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NOTE: There are two types of bass in a sur- round system. The first is normal bass recorded in each of the main channels (front, center, and surround). This bass is present in all re- cordings and soundtracks. In addition, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 recordings have a Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel – the .1 channel. This bass channel, typically played by a subwoofer, is used for effects such as explosions or rumble. The use of the LFE chan- nel will vary from soundtrack to soundtrack. Recordings that are not encoded in Dolby Digi- tal or DTS do not have the LFE channel.
The following configuration instructions refer to LARGE and SMALL speakers, referring more to their desired bass configuration than their physical size. Specifically, use the LARGE set- ting for speakers that you want to play deep bass signals. Use the SMALL designation for speakers that would benefit from having their bass sent to more capable speakers. The bass management system redirects bass information away from all SMALL speakers and sends it to the LARGE speakers and/or the SUBWOOFER. It may be useful to think of LARGE as
Four typical examples of the many possible system configurations illustrate the principles behind bass management:
•A system with five LARGE speakers and a subwoofer: This system requires no bass redirection. All five speakers play the nor- mal bass recorded in their respective chan- nels. The subwoofer plays only the LFE channel bass. This may not be the most ef- ficient use of system resources. Depend- ing on the soundtrack, there may be mini- mal use of the LFE channel, so the subwoofer would be underutilized. Meanwhile the normal bass places higher demands on the capabilities of the other speakers and the amplifiers driving them.
•A system with LARGE front, center, and surround speakers, but no subwoofer. The normal bass from the front, center, and surround channels is played in its respec- tive speakers. With no subwoofer, the LFE bass is redirected to all five LARGE speak- ers. This places significant demands on these speakers and their amplifiers, as they must play their own normal bass plus the very demanding LFE bass.
•A system with LARGE front speakers, SMALL center and surround speakers, and a sub- woofer. The normal bass from the SMALL center and surround speakers is redirected to the LARGE front speakers and the sub- woofer. The LARGE front speakers play their own normal bass plus the redirected bass from the SMALL speakers. The subwoofer plays the LFE bass plus some of the redi- rected bass from the SMALL center and surround channels. This might be an ap- propriate configuration with a pair of very capable front speakers driven by a large separate power amplifier.
•A system with all SMALL speakers and a subwoofer. The normal bass from all chan- nels is redirected to the subwoofer, which also plays the LFE bass. The subwoofer handles ALL of the bass in the system, while the other speakers benefit from the added dynamic range and reduced strain of not having to play low bass. This configura- tion realizes the full benefits of
NOTE: As an alternative configuration with a satellite/subwoofer package as the front speakers, follow the speaker manufacturer’s instructions, connecting the
The following speaker options are available:
FRONT SPEAKERS (small/large): Use the LARGE setting to have the front speakers play low bass
CENTER SPEAKER(S) (small/large/
none): Use the LARGE position (not available with SMALL front speakers) to have the cen- ter speaker play low bass
SURROUND SPEAKERS (small/large/
none): Select the LARGE setting (not avail- able with SMALL front speakers) to have the surround speakers play low bass
CENTER BACK SPEAKER(S) (small/
large/none): Some systems have one or two additional center back surround speakers for use with 6.1 channel surround signals or 7CH stereo processing. With the
SUBWOOFER (yes/no/max): The YES set- ting is the standard setting if your system has a subwoofer. If your system does not have a subwoofer, select NO. Select the MAX setting for maximum bass output with normal bass being duplicated by both the subwoofer and any LARGE speakers in the system.