CONFIGURING THE S170, Configuring The Bass Limiter

CONFIGURING THE S170

CONFIGURING THE BASS LIMITER

From the <Audio setup> menu, use the remote's [Cursor up/down] and [Enter] keys to select the <Bass limiter setup> item. Using the same keys, set <Bass limiter> to "On" and <Limiter noise> to "On"; you will hear a soft rumbling from your subwoofer. (If you do not hear sound from the sub, check your subwoofer audio and power connections, check Speaker Setup, below, and/or check the subwoofer's own "hardware" control settings)

Now use the remote's [Cursor up/down] keys to move to the <Limiter level> item, and [Cursor <] to decrease the limiter setting by 1 dB increments. As you do, the test-noise from the subwoofer will increase in level. Listen for the point at which audible distortions (harshening, "clacking," "chuffing," or other extraneous elements) become evident, then use [Cursor >] to return (increase) the limiter level by 1 or 2 dB until the distortion ceases. This establishes the "distortion-free" limit for your current subwoofer setup. It is advisable to return and re-check your Bass Limiter setup after you have completed the Level Setup routines (see below).

•Even after the Bass Limiter is set you may usefully engage its test-noise to "search and destroy" the room-rattles that are inevitably excited by high-level subwoofer output. (Window-treatments, electrical wall-plates, and hanging artwork are three common sources.)

•Should you ever change subwoofers, or reposition your current subwoofer or listening position, you should repeat the Bass Limiter setup routine.

•With a high-performance subwoofer, this routine can get rather loud. It is often best to await an opportune moment when spouses/children/pets are not at home to perform Bass Limiter setup fully.

PRESET SETUP

The S170 incorporates five "Presets," memory locations to which you may store five different combinations of tone-control and relative center/surround/subwoofer channel levels to suit different requirements. For example: You might configure Preset 1 for movie-surround with tone controls set to zero and relative channel levels left at their calibrated points, but set Preset 2 for music-surround listening with slightly elevated surround- and subwoofer-channel levels, slightly reduced center-channel levels, and modified bass or treble. Presets may be configured in any way, for any purpose you see fit.

CONFIGURING PRESETS

From the <Audio setup> menu, use the remote's [Cursor up/down] and [Enter] keys to select the <Preset setup> item. Using the same keys, select the Preset to be configured on the <Preset> item; then invoke the bass and treble settings desired for that preset using the same keys. With the same keys again, set the relative levels of Center, Surround, and Subwoofer channels for that preset.

NOTE THAT:

•If surround-back speaker(s) are configured as present in the <Speaker setup> OSD menu (below), their levels will be controlled along with the surround-channels levels.

•Once configured, a Preset remains unchanged until you edit it via the <Preset setup> OSD menu.

•A Preset applies regardless of what source is selected, or what listening mode is in operation

•Cycling the S170 through its Standby mode will cancel any previously selected Preset, reverting both tone and all level settings to those set on the S70 remote's LEVELS or MODE/MULTI.S screens (below), or via the S170 preamp's <Audio setup> (above) OSD menu. If you would like to be able to set all channel-levels and tone-control values to zero without cycling through Standby, set one Preset to "all zeroes."

•Channel levels stored in presets (or on the S70 remote's LEVELS screen, below) are added to the setup levels established on the S170 preamp's <Levels setup> OSD menu. For example: if your <Level setup> establishes <Center> at "-3 dB" and you dial in a Preset center-channel level of +2 dB, the net overall effect will be a center-channel level of -1 dB. By contrast, tone-control settings override <Audio setup> tone levels entirely.

RECALLING PRESETS

From the S70 remote's PREAMP menu select the PRESET 1-5 item. Use the [•Preset 1] through [•Preset 5] keys to select the desired Preset; the number of the preset invoked will appear briefly on the OSD and the S170's front-panel display. (See also Using Presets, below)