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RSP-1069 Surround Sound Processor
speakers. For optimum performance, you
must tell the RSP-1069 the number of speak
-
ers in your system and how bass should be
distributed among them.
NOTE: There are two types of bass in a sur-
round system. The first is bass recorded in
each of the main channels (front, center, and
surround). This bass is present in all recordings
and soundtracks. In addition, Dolby Digital
5.1 and DTS 5.1 recordings may have a Low
Frequency Effects (LFE) channel – the .1 chan
-
nel. This LFE channel, typically played by a
subwoofer, is used for effects such as explo-
sions or rumble. The use of the LFE channel will
vary from soundtrack to soundtrack. Record-
ings that are not encoded in Dolby Digital or
DTS do not have the LFE channel.
The following configuration instructions re
-
fer to LARGE and SMALL speakers, refer
-
ring more to their desired bass configuration
than their physical size. Specifically, use the
LARGE setting 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 redi
-
rects 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 “full-range” and SMALL
as “high-pass filtered.”
Four typical examples of the many possible
system configurations illustrate the principles
behind bass management:
• Five LARGE speakers and sub
-
woofer: This system requires no bass
redirection. All five speakers play the
normal bass recorded in their respective
channels. The subwoofer plays only
the LFE channel bass. Depending on the
soundtrack, there may be minimal use of
the LFE channel, so the subwoofer would
be under utilized. Meanwhile the normal
bass places higher demands on the ca
-
pabilities of the other speakers and the
amplifiers driving them.
• LARGE front, center, surround
speakers, no subwoofer. The nor
-
mal bass from the front, center, and sur
-
round channels is played in its respective
speakers. With no subwoofer, the LFE bass
is redirected to all five LARGE speakers.
This places significant demands on these
speakers and their amplifiers, as they must
play their own normal bass plus the very
demanding LFE bass.
• All SMALL speakers and subwoof
-
er. The normal bass from all channels is
redirected to the subwoofer, which also
plays the LFE channel. The subwoofer
handles ALL of the bass. This configura
-
tion provides several benefits: deep bass
is played by the speaker most suited to do
so, the main speakers may play louder
with less distortion, and the need for am
-
plifier power is reduced. This configura
-
tion should be used with bookshelf-size or
smaller main speakers. It should also be
considered in some cases with floorstand
-
ing front speakers. This configuration is
advantageous when driving the system
with moderate power amplifiers.
• LARGE front speakers, SMALL cen
-
ter and surround speakers, and a
subwoofer. The normal bass from the
SMALL center and surround speakers is re
-
directed to the LARGE front speakers and
the subwoofer. The LARGE front speakers
play their own normal bass plus the redi
-
rected bass from the SMALL speakers and
LFE bass. The subwoofer plays the LFE bass
plus the redirected bass from all of the oth
-
er channels. This might be an appropriate
configuration with a pair of very capable
front speakers driven by a large power
amplifier. A potential disadvantage with
mixed LARGE and SMALL configurations is
that the bass response may not be as con
-
sistent from channel to channel as it might
be with the all SMALL configuration.
NOTE: As an alternative configuration with
a satellite/subwoofer package as the front
speakers, follow the speaker manufacturer’s
instructions, connecting the high-level inputs
of the powered subwoofer directly to the front
speaker outputs of the RSP-1069 and con
-
necting the satellites to the subwoofer’s own
crossover. In this arrangement, the speakers
would be classified as LARGE and the sub
-
woofer setting would be OFF for all surround
modes. No information is lost during playback
because the system redirects bass informa
-
tion to the front LARGE speakers. While this
configuration ensures proper satellite speaker
operation by using the speaker’s own cross
-
overs, it has some disadvantages in terms of
system calibration and would generally not
be the preferred configuration.
Speaker Setup
The SPEAKER SETUP menu is used to con-
figure the RSP-1069 for use with your specif
-
ic loudspeakers and to determine the bass
management configuration as described in
the previous overview. The menu is accessed
from the MAIN menu.
The following speaker options are avail
-
able:
FRONT SPEAKERS (small/large): Use
the LARGE setting to have the front speakers
play low bass (full-range). Use the SMALL
setting to redirect normal bass away from
these speakers to a subwoofer (high-pass
filtered).
CENTER SPEAKER(S) (large/small/
none): Use the LARGE position (not avail
-
able with SMALL front speakers) to have the
center speaker play low bass (full-range).
Use the SMALL position if your center chan
-
nel speaker has limited low frequency capa
-
bility, or if you prefer that the bass be sent to
the subwoofer (high-pass). Select the NONE
setting if your system does not have a center
channel speaker (the surround modes will au
-
tomatically divide all center channel informa
-
tion equally between the two front speakers,
creating a phantom center channel).
SURROUND SPEAKERS (large/small/
none): Select the LARGE setting (not avail
-
able with SMALL front speakers) to have the
surround speakers play low bass (full-range).
If your rear speakers have limited bass capa
-
bility or if you would prefer that the bass go
to a subwoofer, use the SMALL setting (high-
pass). If your system has no rear surround
speakers, select the NONE setting (surround
channels are added to the front speakers so
none of the recording is lost).