DSP Powered Subwoofer User Manual
Important Safety Precautions and Explanation of Symbols ! The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important installation, operation, and service instructions in this manual. The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated dangerous voltages within the enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electrical shock to the user.
DO NOT defeat the safety purpose of a grounding or polarized plug by removing ground pins or using unsafe adapters. A polarized plug has two blades - one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has a third ground prong in addition to the two main conductors. The wide blade or third grounding prong is provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit your outlet, consult an electrician to replace your obsolete outlet.
Contents Important Safety Precautions and Explanation of Symbols Introduction........................................................................ 2 About This Manual............................................................... 3 Features............................................................................. 4 Unpacking.......................................................................... 5 The X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer.................................... 6 Quick Start...................
Introduction Thank you for purchasing Emotiva’s X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer. The X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer was designed to deliver both the deep clean bass and raw power you need for a truly impressive home theater experience along with the speed, musicality, and accurate rendition of subtle detail necessary to fit seamlessly into an audiophile music system.
About This Manual This manual will provide you with all the information you need to get great performance, accurate sound, and many years of reliable service from your Emotiva X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer. Even if you’re familiar with subwoofers, we suggest that you read through the entire manual; we kept things as short as possible and you might find some interesting and helpful tips and information.
Features The Emotiva X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer, with its advanced DSP Management System, was designed to deliver impressive performance and outstanding sound quality in both home theater and audiophile stereo music systems. The X-Ref 12 delivers the deep bass you need for earth-shaking home theater special effects, while maintaining the quality, accuracy, and superb musical rendition necessary for true high-fidelity music reproduction.
Unpacking Your Emotiva X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer was carefully packed and should reach you in perfect condition. If you notice any shipping damage or other issues when you unpack it, please contact Emotiva immediately. Gently remove your X-Ref 12 from the packing carton and remove all wrappings and shipping material. Use care when handling or lifting the X-Ref 12 since it is quite heavy.
The X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer Back lit LCD status display Rotary encoder High-power 12 inch long-throw woofer Power and Standby indicator Movie EQ Trigger input Unbalanced stereo inputs (RCA) UNBALANCED STEREO INPUTS Balanced output (XLR) MOVIE EQ TRIGGER POWER AC Power switch IEC power cable receptacle with integral fuse holder Page 6 Balanced input (XLR)
Quick Start To get the most from your Emotiva X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer, we strongly urge you to read the entire manual. If you just can’t wait to hear how great your X-Ref 12 subwoofer sounds, this section will cover the basics you need to get started. • Find a secure location for your X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer. • Plug your X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer into a grounded AC electrical outlet.
About Subwoofers The design of virtually all loudspeakers involves compromises; and producing large amounts of undistorted low bass is often difficult (and expensive) to achieve in a fullrange speaker. Most full-range speakers, therefore, simply aren’t designed to produce extended output at very low frequencies.
Setting Up Your X-Ref 12 Setting up your X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer for optimal performance is really a three-step process. The first part consists of deciding where to place your X-Ref 12 (or a pair of them). The second part consists of configuring your source equipment and your X-Ref 12 to work perfectly together. The third and final part consists of using the X-Ref 12’s advanced DSP Management System to configure it to perfectly match your room and other equipment.
Connections Inputs Typically the balanced (XLR) input is used to connect the X-Ref 12 to the balanced output labelled “subwoofer” or “LFE” (low-frequency effects) on a home-theater pre/ processor, and the stereo unbalanced (RCA) inputs are used to connect the X-Ref 12 to the output of a stereo preamp. The X-Ref 12 automatically switches on when it senses signal on either input.
Subwoofer Placement Deciding where to place a subwoofer (or a pair of them) is often a compromise between practicality and acoustics. When selecting the ideal location for your X-Ref 12 DSP Managed Subwoofer, the goal is to choose a location that produces smooth, clean, well defined bass (and not necessarily the location that produces the most bass).
One method for choosing a location that produces very good results, although it’s a bit undignified, is to place the subwoofer temporarily in your listening location, and then sit on the floor in each potential subwoofer location and listen to the results. The locations where the bass sounds powerful, yet clean and not boomy or muddy, are probably good choices for where to place your subwoofer.
The following suggestions are intended as guidelines to help you decide which locations to try for your X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer(s): • Corner placement usually produces the most bass, but sometimes produces poorly defined or boomy bass. A corner location that produces a lot of clean bass is fine; if, however, the bass is boomy or resonant then you should try another location. • Try various locations along side and rear walls.
System Configuration Configuring the X-Ref 12 for use with a home theater system Virtually all home theater pre/processors and receivers include bass management, so it’s best to set the X-Ref 12 X-Over (crossover) setting to Direct and let the pre/ processor handle the bass management. Many high-end home theater pre/processors include equalization controls of some sort. If your pre/processor includes automatic equalization, then you should consider letting it handle the equalization.
Configuring the X-Ref 12 for use with a combined stereo and home theater system There are several ways you can configure a combined stereo and home theater system to work with your X-Ref 12. Separate stereo preamp and home theater pre/processor If you have entirely separate stereo and home theater systems, both with bass management, and intend to share one X-Ref 12 (or one pair) between them, then the best option is to simply connect the subwoofer outputs of each to one of the X-Ref’s input connectors.
Configuring your system to work with your X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer No special configuration of your system is required for it to work perfectly with the Emotiva X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer. Most bass management systems will cross over between the main or satellite speakers and the subwoofer at between 80 Hz and 120 Hz (80 Hz is the THX™ standard crossover point).
Subwoofer Configuration and Adjustment The Emotiva X-Ref 12 includes an advanced DSP Management System, which is accessed via a push-to-engage rotary encoder. The results are displayed on a back lit LCD display, which remains lit while configuration is in progress, but switches off after a short time when not in use; a press of the encoder button turns the display back on. The diagram on Page 18 of this manual shows the complete Menu system of the X-Ref 12.
Emotiva X-Ref™ 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer Menu Page 18
Operation Once you have decided upon a location for your X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer, and connected and configured it and all associated equipment, operation is very simple. • Plug your X-Ref 12 into a grounded electrical outlet of appropriate voltage. (The X-Ref 12 will automatically switch between 110-120 VAC and 220-240 VAC.) • Connect a signal source to either the unbalanced (RCA) or balanced (XLR) input on the rear panel of the X-Ref 12.
Care and Maintenance Periodic maintenance Your Emotiva X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer is factory adjusted and requires no periodic maintenance. Cleaning the cabinet and baffle • • • The cabinet of the X-Ref 12 should normally be cleaned with a rag dampened with plain water. DO NOT spray water directly onto or into the woofer or cabinet and DO NOT use abrasive or chemical cleaners. Gently dry the surface with a clean soft rag after cleaning.
Specifications Driver complement: (1) 12 inch long-throw woofer with die-cast frame, Butyl rubber surround, and proprietary para-aramid blended fiber cone Amplifier power: 600 watts RMS; 1000 watts peak Typical in-room frequency response: 20 Hz to 200 Hz Typical in-room maximum sound output level: 115 - 118 dB SPL Inputs: One pair (stereo) unbalanced (RCA) One professional balanced (XLR) One 1/8” trigger input (for Movie EQ) Output: One professional balanced (XLR) Nominal input sensitivity: Balanc
Troubleshooting Emotiva’s X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofers are carefully designed and manufactured from high-quality precision components to ensure years of trouble free operation. The troubleshooting section describes some common problems and how to eliminate them. If this doesn’t solve your problem, please contact Emotiva Technical Support, where a real person will be glad to help you get up and running.
Problem: No output at all • • • • Verify that you really have no output, and that you should have output. (Subwoofers reproduce only very low frequencies. If you happen to be playing something without low frequency content, then nothing will come from the subwoofer. In addition, since low frequency sound has very little localization information, if your main speakers also produce low frequencies, it may be difficult to notice the contribution from the subwoofer with some program material.
Emotiva Audio Corporation Limited Warranty Emotiva Audio Corporation guarantees its products to be free from defective materials and/or workmanship and will replace defective parts and repair malfunctioning products under this warranty when the defect occurs under normal operation and use. For warranty service the unit must be returned to our headquarters via pre-paid transportation with a copy of proof of purchase (i.e.: sales receipt).
Contact Information Emotiva Phone Numbers 615-790-6754 | 877-EMO-TECH (877-366-8324) Monday through Friday 8am - 5pm (Central Standard Time) Emotiva email addresses Online sales, product information, and general questions: sales@emotiva.com Customer service related inquires: customerservice@emotiva.com Technical support or service issues: support@emotiva.com Emotiva Web site www.emotiva.
Accessories Interconnect cables Using high-quality interconnect cables will ensure that you get the best sound quality and maximum reliability from your X-Ref 12 DSP Powered Subwoofer. It is especially important to select good-quality well-shielded cables if you are using unbalanced cables, or very long cables, or have an especially noisy environment. (We do not, however, recommend or endorse fancy “boutique” audiophile cables.
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