Bowers & Wilkins DB1 manual Room EQ, Inputs, Setting the Sensitivity, Source Output Level

ENGLISH 6.3. DB1 Audio Setup

Audio

Room EQ	In
Inputs
Low-Pass
Presets

It will help to have audio playing through the DB1 and associated system while undertaking the audio setup procedure.

Selecting Audio from the DB1 setup Home Menu will display the menu illustrated above.

The four menu items provide the following functions:

Room EQ

Enables any room correction equalisation produced following in-room response analysis by the SubApp™ PC application to be applied. The default equalisation curve is flat, so if either no equalisation curve has been uploaded to the DB1, or a valid curve has been uploaded, select In. Only select Out if a previously uploaded curve is invalidated by the DB1’s position in the room having been changed. The default is In.

Inputs

Enables the Sensitivity, Gain and Polarity of the Mono (balanced and unbalanced) and Stereo inputs to be configured. If only one input is connected in your installation it is not necessary to configure both.

Setting the Sensitivity

Separate adjustment for Sensitivity and Gain enables the DB1’s signal to noise performance to be optimised. Set the Sensitivity first to reflect the specified output level of the source electronics as shown in the following table:

Source Output Level		DB1 Sensitivity
0.5V	(or less)	+6dB
1.0V		0dB
2.0V	(or more)	-6dB

If the LED on the front panel flashes red on loud passages, this indicates input overload. If that happens, select the next lowest sensitivity and raise the Gain by 6dB to compensate. Most source equipment has an output level of 1V so the default is 0dB.

Setting the Gain

Setting the DB1 Gain balances the output level of the subwoofer with the other speakers in the system. If your DB1 is to be used in a home theatre system in which it is connected to the LFE output of an audio visual processor, the balance between the DB1 and the other speakers will

be adjusted when the processor’s speaker level setup procedure is carried out. In this case the DB1 Gain should be set at 0dB. The default is 0dB.

For a DB1 used to enhance the low frequency performance of conventional stereo speakers, the Gain parameter must be set by ear. In this application, you will need to configure a Low- Pass filter to avoid response overlap between the DB1 and your main speakers. You should do this before assessing the correct gain level. See the Low-Passsection below.

The default Gain is 0dB and you should use this as the starting point. Once the DB1 is working, listen carefully to a variety of music program material and adjust the setting if necessary. It is important to listen to a variety of music because a Gain setting that sounds correct on one piece may sound either too loud or too quiet on another. Listen at a realistic volume level as the perception of musical balance varies with volume level. The aim is to find a Gain setting appropriate to the majority of material.

Note: Remember that it is always possible temporarily to adjust the DB1 volume using the Volume Trim function.

Note: If it proves difficult to find the appropriate subwoofer/main speaker balance adjusting the low-pass filter phase may be beneficial.

Selecting the Polarity

The DB1 signal Polarity may be selected independently for each input. In the majority of cases the polarity should be set to Normal. However, if the power amplifiers feeding the main speakers invert the signal, select Inverted. The default is Normal.

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