Specifications

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• relative—on a scale which is measured “plus or minus,” relative to
the calibrated reference volume (established during calibration).
As an example, if your calibrated reference level is 70, the display would read 0 in
the relative mode when it would read 70 in the absolute mode. Most people find
absolute more intuitive, while some people find relative more informative. (For
example, those who have made many recordings, and are accustomed to VU
meters that read ± relative to a calibrated zero point may prefer the relative set-
ting.)
When the cursor is on the
volume display line, an extra line will appear at the
bottom of the menu to show you how the calibrated, reference volume would be
displayed for the current setting of either absolute or relative. This serves as a
reminder, should you forget which is which. It also disappears when you move
the cursor on to another line, so as to avoid confusion.
volume speed You may select either slow or fast response for the rate at which the volume
change accelerates when pressing and holding the volume ± keys. In all cases,
single taps of the volume keys result in single incremental steps in volume. The
volume speed chosen affects the amount of time it takes to reach maximum
speed while holding a volume ± button down.
volume mute level The magnitude of volume reduction introduced by pressing the mute key is user-
definable in increments of 0.5 dB, from -0.5 to -60.0 decibels. The factory preset is
for -20.0 (-20 dB).
maximum volume You may set a maximum volume allowed for your system to minimize the oppor-
tunity for damage, either to your system or to better relations with your neigh-
bors. Simply choose the maximum volume setting you would like to be able to
use and save the change (by pressing enter, as always). If you decide to change it
again, simply revisit this menu item and reset it.
dialog normalization Digital audio has a clearly-defined maximum recordable volume. In some movies,
the dialog may exist fairly close to this maximum volume, especially if the movie
does not have of loud noises that need occasionally to overshadow the dialog.
Other movies are full of explosions and other effects that must be much louder
than the dialog in order to achieve their desired effect. Thus the level at which
dialog occurs within the overall digital dynamic range may vary significantly, re-
quiring volume changes from one source to the next, or from one movie to the
next.
Dialog normalization takes advantage of the fact that Dolby Digital soundtracks
can include information on the relative volume of the dialog. Using this informa-
tion, we can automate this volume adjustment for you so that the dialog appears
at approximately the same volume all the time. (Of course, this assumes that the
movie’s Dolby Digital soundtrack includes accurate information regarding dialog
level.) This automatic volume change may be defeated if you prefer to handle
such things yourself.
late night Modern movie soundtracks, especially those of action movies, often have enor-
mous dynamic range. There are times when this extraordinary dynamic range is
a problem rather than a benefit—for example, when listening late at night while