About Rotel, Getting Started, Front Panel Controls

About Rotel

A family whose passionate interest in music led them to manufac- ture high fidelity components of uncompromising quality founded Rotel over 30 years ago. Through the years that passion has re- mained undiminished and the family goal of providing exceptional value for audiophiles and music lovers regardless of their budget, is shared by all Rotel employees.

The engineers work as a close team, listening to, and fine tuning each new product until it reaches their exacting musical stan- dards. They are free to choose components from around the world in order to make that product the best they can. You are likely to find capacitors from the United Kingdom and Germany, semi con- ductors from Japan or the United States, while toroidal power transformers are manufactured in Rotel’s own factory.

Rotel’s reputation for excellence has been earned through hun- dreds of good reviews and awards from the most respected re- viewers in the industry, who listen to music every day. Their comments keep the company true to its goal - the pursuit of equipment that is musical, reliable and affordable.

All of us at Rotel, thank you for buying this product and hope it will bring you many hours of enjoyment.

Getting Started

Thank you for purchasing our RSP-975 Digital Surround Sound Processor. The RSP-975 is a full-featured audio/video processor designed to decode both analog and digital surround sound sig- nals including Dolby Pro Logic and 5.1 channel Dolby Digital sources. It will provide accurate reproduction of both movie soundtracks and demanding musical selections and is a natural extension of our well-known passion for good sound.

To get the most from your RSP-975, we suggest you read this manual and keep it as a reference to answer any future questions.

RSP-975 Key Features

•Rotel’s “Balanced Design” approach combines advanced circuit board layout, comprehensive parts evaluation, and extensive lis- tening tests for superior sound and long term reliability.

•Dolby® Pro Logic® decoding for analog sources

•Dolby Digital® decoding for 5.1 channel digital sources

•5.1 channel input for DTS® adaptor and/or future upgradeabilty

•User friendly operation with On-Screen Display.

•Comprehensive digital and analog input and output connections for audio and video sources.

RSP-975

Unpacking the RSP-975

Your RSP-975 underwent quality control tests before we sent it on its way to you and should perform perfectly out of the box.

Remove the unit carefully from its packing. Look for the handheld remote controller and other accessories. Save the packing and box if possible as it will protect the RSP-975 if you move or need to return it to us for maintenance.

Placement

Place the RSP-975 on a solid, dry, level surface away from direct sunlight, excessive heat, high humidity, or strong vibrations.

Make sure the RSP-975 is close to the other components in your audio/video system as that makes initial hookup and any subse- quent troubleshooting easier.

If at all possible, put the RSP-975 on its own shelf. This makes ini- tial cable routing, hookup, and any subsequent system changes easier. It also minimizes potential interference or heat buildup from other components.

Make sure there is enough room behind the RSP-975 for easy hookup. Remember, you’re connecting many other components to this unit and you’ll probably need more space than you think.

Don’t stack other objects (components or other items) on top of the RSP-975. Don’t let water fall into the RSP-975 as this could damage delicate circuitry.

Front Panel Controls

We suggest you look over the RSP-975’s front and rear panels be- fore you start connecting other components to it. The following explanations will help you get familiar with the units connections, features, and controls, with number references corresponding to the illustrations at the front of this manual.

Most functions are duplicated on the front panel and on the handheld remote control shipped with your unit. A few may be available only on one or the other. When two reference numbers appear, one refers to the location of the button on the front panel, the other to the location of the button on the handheld remote control.

STANDBY Switch 1 30 and STANDBY LED 2

The RSP-975 is similar to many TV sets in that some of its circuitry (the central microprocessor, infrared sensor, etc.) remains pow- ered at all times while the rest of the circuitry is turned on or off by the user.

The STANDBY switch turns the RSP-975 from standby mode to fully active mode. If only the STANDBY LED is lit, the unit is in standby mode.