Emotiva DMC-1 - Manual (Page 76)

Page 76 Page 77
Surround Back Speakers
The DMC-1 has two extra outputs for surround back speakers. These create a wonderful sense of
realism in surround effects during playback of Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, and DTS ES.
The DMC-1 can be configured for one or two surround back speakers. Ideally, all the surround
speakers should be of the same make and model, and fitted at similar heights to produce a smooth
continuous sound field. If you are connecting one surround back speaker, connect its amplifier input
to the DMC-1 LEFT CHANNEL SURROUND BACK output. Place the speaker behind your listening
position.
Subwoofer Location
The DMC-1 has identical output connections for up to three subwoofers, in addition to a fourth,
balanced sub output.
A subwoofer typically sounds best in a corner with at least 5 feet of wall to either side. Due to the
short wavelengths of high-frequency sounds, they don’t
interact strongly with the size and shape of a room. Lower
frequencies long wavelengths that can cause “Standing
wave” problems. Placing the subwoofer in a corner usually
creates the best possible situation for the sound to interact
with the room, allowing even distribution of the bass
frequencies. Often the corner that offers nearby placement
to the front speakers may yield the best results, but you
should try several locations before settling on just one.
The best location for a single subwoofer can be found
by playing a couple of different low frequency test tones
(or some music with heavy sustained bass passages) and
proceeding with the following easy 1-2-3 process:
1. Place the subwoofer right on the seat of your couch or listening chair.
2. You can then either run the calibration (noise) signal through it, or simply plug the analog outputs of a
CD player directly into your subwoofer’s low-level inputs. Turn down the subwoofer’s volume level before
turning on the CD, then play the test tones or some music with heavy sustained bass passages.
3. Walk around the room, standing in all the positions where you might be able to place the subwoofer.
Again, this is usually near the corners of the room. Try locations fairly close to the front speakers.
Notice where in the room the bass output from the subwoofer sounds the loudest. Shut things down
and install the subwoofer there. This is the best position for the subwoofer. The bass will sound the
best when you are sitting in your normal listening position.
Standing waves depicted in a room.
“Peaks” are good, “Dips” are bad.