Madrigal Imaging Audio/Video Preamplifier manual

Dolby Pro Logic™ Sources

THX Cinema Sources

Music and the PAV

Subwoofers and

Surround Modes

The PAV accurately decodes the Dolby Stereo™ soundtracks available in virtually all modern film soundtracks, many television shows, and even some music re- cordings. It does so by employing carefully optimized Dolby Pro Logic circuitry, for superior performance and accuracy. Use the pro logic mode whenever listen- ing to most surround-encoded television shows, MTV (most of which is now sur- round encoded), and other surround-encoded program material which has been created for general distribution.

In addition, the PAV incorporates Home THX® audio processing to help movie soundtracks make the transition from large movie theaters into the home. This extra step is necessary because the acoustics of movie theaters and living rooms are so different. Some adjustments are necessary in order to achieve the same subjective effect in your home as in the finest movie auditoriums. These “adjust- ments” are precisely what Home THX offers. Use the THX cinema mode for Dolby Stereo movies which were created for theatrical release—meaning virtually all movies made since the late 1970’s.

When it is time to enjoy some of your favorite music, the PAV gives you several simple options, any of which may be selected by pressing the mode button to cycle through the choices.

The stereo surround mode uses ambient cues contained in your normal stereo recordings to create a realistic, full-bodied soundfield using all available speakers. It has been carefully tuned to enhance stereo playback, and can be expected to be relatively subtle rather than dramatic. (As with attending a live concert, one’s attention should rarely be called to the characteristic sound of the “hall.” The acoustics of the space in which the music is performed should enhance the musi- cal experience without becoming an end unto themselves.)

The mono surround mode can be used to give acoustically “dry” mono record- ings a sense of spaciousness. This mode can be used for historical monophonic music recordings as well as for older movie classics which were recorded in mono. This mode is particularly helpful when watching older, mono movies on a big-screen television, where the disparity between aural and the visual size would otherwise be a distraction to the movie experience.

The surround off mode returns your system to two-channel stereo.

Finally, we have provided a “true mono” mode which reproduces both the Left and the Right signals through the center channel speaker (and subwoofer) only. The mono mode is sometimes desirable when listening to noisy monophonic music recordings or movie soundtracks. Since noise tends to be random in na- ture, much of it cancels out when L+R are mixed together, as they are in this mode.

If a subwoofer is connected to the sub outputs, it will normally be given the deepest bass (below 80 Hz) at all times, independantly of the surround mode or input selected. Whether or not the three front speakers are also given the deepest bass information (below 80 Hz) to reproduce is determined by the settings of the set speakers menu during setup. (See System Setup & Calibration for more information).

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