8 trim set to -3.5 dB. Entry is rounded to
nearest valid value. Range -20.0 to 20.0 dB
ISNnnyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Set input name nn=input number, yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy=name. Maximum length of the ISNnn? returns 'ISNnnyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy' YES
input name is 16 ASCII characters. Eg. ISN02Analog1. Note that the character ";" is
prohibited as it is used as a terminator.
Preferences Commands
AFDy Set Auto Off Delay: AFD? Returns AFDy YES
0=disabled (no auto off)
1=5 minutes
2=10 minutes
3=20 minutes
4=1 hour
5=2 hours
6=6 hours
AODyy Set Auto On Delay: 0-20 seconds AOD? Returns AODy YES
FPBx Set front panel brightness: FPB? returns FPBx (x=0-2) YES
0=off
1=dim
2=high
n=cycle to next
Unit Information Commands
IDM? Query model name returns IDM followed by model e.g.
"IDMMDX-8"
DNMyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Device name: yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy is a name of up to 16 characters. DNM? Returns DNMyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy YES
Semi-colon is NOT a valid character (as it is used as a terminator).
IDS? Query firmware version returns IDS followed by software version
e.g. "IDS0.1.4931"
GSN? Get the serial number of the unit. returns GSN followed by the serial
number (up to 15 characters)
IDQ? Query model and firmware version returns IDQ followed by model, software
version, region, software build date e.g.
"IDQMDX16 0.1.4931 12/19/18 08:49"
IBL? Query bootloader version, build date, build time returns IBL followed by the information.
E.g.IBLv0.2.8491 2019/03/13 12:00:05;
IDB? Query software build date returns IDB followed by software build
date e.g. "IDB12/19/16"
IDH? Query hardware version returns IDH followed by hardware version
e.g. "IDH3"
MOD? Query operational mode set by the ON MODE switch at the back of the unit. returns MOD followed by:
0 for Audio Detect
1 for Trigger
2 for Ext. Command.
SPB? Query number of speaker brands returns SPB followed by the number of
speaker brands.
SPBbb? Query name of brand number bb. returns SPBbb followed by name of brand
SPLbb? Query number of speaker lines in brand bb returns SPLbb followed by the number of
speaker lines in the brand.
SPLbbll? Query name of line number ll in brand number bb. returns SPLbbll followed by name of the
line
SPMbbll? Query number of speaker models in line ll in brand bb returns SPMbbll followed by the number
of speaker models in that line in the
brand.
SPMbbllmm? Query name of model number mm in line ll in brand number bb. returns SPMbbllmm followed by name of
the model
Network Commands
IPMy Set IP mode to: IPM? returns IPMy
0=DHCP
1=manual
IPAyyy.yyy.yyy.yyy IP Address This is only valid if IP mode is manual IPA? returns IPAyyy.yyy.yyy.yyy
SNMyyy.yyy.yyy Subnet Mask. This is only valid if IP mode is manual. SNM? returns SNMyyy.yyy.yyy
IPGyyy.yyy.yyy.yyy IP Gateway This is only valid if IP mode is manual IPG? returns IPGyyy.yyy.yyy.yyy
MAC? Query MAC Address returns MAC followed by MAC address
e.g. "MAC7CB77B000353;"
Store/Load Commands
LSTy Load current settings with: LSTy? Returns LSTya where
u=user settings a=0 means there are none saved
i=installer settings a=1 means that settings are available
f=factory defaults
SSTy Save current settings as
u=user settings
i=installer settings
c=current (The MDX periodically checks current settings to see if any settings have
changed and does a save if they have. The SSTc command forces a save.)
Global Commands
GMUTy Global Mute where y GMUT? returns GMUTy (y=0-1) YES
0=unmute
1=mute
t=toggle
DOSn Set the digital output source of the MDX-16 to n: 1=Digital 1, 2=Digital 2, DOS? returns DOSn YES
3=Digital 3, 4=Digital 4
Diagnostics Commands
UIDx Unit ID UID? returns UIDx YES
0=off
1=rear LED on
2=rear LED flash
3=rear and power LEDs flash
FAN? Query fan speed. returns FAN followed by the curent fan
speed in RPM
SFSyyy Set fan speed 0-100
PSV? Query power supply Voltage. returns PSVpyy.ynyy.y - (p)ositive
(n)egative voltages yy.y
PST? Query power supply temperature. returns PST followed by the temperature
in Celcius
ZxTMP? Get AMP Temperature for specified zone. Returns ZxTMPyyy in Celcius
ZxSTAT? Query Status Returns ZxSTATyy with hexadecimal
bitmask yy which is the bitwise OR of
each error as specified in the 'Error Bits
Definition' - table 3 below. Ex: 10 would
be short detected.
ZxECNTy? Query error count: y selects the count to query - see Table 4: 'Error Count definition'. Returns ZxECNTyn where n is the error
count.
CERC Clear the error counts.
Sample Command Strings
Turn ON zone 3: Z3POW1;
Select digital 1 as the source for zone 5: Z5INP09;
Set volume on zone 2 to 52: Z2VOL52;
Increase volume on zone 7 by 1.5 dB: Z7VUP01.5;
Select analog 1 for zone 1, 3, 4 and 6: Z1INP01;Z3INP03;Z4INP01;Z6INP01;
Mute all zones: GMUT1;
Turn OFF all zones: Z0POW0;
Notes
1. Successful serial commands return ';' after the action is completed.
2. When a recognized command cannot be executed "!E<OriginalCommand>" is returned. Ex: Analog 5 is selected on the 4-zone amp (which does not exist) by sending the
command "Z1INP5;", then the system would return "!EZ1INP5;".
3. Out-of-range parameters return the message "!E<OriginalCommand>". Ex: 'Z1VOL101;' would result in a response: '!EZ1VOL101;'
4. Invalid commands return the message "!I<OriginalCommand>". Ex 'HELLO;' would result in a response '!IHELLO;'
5. Receiving a command for a zone when the zone is off (but the system is not in standby), returns the message "!Z<OriginalMessage>".
6. Ony a few commands are valid when the system is in standby such as 'IDM?', 'ZxPOWy', 'ZxPOW?'. All other commands are considered 'Invalid'.
7. Maximum command length is 256 bytes including the terminator. Maximum response length is 258 bytes.
8. Average command processing latency is less than 30 ms.
9. Individual commands have a maximum processing latency of 100 ms.
10. Systems that communicate over RS232 should wait for at least 1 s for a response before retransmission
11. Control system should behave as a "good citizen" and try to minimize the amount of redundant control commands. For example, in the case of a volume slider, not every
intermediate/temporary volume settings need to be sent (Z1VOL52;Z1VOL54;Z1VOL56; is preferable and is equivalent to
Z1VOL50;Z1VOL51;Z1VOL52;Z1VOL53;Z1VOL54;Z1VOL55;Z1VOL56;)
12. A websocket connection can be established using the following javascript snippet: var socket = new WebSocket('ws://' + ip + '/cmd');
13. Optionnally you can discover supported devices using the discovery protocol outline in the Discovery Protocol tab.
14. A TCP/IP connection to the unit must be established on port 14999.
15. We are regularly testing 4 simultaneous "good citizen" control connections.
Table 1. Speaker Combination
0 Fronts
4 Subwoofers
Table 2. Channel Definition
0 Subwoofer
2 Front Right
3 Front Left
xxxx (hex) Table 3. Error Bits Definition
bit 0 (0x1) DC Fault
bit 1 (0x2) HF Detect
bit 2 (0x4) Thermal Foldback
bit 3 (0x8) Over Temperature
bit 4 (0x10) AMP Protect
xxxx (hex) Table 4. Error Count Definition
0 DC Fault
1 HF Detect
2 Thermal Foldback
3 Over Temperature
4 AMP Protect
xxxx (hex) Table 5. Channel Bits Definition
bit 0 (0x1) Front Left
bit 1 (0x2) Front Right
bit 2 (0x4) Subwoofer
Anthem Discovery Protocol
Revision 2
Date: 10/04/2019
To communicate with the system via the network:
1. The IP address of the unit must be known, either through the device discovery process described below, or through a static IP (setup menu setting).
2. A TCP/IP connection to the unit must be established on the port specified by tcp_ip_port (factory default is 14999)
3. The system will treat the data coming across the TCP/IP link as if it were coming accoss the RS-232 port (all RS232 serial commands can be sent over the TCP/IP socket).
4. If the system has exceeded the maximum number of simultaneous connections it will forcibly close the oldest connection.
Device Discovery:
DDP (Device Discovery Packet) version 1:
offset 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
80 'P' 65 'A' 82 'R' 67 'C' 0 0 announce 1 version tcp_ip_port
device_name[0-15]
code_name[0-15]
serial_number[0-15]
Description
announce parameters set.
version current packet version
tcp_ip_port the port that the system will listen on for incoming TCP connections
device_name device name as defined by the user in the setup menu
code_name code_name = 'MDX8' or 'MDX16'
serial_number MAC address
Notes:
All values are sent in network order
The DD packet is broadcast on the local subnet each time a device establishes a network connection.
The DD packet is broadcast on the local subnet each time the system will be shutting down and losing the network connection.
-> in this case the off byte will be set to 1
Every time the system receives a valid DD packet with 'announce' set to 1 it will respond by broadcasting another DD packet on the local subnet.
Unused bits/bytes are filled with 0's.
device_name, code_name and serial_number are not necessarily null terminated C-Style strings.
-> code using these strings should not assume that the last byte is a null
Microsoft VC++ structure definition
#pragma pack(push,1)
struct device_descriptor_t
{
__int8 unique_header[0x4];
__int8 reserved1_rw0;
__int8 reserved2_rw0;
__int8 announce;
__int8 powering_off;
__int32 version;
__int32 tcp_ip_port;
__int8 device_name[0x10];
__int8 code_name[0x10];
__int8 serial_number[0x10];
void hton() {
version = htonl(version);
tcp_ip_port = htonl(tcp_ip_port);
}
void ntoh() {
version = ntohl(version);
tcp_ip_port = ntohl(tcp_ip_port);
}
};
#pragma pack(pop)
GCC structure definition
struct device_descriptor_t
{
int8_t unique_header[0x4];
int8_t reserved1_rw0;
int8_t reserved2_rw0;
int8_t announce;
int8_t powering_off;
int32_t version;
int32_t tcp_ip_port;
int8_t device_name[0x10];
int8_t code_name[0x10];
int8_t serial_number[0x10];
void hton() {
version = htonl(version);
tcp_ip_port = htonl(tcp_ip_port);
}
void ntoh() {
version = ntohl(version);
tcp_ip_port = ntohl(tcp_ip_port);
}
} __attribute__ ((__packed__));
Revision History
Date
Revision By Changes
dd/mm/yy
10/31/2018 7 BM Forked commands from MRX/AVM set and adapted to MDX/MDA models
Change max/power on level to 0-100 instead of dB
Add examples tabs with various range checking examples
1/9/2019 8 LC
Remove global input command
Fix typo in global mute query example
BM New commands for speaker brand, line and model
2/25/2019 9 LC Change ISN command to show up to 16 ASCII characters and add a note that ";' is prohibited
Change ZxNAM command to show up to 16 ASCII characters and add a note that ";' is prohibited
Add range of crossover frequency.
Clarify that m for ZxTUP, ZxTDN, ZxVUP and ZxVDN is 0.5 dB.
Remove global for ZxINP command
3/26/2019 BM Modified UID command
IBL command
SFS command
ZxARCVAL command
PRGR command
ZxSPEN command
4/10/2019 10 LC Device name can be up to 16 characters. Add a comment about semi-colon.
Update description of GSN?
Re-group commands together and add headings for each section
Add note about listening mode when in bridge mode.
Minor edits to correct errors
Examples section expanded and example tab removed
10/25/2019 11 LC Correct input query command (ZxINP?)
