S170 AV Surround Sound Pre-amplifier GB Owner’s Manual
SAFETY INFORMATION EXPLANATION OF GRAPHICAL SYMBOLS The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
SAFETY INFORMATION ELECTRIC POWER 1 Power Sources - Connect this unit only to power sources specified in the Operating Instructions, and as marked on the unit. 2 Polarization - As a safety feature, some units are equipped with polarized AC power plugs which can only be inserted one way into a power outlet. If it is difficult or impossible to insert the AC power plug into an outlet, turn the plug over and try again.
TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Safety Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3 Getting the Most from the NAD S170 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Unpacking and Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 What's in the Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GETTING THE MOST FROM THE NAD S170 Thank you for choosing NAD. The S170 A/V Surround Sound Preamplifier is one of the most technologically advanced surround-audio processor/preamplifiers yet devised, incorporating advanced, ultra-high-speed 32-bit digital signal processing, an architecture that is fully upgradeable (in both hardware and software), and extraordinarily precise 24-bit precision/96 kHz-sampling digital-to-analog conversion for all channels.
UNPACKING AND SETUP WHAT'S IN THE BOX Packed with your S170 preamplifier you will find: • • • • A removable AC cable (if you wish, any IEC-standard AC cable of suitable wattage may be substituted). 1 DC trigger cable. The S70 remote controller with operating manual and 9v (PP-3) battery. A pair of white cotton gloves—for handling your S170 during setup without fear of scratches or fingerprints marring its finish. • This owner's manual.
ABOUT THE S170 Though the S170 A/V preamp is among the most powerful and sophisticated digital-surround decoder/processors available, we worked hard to make it one of the most musically transparent hometheater components as well; this is what we mean by NAD's "Music First" design philosophy.
ABOUT THE S170 UPGRADABILITY We engineered the S170 preamplifier with selectively modular construction. All of its digital-control and processing “intelligence” is located on a single plug in module. This sophisticated yet accessible architecture simplifies servicing while maintaining signal-path integrity, making potential hardware upgrades possible. That said, given the S170's extraordinary processing power and speed we do not foresee the need for hardware upgrades at this time.
QUICKSTART In case you simply cannot wait to experience the performance of your new S170 preamplifier, we provide the following "Quickstart" instructions to get you underway. They assume that the DVD/CD player is connected to the VIDEO1 input and that the appropriate audio and video connections have been made.
FRONT PANEL GB 1 POWER: Switch off to disconnect the S170 from all AC power and exit the Standby mode. Switching POWER on both reconnects the AC and actively power-up the preamp. 2 STANDBY: Illuminates when the S170 is in the Standby mode (dark when preamp is on, or powered-off). 3 AUDIO: Press to select audio inputs sequentially using the VOLUME (SETUP) knob (see "Front Panel Operations," below).
REAR PANEL ATTENTION! Please make all connections to your S170 preamplifier with the unit powered off or unplugged. (It is equally wise to power-down or unplug all associated components while making or breaking any signal or AC power connections.) 1 COMPOSITE VIDEO IN 1-6: Connect Video Inputs 1-6 to compositevideo from source components (see "Source Setup," below).
SETTING UP THE S170 GETTING STARTED Before you make the first connection to your S170, you should have the arrangement of your listening room/home theater components and furniture mapped out, at least initially. Unfortunately, a discussion of the vital questions of loudspeaker placement and listening/viewing positions is beyond our scope here. Suffice it to say that these two questions will influence your system's ultimate performance every bit as powerfully as your selection of electronics and speakers.
ABOUT THE ON-SCREEN DISPLAYS (OSD) AND FRONT-PANEL READOUT The S170 preamplifier employs a simple, self-explanatory system of on-screen display "menus" that will appear on the connected video monitor/TV, useful both during setup and in day-to-day operation. While the OSDs are always helpful, it is also perfectly possible to operate (or even set up) the S170 without them, because the same basic data is always shown, though sometimes in shortened form, on the preamp's own front-panel readout.
CONFIGURING THE S170 You may set up your S170's levels, modes, and options in any order; it is not necessary to follow the order employed here. However, it is advisable to begin by configuring the S170's on-screen display options, since certain of these will affect the options made available to other setup routines. DISPLAY SETUP From the S170 OSD's Main menu, select the item using the remote's [Cursor up/down], and [Enter] keys.
CONFIGURING THE S170 AUDIO SETUP The
CONFIGURING THE S170 CONFIGURING THE BASS LIMITER From the
CONFIGURING THE S170 SPEAKER SETUP Every surround-sound system requires "bass-management" to direct low-frequency content from any or all channels to the speakers best able to reproduce it. In order for this function to operate correctly, it is very important that you correctly identify your speakers' capabilities. We use the terms "Small" and "Large" (and "No"), but note that physical size may be irrelevant.
CONFIGURING THE S170 CONFIGURING LEVELS From the OSD Main menu, select the item using the remote's [Cursor up/down], and [Enter] keys. Activate the test-noise signal with the remote's [Test] key (third from the bottom); you will here a "surf" noise that cycles through your speakers, beginning with the left-front. (If you do not hear the testnoise, check your Audio Connections (above), and your OSD menu settings, (above.
CONFIGURING THE S170 Using the [Cursor] (down) key scroll down to the menu item. Use the [Cursor <>] keys to assign a digital input to the current source. The digital inputs will appear in order: Coax1-4, OPT 1, and Opt 2, followed by Off. You would set a source’s to “Off” if you wished to ensure that that source would not play an incoming digital bitstream.
USING THE S170 You may operate the S170 preamplifier equally from its front panel or via the S70 remote controller. Since the remote will be the primary controller for most cases, we will focus on remote-controlled operations. Be sure to read the section, "Front Panel Operations," below. SELECTING SOURCES From the S70 remote's PREAMP menu, select [@ Source]; then use the [Source up/down] keys to cycle through all ten S170 inputs in order, beginning with the most recently selected one.
USING THE S170 SETTING LISTENING MODES ABOUT THE S170'S LISTENING MODES The S170 preamplifier offers seven distinct listening modes, tailored for different types of recordings or program material. MONO All output is directed to the center channel; low frequencies are directed to the subwoofer if one is present in the Speaker setup Mono mode is best selected for monaural recordings originally produced in single-channel format, including classic films and historic music recordings.
USING THE S170 EARS Stereo recordings (and surround-encoded stereo recordings), whether in PCM/digital or analog form, are reproduced with proprietary NAD surround processing with signals output to the left, center-, and rightfront channels and both surround-channel speakers (plus surround-back, and subwoofer, if any). EARS extracts the natural ambience present in nearly all well-produced stereo recordings.
USING THE S170 Note that the S170's front-panel readout (and, momentarily, the OSD, if so enabled; see Display Setup, above) will always indicate the signal-format of the currently selected source. The table below lists the primary readings; multichannel readouts show the number of channels employed in the format front/surround/LFE, or simply front/surround. Source Readout/OSD Analog Digital PCM Multichannel (Dolby Digital) Analog Digital PCM Dolby D 3/2/.1 (full surround) Dolby D 3/1/.1 Dolby D 2/0 etc.
USING THE S170 ABOUT THE LATE NIGHT MODE The S170 incorporate a Late Night mode available only to Dolby Digital recordings. This engages dynamicrange compression to make widely dynamic material such as many movie soundtracks more useful at modest master-volume settings—such as those likely to be employed late at night; hence the name "Late Night" mode.
USING THE S170 ADJUSTING THE TONE CONTROLS From the S70 remote's PREAMP menu, select [MODE/MULTI.S]; then press the [•Tone] key; "Treble" appears on the OSD and the front-panel readout. Use the remote's [Cursor up/down] to boost or cut treble by 1 dB increments. Press [•Tone] again to adjust bass, similarly using the [Cursor up/down] keys; "Bass" appears on the OSD and readout. Press [•Tone] again to exit the tone-control function. See also "Audio Setup," and "Configuring Presets," above.
USING THE S170 FRONT PANEL OPERATIONS It is possible to perform every function directly from the S170 Preamplifier's front panel, without the S70 remote controller. • To change input sources or listening modes, press AUDIO or Video or MODE; the VOLUME (SETUP) knob will now cycle, bi-directionally, through all audio-video or audio-only sources, or listening modes. The source or mode names appear on the OSD as well as the front-panel readout.
USING THE S170 LISTENING IN A REMOTE ZONE (MULTISOURCE) The S170 can provide line-level signals, in stereo-mode only, to a second room or zone via its rear-panel MULTISOURCE OUT jacks. These jacks may output stereo signals from any analog source, completely independent from (or the same as) the one currently selected at the S170's main output jacks, and they enjoy entirely independent volume control.
SAFETY INFORMATION NAD LINK The S170's rear-panel NAD LINK OUT jack can relay remote-control commands to other products equipped with an NAD Link (or compatible) input, sending out the same control codes it receives from the S70 remote handset via IR (infra red ). NAD Link thus creates a “hard wired” connection between the S170 and another NAD component, employing any coaxial cable terminated with RCA Jacks.
SPECIFICATIONS CONDITION POSSIBLE CAUSE(S) POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS(S) NO SOUND FROM ALL CHANNELS • • • • AC power unplugged power not switched on outlet is un-powered Tape Monitor is engaged • • Check AC cable, connection, and outlet disengage Tape Monitor NO SOUND FROM SOME CHANNELS • • • Faulty/missing cables channel(s) set to "No" power-amp or speaker-connections faulty • • • Check cables check menu check power amp, cabling, and speakers NO SOUND FROM SURROUND CHAN
SPECIFICATIONS Decoding formats Sampling rates Modes STEREO (ANALOG BYPASS) Analog input impedance Analog frequency response Maximum input level Signal/noise ratio Dynamic range Analog channel separation Crosstalk Maximum output level Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic, DTS, THX Surround EX 32kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 96kHz EARS 16kΩ / 100pF 20Hz - 20kHz +/- 0.2dB 3V rms THD+N 0.
S170 Owner's Manual Addendum New HTR 2 Learning Remote Control Since the S170 was first introduced, we have been asked by many of our customers for a remote control that will operate their entire audio-video system. We have recently developed a product to answer this demand, the HTR-2. So, in addition to the S70 unit remote described in the Owners Manual, there is also an HTR-2 and an HTR-2 Owner's Manual included with this S170.
Hold function) of input level. In this mode use the UP/DOWN CURSOR KEY to expand the meter scale from -20dB to 0dB, to -40dB to 0dB. 3. SPEAKER SETUP (Page 17) There are three additional features in the SPEAKER SETUP menu: • Adjustable Crossover Frequency selectable in 10 Hz increments from 40 Hz to 140 Hz. This adjusts both the High Pass (2nd order, 12 dB/octave) feed to the loudspeaker, and the Low Pass (4th order, 24dB/octave) feed to the subwoofer. • Defeatable Subwoofer Filter.
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