The Bose® Lifestyle® 50 System Owner’s Guide October 17, 2001 AM189854_05_V.
Safety Information WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose the system to rain or moisture. CAUTION AVIS RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK DO NOT OPEN RISQUE DE CHOC ÉLECTRIQUE NE PAS OUVRIR CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK). NO USER-SERVICABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL. AFIN DE PRÉVENIR UN CHOC ÉLECTRIQUE NE PAS ENLEVER LE COUVERCLE ARRIÈRE.
Important Safety Instructions 1. Read these instructions – for all components before using this product. 2. Keep these instructions – for future reference. 3. Heed all warnings – on the product and in the owner’s guide. 4. Follow all instructions. 5. Do not use this apparatus near water or moisture – Do not use this product near a bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a wet basement, near a swimming pool, or anywhere else that water or moisture are present. 6.
English Important Safety Instructions 18. Use proper power sources – Plug the product into a proper power source, as described in the operating instructions or as marked on the product. 19. Avoid power lines – Use extreme care when installing an outside antenna system to keep from touching power lines or circuits, as contact with them may be fatal.
Contents Where to find … Serial numbers are located on the bottom panels of the Personal music center, multi-room interface, CD changer, and the Acoustimass® module.
Setting Up Before you begin Thank you for purchasing the Bose® Lifestyle® 50 system. Years of research lie behind this complete audio home entertainment system – the most advanced home theater system from Bose. Technological innovations that make the Lifestyle® 50 system unique include the Bose Personal™ music center, which places all system operations in the palm of your hand, and tiny Jewel Cube® speakers.
Setting Up Unpacking the carton Carefully unpack your system. Save all packing materials for possible future use. The original packing materials provide the safest way to transport your Lifestyle® 50 system. If any part of the product appears damaged, do not attempt to use the system. Notify Bose® or your authorized Bose dealer immediately. Check to be sure your Lifestyle® 50 system contains the parts identified in Figure 1.
Setting Up Selecting the locations for your Lifestyle 50 system ® When you place your speakers according to the guidelines below, a combination of reflected and direct sound provides the audio atmosphere of a home theater. You may experiment with the placement and orientation of the Jewel Cube® speakers and Acoustimass® module to produce the sound most pleasing to you. For more discussion of speaker placement and room acoustics, see “Fine-tuning your system” on page 36.
Setting Up Left front Figure 3 Center Right front Acoustimass® module Speaker placement Left surround Right surround Center speaker The sound from the center speaker should appear to come directly from the center of the picture (Figure 2). The center speaker cable allows up to 20 feet (6.1 m) from the Acoustimass module. Note: Do not place the speaker on its side, as this diminishes performance by blocking the Jewel Cube ports. 1.
Setting Up Acoustimass module ® Follow these guidelines to select a location for the Acoustimass module. Note: To avoid interference with the TV picture, place the Acoustimass module at least 18 inches (45 cm) from the TV. 1. Place the Acoustimass module along the same the wall or close to the same end of the room as the Jewel Cube® speakers (see the example along the front wall in Figure 3). 2. Select a convenient location – under a table, behind a sofa.
Setting Up Connecting your system Once you have selected locations for your speakers, CD changer, and interface, connect the system. CAUTION: Make sure all components are unplugged from the power outlet before you begin hooking up the system. Connecting the Jewel Cube speakers to the Acoustimass module ® ® 1. Match each cable to the corresponding speaker location.
Setting Up Connecting the Acoustimass module to the multi-room interface ® Connect the module to the interface with the audio input cable (Figure 8). 1. Insert the right-angle multi-pin connector on the audio input cable into the AUDIO INPUT jack on the module. Align the connector at the angle shown in Figure 8. 2. Plug the small black multi-pin connector (flat side facing up) into the jack marked ROOM A (PRIMARY) on the back of the interface.
Setting Up Connecting the Acoustimass module power (mains) cord ® CAUTION: If you have a dual-voltage system, make sure the voltage selector switch on the Acoustimass module is set correctly. 1. On a dual voltage system, the voltage selector switch is preset at the factory to be correct for your area. Check to be sure it is set for the proper voltage (Figure 9). Use 115V for North America; 230V for Europe and Australia. In Europe, use the adapter plug provided.
Setting Up Connecting your home theater components to the Lifestyle 50 system ® There are many possible variations of equipment in a home theater system. In addition to the Lifestyle® 50 system, a home theater typically includes a stereo or mono TV and stereo VCR. In a digital home theater system, the primary source may be a DVD player. Your home theater might also include other types of equipment such as cable TV, laserdisc players, CDI players, additional VCRs, and a satellite decoder.
Setting Up How to set up your home theater There are two basic methods for setting up your home theater. It is best to connect components directly to the Lifestyle® 50 multi-room interface, and select the sound source using the Personal™ music center. A second option is to use a stereo TV as the switching center to select the sound source. In each example, the analog outputs from the DVD player or other digital device are connected to the AUX inputs.
Setting Up Alternate method: Connect video sound sources to your TV (Figure 13) If your stereo TV has fixed audio outputs (audio outputs that do not change when you adjust the TV volume) and it allows you to select the source of the signal (VCR, laserdisc, cable, etc.), then you can: • Connect your DVD player L and R outputs to the AUX inputs of the multi-room interface. • Connect the DVD video output to one of the video inputs on the TV.
Setting Up About the video source Your TV is the display for the video (picture) signal. Thus, the video signal must be connected directly to the TV. Do not connect it to the Lifestyle® 50 system. Note: For assistance with video connections between your DVD player and/or VCR and TV, see your video components manuals. Note: There is no video signal input (usually a yellow-coded jack) on the multi-room interface. The VIDEO INPUT jacks are for audio from a video source.
Setting Up Connecting the antennas The rear panel of your multi-room interface provides connections for the supplied AM and FM antennas (Figure 15). Untie and straighten the bundled wires on each antenna. Antennas provide better reception when their wires are fully extended. Figure 15 Coaxial (75Ω) FM antenna jack AM antenna jack The antenna connections FM antenna connections Figure 16 1. Plug the FM antenna connector into the FM ANTENNA jack on the back of the interface.
Setting Up Connecting power to your system Plug the Acoustimass® module power cord into an AC power (mains) outlet. Then plug in the multi-room interface power pack. Note: Your speakers will not operate unless you complete all cable and power connections before turning on the system. CAUTION: Be sure the three shipping screws on the bottom of the CD changer have been removed before turning on the system.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Turning on the system You are ready to enjoy your new Lifestyle® system. Your Personal™ music center places complete control of the system operations in your hands. The center is portable, communicating with the rest of the system through a two-way radio-frequency link. The display is backlit for easy viewing, and provides visual feedback of current system operations and available options.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Adjusting the volume • Touch the VOLUME ▲ (up) or ▼ (down) button to raise or lower the volume. • Volume settings range from 0 to 100. Volume settings are displayed while being adjusted. • If the volume was above 80 when the system was turned off, it will turn on at 80 (to prevent surprising you with an extremely high volume). Muting your system • Press the MUTE button to silence the system. MUTE flashes on the display when the system is muted.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Using the Personal™ music center display The music center display provides information on the system functions. The display offers different combinations of buttons to provide control of the function you are using. Sometimes an item on the display will flash to provide information about a system function. When an item flashes faster, it is alerting you to a needed action.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Using the MENU items The menu items are selected by pressing the MENU button to step through the list until the function you want is displayed. Menu items are available in the list if they are applicable to the current state of the system. You can exit from any menu item by pressing DONE or ON/OFF or pressing MENU until you return to the main screen.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Listening to the system Your Lifestyle® 50 system uses digital signal processing to bring even greater realism and impact to both movies and music recordings. Built-in Dolby Digital decoding delivers up to 5.1 discrete audio channels (that is, five for the independent Jewel Cube® speakers and one for rich bass from the Acoustimass® module) from DVD, digital TV, next-generation cable boxes, and satellite receivers.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Using enhanced mode for movie soundtracks Pressing VIDEO 1 or VIDEO 2 initially turns the system on in enhanced mode, with bass and treble settings specially designed for proper playback of movie soundtracks. Enhanced mode is turned on or off using the FILM BASS button on the display (Figure 24). When enhanced mode is on, the words FILM BASS appear on the display. Pressing TAPE initially turns the system on in the standard listening mode.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Digital Dynamic Range compression ® This feature automatically monitors and adjusts the volume to let you hear soft sounds (particularly dialogue), but reduces the chance of you being overwhelmed by a loud special effect such as an explosion. Digital Dynamic Range compression is initially disengaged for all sound sources. You can engage or disengage Digital Dynamic Range compression using the Personal music center. Press MENU and hold it for about two seconds.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Operating the special features See “Listening to the system” on pages 22-24 for a more detailed explanation of these special features. Enhanced mode When you select The mode is To change this VIDEO 1, VIDEO 2 Enhanced (FILM BASS on) Press the FILM BASS button. TAPE, AUX Standard (FILM BASS off) Press the FILM BASS button. CD, AM or FM Standard Not applicable. You cannot select enhanced mode for CD, AM or FM.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Listening to the radio Your Lifestyle® system has a built-in AM/FM radio. Good AM/FM radio reception depends on the location and orientation of the AM and FM antennas. See “FM antenna connections” and “AM antenna connections” on page 16 for proper antenna installation. See “Optimizing AM/ FM radio reception” on page 36 for help with antenna adjustment.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Receiving AM stations Normally, the AM radio receives sufficiently strong AM stations using a wide bandwidth filter. If you experience difficulty tuning to a weak AM station, you can force the AM tuner to use a narrow bandwidth filter to eliminate interference from other stations. To force the tuner to use a narrow bandwidth filter, press and hold the center of the station display until you hear a low-pitched beep.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Setting presets using the PRESETS menu You can set station presets using the PRESETS menu which is available only when AM or FM is the selected source. To set a preset station: 1. Select the AM or FM source. 2. Press the MENU button once to access the PRESETS menu (Figure 29). 3. Select an unused preset number and then a station using the arrow buttons. Stations can also be selected using SEEK or the KEYPAD. Any preset number not used flashes on the display. 4.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Listening to compact discs Using the CD changer You can load the CD changer with up to six compact discs at a time. Loading discs into the CD magazine To load the CD magazine, hold it as shown in Figure 31. Insert up to six discs, label side up. Take care to place only one disc in each slot. Note the slot numbers 1 through 6, from bottom to top, on the front edge window. These numbers correspond to the CD numbers on the display.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Turning the system on and choosing the CD changer Press the CD source button to select the CD changer. If the system is off, this turns it on at the same time. When you press CD, the CD changer display (Figure 33) appears on the display. If a CD has been loaded, it begins to play. If no disc is installed, a noCd message is displayed. Note: To prevent excessive wear on the CD mechanism, CD play or random play operations automatically stop after 24 hours.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System To scan a disc Press and hold the scan forward or backward button (these are the ones to the left and right of the play time display). Scanning back or forward stops at the first or last track of the disc. You can scan a CD while it is paused. To add a track to the play list Skip to the track you want to add to the play list. Press and hold the TRACK number display area. The current track number is stored in the next available location in the CD play list.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Using the CD OPTIONS menu From the CD OPTIONS menu you can select repeat or random play, or program a CD play list. To access the CD OPTIONS, press the MENU button until CD OPTIONS is displayed (Figure 35). You can do this while a CD plays if you wish.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Programming a CD play list Using the Lifestyle® system’s programming feature, you can create your own CD play list of up to 50 tracks (including repeats) from the loaded discs. You can create or edit a CD play list even while listening to another source. However, you can’t edit the play list while the list is playing. To create or edit a CD play list, press the MENU button and select CD OPTIONS.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System To insert a new track in an existing play list 1. Press EDIT PLAY LIST. If the ITEM field indicates FULL, you can’t insert a new item unless you delete one or more items from the list. 2. Select the ITEM number of the location where you want to insert a new CD selection. The ITEM number should not be flashing. 3. Press INSERT (Figure 37).
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Using the system with external components Follow the instructions on pages 12-15 for connecting components. Turn on your component directly or by using its remote control. Press VOLUME ▲ or ▼ on your Personal™ music center to raise or lower the volume. Control all other functions at the source, referring to its owner’s manual if necessary. To begin, make sure the component is turned on and a tape, CD, DVD, laserdisc, etc. is loaded.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Fine-tuning your system Figure 39 In most situations, you only need to follow the speaker placement guidelines (see “Setting Up” on pages 6-8) for your system to provide excellent sound quality. You do not need to adjust tone settings for changes in volume, since Bose® patented integrated signal processing provides a natural tonal balance over the full range of volume settings.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Equalizing the volume levels of external sources The SIGNAL LEVELS selection in the MENU options allows you to adjust and equalize the volume gain levels received from externally connected sources (VIDEO 1, VIDEO 2, AUX, TAPE). For example, you can adjust the gain level of an external source so that volume level 50 on this source sounds as loud as level 50 from a built-in source. 1. Using the MENU button, select SIGNAL LEVELS. 2.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Forcing the SOURCE buttons to stay on Normally, the SOURCE buttons are automatically removed from the display following certain operations. You can change the behavior of these buttons so that they remain in the state you last set them (on or off screen) using the SOURCE button. 1. Press and hold the SOURCE button until Lcd appears. 2. Press either upper arrow key until you see STAY and the SOURCE button appears in the upper left region of the display (Figure 44). 3.
Operating Your Lifestyle® 50 System Adjusting the display fade time The fade control display allows you to adjust the length of time the music center display stays on (after your last button press) before it fades. To adjust this time: 1. Press and hold the SOURCE button until Lcd appears. 2. Press either upper arrow key until you see FAdE on the display (Figure 46). 3. Press either lower arrow key to select a number between –15 and +15 (initial setting = 0).
Operating a Multi-Room Lifestyle® 50 System Connecting additional rooms Follow the placement guidelines for the Bose® powered speakers that you plan to connect. Then review your plan for how to connect these speakers to the multi-room interface in your primary room. If you have questions or need extension cables to complete the connections, call Bose Customer Service at the numbers listed on the back inside cover of this owner’s guide.
Operating a Multi-Room Lifestyle® 50 System Operating in more than one room Your Lifestyle® 50 system can control up to four sets of Bose® powered speakers, allowing your family to enjoy different audio sources (CD, radio, TV, etc.) in up to four rooms. These rooms are referred to as room A, B, C, and D, with room A being the primary room (the one used for a one-room system).
Operating a Multi-Room Lifestyle® 50 System Using the ROOM button The ROOM button allows you to select any connected room and control any sound source you want to hear in that room. Each time you press the ROOM button you can transfer control from one room to the next in A-B-C-D order. The room indicators on the display tell you what is currently selected. Rooms listening to a shared source can be linked and controlled as one room.
Operating a Multi-Room Lifestyle® 50 System Using the HOUSE button Using the HOUSE button, you can link all rooms together and control them as one. When you press the HOUSE button, an empty box indicator is displayed for each connected room. Any button pressed after that (any source button, VOLUME, MUTE, or SLEEP) affects every room. When you are done listening you can press OFF to turn off the entire system.
Maintaining Your Lifestyle® 50 System Finding a misplaced Personal™ music center The “find me” feature assists you in locating the music center. Press the LOCATE MUSIC CENTER button on the back of the multi-room interface (under the antenna connections, next to the CD changer cable connection). The volume drops in any rooms that are on and any music center within range of the multi-room interface eventually begins beeping and flashing. The beeping and flashing continues for two minutes.
Maintaining Your Lifestyle® 50 System Cleaning the system The only maintenance your system may need is periodic cleaning and replacing the music center batteries. For information on replacing the batteries see page 17. CAUTION: Do not use any spray cleaners near the system. Do not use any solvents, chemicals, or cleaning solutions containing alcohol, ammonia, or abrasives. CAUTION: Do not allow liquids to spill into any openings of the system.
Maintaining Your Lifestyle® 50 System Troubleshooting Problem What to do System does not function at all • Make sure the power connector is inserted securely into the multi-room interface, the power cord is inserted securely into the Acoustimass® module, the power pack and power cord are plugged fully into operating AC wall outlets. • Be sure to select a source (CD, AM/FM, etc.). • Unplug the multi-room interface power pack for a few seconds, then reconnect it.
Maintaining Your Lifestyle® 50 System Problem What to do CD does not play • Check to see if the PLAY button symbol in the display is flashing. • Make sure the magazine is properly inserted. • Check to see if there is a disc in the magazine, label-side up. Display shows a flashing number for a disc that is label-side down or cannot be read. Display shows noCd if no discs are loaded. • Eject the magazine and try loading the CD again. • There may be dirt or dust on the CD. Clean the CD.
Product Information Technical information Speaker system power rating Dimensions USA/Canada: 120V~ 50/60 Hz 350W Personal music center 8.8" W x 4.1" D x 1.4" H (22.4 cm x 10.5 cm x 3.6 cm) Europe/Australia: 220-240V~ 50/60 Hz 350W Dual voltage: 115/230V~ 50/60 Hz 350W Multi-room interface power pack power rating USA/Canada: 120V~ 60 Hz 25VA Multi-room interface 7.4" W x 4.0" D x 2.1" H (18.8 cm x 10.0 cm x 5.5 cm) CD changer 15.5" W x 8.0" D x 2.6" H (39.4 cm x 20.3 cm x 6.
Index A ® Acoustimass module best bass performance 8 connecting 10 location 8 magnetic field 8 power cord 5, 17 rubber feet 5, 8 treble and bass controls 36 ventilation 8 Additional powered speakers 40 Additional rooms connecting 40 operating 41–43 AM 18, 20, 26–27, 28 AM/FM radio antenna 5 antenna connections 16 antenna placement 16 channel spacing 26 reception 36 select 18 station preset 27, 28 TUNE 26 ANTENNA SIGNAL 36 AUDIO INPUT external components 15 jacks 15 AUDIO OUTPUT additional rooms 40 connect
Index SIGNAL LEVELS 36, 37 Multi-room interface inputs/outputs 48 location 8 power pack 5, 11 rear panel connections 12–15, 16 MUTE 20, 42, 43 N RECORD OUT display 35 jacks 35 option 21 source 35 REPEAT 32 ROOM button 41, 42 jacks 10, 40, 48 NO RESPONSE 17, 43, 46 noCd 30, 47 S O OMIT TRACK 31 OMITTED 31 ON/OFF 17, 18, 20 P PAUSE 30 Personal™ music center batteries 17 battery compartment 17 display 17, 18, 20 finding a misplaced 44 MENU items 21 primary buttons 20 radio-frequency link 17, 46 range 48
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USA Bose Corporation, The Mountain Framingham, MA 01701-9168 1-800-367-4008 Phone hours - ET (eastern time): Weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Canada Bose Ltd., 1-35 East Beaver Creek Road Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 1B3 1-800-465-2673 Phone hours - ET (eastern time): Weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. European Office Bose Products B.V.
©2001 Bose Corporation The Mountain, Framingham, MA 01701-9168 USA 189854 AM Rev.
