Focal SM8 General equalisation, Digital Input Mode, Delays, Subwoofer polarity, Presets

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General equalisation

ADAPTING THE SYSTEM TO THE LISTENING ENVIRONMENT

General equalisation is possible (except on the Sub channel) via 3 fully programmable parametric EQ’s , which can be individually set in amplitude, frequency and quality factor ("Q").

A Hi-Pass and a Low-pass filter are also available. They can be enabled or disabled by blanking the frequency fields, which -when enabled- are to be set by the user. For all channels except for the Sub, the Hi-Pass slope can be set to either 12 or 24 dB/ oct. Please note that when the 24 dB/oct is selected, the Lo-Pass filter is no longer available. On the Sub channel, it is the opposite : Lo-Pass can be either 12 or 24 dB/oct in which case the Hi-Pass is defeated.

Digital Input Mode

When the digital input is used, it is possible to actually get the mono sum of the two ("Left" and "Right") audio channels transmitted via the AES connection.

This option is available for the Sub: it is referred to as "2.1 (L+R)" as opposed to "5.1 (LFE)", which is the default mode of operation where only one input channel is used (depending on the position of the CHANNEL switch located at the back of the unit).

It is also available for the Left and Right speakers; the option is called "Mono L+R" and appears in the Master level menu.

Delays

Variable delays (up to 10 ms) can be assigned to groups of channels: Left/Right, Centre, Left/Right surround, and Sub. This allows precise time alignment tailored to actual positioning of the loudspeakers with regard to the listening position.

Subwoofer polarity

The polarity of the Subwoofer channel can be inverted by software. This can be useful, for example, when one desire to use a combination of 24 dB/oct and 12dB/oct to crossover the subwoofer. It is also a good practice, when adjusting delays and/or crossover frequencies, to invert the polarity of the Sub, search for the widest cancellation, then turn the polarity back on to normal.

Presets

Presets are a convenient way of dealing with a number of parameters as a whole, being able to save them under a specific name. Actually, a preset contains the values of the various parameters for all channels: delays, shelving, PEQ, and so on… Once created, a preset can be stored, reloaded and sent to the speaker system, edited, and deleted.