SoloSub - Hi-fi system ARCAM - Free user manual and instructions

USER MANUAL SoloSub ARCAM

Handbook Subwoofer Manuel Caisson de basses Handbuch Subwoofer Handleiding Subwoofer Manual Subwoofer Руководство сабвуфера Manuale Subwoofer 手册超低音音箱Handbook Subwoofer EnglishE-3E-2 English … and thank you for purchasing the Arcam Solo sub. Arcam has been producing specialist audio equipment of remarkable quality for over three decades and the new Solo sub is the latest in a long line of award winning Hi-Fi and home cinema products. We hope that the care and eort we have put into building this product will be amply demonstrated in its superior performance and reliability, ensuring that you enjoy many years of ownership. is handbook is a guide to installing and using the Solo sub. Use the contents list on the next page to guide you to the section of interest. We hope that your Solo sub will give you years of trouble-free operation. In the unlikely event of any fault, or if you simply require further information about Arcam products, our network of dealers will be happy to help you. Further information can also be found on the Arcam website at www.arcam.co.uk. e Solo sub development team. contents safety guidelines E-4 installation E-5 What’s in the box? E-5 Positioning the unit E-5 Power E-5 Turn on from standby E-5 Care of your speaker E-5 Wireless connection E-6 Solo sub and Solo bar positioning E-6 Wired connections E-7 Solo sub and speaker positioning E-8 calibration E-9 Crossover frequency E-9 Crossover Q E-9 Volume E-9 Phase E-9 specications E-10 troubleshooting E-11 product guarantee E-12 Worldwide guarantee E-12 Claims under guarantee E-12 Problems? E-12 On-line registration E-12 welcome...E-5E-4 English important safety instructions installation

1. Read these instructions

All the safety and operating instructions should be read before this product is operated.

2. Keep these instructions

e safety and operating instructions should be retained for future reference.

3. Heed all warnings

All warnings on the appliance and in the operating instructions should be adhered to.

4. Follow all instructions

All operating and use instructions should be followed.

5. Do not use this apparatus near water

e appliance should not be used near water or moisture – for example, in a wet basement or near a swimming pool.

6. Clean only with dry cloth.

7. Do not block any ventilation openings.

Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

8. Do not install near any heat sources such

as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including ampliers) that produce heat.

9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of

the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. e wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not t into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

10. Protect the power cord from being

walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.

11. Only use attachments/accessories

specied by the manufacturer.

12. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod,

bracket, or table specied by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip- over.

13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning

storms or when unused for long periods of time.

14. Please keep the unit in a well-ventilated

environment. Power e Solo sub is supplied with a moulded mains plug already tted to the lead. Check that the plug supplied ts your supply. If your mains supply voltage or mains plug is dierent, please contact your Arcam dealer immediately. Solo sub is tted with a transformer designed to accept nominal mains voltages from 110-120V to 220-240V. 220-240V~110-120V~ First of all, make sure the voltage switch is set to the correct setting. Connect the mains cable to the power socket on the back of the Solo sub, making sure that it is pushed in rmly. Now push the plug into your mains socket and switch the socket on. Note: If the unit is to be left unused for an extended period, disconnect it from the mains supply to save power. Turn on from standby e Solo sub is tted with a mains power switch on the rear panel, beside the power socket. Make sure it is switched on to use the Solo sub. e push-in STANDBY button provides two settings: AUTO and MANUAL. STANDBYAUTO MANUAL AUTO (button out) switches the Solo sub’s amplier to standby aer a period of about 15minutes when no audio signal has been received. When the unit is in standby the PWR LED will glow red. MANUAL (button pushed in) means that the Solo sub’s amplier is on whenever the unit is receiving mains power. e PWR LED will glow green. Note: If the INPUT selector is set to WIRELESS, the WIRELESS LED will flash blue intermittently whenever the unit is on standby. It will glow a constant blue when receiving an audio signal or mains power. Care of your speaker Running-in In the same way as a new car requires a ‘running-in’ period, so do all loudspeakers. Your Solo sub may sound good when you rst connect it, but with time it will improve dramatically. It takes about 50hours of use before its full potential is realised. Cleaning To clean your speaker simply use a so, slightly dampened cloth to wipe o any dust or dirt. Do not use solvent-based or chemical cleaning products as these may damage the nish of the speaker cabinet. Power handling Arcam speakers are designed to reproduce recorded music under normal domestic conditions. We do not recommend nor warrant them for commercial applications, such as discothèques, public address, etc. What’s in the box? < Solo sub subwoofer < Power cord < User manual < Registration card Positioning the unit Place the Solo sub speaker unit on a level, rm surface, avoiding direct sunlight and sources of heat or damp. Do not place the Solo sub in an enclosed space such as a bookcase or closed cabinet unless there is good provision for ventilation. e unit is designed to run warm during normal operation. WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain, moisture, dripping or splashing. Objects filled with liquids, such as vases should not be placed on the apparatus.WARNING: The mains plug or appliance coupler is used as a disconnect device, the disconnect device shall remain readily operable.This lightning flash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of non-insulated ‘dangerous voltage’ within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock.Warning: To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove cover (or back) as there are no user-serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified personnel.The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance. This equipment is a Class II or double insulated electrical appliance. It has been designed in such a way that it does not require a safety connection to electrical earth. Correct disposal of this product This product contains electrical or electronic materials. The presence of these materials may, if not disposed of properly, have potential adverse effects on the environment and human health.Presence of this label on the product means it should not be disposed of as unsorted waste and must be collected separately. As a consumer, you are responsible for ensuring that this product is disposed of properly.

15. Refer all servicing to qualied service

personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

16. Caution regarding installation: For

heat dispersal, do not install this unit in a coned space such as a bookcase or similar enclosure.E-7E-6 English Wireless connection To pair the unit with a Solo bar make sure the unit is turned on at the power switch.

1. Press the button on the remote

control unit of the Solo bar followed by until Speaker/EQ Setup appears on the front display panel. Press followed by again, until Sub Pairing appears.

2. Press to start the pairing procedure.

e display will change to In Progress.

3. Position the INPUT selector on the rear

of the Solo sub to WIRELESS. INPUT LINE WIRELESS LFE Solo sub and Solo bar positioning

PHASE0˚ 180˚ Solo sub recommended settings For Phase settings, please refer to the information on page9. Wired connections We recommend the use of high-quality screened audio cables. Poor quality cables will degrade the performance of your system. All cables should be kept as short as is practically possible. It is good practice when connecting your equipment to make sure that the mains power-supply cabling is kept as far away as possible from your audio cables. Failure to do so may result in unwanted noise in the audio signals. Note: When connecting the Solo sub to audio cables, or when moving it to a new position, make sure that the unit is switched off and disconnect the power lead. Failure to do so may result in damage to both speaker and amplifier. Subwoofer/satellite system is is a multi-speaker system comprising of two or smaller satellite speakers (or a soundbar) coupled with a subwoofer. e satellite speakers are dened as ‘small’ and are responsible for reproducing higher frequency audio signals; while the subwoofer reproduces the lower frequencies where the smaller speakers are not capable. If your sound source has an output marked SUB, SUBWOOFER or LFE, connect it to the white L/LFE input on the back panel of the Solo sub using an RCA connector at each end. L/LFE SUB Make sure the INPUT selector is set to LFE. e LFE input bypasses the crossover in the Solo sub, so the crossover frequency should be set by the surround sound amplier. For the crossover setting, please see the response of your speakers which may vary from around 70Hz for large satellites, to 150Hz for small speakers. We recommend 85Hz as a starting point if you are unsure. INPUT LINE WIRELESS LFE Stereo system with no LFE is is a typical two-channel system (such as an Arcam stereo amplier). If your sound source does not have SUB or LFE outputs, connect the right and le channels of the stereo pre-amp outputs (PRE OUT L and PRE OUT R) to the red R and white L/LFE inputs respectively. L/LFE PRE-OUT L PRE-OUT R

Make sure the INPUT selector is set to LINE. e crossover frequency on the Solo sub should be adjusted to the low frequency roll o of the main speakers (see the manual for your speakers for this information). e Q-control (X-OVER Q) can be used to ne- tune the integration of Solo sub and your main speakers (see page8 for information). INPUT LINE WIRELESS LFE

4. Press and hold the WIRELESS button

on the rear of the Solo sub for about ve seconds. e WIRELESS LED will start ashing blue, signalling that the Solo sub is in sync mode and searching for a WIRELESS PAIRINGPWR WIRELESS

5. If the the pairing procedure was

successful, the WIRELESS LED will glow a constant blue and the Solo bar will display Linked.

6. Once the pairing procedure is nished,

the Solo sub will always reconnect whenever it is powered on or receives an audio signal. Note: Sync mode lasts for about 30seconds. If no source is detected during this time, the Solo bar will stop searching and the process will need to be repeated. After connecting Turn the volume down to minimum on the sound source amplier before switching it on. Switch the source amplier on, select a source signal, then gradually increase the volume to the required listening level. Note: The wired connection will not work if the Solo sub has been previously linked to a Solo sub using wireless connection. To disable the wireless connection, place the Solo bar to its factory default settings. Refer to the Solo bar user manual for how to do this.E-9E-8 English Solo sub and speaker positioning e advice given here is a general guideline for setting up speakers. Refer to the documentation supplied with your speakers for more precise information. Visit www.dolby.com for usefuI information on listening-room layouts.Room acousticsYour room’s shape and how it is furnished will aect the sound you hear. For instance, too many bare surfaces may cause a harshness to the sound. Carpets, wall-hangings and curtains can all help.If you have a choice of listening rooms, avoid one that is perfectly square or has one dimension exactly twice another. Such a room can aggravate resonances that colour the sound.e closer you place a speaker to corners and the intersection of wall and oor or wall and ceiling, the stronger the bass output, which may over-emphasise the bass. Moving a speaker just a few inches can sometimes make a big dierence.Speaker setupProper speaker placement is the key to achieving the best home theatre sound (see diagrams). As a rough guide, speakers should be placed on rigid stands about 15cm from the rear wall and at least 60cm from any side wall. Speakers should never be placed on the oor (unless they are oor-standing speakers), or in corners. Speaker drivers should be at, or a little above, ear level when seated. If possible, centre your seating area between the surround speakers.Sound will depend on the acoustics of the listening room so experimenting with speaker positioning is very worthwhile.Subwoofere location of the Solo sub will aect the overall sound quality. Placing it next to a wall or in a corner will oen boost eciency and give a cleaner low bass sound. However, all rooms react dierently and we recommend that you experiment with positioning by allowing at least 15cm clearance between the walls and the unit.Speaker standse more rmly a speaker is held, the better it will sound. We recommend the use of rigid metal stands of 40–60cm height. Ensure that the stands and/or speakers do not wobble. Properly damped stands that do not ‘ring’ when tapped with a pencil, will bring out the best in a speaker. Solo sub used with a home cinema

calibration e Solo sub has two roles: rstly to reproduce accurately and with sucient power the sub-bass that other ‘smaller’ speakers cannot; and secondly to reproduce the ‘.1’ or low frequency eects (LFE) track of 5.1 or 7.1 material.For optimum results, the Solo sub must be set up in the correct relation to the other speakers in your system. e two relevant controls are the crossover point and the volume level. e crossover point establishes the frequency below which signals are redirected away from ‘small’ speakers toward the subwoofer. Setting the volume level ensures signals that are of equal volume achieve the same sound pressure level no matter what frequency they are or which speaker they come from (i.e. subwoofer or satellite speaker). In most surround-sound systems, two crossovers are available: one in the surround-sound decoder and one in the Solo sub.To get the optimum sound in a variety of systems, the Solo sub allows these controls to be used independently for systems with ‘Large’ front speakers and an LFE output from the surround-sound decoder. Crossover frequency In most systems, a X-OVER FREQ point of 85 is recommended.If your speakers are very ‘small’ (and thus cannot reproduce much bass) you might like to set the crossover point higher than this gure to allow the Solo sub to do more of the work. However, be aware that the higher the crossover point, the more directional the low frequency sounds, thus the more easily identiable is the subwoofer’s physical position. If your speakers can reproduce reasonable bass, you can try a lower crossover point. Experimentation and listening will guide you to the right spot. Crossover Q e X-OVER Q setting controls the slope of the trace beyond the cuto frequency, in dB/octave. As a rough guide, a X-OVER Q setting of 1.1 is recommended. e aim is to make a ‘mirror image’ match with the slope of the high-pass lter. A steep cut-o of the high-pass lter from the sound processor/receiver should be matched by a steep cut-o of the low-pass lter from the Solo sub. Similarly, if the sound processor/receiver provides a more gradual cut-o, the X-OVER Q setting should have a lower value. Volume Accurate volume setting for a subwoofer ideally requires specialist measuring equipment such as a Real Time Spectrum Analyser or RTA. A regular Sound Pressure Level (SPL) meter will not work for this!For most systems though simple experimentation by ear will suce. Start with a medium setting (6) and experiment with VOLUME until low frequency sounds can be heard as part of the main sound and not traceable to the subwoofer directly. Most sound processors or receivers allow Sub levels to be trimmed ‘on the y’ to counter excessively high or low levels from particular source material. Phase e PHASE button has two settings: 0° (button out) and 180° (button pushed in). A phase delay may be used to counteract the eect of sound waves from the Solo sub interacting with and partially cancelling out or unduly emphasising sound from the satellite speakers. is eect depends critically on the relative positioning of subwoofer and satellite speakers and can also be remedied by relocating the subwoofer a short distance. e phase setting is available if relocation is not possible or impractical.

INPUT LINE WIRELESS LFE

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