User manual RANE SSE 22

[. . . ] See the full explanation of the power supply requirements on page Manual-3. THX is a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation Manual-1 FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTION 1. The Left and Right Channels have eleven slide controls used to set the individual levels of the constant-Q filters. The grounded center-detent design ensures each filter is off when positioned to 0 dB. [. . . ] Units with outboard power supplies do NOT ground the chassis through the line cord. Make sure that these units are grounded either to another chassis which is earth grounded, or directly to the grounding screw on an AC outlet cover by means of a wire connected to a screw on the chassis with a star washer to guarantee proper contact. Manual-3 SSE 22 CONNECTION When first connecting the SSE 22 to other components, leave the power supply for last. This gives you a chance to correct mistakes before damaging fragile speakers, ears and nerves. The SSE 22 locates between the preamplifier/ processor and the amplifier. INPUTS AND OUTPUTS Connections are actively unbalanced and fitted with RCA phono pin jacks. Longer length require balanced lines, using an adaptor such as a Rane BB 44X Balance Buddy. SIGNAL LEVELS The SSE 22 is designed for audio reference levels of 0 dBr (150 mV rms), and provides a minimum headroom of 34. 5 dB above reference, making it virtually unclippable. With all LEVEL controls located in their 0 dB detented positions, the SSE 22 operates with unity gain from Input to Output. Use the SSE 22 only for specific equalization, not level control. SSE 22 BLOCK DIAGRAM Manual-4 OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS STEREO EQUALIZATION Depending on your philosophy, equalizers can perform the role of fancy tone controls or correct speaker power response in a room. The room is an extention of the speaker cabinet, for the same speaker can sound different in different rooms. Even more critical are in-wall speakers, which depend on the wall as an extension of the cabinet, but not all walls have the same construction or size. These differences are more noticeable and specific in the lower frequencies where 1/3-octave EQ is required. The high frequencies need less control, as they are less susceptible to room acoustics. The SSE 22 can be adjusted by ear, but we highly recommend the use of a 1/3-octave realtime analyzer or other similar test equipment. The results will be more accurate with less response variance from channel to channel. SURROUND CHANNEL ALIGNMENT Whether the home cinema system is Dolby Pro-Logic, Home THX, or Dolby Digital, the same principle applies: to flatten the power response of the surrounds in the room. Even though the controller may have a preset filter for a given listening mode, set the surrounds for a flat power response, just like the front channels. Since surrounds may be of a different design than the front channels, equalization can help the front and rear speakers sound more similar, important when the sound pans from front to back (as the spaceship flies overhead). Test equipment is required to properly align a multichannel system, such as a 1/3-octave realtime analyzer, preferable a model with a memory averaging function. Though more time consuming, a test CD and a sound pressure level meter can work. For this method, see the RaneNote on Home Theater Systems, available from the factory or downloadable from the Rane web site. Begin with the center channel, then tune each channel separately with the other channels turned off. [. . . ] With the SSE 22 set flat (0 dB), adjust volume to a comfortable level on the processor and leave it set. Now move the cable coming from the processor to the Right SSE 22 Input, and align. Once alignment is complete, remove the analyzer and connect the cables to their normal routing. Once equalization for all channels is set, perform a final channel level check with the Dolby Test on the processor. [. . . ]