Speaker Setup - Rotel RSX-03 Owner's Manual

large speakers. For optimum performance,
you must tell the RSX-03 the number of speak-
ers in your system and how bass should be
distributed among them.
: There are two types of bass in a sur-
NOTE
round system. The first is bass recorded in
each of the main channels (front, center, and
surround). This bass is present in all record-
ings and soundtracks. In addition, Dolby
Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 recordings may
have a Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel
– the .1 channel. This LFE channel, typically
played by a subwoofer, is used for effects
such as explosions or rumble. The use of
the LFE channel will vary from soundtrack
to soundtrack. Recordings that are not en-
coded in Dolby Digital 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 "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 normal
bass from the front, center, and surround
channels is played in its respective speak-
ers. 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
35
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 in the system.
This configuration provides several ben-
efits: 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 amplifier power is reduced.
This configuration should be used with
bookshelf-size or smaller main speak-
ers. It should also be considered in some
cases with floorstanding 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
redirected to the LARGE front speakers and
the subwoofer. The LARGE front speakers
play their own normal bass plus the re-
directed bass from the SMALL speakers
and LFE bass. The subwoofer plays the
LFE bass plus the redirected bass from all
of the other channels. This might be an
appropriate configuration with a pair of
very capable front speakers driven by a
large power amplifier. A potential disad-
vantage with mixed LARGE and SMALL
configurations is that the bass response
may not be as consistent from channel to
channel as it might be with the all SMALL
configuration.
: As an alternative configuration with
NOTE
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 RSX-03 and connect-
ing the satellites to the subwoofer's own cross-
over. In this arrangement, the speakers would
be classified as LARGE and the subwoofer
setting would be OFF for all surround modes.
No information is lost during playback be-
cause the system redirects bass information
to the front LARGE speakers. While this con-
figuration 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

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The SPEAKER SETUP menu is used to con-
figure the RSX-03 for use with your specific
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 speak-
ers 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 channel
speaker has limited low frequency capabil-
ity, 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).
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