About Home Theater - Onkyo TX-NR901 Instruction Manual

About Home Theater

Enjoying Home Theater
With the TX-NR901's superb functionality you can enjoy surround sound with a real sense of movement in your own
home—just like being in a movie theater or concert hall.
For best results with DVDs that feature THX Surround EX, use a THX-certified THX speaker system.
With DVDs you can enjoy DTS, Dolby Digital, and THX soundtracks. With TV and satellite broadcasts you can enjoy
Onkyo's own DSP surround listening modes.
Center speaker
This speaker enhances the front left
and right speakers, making sound
movements distinct and providing a
full sound image. In movies it's used
mainly for dialog.
Position it close to your TV (preferably
on top) facing forward at about ear
level, or at the same height as the
front left and right speakers.
Subwoofer
The subwoofer handles the bass sounds
of the LFE (Low-Frequency Effects)
channel. Position it in a corner or one-
third of the way along the front wall.
Speaker Configuration
For the best surround-sound experience, you should connect seven speakers and a powered subwoofer.
The following table indicates the channels you should use depending on the number of speakers that you have.
Number of speakers:
Front left
Front right
Center
Surround left
Surround right
Surround back
Surround back left
Surround back right
No matter how many speakers you use, a powered subwoofer is recommended for a really powerful and solid bass
sound.
To get the best from your surround-sound system, you need to specify the distance between the listener and each indi-
vidual speaker so that the sound from each speaker arrives at the listener's ears at the same time (see page 43). In
addition, you need to calibrate the level of each speaker individually to achieve the correct balance (see page 44.)
Front left and right speakers
These output the overall sound. Their role in a home theater is to provide a
solid anchor for the sound image. They should be positioned facing the lis-
tener at about ear level, and equidistant from the TV. Angle them inward so
as to create a triangle, with the listener at the apex.
Surround left and right speakers
These speakers are used for precise sound positioning and to add real-
istic ambience. Position them at the sides of the listener, or slightly
behind, about 3 feet (100 cm) above ear level. Ideally they should be
equidistant from the listener.
2 3 4 5 6 7
Surround back speakers
These speakers further
enhance the realism of sur-
round sound and improve
sound localization behind the
listener. Position them behind
the listener about 3 feet
(100 cm) above ear level.
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