Wattson Audio | Emerson Installation Guide

Emerson Installation Guide

Unboxing

Your Emerson comes with the following elements:

1 Emerson (DIGITAL or ANALOG model)
1 external power supply 5V DC, with a set of 4 interchangeable international sockets

When you unpack your Emerson for the first time, carefully check that all these elements are present in the box and are not damaged. Should this be the case, or should an element be missing, please contact your Wattson Audio retailer or us directly.

In any case, we strongly suggest that you keep the original packaging which has been designed to protect your Emerson during transportation.

Safety notice

When using your Madison, make sure to observe the following rules:

Use only a fully grounded AC power cord (with – live, neutral, and ground).
The building, as well as the socket on which the Emerson will be installed, must be connected to earth.
The power socket must remain accessible because it is the only means of disconnecting from the electrical network.
Only use options and accessories specified or recommended by the manufacturer.

Symbols used:

DC power

polarity of the DC power

Specific regional considerations:

🇩🇰 Apparatets stikprop skal tilsluttes en stikkontakt med jord som giver forbindelse til stikproppens jord.
🇫🇮 Laite on liitettävä suojakoskettimilla varustettuun pistorasiaan.
🇳🇴 Apparatet må tilkoples jordet stikkontakt.
🇸🇪 Apparaten skall anslutas till jordat uttag.

Placement and position

Your Emerson is designed to rest on the four rubber feet located beneath its case. For proper performance, place it on a flat, stable, and solid surface.

With its low power consumption, Emerson generates minimal heat and does not require active ventilation. It can be placed on top of furniture or inside a cabinet.

To maintain performance, avoid covering the unit or placing it near a heat source or in direct sunlight.

Network and audio connections

Before you proceed to connecting of your Emerson, we recommend that you ensure that it is switched off.

This done, you may connect all available sources:

Network connection

Using a network cable (not supplied), connect one of your router’s outputs to the RJ45 connector at the rear of your Emerson. Once the cable is correctly connected, you will hear a “click.”

Audio connection Emerson DIGITAL

Your Emerson features a 75 ohm S/PDIF coaxial output on the RCA connector and a 110 ohm AES/EBU output on the XLR connector, equipped with an isolation transformer. This allows you to connect your Emerson to your digital-to-analog converter with an S/PDIF coaxial cable and an AES/EBU cable (not supplied).

Audio connection Emerson ANALOG

Connect your Emerson to your amplifier or to your active loudspeakers using RCA analog cables (not supplied).

Getting started

Once the connections to the network and to your audio installation have been set, your Emerson is ready to be switched on.

The Emerson's external power supply comes with four interchangeable international sockets. Choose the socket model that fits your country's standard and slide it into the power supply. You will hear a "click" to confirm the correct position of the plug.

Finally, plug your Emerson into an AC outlet.

Once under tension, LED A slowly blinks during the start-up phase. Once your Emerson becomes operational, the LED remains switched on.

You can learn more about the meaning of LEDs in the section below.

LED A

(Power)

LED B

(Playback)

LED A

(Power)

LED B

(Playback)

Your Madison is now connected to the network and ready to stream some music.

Digital content access and playback

Your Emerson is based on the UPnP/DLNA standard in order to stream audio content.

Thus, you will have access to the content stocked on most of the market NAS (Synology, QNAP, Buffalo, Netgear, etc.), as well as on the Media Servers installable on a computer or integrated in some devices (MinimServer, wonky, etc.).

To access the content of a Media Server located on the same network as your Emerson, you must use a UPnP control application on your smartphone, tablet or computer.

Wattson Audio has developed its own mobile solution, Wattson Music, available for iOS (currently, Wattson Remote, the Android version of the Wattson Audio control app, only provides access to the device’s settings). You may consult the user guide of the Wattson Music app to familiarize yourself with its functioning.

Firmware update

From time to time, we publish internal firmware updates of your Emerson. The aim is generally to bring slight improvements or corrections, thus ensuring the proper functioning of the Emerson over time.

You will find the reference of the currently installed version on the Web page of your Emerson:

Ensure that your Emerson is switched on and connected to your network.
Connect on your Emerson web page.
The firmware version number is indicated at the end of the "Firmware update" section.

Using this version number, you can check at any time if a newer firmware version is available for your Emerson model:

Visit the Firmware page.
Download the latest file update if this is more recent than the one installed on your Emerson.
Once downloaded, make sure the file is decompressed in binary format (.bin). If it is still compressed (.zip), use a utility to unzip it.

Once the file is downloaded, you may proceed to the update by following the steps listed below:

Ensure that your Emerson is switched on and connected to your network.
Connect to your Emerson web page.
In the "Firmware update" section, click on the button "Select the .bin file" in order to indicate the location of the previously downloaded file and validate your choice.
Click on the button "Launch the update".
Follow the update process that is indicated on your screen. During this phase, LED A of your Emerson will blink for a few seconds.
Wait for the status to display "Ready" before clicking on the "Back" button.
Back on the main Web page of your Emerson, check that the firmware version number is indeed one of the latest updates.
Finally, take the time to check the volume level set on the Emerson and adjust it if necessary. Sometimes, the volume level changes after an update.

LED A

(Power)

LED B

(Playback)

LED A

(Power)

LED B

(Playback)

Your Madison is now connected to the network and ready to stream some music.

Renaming

We give each of our products a name corresponding to its model so that they can be easily identified on the network.

Your Emerson appears on the network under the name "Emerson."

You can customize this name at your convenience:

From the Wattson Music iOS app

Open the Wattson Music app.
On the Home screen, once your Emerson's name is displayed, swipe left on it and click on the "Rename" action.
Enter the new name you wish to give to your Madison, replacing the current one. Then, validate your change by hitting "Return" on the keyboard.

From the Wattson Remote Android app

Open the Wattson Remote app and connect to your Emerson.
Access the Settings from the upper right button.
In the "Device" section of the Settings screen, click on "Friendly name," enter the new name you would like to give to your Emerson and validate your choice.
After a few seconds, an alert box will appear to warn about Emerson's disconnection and bring you back to the Home screen. As soon as the change is complete, your Emerson will be displayed with its new name in the devices list.

From your Madison Web page

Ensure that your Emerson is switched on and connected to your network.
Connect to your Emerson Web page.
In the section "Modification of the Friendly Name", enter the new name you wish to give your Madison in the designated field and validate your choice by clicking on the "Rename" button.

Whatever way you choose, your Emerson will disappear from the network for a few seconds and reappear under its new name.

Purpose of the two LEDs on the front panel

LED A

The LED is continuously switched off:

The Emerson is switched off and will not be visible on the network.

The LED flashes slowly:

This phase generally lasts about ten seconds after the Emerson is switched on until it obtains a valid IP address on the network.
If the Ethernet RJ45 cable is not connected or the network is not operational, the LED blinks indefinitely.

The LED blinks fast:

An update of the internal firmware is running on the Emerson.

The LED is continuously switched on in red:

The Emerson is under tension, and its IP address is valid.
The Emerson is ready to play music.

LED B

The LED is continuously switched off:

No piece of music or audio stream is currently read with the Emerson. The LED is in this state after a STOP command.

The LED blinks:

The reading is currently on PAUSE on the Emerson.

The LED is continuously lit red:

A piece of music or an audio stream is currently read. The LED is in this state after a PLAY command.

The LED pulses slowly:

After 30 minutes of inactivity, the Emerson enters a "low power" mode. It exits this mode as soon as the playback of an audio stream resumes.
This behavior was introduced in the Emerson firmwares dated "2023.01.24".

Both LEDs A and B alternatively blinking:

This scenario occurs when a firmware update has failed. It is necessary to start the update procedure from the Emerson Web page.

LED A

(Power)

LED B

(Playback)

LED A

(Power)

LED B

(Playback)

Troubleshooting

The Emerson is subject to very few malfunctions. However, your Emerson might not appear on your network for several causes.

Explore and validate the following points to identify the problem's origin.

Power control

When it is on, LED A on Emerson’s front panel will continuously illuminate. If it is blinking, check the external power supply connections, ensuring that the main bloc is connected to an AC power outlet and that the electric plug on the Emerson’s back panel is fully inserted. Remove it and insert it again if required.

Network connection control

If the Emerson cannot find a valid IP address on the network, LED A will slowly blink. If this is the case, start by checking the state of the Ethernet RJ45 cable at the rear of the Emerson in order to ensure that it is not damaged. Should the cable be in good shape, unplug it and replug it until to hear a "click" ensuring that it is well in place.

If the power LED still blinks after several seconds, we recommend that you check the rest of your network installation.

Home networks can be configured in many different ways and can be the source of many faults. If necessary, contact a network specialist.

Once the previous checks have been performed and validated, your Emerson must be powered, and LED A must be continuously switched on.

Should this not be the case, please contact your Wattson Audio retailer.