Wiring the MS-700 Optimum System

Quick Reference QR-AE-031 · Audio Enhancement EPIC · Rev 1.1 · Oct 2026

Every port on the MS-700 classroom amp: what plugs where, the RJ45 pinouts, speakers and PA mute, the wall plate, and the integrated wall box.

The MS-700 is the classroom amp in most of our EPIC rooms. It has a built-in XD receiver for the teacher and student mics, and the whole unit runs on PoE+: one network cable powers it, connects it to EPIC and feeds 24 V to the wall controls. Get the ports right and the room works the first time it powers up.

1️⃣ Learn the connector panel

MS-700 connector panel. Six RJ45s in two rows of three, color-coded: RmtCtrl 1/2/3 on top; WPA-70x, GPIO 3&4 and RS232 4 / XD Link underneath. The pinouts are printed on the panel too.

Port (panel label)	Connector	What plugs in
PoE+ Ethernet	RJ45, far right	The network. Must be 802.3at (PoE+). Powers the whole unit.
RmtCtrl 1, 2, 3	RJ45, top row	AE wall controls such as the ITC2 (LCD wall plate). Each has balanced audio in and out, RS-232 and 24 V.
WPA-70x	RJ45, under RmtCtrl 1	AE wall plate: Call and Emergency buttons and a room mic.
GPIO 3&4	RJ45, under RmtCtrl 2	Two inputs and two outputs (sensors, strobes and similar). The QSG callout calls it Input/Output.
RS232 4 / XD Link	RJ45, under RmtCtrl 3	Serial port 4 plus the XD pairing lines and 24 V.
Line-in5 (blue), Line-in6 (pink)	3.5 mm	Unbalanced audio in from a PC, media player or aux mic.
ALD-out4 (green)	3.5 mm	Unbalanced line output. Also your headphone test point.
Speaker Connections + PA Mute	6-pin green Phoenix	Two paralleled speaker pairs, then the two PA Mute pins (step 3).
Service USB	USB-A	Service only: the BLE USB adapter goes here, so AE's Device Configuration phone app can connect over Bluetooth.
Reset button	Pinhole	Press 5 s to reboot. Factory default: see Field tips.

The LCD shows the IP address, firmware version and a PoE+ warning. The Ready and Activity LEDs sit next to it.

2️⃣ Terminate the RJ45 ports (T568B)

All six jacks are wired T568B. The same 8-pin layout repeats: pin 4 is +24 V DC and pin 5 is GND on every one. Only the PoE+ jack is Ethernet.

Remote Control (RmtCtrl 1–3) and WPA.

SER + XD Pairing and GPIO 3 & 4.

Pin	T568B color	RmtCtrl 1, 2, 3	WPA-70x	RS232 4 / XD Link	GPIO 3&4
1	White/orange	+ Line Level Out	+ Mic	NC	NC
2	Orange	− Line Level Out	− Mic	NC	NC
3	White/green	RS-232 TXD	I/O In #1 (Call)	RS-232 TxD	Input 3
4	Blue	+24 V DC	+24 V DC	+24 V DC	+24 V DC
5	White/blue	GND	GND	GND	GND
6	Green	RS-232 RXD	I/O In #2 (Emergency)	RS-232 RxD	Input 4
7	White/brown	+ Line Level In	I/O Out #1	XD Pairing Line 1	Output 3
8	Brown	− Line Level In	I/O Out #2	XD Pairing Line 2	Output 4

Transcribed from AE DC-41213.0925 and the QSG connector details. NC = no connection.

3️⃣ Land the speakers and PA mute

• The green 6-pin Phoenix reads, left to right: Spkr + − + −, then PA Mute (2 pins).
• The two speaker pairs are paralleled inside the amp, so both pairs carry the same output.
• Load: 4 Ω minimum on each pair, 2 Ω minimum overall. Output is 30 W from PoE (depends on the switch).
• PA Mute: connects to the building's public address system. When 5–70 VAC is present on these pins the MS-700 mutes, so the PA announcement is heard.

Panel close-up: 3.5 mm jacks, the speaker/PA Mute Phoenix and the RJ45 rows with their color labels.

4️⃣ Connect the network last

• Use a switch port that supplies IEEE 802.3at (PoE+). The LCD can show a PoE+ warning.
• Every wall control you add draws its 24 V from the MS-700's PoE budget. AE notes a constantly rebooting MS-700 with peripherals like an ITC attached may be pulling too much power.
• After power-up: rear Power and Status LEDs are red while booting, then green. Status blinks green with network activity.

5️⃣ Mount the integrated wall box

The MS-700 lives in AE's Integrated Enclosure. The kit has the wall-mount bracket, the enclosure, (4) #12 × 1-1/2" Phillips screws, (4) #12 × 1" plastic drywall anchors and (2) 10-32 × 3/8" machine screws.

1. Wall: level and center the bracket, mark and drill four 1/4" holes, insert the anchors. Drill out the center routing hole if you need it. Screw the bracket on.
2. Ceiling tile: take the tile down, center the bracket, drill four 1/4" holes plus a center hole for cables, insert anchors. Put the tile bridge on the back of the tile and screw through it.
3. Route cables through the bracket's center hole (from behind the surface) or the wire molds at the top or bottom.
4. Set the enclosure on the bracket and slide it down. Feed the cables in through the back opening and secure it with the two 10-32 screws.
5. Make your connections, test the system, then reinstall the front access panel on the bottom.

Bracket cable paths (red: center hole; green: wire molds) and sliding the enclosure down onto the bracket.

6️⃣ Read the front LEDs

Front of the enclosure: Mic 1, System Power, Mic 2, Link light, Link button.

LED	Meaning
Microphone 1	Green: mic 1 connected
System Power	Green: powered on
Microphone 2	Green: mic 2 connected
Link light	Blinking yellow: linking. Solid yellow: media channel linked
Link button	Starts mic linking: press it (Link light blinks yellow), then put the mic in link mode. Teacher pendant: mic off, hold REC, then hold PWR until it links. A beep and an extra green LED confirm it.

Pre-power checklist

✓	Before the PoE+ cable goes in
☐	Every RJ45 terminated T568B and tested; each cable is in the jack its label says (RmtCtrl, WPA-70x, GPIO, XD Link).
☐	No AE port is patched to a switch or data jack; the only network cable is in PoE+ Ethernet.
☐	Speakers landed + to + and − to − on the speaker pins; nothing below 4 Ω on either pair.
☐	PA Mute (if used) landed on the two PA Mute pins, not on a speaker pair.
☐	The switch port is 802.3at PoE+, and the number of wall controls on this amp is what the drawings show.
☐	Enclosure seated on its bracket with both 10-32 screws in; cables strain-free through the back opening.
☐	Front access panel left off until the room has been tested.

Field tips

• No sound from the speakers? Plug wired headphones into ALD-out4 and play audio. If you hear it, the amp is fine; check the speakers and speaker wiring.
• Reboot vs factory default: press the reset button 5 s to reboot. AE's QSG says hold 10 s until the Status LED flashes green to factory-reset; the panel print says "Hold 15s to default". Hold until the LED flashes.

• Replacing a dead MS-700? Move every cable to the same port, then follow QR-AE-012.
• Next steps: link the mics (QR-AE-013) and set room volumes (QR-AE-011).

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📚 Sources & credits

• Compiled by Brad Roy, VSC Director of Operations
• Audio Enhancement: MS-700 Optimum System Pinout Guide DC-41213.0925 (RmtCtrl, WPA, SER + XD Pairing and GPIO 3 & 4 pinouts; panel photo); MS-700 Optimum Amplifier Quick Start Guide DC-41034.0824 (panel callouts, interfaces, LEDs, PA mute, PoE+, troubleshooting)
• Audio Enhancement: MS-700 Optimum Amplifier Spec Sheet DC-40133.0124 (load impedance, power, PA connector range)
• Audio Enhancement: Integrated Enclosure Installation Guide DC-40944.0923 (an older AE document, Sep 2023; mounting, ceiling tile, cable routing)
• Images: Audio Enhancement.