Parasound P 5 Home Theater System User Manual


 
11
Subwoofer Setup
There are two important steps in setting up your sub(s). These are crossover setup and level setup.
Subwoofer Crossover Setup
You will want to turn off the crossover built into your subwoofer since the P 5 has its own crossovers
and leaving both crossovers on would result in double filtering. Most subwoofers have a switch to
accomplish this. This switch is sometimes called “Bypass”, “Home Theater” or simply “Crossover
Off.” If your subwoofer’s crossover cannot be switched off, set it to its highest frequency. Now
follow the crossover setup section of this manual for the proper settings on the P 5.
Subwoofer Level Setup
To set the proper subwoofer level, first set the P 5’s front panel Sub Level control to the 12 o’clock
(0 dB) position and then play a variety of music. Adjust the level control built into your subwoofer
until the bass level sounds balanced. Now, whenever you want to fine tune your subwoofer level
you can simply use the P 5's front panel Sub Level control instead of walking over to your sub,
bending down and reaching behind it to adjust its level control.
Main and Subwoofer Crossover Setup
The P 5 is equipped with adjustable Low Pass and High
Pass crossovers. Crossovers are filters that allow certain
frequencies to pass while blocking other frequencies.
A Low Pass filter permits low frequencies to pass and
blocks high frequencies. A high pass filter permits only
high frequencies to pass and blocks low frequencies.
80Hz is the best starting frequency for both the High and
Low Pass crossovers if you are using a subwoofer and
are not sure where to set the crossover frequency. If you
are not using a subwoofer, set the Main Output Crossover
switch to the Off position. Both XLR (balanced) and RCA
(unbalanced) outputs are affected by the crossover
settings.
Low Pass Crossover (Subwoofer Outputs)
The low pass crossover allows only low frequencies to be output at the P 5 Subwoofer output
jacks and then played by your subwoofer(s).
Note: If your subwoofer has a built-in crossover that cannot be switched off, set
it to its highest frequency to minimize the negative effects on bass
response from filtering in the P 5 and again in the subwoofer.
High Pass Crossover (Left and Right Main Outputs)
The High Pass crossover for the Left and Right Main outputs allows you to keep low
frequencies from going to your main L and R speakers. This can be particularly useful if you
are using small speakers (typically their woofers are 6.5” inches or smaller) and you have a
subwoofer. The most common settings are between 50Hz and 80Hz. If you are not using a
subwoofer you will get the best results by turning the High Pass crossover off or setting it to
under 40Hz. If you want your L and R speakers to operate full range with no frequencies
blocked set the High Pass crossover switch to its Off position.