MartinLogan Speaker - Manual (Page 5)

Level .Knob
Setting the level too high will cause the bass to seem bloat-
ed and is the single most common cause of bad sounding
subwoofers . A rule of thumb is that the subwoofer should
not draw attention to itself, but should simply make the
systems low end seem more extended and accurate .
Low .Pass .Filter .Knob
When the Abyss is connected in multi-channel mode (via
its LFE input), the low pass filter is not active and your pro-
cessor handles the bass management . When connected
in 2-channel mode (via its speaker or line level left/right
input), the low-pass filter is active .
As a general rule the low pass filter should be set at the
option approximately equal to 70% of your speaker’s lowest
frequency response . Example: The MartinLogan Aeon i’s
lowest frequency response is 43Hz . 70% of 43Hz equals
30 .1, so you should set the Abyss’s low pass filter to 30Hz .
Remember, this is a general rule . We advise that once you
try the recommended setting using the formula above, you
should try the surrounding settings to see which sounds best .
Phase .Control .Switch
The phase control is entirely dependent on the size and
configuration of your listening environment, the placement
of the unit, and your seating arrangement . Due to the way
bass sound waves develop in different rooms, there is no rule
of thumb for setting phase . For instance, if your room has
a peak at the subwoofer crossover area, you may wish to
set the phase so the actual acoustic outputs of the subwoofer
and main speakers are out of phase . Experiment, try dif-
ferent settings and be patient .
Auto/On/Standby .Power .Switch
The Auto/On/Standby switch controls Abyss’s energy saving
feature . When set to 'Auto', the Abyss will turn on when a
music signal is detected and off when there is none . The
'On' setting prevents the Abyss from entering energy sav-
ing mode . The 'Standby' setting forces the Abyss into energy
saving mode . While set to 'Standby’, the Abyss will not per-
form .
Status .Light
The Abyss is equipped with a multi-color LED to indicate
the subwoofers current status . The following list explains the
meaning of the different colors:
No color: No power . The Abyss is not plugged in .
Red: Energy saving mode and safety mode . If the power
switch is set to ‘Auto’ this indicates the Abyss detects no
audio signal and has automatically switched into energy
saving mode . Setting the power switch to ‘Standby’ will
force the Abyss into this mode . This also indicates if the
Abyss’s temperature has exceeded nominal operating
range . The Abyss will resume normal play mode when the
temperature-sensor reports a safe operating temperature .
Green: Play mode . If the power switch is set to ‘Auto’ this
indicates the Abyss detects an audio signal and has automat-
ically switched into play mode . Setting the power switch to
‘On’ will force the Abyss into this mode .
a
Bout the
C
ontrols
About the Controls 
Figure .1 . Abyss controls .