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Parasound Halo C1 Controller Speaker System User Manual

1. 2 CHANNEL Composite Video ZONE AMPLIFIER Zone Outputs IR REPEATOR MODULE IR WALL RIGHT SENSOR SPEAKER CONNECTING THE AUDIO AND VIDEO OUTPUTS continued D The C 1 allows you to feed separate audio or audio video programs to two different areas or zones in your home To feed video and audio to a second zone connect a video cable with RCA plugs to the Zone composite video jack and a pair of audio cables to the Zone unbalanced output jacks The Zone audio output is always stereo unless you are playing a monophonic source When you select a source for this output the display on the C 1 will initially show what ever listening mode that source was last used with but will revert to Stereo almost immediate ly Remember that only analog sources are available at the Zone audio output jacks We strongly recommend that you use a professional installer when setting up a second enter tainment zone The pros are very experienced at snaking wires through walls know just what kinds of cable will keep long cable runs from diminishing audio and video quality and save you a lot of work and potential grief A good installer can also suggest ways to enhance your second zone system and make it better sulted to your needs If you don t already have an installer ask your Parasound dealer for recommendations Using the Programmable Aux Outputs o VER What You May Need
2. Bypass to DSP source Some analog sources are Source signal levels vary or Change Analog monitor settings on Source much louder or softer than Analog monitor is miscalibrated setup menu other sources Bass sounds correct on LFE level set too low Adjust LFE level on Audio setup menu music but is weak on movie soundtracks Bass weak or missing Subwoofer output off Turn subwoofer output on in speaker setup menu Poorly placed subwoofer Try other positions including room corners Bass limiter set too low Raise Bass Limiter level if its turned on in Audio setup or turn Bass Limiter off Bass control turned down lf true for all inputs check setting in Audio setup If true only for some inputs check in Source setup whether these sources are associated with a Preset that includes a bass cut If the sources with low bass have No change for their presets check the bass control on Page 3 of C1 C2 menu on Master remote TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE continued TROUBLE og 310 7 E e7 UT REMEDY Bass Weak or Missing Subwoofer level too low Check level control on subwoofer or sub continued woofer amp Sub trim on Page 3 of C1 C2 menu on Master remote and subwoofer level settings on Speaker setup menu Double filtering Disable low pass filter in subwoofer or in C 1 Bass from sub does not Sub polarity is incorrect Reverse polarity on sub amplifier blend with other channe
3. Ta ee e 1 to 4 unbalanced analog interconnects emale tog one per channel used RCA Plug XLR Connectors H l e 1 balanced analog interconnect Component Video Inputs and Outputs Balanced Analog Audio Inputs Balanced Analog Audio Outputs Ce Composite Video Inputs Video Outputs S Video Inputs S Video Outputs j Digital Audio Inputs L L Pro Analog Audio Inputs a Tape Monitor Analog Audio Outputs 7 1 Analog Audio Inputs Main Analog Audio Outputs Programma able Ou t Programmable Outputs The one balanced and four unbalanced Programmable Outputs enable you to enhance your system The jacks marked Pro 1 and Pro 3 Aux Channels 9 and 10 in the setup menu can address acoustics or room shape problems or add new effects The Pro 2 output duplicates the main subwoofer chan nel Pro 4 is similar with a 20 Hz low pass filter to feed tactile transducers floor shakers the output level and delay for Pro 2 and 4 is the same as the main subwoofer output Programming New Channels Here are some recipes to create channels for special functions see pages 29 30 We ve abbreviated left center and right channels as L C R left and right surround side channels as LS RS the surround back channel as B and the low frequency effects channel as LFE e Add Extra side speakers A simple recipe is to feed the additional left surround speaker 100 LS and feed 100 RS to the additional right surround s
4. External Control E IR Inputs 12V Triggers oto 00000 Main Zone L L Daa Analog Audio Inputs Tape Monitor Analog Audio Outputs 7 1 Analog Audio Inputs Main Analog Audio Outputs Programmable Out The jacks in the control connection area of the rear panel can link the C 1 to a wide variety of devices beyond those that deliver or receive audio and video signals RS 232 Control This 9 pin full duplex serial port has several potential uses For one thing it allows the C 1 to communicate bidirectionally with widely available software based home automation and control systems such as AMX or Crestron When the C 1 is connected to one of these systems it can be controlled and its status monitored from keypads and handheld or table top touch screen remotes throughout your house The capabilities of such connections and the pro gramming and interfacing needed will depend on the automation system you select consult your Parasound Dealer or Custom Installer for more information regarding interfacing an external control system to your C 1 The RS 232 port s second use is for programming If you link the RS 232 port to a serial port on a PC you can use free Windows software to program every aspect of the C 1 Controller s operation and make backup copies of program settings you have made via the C 1 front panel or with its Master remote The program which requires Windows 95 or higher can be downloaded from www parasound c
5. Tape Monitor area of the C 1 rear panel In this mode the signal is unaffected by tone controls and other adjustments and surround modes are unavailable In DSP mode all adjustments and surround modes can be used ADJUSTMENTS MENUS AND SETUP continued Display Setup The options on this screen affect the appearance of any information displayed on the C 1 Controller s built in screen and on any video screen connected to the Controller s OSD video output jacks TV system sets both displays to either NTSC the television Display setup system used in the Western hemisphere and some Asian gt TW system NTSC countries or PAL the system predominant in Europe If Shia elise ects this is set incorrectly for your location the system informa Video format Auto tion will roll up or down your video screen when the C 1 Is See da set to an audio only source when a video signal is played OSD style 2 through the C 1 the Controller automatically selects the TV Eyit system matching the video input program Superimpose When On this superimposes system status information over the video pro gram currently shown on the built in display screen and on any video monitors or projectors connected to the OSD video output jacks When Off the background on the screen will go blank whenever this information is displayed Temporary disp display Governs whether and how information appears on the built in dis p
6. 30 Delay Trigger 35 54 Device control pages on Master remote 20 Dial Norm Offset message 62 Differential see Balanced Digital audio recorders connecting 11 45 Digital Error message 57 62 Digital inputs and outputs 6 32 33 39 42 44 45 47 65 Digital Theater Systems see DTS Digital to analog converter see D A Dimension see PL II Dimension Dimmer built in display 8 15 35 54 Direct mode 12 14 17 35 61 Display screen see Built in display Display Setup 11 15 19 34 57 Distance autocalibration see Autocalibration Distance units display 28 34 Dolby Digital Surround 12 13 17 25 35 44 48 61 62 Dolby DTS Setup 5 13 14 25 61 Dolby Pro Logic see Pro Logic Pro Logic II PL II Dolby Surround EX 13 14 27 48 Dry reverb setting 25 DSP 12 33 42 63 64 DSP engine 63 64 DTS 2 0 13 DTS 96 24 13 DTS 12 14 25 27 61 62 65 DTS ES 13 14 25 27 48 61 DTS ES Discrete 13 61 DTS ES Matrix 13 DTS Neo 6 see Neo 6 Dual Zone Operation see Zone Duration see Trigger Setup DVD Audio multichannel see 71 channel sources DVD Players 15 16 20 40 DVD Recorders 43 44 DYN Dynamic Range key 17 O Enhanced Bass EBASS 17 27 Equipment rack see Rack mounting Error messages 34 62 ESC Escape button on Master Remote 24 EX see Dolby Digital EX and THX EX EXIT button 24 Expansion port 64 External processor loop via Tap
7. G ADJUSTMENTS MENUS AND SETUP continued in ms milliseconds that the C 1 will apply This is equivalent to distance since 1 ms at the speed of sound is roughly 1 foot or 0 3 meters The process is not only easier but more accu rate than measuring physical distances because it takes into account additional delays caused by signal processing subwoofer filters and other factors If the subwoofer delay is too long the delay time shown in the built in and on screen displays will change color and the subwoofer should be moved closer to you Distance autocalibration takes about two minutes Once testing is complete be sure to switch the microphone off Note As with most battery operated gadgets that you seldom use you should remove the battery when you put the microphone away to protect against damage should the battery ever leak Source Setup The program sources in your home theater system require a wide variety of inputs Associating each source with the correct input jacks is done through the Source setup screen Source Unless you ve modified them the source num bers correspond to the input numbers on the rear panel of gt Source _ 10 the C 1 Sources 1 through 6 correspond to the Video 1 ee eee gol through Video 6 audio composite video and S video input Preset No chanse jacks sources 7 through 10 correspond to the Audio 1 Aa A nee through Audio 4 input jacks You select the source you Off want to set up by turning the
8. The large knob on the C 1 front panel normally controls volume However when you press the front panel SOURCE or SURROUND buttons it will control those functions for the next 5 seconds or for as long as you keep using the knob to change those functions settings The C 1 Controller s volume can be adjusted over a 106 dB range 90 dB to 15 dB Once the C 1 has been calibrated for your listening room amplifiers and speakers the sound reaching you when the volume Is set at 0 dB will be just about the same level you d hear in a THX cali brated commercial movie theater The volume setting is shown numerically on the C 1 front panel display and briefly on the on screen display OSD the OSD also shows a bar with an indicator at O dB and another at the current level When the volume setting reaches either end of its range the knob will still turn freely but the sound level will not change further When you turn the C 1 Controller on the volume will normally be whatever level you had last selected However to avoid sudden blasts of sound when turning the C 1 on again after a loud listening session the volume at turn on is never higher than a moderate 20 dB Pressing the MUTE button on the left side of the front panel or on either remote will shut off all sound until you either press MUTE again or raise the volume setting Plugging headphones into the jack at the left on the C 1 front panel will shut off output to the rearpanel outputs
9. on Master Remote 11 16 PAL video system 34 40 Panorama see PL II Panorama Parasound T 3 tuner 16 Party mode 13 14 PCM 14 PHON on display see Headphones PL II see Pro Logic Il Placement Guidelines 4 Play In input Also see Tape Monitor 5 6 17 38 table 43 45 59 Polarity Programmable Aux channels 30 Polarity reversal by amplifiers 61 Polarity subwoofer 17 56 Polarity of trigger signal 35 Power cord 6 Power supply 63 Presets 26 32 33 55 Preset setup 31 32 PREV CH button Master remote 20 Printed buttons on remotes 18 19 21 Pro Logic Dolby 12 14 61 Pro Logic Il Dolby 12 14 25 Pro Logic Il Center Width 13 25 Pro Logic II Dimension 18 25 Pro Logic II Movie 12 14 25 61 Pro Logic II Music 14 25 61 Pro Logic II Panorama 13 25 Programmable Aux Outputs 5 28 29 46 51 63 Progressive scan 56 R Rack Mounting 4 56 60 Radio Frequency Interference RFI 59 Re Equalization THX 61 Rearchannel sub 52 Rearpanel master AC switch 6 8 9 55 57 Rear subwoofer 29 30 Rec Out see Tape Monitor 5 6 10 12 37 38 table 43 44 59 65 Record Outputs 5 6 10 12 38 table 40 43 44 52 table 59 Recording 6 17 38 40 42 43 59 Remote controls Also see C1 C2 menu 4 9 12 15 16 21 21 23 25 31 53 64 Remote control s Main menu screen 9 16 18 Remote zone see Zone Repair see Service and Repair
10. see diagram page 51 Pro 2 is an extra subwoofer output paralleling the main sub output This permits use of multiple subwoofers where subs in two locations will perform better than a single sub or the use of two smaller subs where a large one Is too intrusive Pro 4 is another sub out but with all frequencies above 20 Hz filtered out This is ideal for driving tactile transducers such as floor shakers we recommend they only be fed the lowest frequen cies or another sub with really extended low frequency response Pro 1 and Pro 3 listed in this Setup menu as Aux channels 9 and 10 are more versatile channels because you can create their contents from any or all of the other 71 channels and also adjust their bandwidth level and delay as described below Here are just a few ways to benefit from 75 Channel Enhanced Surround If your home theater has more than a few rows of seats the left surround and right surround speakers can t provide adequate coverage for all listeners With Channels 9 and 10 you can add extra Surround side speakers as In commercial movie theaters and separately adjust the added speakers delays If the added speakers are very near your room s front seats you could mix a bit of the left and right front and signals in with the left surround and right surround signals feeding them To provide bass that blends with the sound from the left and right surround back speakers you can program a true rear Subwoofer
11. 15 surround stereo and mono sound patterns called modes which can be selected from the front panel or the Master remote From the front panel press the SURROUND button then within 5 seconds begin turning the knob until the desired mode is shown on the built in and on screen displays To change modes trom the Master remote go to Page 1 of the C1 C2 menu press the remote s MAIN button then the key next to C1 C2 on the display then use the keys next to the MODE and MODE lines on the remote s display to reach the surround mode you want These settings affect signals from any input except the 71 channel analog input and the bal anced input if you selected its Bypass mode Not all listening modes are available for every type of input For example modes that generate surround signals from stereo sources cannot be used with DTS or Dolby Digital signals that have discrete digital surround channels and decoding modes for such digital surround signals won t work with stereo signals When you select modes those not available for your currently selected input simply won t show up as options If you switch to an input that your currently selected mode won t work with the C 1 will automatically select an appropriate mode usually Stereo for stereo sources and Direct for Surround sources Mono Downmixes blends all channels of the current input signal to mono fed through the center speak er If you have no center speaker and have
12. 2 58 Reverb 13 25 RFI 59 RGB HV five cable component video 40 50 60 RS 232 serial connector 5 16 36 53 64 J S Video 6 37 38 table 39 40 49 60 65 S Video Record output jack 43 45 SACD players see 71 channel sources Second entertainment zone see Zone Second subwoofer see Programmable Channels Serial port see RS 232 Service and Repair 2 58 Setup 21 36 Shipping 2 58 Side speakers extra 51 Side Surround see Surround side SideKick remote 21 Signal levels see Analog Monitor and Level Setup Signal processor Motorola Symphony DSP56367 63 Signal type vs Listening Mode table 14 Size setup 27 Software see Halo Setup MX Editor Sound level 7 10 28 30 31 62 Sound level meter 28 SOURCE button 8 10 11 Sources vs Listening Modes table 14 Sources and presets 26 32 Source Setup menu 32 33 Source selection see Input selection Speaker distances 28 30 31 Speaker level adjustments 28 29 30 31 Speaker levels 61 Speaker Setup 27 31 61 Speaker setup Size 27 Specifications 65 Speed of sound 31 SPL Sound pressure level 7 28 STATUS button on Master remote 15 19 STATUS button on C 1 8 9 Stereo mode 12 14 Stereo music 13 14 Stereo96 mode 12 14 Sub see Subwoofer Subwoofer 6 17 18 25 33 35 36 41 48 50 52 55 56 61 63 Subwoofer filter 27 30 Subwoofer level 24 28 31 32 56 Subwoofer si
13. 71 channel Dolby Digital Surround EX or DTS ES soundtracks and from 71 channel sources that use the 71 channel analog inputs However if you have surround back speakers the C 1 will extract ambience information to feed them when you select the DIS Neo 6 Cinema or Neo 6 Music modes which also work with non DTS program material If your system does not yet have surround back speakers 71 channel soundtracks will be reproduced as regular 5 1 channel surround As you can see trom the diagram if you start with a five channel amp and want to expand your sys tem later you can add a stereo two channel amp to drive the additional speakers Amplifier Alternatives The amplifier setup shown above a five channel amplifier and an optional two channel amp both connected to the 71 channel unbalanced analog outputs is far from mandatory A five channel amplifier is convenient compact and cost effective a two channel amp is a convenient way to add a pair of channels and most amplifiers have unbalanced inputs If you own a two channel amplifier that s better or more powerful than your five channel amplifi er we recommend you use it for the left and right front channels to assure the best possible sound when playing stereo music It would also be possible to use the balanced outputs on the C 1 as long as your amplifiers have balanced inputs For powered subwoofers unbalanced connections are commonly used as few subwoofers have balanced input
14. Music or DIS Neo 6 Music modes PL Il Panorama sends some of the front channel sound to the surround speakers for a wraparound effect It can gt PLIT Panorama off be switched on or off PLII Center Width Min PLII Dimension i PL Il Center Width spreads the centerchannel signal into the left and right front channels to add spaciousness and for a smoother interchannel blend It has eight possible settings Min 1 6 and Max If you like sharp imaging and the ability to pinpoint where each musician is in the soundfield you ll probably want it at Min but if you prefer spaciousness you re likely to want a higher setting Dolby DTS setup PL Il Dimension adjusts the front rear positioning of the surround field in the PL II Music mode When Dimension is set to its normal position 0 the control has no effect When set to 1 2 or 3 the surround field moves increasingly forward diminishing the spatial effect When set to 1 2 or 3 the surround field moves increasingly rearward increasing the spatial effect Neo 6 Center Image also creates a wrap around effect by sending some front channel sound to the surround speakers Unlike PL II Panorama It is adjustable in 6 steps Min 1 4 Max ADJUSTMENTS MENUS AND SETUP continued Bass Limiter Setup The bass in today s film soundtracks is often far louder than it is on music recordings or older films Handling these loud bass tones can make many smaller sub woofers
15. One S video cable with multi pin plugs e One composite video cable with RCA plugs optional h G Fr e One three cable component video cable set with RCA al j plugs at one end RCA or BNC plugs at the other optional BNG Connec to ona Connector e DVD player with digital and analog audio outputs plus com posite S video and possibly component video outputs CONNECTING AUDIO AND VIDEO SOURCES AND RECORDERS continued Composite Component Unbalanced An Piet Optical Video Video Outputs Outputs CON DVD PLAYER R G R B Tape Monitor Analog Audio Outputs 7 1 Analog Audio Inputs Main Analog Audio Outputs Programmable Out Home theater systems can have three types of video connection composite S Video and com ponent and there are times when it pays to use all three as shown here Normally every type of video you feed into the C 1 would then be fed out to your main video display screen or projector and you d use the video display s input selector to determine which connection feeds the screen e Composite video connections will be needed if you intend to pass the source s video picture to another room via the Zone output on the C 1 or if you ll be recording it onto an older VCR which has no S Video input Composite video input signals are not available at the S Video output jacks e S Video connections give a clearer picture than composite video and are widely used in home theater systems In the C 1 signals from S Video inpu
16. Outputs Ce Digital Audio Inputs Composite Video Inputs Video Outputs S Video Inputs S Video Outputs iw CE dlog Audio Outputs Programmable Out Digital Optical Digital Coaxial O enn For simplicity s sake the player shown is strictly for audio For SACD and DVD A players that also play DVDs add the video input and output connections shown for a DVD player previous page CONNECTING AUDIO AND VIDEO SOURCES AND RECORDERS continued Connecting a Balanced Output Audio Source What You May Need f e Two balanced interconnects with XLR plugs RCA Plug Toslink Connector e One optical digital cable with Toslink connectors or one 75 ohm digital coaxial cable with RCA plugs Male e Audio source component with balanced and unbal anced analog audio outputs and optical or coaxial Aelius digital output XLR Connectors OUTPUTS Unbalanced Balanced Digital Digital Analog Audio Analog Audio Optical Coaxial CON CD PLAYER Output Balanced Analog Audio Outputs Ce Composite Video Inputs Video Outg S Video Inputs Audio1 Audio2 Audio3 Audio 4 50090 9000 ond Analog Audio Inputs T Tape Monitor Analog Audio Outputs 7 1 Analog Audio Inputs Main Analog Audio Outputs Programmable Out Normally all balanced and unbalanced input signals appear at both the balanced and the unbal anced outputs of the C 1 including its Record and Programmable outputs but only signals going to the main 71 chann
17. Video cables are thick and hard to twist it pays to look at the end of the plug to line up its pins with the holes in the jack before trying to insert It Component video connections use three cables or five for certain equipment which has sepa rate synchronization jacks The component video jacks on the C 1 are the professional BNC type whose connectors lock firmly together when twisted but adapters are provided for use with cables having the more common RCA plugs The four audio connections are unbalanced analog balanced analog coaxial digital and optical digital Most analog sources such as tuners and tape decks and the analog outputs of CD players and other digital sources have unbalanced output circuits with one RCA jack per channel The channels are fre quently colorcoded usually red for the right stereo or right front channel and black or white for the left or left front If your best analog source or your amplifiers have balanced connections usually via three pin XLR jacks using them instead of the unbalanced RCA jacks will provide additional protection CONNECTING AUDIO AND VIDEO SOURCES AND RECORDERS continued against hum and other noises especially if your equipment rack is crowded with other components or your cables are more than 10 feet 3 meters long For more information refer to the Balanced and Unbalanced Lines section in the Technically Speaking section toward the end of this manual Balanc
18. a second recorder connect its input to the Record 1 or Record 2 output jacks on the C 1 If a source component has digital as well as analog audio outputs you ll get better sound quality by using its digital output because the C 1 has truly superior digital to analog as well as analog to digital converters Moreover by using direct digital connections you avoid putting the signal through extra conversion stages the digital to analog or D A in your CD or DVD player and the analog to digital or A D in the C 1 If you need to use the analog inputs on the C 1 as you will for analog recording or for signals to be fed to a remote zone In your house use both digital and analog connections between your player and the C 1 For video connections you ll get better picture quality trom S Video than composite video con nections signals trom S Video sources also appear at the composite video outputs but not vice versa So if you have both composite and S Video signal sources use both types of connection between the C 1 and your TV monitor S Video plugs and jacks only fit together it they re oriented identically and this orientation is not standardized The S Video jacks on the C 1 are oriented as shown on views of the rear panel since the cables are thick and hard to twist it pays to look at the end of the plug to make sure that it s oriented the same way as the jack before you try Inserting It If your source and your video
19. acti vate more than one component and issue more than one command per component The first entry on the list is for the Halo by Parasound C 1 and C 2 Controllers both of which use the same commands The second entry on the list is for the Halo by Parasound T 3 tuner You can reprogram the T3 key for another tuner s functions and model number display The Master Remote and the C 1 Controller Pressing the key next to the C1 C2 listing brings up the first of three pages devoted to operat ing the Halo Controllers Many of the functions on these three pages are not easily available from the front panel of the C 1 USING THE MASTER AND SIDEKICK REMOTES continued Page 1 of the C1 C2 Menu Of the items on the Page 1 menu the MODE MODE DIM and ZONE functions have already been discussed in the last chapter but the others are new Here s what they do e THX With most modes this key simply switches THX Cinema processing on or off see Technically Speaking In Direct mode however pressing it again may select other THX modes depending on the speakers selected in Speaker Setup Size and choices made in THX Audio Setup If one or more surround back speakers are present pressing this key again will select the THX Surround EX mode if two surround back speakers are present repeated pressings will bring up THX Ultra2 Cinema and then THX MusicMode The C 1 will then cycle through these three modes for each press of t
20. an extra wide room place inboard of the L and R speakers Feed the left one 50 75 L 50 75 C feed 50 75 R 50 75 C to the speaker on the other side If you preter outboard speakers feed the far left soeaker 60 L not 40 R which injects right channel signal with its polarity inverted and 60 R 40 L to the far left one Add more front speakers if your two front speakers are closer to each other than their distance to your seat you can synthesize greater channel separation by feeding them from the Aux rather than the L and R outputs with say 100 L 30 R to the left speaker and 100 R 30 L to the right speaker Input Output Summary The table below summarizes the available connections AUDIO MAIN BALANCED RECORD 1 amp TAPE DIGITAL ZONE OUTPUTS OUTPUTS OUTPUTS RECORD2 MONITOR OUTPUTS OUTPUT OUTPUTS REC OUT Available From Digital Inputs Yes a Yes 7 1 Channel Analog Inputs Yes Yes Yes No No Note Programmable Outputs can access the same sources as the Main Outputs VIDEO COMPOSITE S VIDEO COMPONENT COMPOSITE S VIDEO ZONE OUTPUTS VIDEO OUTPUTS VIDEO VIDEO REC OUT OUTPUT OUTPUTS OUTPUT REC OUT Available From Composite Video In S video In Component Video In CONTROL CONNECTIONS Component Video Inputs and Outputs p p p CAUTION AN Balanced Analog Audio Inputs Balanced Analog Audio Outputs J Digital Audio Inputs Composite Video Inputs Video Outputs S Video Outputs
21. anced connections with XLR jacks for the same reasons The C 1 s balanced outputs enable you to take full advantage of the inherent noise rejection capability and superior sound quality of Parasound Halo power amplifiers especially when the amplifiers are mount ed far away near the speakers The balanced input on the C 1 also ensures the best possible analog connec tion to a source component having balanced output And for the purest possible sound the C 1 has a Bypass mode that feeds the balanced audio input signal directly to the front left and right balanced outputs with no processing except volume control The balanced jacks on the C 1 are wired according to the AES standard shield on pin 1 positive on pin 2 return on pin 3 Should it ever be necessary for some reason to connect any of the C 1 s balanced jacks to unbalanced jacks on another component you can make an adapter cable by wiring an unbalanced cable s shield to pin 1 on an XLR connector wiring the unbalanced cable s center conductor to pin 2 and leaving pin 3 unconnected Unbalanced connections with RCA jacks are found on all home audio equipment RCA jacks and two conductor wires are less costly than the additional circuitry higher priced XLR connectors and three conductor wiring required for balanced connections In an unbalanced line the positive audio signal appears at the center pin of the RCA Jack and the negative signal on the outer shield wire which al
22. audio interconnects N with RCA plugs a J j e Two composite video interconnects with RCA plugs RCA Plug S Video Connector e wo S video interconnects with multi pin plugs e VCR or other video recorder The video Record jacks and the Record 1 and Record 2 audio output jacks carry the same signal as the other main zone outputs To tape one video or broadcast while you view another connect your video recorder to the Zone video and audio output jacks and use the Zone control mode to select the source you want to record Component Video Inputs and Outputs NEN Serna Spak C2 Controller DO NOT REM R NO USER m Parasound Products Inc San Francisco California USA Balanced Analog Audio Inputs Balanced Analog Audio Outputs Composite Video Inputs Video Outputs S Video Inputs S Video Outputs Record Coax J Digital Audio Inputs Video 1 Record 9J Ole ZSI I NINA ecort Video 1 i Analog Audio Inputs To Cable Output Input Output Input Outputs Antenna or CONI VCR o b Set top Box G Main Analog Audio Outputs Programmable Out 7 1 Analog Audio Inputs Note Video signals can also be recorded via the video monitor outputs However do not use the OSD jacks or the on screen display will be superimposed forever on your recording A third option of course is to record broadcast cable or satellite program through the video
23. format Processing modes available are mostly the same as those for stereo CDs e Music Modes Spatial effects available only with two channel signals Natural generates 5 1 channel sur round from stereo signals without adding reverberation Club and Concert extract ambient information from the signal and add reverberation to make the music sound as if performed in a small to medium or large space respectively The amount of reverberation can be adjusted through Audio Setup page 25 Party feeds duplicated front channel stereo signals to the surround but not surround back speakers this spreads the sound more uniformly throughout the room Online Sources for Further Information www dolby com www dtsonline com www thx com www parasound com halo USING THE MAIN CONTROLS continued Listening Modes and the Signals They Work With TYPE OF DOLBY DIGITAL DTS STEREO INCOMING SIGNAL a 3 21 _ 2 0 DVD PCM CD Analog Available Modes a aa Mono Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes stereo Direct Stereo96 io Dolby Modes J S S S S S Pro Logic Yes Pro Logic ll Movie No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Po Logie Il Music No no No no no ves ves es _ Dolby EX l T S a DTS Modes a ee eee eee eee eee eee Neo 6 Cinema No No No No No Yes Yes Yes _ Neo 6 Music N j Mo Mo No i No t ivesi f Mat l ivet Neo 6 Matrix No Yes Yes No No o S S S T MusicModes a
24. from each speaker to your head and entering it in the screen below The C 1 then translates distance into delay as sound moves at approximately 1 ms millisecond per foot or per 0 3 meters For each speaker the distance can be set in 1 foot incre ments trom O to 71 feet 0 to 21 4 meters if you have set gt Left 7ft Distance units on the Display setup screen to ae a Meters If the distance between you and the left and Right surround Stt right main speakers differs by more than 2 feet the display Distance setur Right back None i Left back None will warn see vets ee Left and right ch delay difference exceeds 2ms Exit If your on screen display is set to a color mode see Display setup any speaker distances that seem unrealistically high more than about 22 feet 5 9 m will appear in a different color ADJUSTMENTS MENUS AND SETUP continued Aux Programmable Channel Setup The C 1 includes Parasound s exclusive 75 Channel Enhanced Surround with four auxiliary Aux channels that provide wonderful options for enhancing your home theater Two of these auxiliary channels provide for greater low frequency power and accuracy You can program the other two auxiliary channels to solve acoustical problems add greater reality or provide whatever audio enhancements or extensions your home theater needs The Aux channels feed unbalanced output jacks Pro 1 Pro 4 and balanced output jack Pro 1
25. front panel knob or rocking Balanced routing ByPass Exit the Master remote s thumbpad Note Ihe 71 channel analog input cannot be permanently associated with a video input instead the video input must be selected first followed by selection of the 71 channel input for the sound Title The factory set titles correspond to the inputs e g Video 3 for source 3 but you can eas ily alter them with the Master remote First press the thumbpad s edge to tilt it up or down until the cursor is on Title press the center of the thumbpad it will click lightly to select this option and the Digital inout line of the display will be replaced temporarily by a cursor and an arrow By rocking the thumbpad up or down you can change the character above the arrow to any upper or lower case let Source ter numbers O through 9 a space or any of several punc ae N tuation marks asterisk hyphen period or slash if you Preset Yo chang hold the thumbpad in its up or down position the C 1 will Analog monitor Component video scroll rapidly through the available characters If you pre fer you can also scroll through the character list by turning the front panel knob on the C2 When you have changed the character to the one you want rock the Master remote s thumbpad to the right to move the selection arrow to the next character Pressing the center of the thumbpad or moving the arrow past the beginning or end or the
26. indicated this in Speaker setup page 26 the signal will be mixed into the stereo L and R outputs If you prefer to hear mono through the L and R speakers go to the Speaker setup menu and from the Size submenu change Center speaker to No don t forget however to change it back when you resume normal listening e Stereo Plays all sources in stereo through the front left and right channels When surround input signals are played in stereo mode the contents of the surround rear and center channels are reproduced in the stereo output signal e Direct Automatically reproduces the digital audio signal on any DVD signal in its own format whether it be surround stereo or mono Stereo96 A pure audio mode for analog input signals that raises the sampling rate of the A D convert ers from 48 kHz to 96 kHz and disables such DSP adjustments as tone controls see pages 18 24 and 26 and bass management Unlike other pure analog stereo modes Bypass mode for balanced input or stereo feed via the 71 channel inputs this mode enables signals to be fed to the record and Zone outputs Note Tone adjustments you make in this mode do not affect the sound until you switch to another mode Dolby Pro Logic Decodes two channel signals from analog PCM or Dolby Digital 2 0 sources that have been encoded with Dolby Surround signals and feeds the results to the appropriate speakers of your sur round system
27. inputs can be assigned to any of the ten audio and A V inputs Component Selection Signals in the analog domain are handled by high speed BurrBrown op amps running at high current in pure class A mode for linear performance and musicality The converters chosen for their ultra low jitter flawless performance and superb sound quality are 24 bit 96 kHz codecs from AKM long a leader in single chip multi channel analog to digital and digital to analog converters The signal processor is Motorola s Symphony DSP56367 a 24 bit processor designed specifically for audio use With the ability to handle 150 million instructions per second 150 mips this DSP has enough processing power to perform surround decoding tone control the user interface and more The operation of this processor is managed by the finest DSP engine in the world designed by Flextronics Design in Finland Other components include metal film 1 resistors polypropylene and mica capacitors and high quality gold plated input and output connectors Muting is han dled by high quality relays The chassis is of heavy gauge steel Circuit boards are of FR4 glass epoxy some are of fourlayer construction to ensure nearperfect ground planes for minimum noise and distortion The Power Supply The C 1 uses a high energy switched mode power supply SMPS Extremely efficient such power sup plies generate very little heat This allows the entire C 1 to run very cool
28. it is In video preview mode and superimpose has been selected in Display Setup page 34 e With the Master remote s display showing any of the three C1 C2 control pages rocking the remote s round thumbpad to the right or left will cycle through the C 1 s ten inputs e As delivered from the factory the SideKick remote s CH up and down buttons cycle through the C 1 s ten inputs It s common however for dealers installers and owners to reprogram these buttons to change channels on your TV cable or satellite receiver You can customize or change the inout names that appear on the C 1 using the Master remote see Source Setup in Adjustments Menus and Setup To change the names that appear on the screen of the remote itself you will need a PC and the Halo version of the MX Editor software this software and its instructions can be downloaded from www parasound conyhalo A separate user Manual is supplied with the remotes and additional copies can be downloaded from the same Web site Using Audio Recorders The C 1 has two types of recorder connection each with its own advantages The Tape Monitor connections enable you to listen to the output from an audio recorder while a recording is being made If you have an analog recorder with separate recording and playback heads you can use the monitor feature to hear exactly how your recording sounds by listening to the output from its playback head If you are recordin
29. jacks CONNECTING THE AUDIO AND VIDEO OUTPUTS continued Connecting Video Displays What You May Need ta e wo composite video cables with RCA plugs i C e One S video cable with multi pin connectors e One three cable component video cable set with RCA plugs at one end RCA or BNC plugs at the other RCA Plug S Video Connector Component Composite S Video Video Outputs Video Outputs Outputs San Francisco California USA Balanced Analog Audio Outputs Main Analog Audio Outputs Programmable Out Main Viewing Screen Small TV for Viewing OSD It may seem odd to connect the C 1 to your main video display three ways as shown here but in many systems It makes sense This is because composite video sources are not available at the S Video outputs though S Video sources are available at the composite jacks and compo nent video sources can be seen only via the component video outputs So If you have a VCR which probably has both composite video and S Video outputs you d want to use S Video to get the clearest possible pictures from that If your system also includes a source with component video outputs the only kind that works for high definition television only component video links would give you all the picture quality that source can provide And if you have a source that has only a composite video output the signal from that source would appear only at the composite video jacks of the C 1
30. monitor have component video connections which use three cables you ll get even better quality by using these connections they re compatible with HDTV signals however you ll still have to use both component and S Video connections to your monitor because the C 1 on screen display is not sent to the component video outputs and VCRs don t have component video connections If any of your monitors lack component video inputs you ll have to use S Video or composite connections from each of your sources Note that there are two sets of composite video and S Video outputs one with OSD on screen display and one without The one with OSD should be connected to a monitor in the same room as the C 1 If you have a large screen or projection system you might want to connect it to the S Video output labeled No OSD so that your guests won t have to see on screen display mes sages Then install a second small TV connected to the composite or S Video OSD output jack SO you can see the OSD If your amplifiers or other equipment accept a trigger signal connect the C 1 s trigger outputs to them so that they will turn on whenever the C 1 does The IR inputs let you control the C 1 from an infrared sensor in the second zone or trom a small infrared sensor in your main room if you want to hide the C 1 inside a cabinet Note If you use remote infrared sensors make sure the remote beam cannot also reach the sensor on the C 1 the C 1
31. player s analog output it and the video outputs should be connected to inputs having the same name the example in the diagram shows the DVD player connected to the Video 3 compos ite video S Video and unbalanced analog inputs CONNECTING AUDIO AND VIDEO SOURCES AND RECORDERS continued Connecting a Multichannel Source to the C 1 Certain multichannel sources such as SACD and DVD A players have internal surround decoders and D A converters and can deliver multichannel audio only via their analog output jacks The diagram shows a 5 1 channel source the most common type today and indicates the Back connections to be used with 71 channel components when they become available Like the balanced line Bypass mode this is a straight pass through of the analog signal from input to output with no signal modifi cations beyond the analog level controls including volume adjustment and the center surround and subwooferlevel trims on Page 3 of the Master remote s C1 C2 menu What You May Need e Six 5 1 or eight 7 1 unbalanced interconnects with RCA plugs e One 75 ohm digital coaxial cable with RCA plugs or one optical digital cable with Toslink connectors e Multichannel player SACD DVD A etc with digital and 5 1 or 7 1 channel analog audio outputs el RCA Plug Toslink Connector Component Video Inputs and Outputs DEEN ARNI Koers TION TOP Balanced Analog Audio Inputs Balanced Analog Audio
32. remote zone in the same way they d normally affect the main zone The display clearly shows when the C 1 Is in remote zone mode The SOURCE button turns the control knob into an input selector that cycles backward and for ward through the audio and audio video inputs The DISPLAY ZONE and DISPLAY MAIN buttons determine which zone s video program will appear on the front panel video display screen Pressing DISPLAY MAIN once turns the screen on and displays status information for the main zone Pressing it a second time selects the video preview mode for the currently selected main zone video program Pressing the button a third time turns the display screen off Pressing the DISPLAY ZONE button previews the video program currently selected for the remote zone Pressing the button a second time turns the display off The SURROUND button turns the control knob into a selector that cycles backward and forward through the available sound patterns These patterns include various flavors of real and generated sur round stereo and mono the selection changes to match whatever input you ve currently selected The two jacks at the far left of the panel are for headphones and for the calibration microphone supplied with the C 1 for automatic surround calibration see pages 30 31 When you plug headphones in the C 1 shuts off all main zone outputs and switches out of surround mode Recording and remote zone outputs are not affected When headphones a
33. seven character title ends titling mode Balanced routing EKIL Note To change titles using the C 1 front panel alone turn the knob to change the letter that s underlined on the built in display and press the front panel MENU button to advance to the next letter number or punctuation mark Even after you change a title on the C 1 the selector screen on the Master remote will still say VID 1 AUD 3 and so on To change those screen titles you ll need to use a PC and the MX Editor software The software can be downloaded from www parasound com halo Digital input The C 1 has eight digital inputs four coaxial jacks and four optical jacks By rock ing the thumbpad side to side you can associate any of those eight digital jacks with the source you re currently setting up Presets he Preset menu line enables you to associate the source with any of the five preset combinations of bass treble and individual channel level adjustments and bass and treble boost or cut for the front left center and right channels only and center surround or subwoofer level ADJUSTMENTS MENUS AND SETUP continued adjustments controlled by the Preset setup submenu under Audio setup When you select a source that has an associated preset the preset s bass and treble settings replace those made on the main Audio setup screen and the center surround and subwoofer level changes are added to the values selec
34. this submenu Filter type can be None Lowpass or Highpass Ch amp configuration gt Filt Filter freq can be set in 5 Hz increments The high pass eee aoe ce filter commonly used to keep bass out of small speakers None can be set from 20 Hz to 1 kHz The low pass can be set p from 20 Hz to 18 kHz The factory default setting for both filters is 80 Hz recommended but not mandatory for use with THX THX Ultra and THX Ultra2 speakers and sub woofers If you want bandpass filtering for special effects select both high and low pass filters font fat ei z 2 z TE YE YE YE Mix Levels Mix Level sets the percentage and polarity phase of th 3 mix levels the new channel s content that comes from each of the gt Left other 71 channels in 1 increments The settings shown ee here indicate that channel 9 is set to include 10 of each Right surround 5 main channel s signal 50 of the centerchannel signal one i and 5 of each surround channel signal The minus signs LFE 3 on the surround channel mix listings indicate that these signals are mixed in with their polarity reversed Reversing the polarity of some of the donor channels can give you interesting spatial effects especially when combined with a bit more delay than called for by the distance from you to the Channel 9 and Channel 10 speakers Exit The mix percentages need not add up to 100 If the mix for an Aux channel was
35. you can make sure there s no overload distor tion If you do hear any problems the Tape Monitor helps you determine by comparing the orig inal signal to the recorder s output whether that signal or your recorder is causing the problem If it is your recorder check its level settings setting the level too high is the most common cause of distortion in recording If your recorder is connected to the Record Out jacks next to the Zone output you can also monitor its output by selecting it as the source for your main zone But while you re recording be sure not to select any active recorder as the source for the Zone output or you ll hear an annoying and possibly soeakerdamaging loud howl The analog record outputs carry only two channel signals Surround information will be recorded if your source is matrixencoded analog material such as a video tape with a Dolby Surround soundtrack When recording from DVDs or other digital sources add left and right channel analog connections from the source to the C 1 and select that analog input for recording as multichannel digital signals are fed only to the digital output Note The lape Monitor jacks can also be used as an external processor loop connected to an equalizer or other two channel processor With the processor connected between Rec Out and Play In jacks you can switch it in and out of the signal path from your chair using the Tape key on the Master remote CONNECTING AUDIO AND V
36. you ship the unit to us The same packing and Return Authorization number procedures apply Important Notice Shipping the C 1 Before shipping the unit to Parasound you MUST re pack the unit into its fitted foam inserts and its original carton If you do not have the original packing cartons and foam inserts call us for new packing materials that we can provide to you for a nominal charge Use of any other carton and packing materials will probably result in shipping damage and refusal of the unit Common carriers such as UPS seldom pay claims tor damage incurred during shipment when a product is surrounded only with Styrofoam peanuts or otherwise improperly packed We cannot stress enough the importance of properly packing your C 1 Shipping damage resulting trom inadequate packing can cost you a lot of money and significantly increase the time required for repair Ship the unit with adequate insurance Once warranty repairs have been performed the unit will be returned to you via prepaid UPS within the continental United States TECHNICALLY SPEAKING Balanced and Unbalanced Analog Audio Connections Recording and broadcast studios use balanced connec tions almost exclusively because of balanced lines inher ent ability to reject noise and hum even when compo nents are far apart and connected by long cables Certain high quality preamplifiers amplifiers and sur round controllers built for residential use include bal
37. 0 TECH 8324 We can often help you solve the problem with simple diagnostic tests you can perform yourself If we determine that your C 1 will need further inspection or servicing we will a refer you to an authorized Parasound repair center near you or b authorize return of the unit to us and advise you of the correct procedure Procedure for Returning your C 1 to Parasound for Service If we determine that you should send your C 1 to Parasound we ll give you a Return Authorization RA number This RA number must be clearly marked on the outer carton only IMPORTANT Enclose a copy of your original purchase receipt A unit is eligible for warranty repair ONLY when the receipt shows that the unit was purchased from an Authorized Parasound Dealer A unit obtained through unauthorized channels is not eligible tor warranty repair Parasound is not responsible for any sellers misrepresentations about our warranties or other service policies For a non warranty repair contact us for an estimate of the repair charges before you ship the unit to us The same packing and Return Authorization number procedures apply We do not accept any of the following e Units with collect shipping charges e Units without a valid RA number e Units without a suitable shipping carton e Units that show visible or audible evidence of shipping damage caused by improper packing For a non warranty repair contact us for an estimate of the repair charges before
38. 9 Two channel signal processors 44 59 Upgradability 5 53 64 5 VCR 16 19 20 40 46 49 50 VGA connections 50 60 Video 5 6 32 33 Source Setup 34 Display Setup 56 57 63 65 Video 1 to Video 6 audio inputs 31 40 Video circuitry 63 Video signal formats 34 Display Setup 37 40 60 technical explanation Video Inputs Outputs 38 table 40 49 50 65 Video Record outputs 43 46 Video Sources connecting 39 40 Video for second zone 50 52 Video based triggering 35 54 VOL buttons on remotes 10 18 21 VOL on display 10 Voltage selector switch 6 Volume control and setting 7 10 22 33 63 Volume control range 10 J Warranty 2 58 Web Addresses 2 13 22 36 62 Wet reverb setting 25 XLR connectors see Balanced B Zone 8 15 17 21 43 44 50 51 53 56 59 60 65 ZONE B ON 15 ZONE button 8 Zone outputs 9 12 38 table 50 51 7 1 channel multichannel analog input 5 11 12 14 18 32 35 38 table 41 47 63 69 7 1 channel multichannel analog out put 47 48 65 7 1 channel multichannel analog sources 5 18 41 47 7 5 channel programmable outputs 5 29 30 42 47 51 52 63 PARASOUND Parasound Products Inc 950 Battery Street San Francisco CA 941 I 415 397 7100 Fax 415 397 0144 www parasound com V 0 96 6 37 Parasound Products Inc 2003
39. Aucdia AUDIO Signal Analog Input 7 Hode WIDEO Signal No signal Input AUTO 2 This information is normally visible on the front panel display but is not normally part of the information you can teed to a video monitor via the composite or S Video OSD on screen display jack The OSD will however show briefly any changes in control settings Raise the volume 1 decibel for example and the bottom of the screen will show something like this 19 dB The bargraph above has a vertical marker at 0 dB plus a second marker the one at the left in this case to show the current volume setting After soeaker levels have been set up see Speaker Setup in the chapter on Adjustments Menus and Setup a volume setting of 0 will correspond to THX reference level a sound pressure level SPL of 75 dB measured with the standard C weighting curve Calibration Microphone Input Display Dim IR Mute Video Display Screen Status Menu Knob PARASOUND Headphone Output On Off Zone Display Display Source Surround Zone Main Mode The knob at the far right normally controls volume but pressing the appropriate buttons see below turns it into a selector knob for menu items and source selection GETTING STARTED continued The buttons are surrounded by a blue halo of light when the C 1 is turned on the halo around every button except DIM and STATUS glows brighter when that b
40. FLA LO PARASOUND C Controller Owner s Guide THANK YOU Congratulations and Thank You for Choosing Parasound Your new Halo by Parasound C 1 Controller presents the latest advancements in surround processor technology The C 1 is built to the strict quality and performance standards set by Parasound We re proud to offer you this exceptional audio component that will bring you many years of enjoyment and dependability Here at Parasound we design our products to perform at a higher level of flexibility and sonic performance than you may have expected We encourage you to read this entire manual to learn all the features and capabilities of your new Halo C 1 Controller Most audio component manuals start by telling you how to connect and set up the equipment then tell you how to use it That s logical but once the installation s done it makes you leaf past all the setup info each time you want a reminder of how some button works So we ve put setup and connection details in the back though we ve included brief descriptions in the Getting Started section just ahead For detailed operating information Getting Started is followed by sections on using the controls and remotes and on adjustments and setups which you may wish to change from time to time Information on connections trouble shooting and specifications are at the end together with the obligatory acknowledgements that yes we are using various t
41. IDEO SOURCES AND RECORDERS continued Connecting a Digital Audio Recorder What You May Need e Two pairs of unbalanced interconnects with RCA plugs e Two digital interconnects Toslink or coaxial RCA Plug Toslink eee e Digital audio recorder with digital and analog inputs and outputs Composite Zone amp Video Record S Video Record Digital Audio Out Record Out Outputs Outputs Component Video Inputs and Outputs C2 Controller an Francisco California USA Balanced Analog Audio Outputs Ce Composite Video Inputs Video Outputs S Video Inputs Record L R Loss Analog Audio Inputs 7 1 Analog Audio Inputs Main Analog Audio Outputs Programmable Out Tape Monitor ee Optical Digital Optical cael o gt DIGITAL Playback AUDIO RECORDER To record all your audio sources to a digital recorder you will need both analog and digital connections between the recorder and the C 1 This is because the Digital Out jacks carry the signal from the currently selected digital input but not from any analog input and the analog record outputs do not carry signals from any digital sources To make digital recordings from analog sources use the analog Record or Rec Out connections and the recorder s analog input CONNECTING AUDIO AND VIDEO SOURCES AND RECORDERS continued Connecting a Video Recorder What You May Need e Two pairs of unbalanced analog
42. It is designed for playback through four channels three in front and a fourth channel that s usually fed to both surround speakers of a home theater system This surround signal s treble is rolled off filtered to simulate the absorption of high frequencies by the seats and audience in a commercial movie theater Available only with two channel sources Dolby Pro Logic Il Movie Optimized for movies and electronic games this 5 1 channel mode has more chan nel separation than Pro Logic and two full range surround channels instead of a single filtered channel By feeding the two surround speakers slightly different signals Pro Logic Il produces a more spacious enveloping effect Unlike the original Pro Logic it is designed for use with stereo analog or digital signals as well as for films and other two channel material with Dolby Surround encoding Available only with two channel sources e Dolby Pro Logic Il Music Optimized for music listening this mode is designed to produce surround ambi ence trom stereo sources such as CDs It has three adjustments not found in Pro Logic or Pro Logic Il Movie Center Width which adjusts the apparent width of the centerchannel signal Panorama which USING THE MAIN CONTROLS continued wraps the sound of the front left and right speakers around the listening area and Dimension which moves the surround field toward the back or front of the room These adjustments are made through the Dolby DTS set
43. LY SPEAKING continued Using Unmatched Power Amplifiers While it s best to use identical amplifiers for all chan nels it s sometimes more convenient or economical to use a mixture of amps especially if you already have some If you do observe the following e Check with your amplifiers manufacturers to see which of your amplifiers do and do not reverse sig nal polarity Then reverse the output connections of the amplifiers that reverse polarity and only those amps i e connect their black terminals to the speakers red terminals and vice versa This will ensure correctly matched polarity from all your speakers Otherwise imaging the sense of where sounds are coming from in the recorded soundftield will be vague and bass may suffer e It is not necessary that your amplifiers have identi cal input sensitivity a measure of the input level needed for a given output power because any variations are automatically compensated for when you set up and match your speaker levels e Your amplifiers need not have the same power rat ings either Low bass requires the most amplifier power to reach adequate levels for music and spe cial effects So your most powerful amplifiers should be used for your subwoofers if they have no amplifiers of their own and for speakers that you identify as Large during C 1 setup If you have Large speakers in all channels the front speakers should get the most power then
44. Left 25 Center 100 and Right 25 that channel would be receiving as high a centerchannel signal level as the center channel itself does plus a bit of the left and right channels and the center would be 2 3 of the total signal Suggested mix levels for these applications can be found in Technically Speaking on page 61 ADJUSTMENTS MENUS AND SETUP continued Level and Distance Autocalibrate First prepare the calibration microphone supplied with the C 1 by unscrewing Its barrel to open the battery compartment inserting the AA battery supplied with its button end toward the switch screwing the barrel back on and pushing the microphone s On Off switch toward the dot Controller PARASOUND Plug the microphone into the Cal Mic input on the front of the C 1 Then sit in your favorite lis tening chair holding the microphone with its mesh screen pointing upward Tilt the Master remote s thumbpad to scroll down to the autocalibration mode you want level or distance press the center of the thumbpad to start the calibration and sit back At the start of level autocalibration the C 1 will briefly check the ambient noise level in your room to make sure It is low enough for the speakers output to be measured properly and will display that level on the screen For the remaining tests which take about 5 minutes the C 1 will play a noise signal through each speaker in turn starting at a ve
45. N button on Master remote 12 13 16 Main menu on Master remote 9 16 18 Main zone see Zone Master power switch see Rearpanel AC switch Matrix DTS 13 14 MENU button On C 1 Controller 8 23 24 26 MENU button On Master remote 19 20 23 24 32 Microphone see Calibration microphone Mix levels Programmable Channels 9 and 10 29 30 52 Modes see Listening modes Mode keys 17 Mono mode 12 14 29 47 52 54 55 61 Mounting see Placement Rack mounting Movie soundtracks 48 55 61 Multichannel see 7 1 channel Multiroom home control systems 5 53 Music Modes Also see Club Concert PL II Music THX MusicMode Neo 6 13 14 48 61 Muting 7 8 10 11 12 19 55 MxX Editor software 16 18 21 32 Natural mode 13 Neo 6 DTS 13 14 25 No Change setting 18 31 32 55 No OSD video outputs 6 49 50 57 Noise signals see Bass limiter Calibration noise signal NTSC video signals 34 Numerical keypad Master remote 20 21 INDEX continued On off switch Also see Rearpanel switch 9 15 18 On off trigger 35 54 On screen display OSD 6 7 10 11 15 33 34 49 50 57 Operating voltage 6 Optical digital Toslink cables 38 OSD Also see On Screen Display OSD and Non OSD video output Jacks 15 46 49 50 57 OSD Setup see Display Setup Output Input table 52 Overhead Speaker see Centered Ceiling Speaker 29 52 PAGE button
46. SPECIFICATIONS Audio Characteristics Frequency Response Digital Inputs 20 Hz 42 kHz Analog Inputs 20 Hz 22 kHz 5 Hz 200 kHz 3dB 20 Hz 20 kHz 0 5 dB 7 1 Channel Input Total Harmonic Distortion Digital Inputs lt 0 002 Analog Inputs lt 0 002 7 1 Channel Inputs lt 0 002 Signal to Noise Ratio Digital Inputs gt 102 dB Analog Inputs gt 98 dB 7 1 Channel Input gt 107 dB Input Impedance Coaxial Digital Inputs 700 Unbalanced Analog Inputs 17 KQ 7 1 Channel Input 17 KQ Balanced Analog Inputs 25 kQ per leg Output Impedance Coaxial Digital Output 190 7 1 Channel Outputs 50 Q Balanced Analog Outputs 50 Q per leg Programmable Outputs 50 Q Zone Output 50 Q Rec Out Record Outputs 470 Q Input Sensitivity for THX Reference Level Digital Inputs 0 dBFS Analog Inputs 2 Vrms Maximum Input Levels Unbalanced Analog Inputs 3 6 V rms 7 1 Channel Input 8 Vrms Balanced Analog Inputs 35 Vrms Maximum Output Levels 7 1 Channel Outputs 8 Vrms Balanced Outputs 16 Vrms Programmable Outputs 8 Vrms Zone Output same as input Rec Out Record Outputs same as input Licensing Acknowledgements Video Characteristics Bandwidth Component Video 300 MHz Composite S video 30 MHz no OSD 8 MHz OSD Input Impedance Component Video Inputs 750 S video Inputs 750 Composite Video Inputs 750 Output Impedance Component Video Outputs 75Q S video Outputs 750 Composite Video Outputs 75 Q Genera
47. You can see the function and setup menus when you re near the C 1 s built in 5 display screen This is a handy way to adjust C 1 functions or go through DVD menu selections without superim posing a lot of information on the screen that your guests and family watch You might also wish to view on screen information on a second auxiliary TV or monitor located near your equipment Connect it to the S Video or more likely composite OSD Jack as shown and connect your main video screen or TV to the No OSD Jacks If you prefer to view on screen menus from your normal seating position you can see them on your main video screen or TV if you connect it to the C 1 s OSD composite and S Video jacks If you connect it to both the C 1 s OSD composite video output and to Its non OSD S Video output you can select the TV s own composite video input when you want to see the C 1 on screen messages and switch the TV to Its S Video input when you want to watch programs without any on screen messages CONNECTING THE AUDIO AND VIDEO OUTPUTS continued Although the No OSD jacks do not pass on screen display information generated by the C 1 they will pass status information coming from such source components as VCR and DVD play ers because that information is part of the video signal fed to the C 1 Note No on screen display is sent to the component video outputs because on screen display circuits reduce video bandwidth and de
48. a a Natural No No Yes Yes Yes Party Club Concert No No no S ST S a a e a a S THX Cinema Yes Yes Yes Yes es j ms tos sS THX Surround EX Yes Yes No No No No No No THX Ultra2 Cinema wes Yes No a oet et e Na j Na No THX MusicMode Yes wes No Yes Yess No No No Z x Notes Yes THX post processing is available Yes THX post processing is not available for this mode and signal type No Mode is not available for this signal type i THX Ultra2 Cinema replaces THX Cinema if two surround back speakers were selected in setup Requires one or two surround back speakers THX Cinema is not available for combinations where THX Ultra2 Cinema can be selected Requires two surround back speakers Available only when in the Direct mode ol gt w N l Analog mode selections are not available for the 71 channel analog input or for the balanced analog input it its Bypass was selected during setup USING THE MAIN CONTROLS continued Using the Status and Info Buttons and the Displays The C 1 controller s front panel display screen can be set to show the current main zone operat ing status Source audio and video signal types audio mode and volume setting continuously If you wish to see this information when the display is showing the video program currently selected for the main zone pressing the STATUS button on the front panel or t
49. ables and plugs can cause more problems in audio and home theater systems than the components they connect do Connection Types The C 1 has three types of video and four types of audio connector and your other components may use some of each The three video connection types each of which uses a different type of connector are Composite video S Video and Component video listed in order of increas ing picture quality For connections between video sources such as VCRs DVD players and TV or satellite tuners and the C 1 use the highest quality output connection that source offers Signals from the S Video inputs also appear at the composite output jacks of the C 1 but com posite input signals appear only at the composite output jacks Component video input signals appear only at the component video output jacks respectively So to ensure that all video sources can be seen use both composite and S Video connections and component video too if available between the C 1 and your TV video monitor or projector Composite video connections labeled simply Video on the rear panel of the C 1 uses RCA jacks yellow coded to distinguish them from the RCA jacks provided for analog and digital audio S Video connections use multi pin plugs and jacks that must be oriented identically in order to fit together This orientation is not standardized the S Video jacks on the C 1 are oriented as shown on the rearpanel diagrams Since S
50. al Norm Offset Dialog Normalization Offset mentioned in this manual Once the C 1 is calibrated for your room and sys tem a volume setting of 0 will give you the e Parasound www parasound com same sound levels in your room that you d hear in a commercial movie theater assuming that the dialog in the movie was recorded at the correct e DTS Digital Theater Systems level The Dial Norm Offset message which www dtsonline com flashes briefly on the built in display and OSD at the beginning of a Dolby Digital DVD shows you to what extent the dialog on that DVD deviates from the standard For example if the dialog offset is 4 dB that DVD s dialog was recorded 4 dB too hot Reducing the C 1 Controller s volume setting by 4 dB will restore normal overall levels Dolby Laboratories www dolby com THX www thx com PARASOUND C 1 DESIGN OVERVIEW The Halo By Parasound components are designed to add extra distinction to Parasound s 20 year reputation for rock solid reliability amazing sound quality and unequaled value Although built for the home our components have seen extensive use in professional studios Parasound equipment was used by Lucasfilm in the production of two Star Wars movies we received screen credits for Episodes and II and by other production companies Our design brief for the Halo By Parasound C 1 was to produce a component that could serve as the cen terpiece for even the most
51. al surround processor engine can also be upgraded And an expansion port allows for technologies that haven t even been invented yet Any product this versatile is complex which is why this manual is so thick but we ve made operation as simple as we can As you learn more about the C 1 you ll be able to optimize its performance for your system and your tastes You ll find complete directions further on but here s all you need to get started Making Connections A Preview If you re installing the C 1 yourself the following should be helpful if it s already been installed for you you may preter to skip straight to the chapters on Using the Main Controls and Using the Master and SideKick Remotes later in this manual Component Video S Video Digital Audio Balanced Analog Audio Inputs amp Outputs Inputs amp Outputs Outputs amp Inputs Inputs amp Outputs Balanced Analog Audio Outputs Left Surround Right Surround Composite puji deo O M Video Outputs es a amp Inputs Control Jacks AC Cord 203000880000899 CO OO inlet AC Power Unbalanced Analog Tape Zone amp 7 1 Channel Main Analog Programmable Switch Audio Inputs Monitor Record Analog Inputs Outputs Outputs Input amp Outputs Outputs When you connect the C 1 s audio and audio video inputs and outputs to the rest of your system including your second entertainment zone if you
52. and Recorders 37 Summary Table amp bw ect eu oeheweee Sous babe ee ee ee eo a 38 SOURCES a o sa seco osea eee eee didein oseka kba eee sees 39 Recorders ooa ae eee eH chee eee ee 43 Connecting the Audio and Video Outputs 20202 202000 0 0 00000040 47 Connecting Video Displays o o a aa 49 Connecting a Second Entertainment Zone aoaaa aa a a a a a 50 Using the Programmable Outputs aoaaa aa a a 51 Control Connections RS 232 IR Inputs Trigger Outputs 2 53 IN CASE OF DIFFICULTY Troubleshooting Guide 2 0 0 a 55 Servicing YourO 2 2 2 58 TECHNICAL INFORMATION Technically Speaking 1 1 0 59 C 1 Design Overview 2 0 63 C 1 Specifications 2 0 000 65 Licensing Acknowledgements 46 408888 Pe Bee Ree RRO BEER RSE eee BEE 6 He 65 INDEXA pon Gee hee ee eS SEA ee hee Gee see eens 66 UNPACKING AND PLACEMENT GUIDELINES FOR THE C 1 Unpacking Your C 1 Carefully unpack your C 1 from the shipping carton and remove all the enclosed accessories Master and SideKick remote controls with six AAA batteries Serial cable D9 female to 3 5 mm male plug for programming remotes AC cord 18 BNC to RCA adapters for component video RGB jacks 1 Omnidirectional electret condenser microphone for autocalibration with 25 foot cord and 3 5 mm plug 1 AA battery for microphone 2 triggercontro l wires each with a 2 5 mm sub mini plug on one end and a 3 5 mm min
53. and right surround channels In Setup you can elect to play Surround back information through one 6 1 channel or two 7 1 channel Surround back speakers DTS 96 24 A DVD encoding system that delivers up to 5 1 channels of 24 bit audio with potential for fre quency response up to 48 kHz DTS 96 24 signals are contained in a conventional bitstream that is available from any DVD player s 48 kHz digital output jack the C 1 decodes these signals at this same sampling rate to reduce potential noise resulting from multiple DSP clock rates then treats them like normal DTS 5 1 signals DTS Neo 6 Cinema For 6 1 channel decoding of movies with surround encoded two channel soundtracks adds a single rear channel which can be fed to two surround back speakers not available in systems with no surround back speakers DTS Neo 6 Music Similar to Neo 6 Cinema but for music It feeds stereo signals directly to the front channels bypassing the decoder while feeding the center surround side and surround back channels with ambient information derived from the recording to add spaciousness e DTS Neo 6 Extracts rear surround information trom DTS 3 2 1 tracks Not available for other signals e DTS Neo 6 Matrix Extracts rear surround information from DTS ES Matrix signals Not available for other signals including DTS ES Discrete signals which carry discrete rearchannel information e DTS 2 0 Two channel stereo recordings using the DTS signal
54. bpad or the front panel knob to lower the gain if not raise the gain then lower it a little once you hear clipping The range of adjustment is 5 to 10 dB For the analog outputs of CD players and other sources with 2 volt output levels a gain setting of less than O dB will usually be best Note If you go to this screen while playing a digital source the level meter bars will appear but the Gain line will be replaced by Digital input and no adjustments can be made Input level Monitoring Sid ae Ped geoeste wie TE EI i 3 al COE EF CP Eos ha Pe eb fu Tut paa ot ri Eike mni i be Component video lets you associate the selected input with any of the three component video inputs on the C 1 Note that this is true even of the Audio 1 through Audio 4 inputs which are not associated with any composite or S video inputs Balanced source assigns the balanced analog Left and Right inputs to one of the ten main sources not necessarily the one selected in the Source line of the Source setup screen If you are not using the balanced input for any source set this to Off Balanced routing offers two routes trom the balanced input to the outputs of the C 1 Bypass gives the shortest most direct route possible through the C 1 with the signal passing only through the volume controller and then to the left and right front channel balanced outputs and to the Rec Out jacks in the
55. cause the main speakers are at the front and surround speak ers are at the sides this hearing characteristic would make voices and other sounds change as they moved from the front to the surround chan nels or vice versa Timbre matching alters the fre quency balance in the side surround channels to compensate for this Adaptive Decorrelation functions with Dolby Pro Logic to add a greater sense of spaciousness and to enlarge the listening Sweet spot It accom plishes this by altering the mono surround informa tion so that the left and right surround speakers receive different rather than identical signals It does not apply when the surround channels already differ from each other as is usually the case with such discrete digital surround systems as Dolby Digital and DTS THX Surround EX decodes information for the sur round back channels from signals matrixed into the Surround side channels It is not available for non Surround signals or for those which like DTS ES Discrete carry back surround information as a sep arate digital signal To activate THX Surround EX press the THX key on the Master remote while in Direct mode If THX EX Enable on the THX Audio setup menu is not set to EX On you will have to push the THX key twice This mode is available only when the presence of at least one surround back speaker has been noted on the Speaker Setup Size menu Advanced Speaker Array ASA available on
56. channel by blending signals from only the four surround channels or have side subwoofers that blend front side surround and low frequency effects LFE signals Because sound from subwoofers takes a few milliseconds to reach you you might use a pro grammable channel to delay the signal going to a tactile transducer so its shaking doesn t reach you before the sub s sound does If your theater room is shallow and wide additional front or center channels will give you smoother coverage and smoother side to side panning For an interesting spatial effect you could add outboard front speakers that include some opposite channel signal with its polarity reversed The original proposal for EX surround included a centered ceiling speaker for more precise front to back pans or flyovers Commercial movie theater owners rejected that idea to save money but you can Implement it in your theater All channels can be mixed into a mono channel to feed a speaker in your bar powder room or out in the hall by the popcorn machine so your guests can follow the action and dialog when they leave the room Suggested mix levels for these applications can be found on pages 51 52 ADJUSTMENTS MENUS AND SETUP continued Programming Aux Channels 9 and 10 Each of these two channels has independently adjustable high pass and low pass filters and provision for deriving content from any or all of the other eight channels mixed in any proportion you l
57. complex home theater provide for future technical developments and meet the needs of the most critical listener and viewer Twenty two highly talented design engineers on three continents collaborated to fulfill that mission Audio and Video Circuit Path Topologies Some things are best done in the digital domain oth ers in the analog Some situations call for extensive sig nal processing others for none at all The circuit path topologies of the C 1 take these factors into account Signal processing such as surround decoding filter ing and tone control works best in the digital domain where even the most complex processing won t add noise distortion or phase anomalies Analog audio signals in the C 1 therefore pass through a 24 bit 96 kKHz analog to digital A D con verter at the input and a 24 bit 96 kHz digital to ana log D A converter after processing Because analog circuits can handle low level signals with no loss of effective resolution volume control takes place entire ly in the analog domain The analog volume and level trim controls designed in collaboration with the C 1 design team have lower noise and wider dynamic range than any others in the world And to ensure that the volume adjustments will track perfectly together for all channels the volume control stages for all channels are under precise digital control Signals that require no processing such as those to the tape outputs pass directly thro
58. ction is made from Page 2 of the C1 C2 screen by pressing the small key next to the name of the source you want To get to that page press the remote s MAIN button press the small key next to C1 C2 on the screen then press the PAGE button until Page 2 comes up on the screen If your remote has been custom programmed by your dealer or installer the screen will show the names of the source equipment in your system rather than the factory loaded generic names shown on the preceding page e Page 1 of the C1 C2 screen gives access to the tape monitor input which is available only from the Master remote and the 71 channel analog input Neither the tape monitor nor the 71 channel analog input is associated with any specific video inputs to use either while watching a video source select that source first then select tape monitor or 71 channel input for the sound e If you don t want to accidentally select inactive inputs you can use Autosearch Press the cen ter of the Master remote s round thumbpad and the C 1 will shift to the next active input that is the next one receiving either a video or digital audio signal Autosearch automatically skips any inputs that are unused or whose source components are stopped rather than in play pause or turned off It will also skip any inputs receiving only component video and analog audio The name of the currently selected source will appear on the C 1 display if it is in status mode or if
59. d equipment Authorized Parasound Dealers are listed at www parasound com or you can call 415 397 7100 between 8 30 am and 4 30 pm Pacific time A missing or tampered serial number could indicate that this unit was stolen or sold by an unauthorized dealer If this unit is missing its serial number you should return it to your dealer immediately for a full refund TABLE OF CONTENTS Unpacking And Placement Guidelines FortheC 1 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 4 Getting Started 22 0 a 5 Controls and Operation 2 a a 7 OPERATION Using the Main Controls 0 0 0 0 9 selecting Sound Patterns Listening Modes 0 0000000000 12 Dual Zone Operation 2 a a 15 Using the Master and SideKick Remote Controls 0 16 Controlling Other Components In Your System 00000 2000 ee 20 Using the SideKick gos s a ue an eG kee wee ee ee Ee we owe ae 22 Adjustments Menus and Setup 2 00000 23 Audio Setup Dolby DTS Bass Limiter presets Treble and Bass LFE Level Reverb 25 Speaker Setup Level Distance Size Aux Programmable Channels 27 Source Setup Inputs Titles Preset Selection Analog Monitor Balanced Inputs 32 Display Setup 2 34 Trigger Setup 2 35 THX Audio Setup THX EX Enable Boundary Gain Compensation ASA Advanced Speaker Array 35 Halo Setup Software 2 0 0 0 0000000 2 36 MAKING CONNECTIONS Connecting Audio and Video Sources
60. des of room 52 Superimpose OSD 33 57 Surround Back speakers see Back SURROUND button 8 10 12 Surround Modes see Listening modes Surround Side channels 6 13 29 51 61 Tactile transducers See Floorshakers Tactile transducertime delayed 52 TAPE key 17 Tape Monitor Also see Play In and Rec Out 6 11 12 17 37 38 table 43 45 52 59 Tape Outputs see Record Outputs Temporary disp OSD setting 34 TEST see Calibration noise signal TFT screen 4 Thumbpad on Master remote 10 11 19 20 21 23 24 28 32 33 THX Audio Setup menu 35 THX Cinema mode 13 14 17 THA EX 25 2735 THX EX Enable setting 35 61 THX Key on Master remote 13 16 35 61 THX MusicMode 13 14 17 61 THX Reference level 75 dB SPL C weighted 7 10 THX Signal processing 13 14 17 26 36 56 61 62 THX Surround EX mode 13 14 17 35 48 61 62 THX Ultra2 Cinema mode 13 14 17 35 61 THX Ultra2 subwoofers 26 30 35 36 61 62 Timbre Matching THX 61 Titling of C 1 inputs 6 32 Tone controls 12 18 on Master remote 24 in Setup 25 in Presets 32 33 in Presets 55 59 63 Toslink jacks 38 Transport controls on remotes 20 Treble controls see Tone controls Trigger 6 35 setup 54 connections Troubleshooting 55 57 Tuning from remote controls 20 21 Turn on off messages reprogramming see Halo Setup software Turn off thumps avoiding 9 Turn on command
61. e Master remote s display and control station selection when the current device was your FM AM tuner You might however find it more convenient if you have only one tunable device to program these buttons to tune that device at all times no matter what device is shown on the remote s display USING THE MASTER AND SIDEKICK REMOTES continued D e PREV CH recalls the last cable or satellite channel you were watching as long as your cable or satellite tuner supports this function e GUIDE commonly displays your satellite or cable company s program guide e The numerical keypad can be used for channel selection time setting on VCRs direct frequency entry for tuning some FM AM tuners and so on Not all its buttons will necessarily be used for example some TV tuners require the use of a 10 key when tuning to channels 11 and higher or the use of an ENT Enter button for tuning to channel numbers with fewer than two or three digits but others do not Using the SideKick The SideKick remote Is set up at the factory to control the main functions of the C 1 but can be reprogrammed to control your entire home theater If you or your dealer or installer have not reprogrammed it it will work as follows E LIGHT illuminates the SideKick s buttons for about 10 seconds If you wish to turn it off sooner tap this button again VOL raises or lowers the volume setting on the C 1 CH changes the C 1 Controller s source input se
62. e Monitor 44 Extra subwoofer output see Programmable Outputs Favorite FAV buttons and macros on remotes 19 21 Filter Programmable channels 9 amp 10 30 Flat Trims setting 18 32 33 Floorshakers and Programmable Outputs 29 51 52 63 Front channels Also see Bypass 47 48 61 Front speakers extra 51 2 Grounding 56 59 60 GUIDE button Master remote 21 Halo Setup software 36 64 HDTV high definition television 40 49 60 Headphones 8 10 55 56 60 High pass filter 29 Hum and buzz 56 60 B Imaging 61 Incompatible Source message 17 Infin see Trigger duration INFO button 15 19 Infrared see IR Input 6 14 37 38 63 64 65 Input Selection 8 11 17 19 21 32 57 Input Sensitivity 33 Input Setup see Source setup 7 1 channel 5 18 41 Input Output Summary table 38 52 IR Database MX Editor program 16 IR Input jacks 53 59 60 IR Remote Sensor 6 56 57 IR Repeater for remote Zone 21 50 53 56 59 60 CJ Late Night mode 17 Level Autocalibration 30 31 Level Setup 18 28 29 30 Level Trims center surround and sub woofer outputs 18 26 56 63 LFE Low Frequency Effects 17 25 27 55 Listening modes Also see Dolby DTS and THX 12 13 14 table 17 35 36 56 61 Long cables 38 47 51 59 Low Frequency Effects see LFE Low pass filter 27 28 29 56 vi Macros preset command strings 16 19 21 MAI
63. e and negative in relation to that Problems occur when components with slightly different grounds are connected together Such ground loops allow unwanted voltages to flow between the components This causes an audible hum at the fre quency of the local power line 60 Hz in the U S and many other countries 50 Hz in Europe and elsewhere Harmonics of the powerline frequency 120 240 and 480 Hz in 60 Hz countries such as the U S A or 100 200 and 400 Hz in 50 Hz countries may add buzz to the hum Here are three tips to avoid hum and buzz 1 Keep the components in your system close togeth er with their power cords plugged into a common AC outlet or power strip to avoid problems created by resistance in the house s wiring 2 Use balanced input and output lines with your Parasound C 1 See Balanced and Unbalanced Lines in this section 3 When rack mounting always use insulated shoul der washers These break the ground loops caused by metal to metal contact between the rack the units and their rack mount bolts Washers are included in Parasound rack mount kits and extras are available trom Parasound Headphone Circuit The C 1 includes a high quality headphone amplifier It is suitable for headphones with an impedance of 8 ohms or higher with headphones of lower impedance if any exist volume may be unacceptably low The headphone jack accepts a standard 1 3 5 mm stereo mini jack If your headph
64. ed and unbalanced input signals normally appear at both the balanced and unbalanced outputs including the recording outputs However in Bypass mode see the chapter on Adjustments Menus and Setup when the balanced input is selected its signal passes straight to the front left and front right balanced outputs and unbalanced signals go only to the unbalanced outputs Signals trom balanced or unbalanced analog sources do not appear at the digital outputs of the C 1 For best playback performance from digital sources such as CD DVD and DAT players or recorders connect them to the digital inputs of the C 1 It usually makes little difference whether you use coaxial connections black RCA jacks on the C 1 or optical connections small square Toslink connectors however if the cables must make sharp bends optical cables should not be used Signals from the digital inouts also pass through the 24 bit digital to analog converters in the C 1 to appear at its main analog outputs When Toslink jacks are not in use they should be protect ed from dust with the small black plastic plugs supplied General Rules When Connecting Sources to the C 1 e To avoid sudden blasts of noise which can harm your speakers make sure the power cord of the C 1 is disconnected or that its rear panel power switch is turned off the 0 position e Make sure all your cables are long enough so that they are not strained or stretched when you pull the C 1 o
65. el outputs are affected by whatever surround tone control and other DSP digital signal processor settings you select There is a Bypass mode which sends signals directly from the left and right balanced inputs to the left front and right front balanced output jacks avoiding the DSP section for additional assurance of the signal s purity see the Source Setup in the chapter on Adjustments Menus and Setup In Bypass mode signals from the balanced outputs are not available at the recording or Zone outputs if the balanced source also has unbalanced outputs connecting them as well will make its signal available for recording or remote zone listening Bypass only affects the balanced outputs so its benefits are only available with amplifiers that accept balanced signals CONNECTING AUDIO AND VIDEO SOURCES AND RECORDERS continued Connecting Recorders Recorders require two way connections to the C 1 so that you can record from it as well as play back through It The C 1 has one pair of input and several sets of output jacks for recorder use There are other jacks available for playback Composite Video S Video Digital Audio Record Out Record Out Outputs Component Vid o Inputs and Outputs Balanced Analog Audio Inputs Balanced Analog Audio Outputs Composite Video Inputs ideo Outputs S Video Inputs S Video Outputs ReWrd ade In xpansion Port For inlan uture Technologies e or O igital Out External C
66. er buttons Turning the C 1 off with this button or the remotes leaves the C 1 inactive but able to respond to a turn on command from either remote control To turn the C 1 completely off for service or when you will be away for long periods first turn the C 1 off with the front panel ON OFF switch or remote control then reach around behind the unit s left side reach over the power cord and flip down the rocker switch This will prevent your hearing turn off thumps through your speakers and will ensure that the current volume and source settings are preserved when you turn the C 1 on again The OFF and ON buttons on the small SideKick remote have the same effect as the front panel switch On the Master remote the action of the OFF and ON buttons depends on the remote s operating mode When the remote s MAIN menu is displayed the OFF and ON buttons perform custom programmed macros designed to power your entire home theater system on and off To reach this menu press the MAIN button on the remote But when the remote s C1 C2 menu is displayed the OFF and ON buttons affect only the C 1 You ll notice the remote menu says C1 C2 this is because the same remote control is used for the Halo C 2 Controller USING THE MAIN CONTROLS continued Mute _ ae 5 Volume po amp m 2 Volume bie 1am rie Off E Ay On Volume gt is ESA E ar Volume gt 4 Thumbpad Pan Volume and Muting
67. even when left on continually for extreme reliability The C 1 employs additional LC inductive capacitive filtering after the filters con tained in the power supply for the utmost purity and refinement of audio details PARASOUND C 1 DESIGN OVERVIEW continued Functionality The C 1 has inputs and outputs to accommodate any home theater configuration the ability to automatically decode all current surround signal formats and a con trol and interface structure that s totally programmable To make that versatility manageable the C 1 uses context sensitive control logic that with minor excep tions offers you only those options that are valid in your Current situation Two universal remote controls are supplied both programmable for multi ccommand macro sequences as well as individually commands The Master remote gives you direct access to every conceivable adjustment and setup plus direct control of the C 1 and up to 19 additional components The smaller simpler SideKick gives you rapid access to the Master remote s most useful commands whatever you decide those are Free downloadable software lets users program the C 1 and both remotes from their PCs Finally the C 1 is highly upgradable Its operating soft ware can be upgraded or replaced via a built in RS 232 serial port its custom DSP engine is replaceable and an expansion port stands ready to accept other tech nologies yet to come PARASOUND C 1
68. except for the Rec Out Zone and Record jacks and PHON will appear with the volume level indicator in the front panel display screen and OSD The on screen display will also turn on briefly when the headset is plugged in or unplugged Volume in head phone mode is controlled by the regular volume knob the available volume level may be limited if your headphones have unusually low impedance USING THE MAIN CONTROLS continued Changing Your Listening and Viewing Source The C 1 Controller can accept up to four audio and six audio video sources There are several ways to select a new source for listening or viewing e f you press the SOURCE button at the lower right of the C 1 front panel its halo will glow a brighter blue and the front panel knob temporarily changes its function from volume control to input source selector As you turn the knob information for each input will appear in the front panel dis play screen If the display was already showing a video program input information will now appear It will either be superimposed on the program or it will appear on a blank background in place of the program depending on the choices you made in Display Setup page 34 Five seconds after you stop turning the knob it resumes its volume control function and the display reverts to whatever video program It was showing originally e The Master remote control supplied with the C 1 can be used to select any source directly Source sele
69. f the C 1 ee e The circular thumbpad on the Master remote changes the C RTE 1 source input in either of two ways Rocking it to the right or AUDIO ers left makes the C 1 scan up or down through its input choices Set shred the scan ends when you release the thumbpad Pressing the fee Dolby PLII Music center of the pad starts or stops Autosearch of all source Signal Neer inputs currently receiving video or digital audio Input signals Input Auto The FAV button on the Master remote though normally programmed to help you find your favorite TV or satellite channels can also be programmed for other favorite activi ties of yours These can be single commands or complex macros series of up to 190 commands that handle a sequence of events with one push of a button A FAV macro might for example turn on your video projector and satellite tuner lower the screen select the appropriate C 1 input close the draperies and dim your room lights e The MENU button when any C1 C2 page is active will bring up the Setup menus for the C 1 their uses will be covered in the next chapter Ie Mute ET a a Volume gt z wre pA kA D Lid o Pa Thumbpad Note The printed buttons on either remote can be programmed for any single function or multi step macro If your remotes have been reprogrammed some of these descriptions may no longer apply USING THE MASTER AND SIDEKICK REMOTES cont
70. feet of slack that enables you to pull the C 1 out to change connections without inadvertently disconnecting things If you re putting the C 1 in a cabinet make sure there s grab space on each side with a space that s at least 22 inches wide you ll be able to turn the unit around for easy access to its rear connections Rack Mounting Your Parasound C 1 If you plan to mount the C 1 into a standard 19 wide equipment rack you will need to purchase the optional Parasound HRA 4 Rack Mount Adapter With its four feet removed the C 1 chassis and front panel height occupies four 1 rack spaces 7 or 178 mm When mounting equip ment below the C 1 you will also need to allow about below the unit for the bottom chassis screws Please call your Parasound dealer or Parasound s Technical Services department if you need additional advice about rack mounting the C 1 TINLCCCTMCCT IMUM GETTING STARTED The Parasound C 1 Controller is a complete home theater control center With it you can feed signals from any of four analog and digital audio and six audio video components to your surround sound and video system simultaneously feeding video and stereo audio even from a different source to rooms in a second entertainment zone and integrate the C 1 into multi room home control systems You can adjust volume bass and treble separately for each zone In the main zone you can use any of 15 s
71. g through the analog inputs of a digital recorder this feature also alerts you to distortion caused by excessive signal levels without your having to keep watching a meter or other level indicator The Rec Out jack in the Tape Monitor section carries whatever analog signal you select for the main listening zone with the excep tions of balanced inputs in Bypass mode and the 71 channel analog input The Record outputs in the Video S Video and Analog Audio output sections of the rear panel also carry the video and analog audio signals playing in the main zone Avoid setting the source selector to an audio or video deck while it s recording from the Record outputs or you ll get G USING THE MAIN CONTROLS continued feedback producing a loud very unpleasant noise through your speakers until you change the source or press MUTE Because the signal for the Zone output is selected separately you can use that output to record one input source on an audio or video recorder while a different source is playing in the main zone Changes in volume control settings do not affect the signals at the analog audio Record outputs and Tape Monitor Rec Out jacks so you can readjust volume without making the signal levels in your recordings fluctuate The digital outputs can feed digital recorders but only with signals coming in through one of the C 1 Controller s eight digital inputs Selecting Sound Patterns Listening Modes The C 1 has a total of
72. have one you ll find it easier if you start with the unbalanced analog audio jacks which are on the bottom row then work your way up the panel from there It s a good Idea to write down which component each jack is connected to so you can program the C 1 to display each source s name see Adjustments Menus and Setup on page 32 rather than just Audio 1 Video 3 and so on GETTING STARTED continued The various types of video jacks composite S Video and component use differing connector types but the so called RCA type used for composite video simply labeled Video on the back panel is also used for analog and digital audio The RCA jacks on the C 1 are color coded red and white for right and left channel analog audio yellow for composite video black for digital inputs and red for digital output for the 71 channel inputs and outputs the surround side chan nel jacks are blue and gray the center channel green the subwoofer pink and the surround back channels brown and tan Note Cables designed for analog audio do not work well for digital audio or for composite video even though all three have the same type of plug composite video and digital audio cables can however be substituted for each other if need be Recorders require output as well as input connections If a recorder is connected to the C 1 s Rec Out jacks its output should be fed to the Controller s Play In jacks If you have
73. he THX key returning to Direct and switching THX processing off when you press either Mode key THX Surround EX will not activate if no surround back speak ers were selected during Setup or the source signal does not include surround channels In the first instance the display will read No Surround back Speakers in the second it will read Incompatible Source When THX modes are selected for an incompatible source or speaker setup the C 1 will remember the selection and will automatically apply it if the setup is changed or a compatible source Is selected TAPE Switches the main zone audio output to the signal trom the Play In jacks of the rear panel s Tape Monitor section and to stereo mode This allows you to hear not only the input sig nal being fed to your recorder but by pressing the key the output from the same recorder If an analog tape recorder with separate recording and playback heads is connected to these jacks you can use this feature to hear the signal from the tape you ve just recorded delayed by the fraction of a second it takes the tape to travel from the recording to the playback head If a digital recorder s analog input and output jacks are connected to these jacks using this fea ture will let you check the signal after it s been through the recorder s A D and D A converters to be sure the signal level does not reach overload levels Distortion which increases gradually as analog tapes
74. he Master remote or the INFO button on the SideKick remote will bring that information to the screen for 5 seconds The same information will appear on any TV set or projector connected to the composite or S Video OSD output on the rear panel of the C 1 The same signal will be echoed to the OSD composite and S Video outputs on the rear panel for display on a video screen You can choose whether to view the status information against a plain background or superimposed on the current video program and whether the information will stay on screen at all times or switch off after 5 seconds For this and other adjustments see Display Setup in the chapter after next Pressing STATUS or INFO on the remotes will bring it back again or shut it off if you finish with it before the 5 seconds have elapsed Information is also displayed whenever you change a control setting you can select whether it will fill the screen or only appear near the bottom of the on screen display The built in and on screen displays are extremely important and useful in the Setup modes see Adjustments Menus and Setup The DIM button selects four levels of brightness for the C 1 s built in 5 display screen Pressing the DIM button once dims the display pressing it again selects minimum brightness Pressing DIM a third time selects maximum brightness and pressing it a fourth time restores the factory set brightness Display brightness will re
75. he remotes can reach them In the next three chapters we ll cover the C 1 s controls in more detail including setup adjust ments you or your installer can make to optimize the C 1 for your setup USING THE MAIN CONTROLS Despite its versatility the Parasound Halo C 1 Controller has only ten pushbuttons a knob and a display on its front panel That s in part because we expect users will most often operate it by remote control and in part because many Tront panel controls do more than one thing The operations described in this chapter can be performed easily with the front panel or the Master remote control Other operations which can be performed only or far more conveniently with the Master remote are covered in the chapter after this one Here s a map of the panel Calibration Microphone Input Display Dim IR Mute Video Display Screen Status Menu Knob Cdntroller PARASOUND Headphone Output On Off Zone Display Display Source Surround Zone Main Mode The Main Operations On Off Volume Source Selection On Off When the C 1 is turned off the On Off button s halo glows a soft blue and the Parasound logo above the display glows a soft red If nothing Is lit either the C 1 is not plugged into a live outlet or the power switch on the rear panel is turned off Turning the unit on makes the button s halo and the Parasound logo brighter and turns on the display and the blue halos around the oth
76. i plug on the other While you are unpacking your C 1 inspect it thoroughly for possible shipping damage and tell your Parasound dealer right away if you find any If possible save and store both the inner and outer cartons and most especially the foam packing inserts so you can use them if you have to ship the C 1 or to protect it when you move To save room in storage you can cut the seams on the bottom of the cartons and flatten them Placement Guidelines The C 1 will be easiest to use and stay reliable longer if you follow these simple guidelines Place the C 1 ona shelf that will adequately support its weight Unless you ll control the C 1 through remote infrared sensors pick a shelf placed where you can aim the remote controls at the C 1 easily If you do use remote sensors be sure the remotes beams can t reach the remote and front panel sensors at the same time Place the C 1 where its front panel display will face you directly The display is designed to be viewed no more than 15 to either side of its axis and no more than 30 above or 10 below axis If this is not possible the display s contents can also be sent to a remote video display see page 49 for details Keep the C 1 away from heat sources such as air ducts or radiators Leave at least 1 of space on all sides and the top This helps facilitate passive heat dissipation If you re installing the C 1 yourself use cables long enough to leave at least two
77. ike They are programmed from this menu Level adjusts the channel s level relative to other channels for proper sonic balance It is adjustable from 15 to 15 dB gt Ch S config setup in 0 5 dB increments When these channels are used for Bie special effects it s usually a good idea to keep their levels o E low Because these extra channels can be used in so many aa Oe ways it is impossible to prescribe specific level settings we delay a suggest starting at the lowest possible level gradually rais Exit ing it until the extra channel becomes barely audible then cutting the level back by a fraction of a decibel Aux channel setup Delay can be used simply to synchronize the arrival time of the programmed channel s sound with that of the other channels But it can also be used for special effects such as adding ambience It is adjustable trom 0 0 to 80 0 milliseconds in incre ments of 0 5 ms We suggest you first try increasing the delay by 0 1 ms for each foot or per 0 3 meter of distance from the speaker to your listening position then try slight variations Setting the delay a bit shorter than the measured distance calls for may make the sound of this channel more dominant lengthening the delay may make it less so If the delay varies by more than 30 ms from the delay settings based on distance the channel s sound will not blend seam lessly with the other channels Aux channel setup Ch 9 or 10 Config Setup brings up
78. ill be replaced by a musical G clef symbol 6 giving you a quick way to make sure each speaker is connected to the proper channel Speakers entered as No in Size setup will be shown as None on this menu and no signal will be sent to them For actual level setting rock the Master remote s thumbpad up and down to select the speaker you wish to adjust then rock the thumbpad to the left or right until your sound level meter reads 75 dB 5 on the 80 dB scale Then proceed to the next speaker The noise will automati cally go to the speaker you re adjusting If you pause for more than a few seconds the test noise will resume cycling through your speakers Distance Setup Proper surround also requires that the sounds reaching you from the different speakers in your system should have the same relative timing as they did in the studio mixing room If the speak ers in the studio were equidistant from the engineer but your main speakers are three feet further from you than your surrounds are the sound from the main speakers would reach you about 3 milliseconds 0 003 sec late and you might hear say a gunshot s echo before the shot Itself To compensate your system would have to delay the sound from the surround speakers by three milliseconds enabling the sound from the main speakers to catch up The C 1 does this automati cally see Dist autocalibrate below but you can also set delays by measuring the distance
79. inued Controlling Other Components In Your System Exactly what your remotes do when controlling other components will depend on what compo nents you have and how the remotes are custom programmed If your remotes have not been set up for your specific system you ll find the Master remote already programmed to control various popular TVs DVD players VCRs and more so that its device control pages can give you some idea of how it might be re programmed to control your system Even when the remotes are customized however the printed buttons will usually have the following functions Previous Channel Guide Menu gt Channel Selection Players amp gt Recorders GI w l Favorite gt i Numerical gt Keypad e The buttons surrounding the Master remote s thumbpad are labeled for use as transport con trols for DVD players VCRs tape decks etc and will ordinarily be used as such controlling whichever device s control pages are active e MENU if pressed while any of the C1 C2 pages is on the display will put the C 1 in setup mode as described in the chapter on Adjustments Menus and Setup e CH and CH can be programmed to change channels on whatever device or devices you use for station selection If for example you used both a satellite dish tuner and a cable tuner these buttons could control channel selection for whichever one was currently shown on th
80. istortion the C 1 diverts bass signals from any channels with Small speakers and sends them to the Subwoofer filter Subwoofer fres 00 Hz subwoofer this diversion takes place at the frequency set SHENAE be on the Size setup menu The bass from Large speak Exit ers which can handle it well is not normally sent to the sub If you re not sure if you should classify your speakers as Small or Large try both settings and see which sounds best Main speakers the left and right front speakers may be set as Large or Small M H Center speaker may be set to Large Small or No If your system has no center speaker set this to No so the C 1 will divert any centerchannel signals into your front left and right speakers This is sometimes referred to as a Phantom center because even without an actual center channel speaker you will still hear sound apparently coming from between your front speakers Surround speakers which are placed at the sides of the room may also be set to Large Small or No Back speakers are used for 6 1 or 7 1 channel soundtracks such as Dolby Surround EX THX EX and DTS ES Here a single speaker 6 1 channel will suffice for many listeners so the options are No 1 Small 1 Large 2 Small and 2 Large Back channel information is always derived from the information in the surround channels so those s
81. l Information Dimensions Width 17 4 437 mm Panel Height 7 178 mm Total Height with feet 7 194 mm Depth 16 406 mm Power Requirements 90 V to 260 V AC 50 60 Hz 65 watts Net Weight 21 Ibs Shipping Weight 393 IDS Features and specifications subject to change without notice Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories Dolby Pro Logic and the double D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Manufactured under license from Digital Theater Systems Inc US Pat No 5 451 942 5 956 674 5 974 380 5 978 762 and other worldwide patents issued and pending DTS DTS ES Extended Surround and Neo 6 are trademarks of Digital Theater Systems Inc Copyright 1996 2000 Theater Systems Inc All Rights Reserved Manufactured under license from THX Ltd U S patent numbers 5 043 970 5 189 703 and or 5 222 059 European patent number 0323830 Other U S and foreign patents pending Ultra2 and THX are trademarks or registered trademarks of THX Ltd Surround EX is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories Inc Used under authorization INDEX A AC cord 6 AC outlet 6 AC connection 6 AC power switch 6 AC voltage 6 A D Analog to Digital Converters 12 63 Adaptive Decorrelation 61 Advanced Speaker Array ASA 36 61 Amplifiers unmatched 47 61 Analog Monitor 33 55 Analog audio sources connecting 37 39 41 42 ASA see Advanced Speaker Array Ass
82. lay screen and on any video monitors or projectors connected to the C 1 OSD video output jacks Unless this parameter is set to Off any changes you make to volume source mode bass treble and so on will be shown briefly on the displays If this parameter is set to Full the screens will show full status information which is probably more than you need or want to see each time you change a mode or an input as shown here If Temporary Disp Is set to Simple only the source or mode setting you just changed will be displayed in the AUDIO lower right corner of the screen Signal Digital PCM Input Coaxial 2 Hode Dolby PLIT Music CD VIDEO Signal No signal Input Auto 2 Video format is used for selecting video source formats If set to Svideo the C 1 will automati cally use the S video input jacks for the Video 1 through Video 6 inputs Setting it to Compos causes the composite video jacks to be used When it s set to Auto the C 1 automatically selects S video signals when they are available and selects composite video otherwise Distance units controls whether the Distance setup screen shows speaker distances in feet or meters OSD Output gives you the choice of sending on screen display information to the composite video OSD output the S video OSD output both or neither Off If you set this for an out put you re not using or to Off all OSD info
83. lection but can be repro grammed as a channel control for your TV cable box or satellite tuner MUTE cuts off output from the C 1 to your amplifiers and speakers Normally it controls the main zone including the Phones jack on the front panel but if the C 1 is in Zone control mode it will cut off sound to your remote zone INFO presents on your on screen video display if you are using one the current source s name audio and video input types and audio mode This information is shown for 10 seconds FAVORITE buttons A B and C can be programmed for many uses depending on your home theater habits For example if you mainly watch DVDs a button could be programmed with a macro that turns on the C 1 DVD and video screen and sets the C 1 to its DVD input Or if you mainly channel surf you can set the three buttons to bring up your three favorite channels Because the possibilities and the systems the C 1 and SideKick will be used with vary so much the FAVORITE buttons are programmed at the factory to do nothing in particular they send the same signals as the Master Remote s 17 2 and 3 buttons do in C1 C2 mode This leaves them free to be reprogrammed for you and your system The SideKick is an excellent choice for use in a second remote zone The Zone command need not be programmed into it for this as the C 1 has a control input specifically for use with commands from an IR repeater sensor in the re
84. ls Hum and or buzz heard Defective audio interconnect Check all audio interconnect cables in affect through speakers or cable ed channel or coming from affected source headphones Ground loop with TV cable system Disconnect your home theater system from the cable outlet If the noise goes away install a TV cable ground interrupter Ground loop among your Move the ground switch on your power ampli components fier s to the lift position Isolate the source component causing the hum Disconnect sources one at a time and listen for hum each time Press the C 1 mute button before you remove an input plug and unmute the C 1 after the plug is out When you ve disconnected a source and the hum disappears reconnect all of the other sources again Contact your deal er about modifying the cable used to connect that component to break its ground path If the C 1 and other components are rack mounted use insulated shoulder washers to prevent metal to metal contact between each compo nent s chassis or rack brackets and the rack rails Some headphones do Plug body too fat for front panel Get 3 5 mm stereo extension cord with thinner not work with C 1 hole plug body Surround modes Surround amps or speakers not Change Size entries in Speaker Setup from unavailable entered in Setup No to Small or Large THX modes not available Inapplicable mode or speaker Consult mode table in Using Main Controls setup Po
85. ly in sys tems with dual surround back speakers compen sates for the effect of different speaker spacings on the size of the listening sweet spot When it is active two more modes become available THX Advanced Cinema is designed for playback of 5 1 channel digital soundtracks over a 1 channel system THX MusicMode is similar but sends more sound to the surround back speakers and less to the side surrounds Boundary Gain Compensation reduces excessive bass below about 35 Hz to prevent the boominess that can occur when speakers with substantial TECHNICALLY SPEAKING continued response down to 20 Hz including subwoofers e Digital Error The digital signal being fed to the that meet THX Ultra2 standards are used in typi C 1 has errors in it and the C 1 needs a little time to cal sized home listening rooms It should be acti analyze and accept it This may happen very briefly vated in setup if you have such subwoofers but at the start of a DVD or CD and for longer periods otherwise turned off when surfing channels with a satellite receiver While this message appears you won t hear any sound so a slight delay whenever you tune your satellite receiver to another station is quite normal On Screen Messages The front panel display and video on screen display may sometimes show these messages while you re watching a movie Helpful Web Addresses The following are the Web addresses for companies e Di
86. main at your last selected setting so you don t need to readjust it each time you turn on the C 1 To turn off the built in display press the DISPLAY MAIN or ZONE button depending on which zone s video you are previewing Note Ihe built in display screen s brightness and clarity are greatly diminished when viewed off axis from above below or to the sides Brighter display settings will make video programs clearer and menu text more legible Display brightness will increase temporarily when you press the front panel MUTE button We chose a traditional 4 3 aspect ratio for the C 1 s built in screen to make setup menus easier to read Widescreen video programs will appear letterooxed with black horizontal bands at the top and bottom of the display screen the same as with any 4 3 format TV or video screen Dual Zone Operation The C 1 controller can provide different audio and video signals to two rooms or zones in your home the second or remote zone can Incorporate one room or several depending on your instal lation Only analog unbalanced audio and composite video outputs are provided for the second zone analog surround soundtracks fed to the remote zone can be decoded by a suitable amplifier or controller in that zone All composite video sources can be sent to the second zone Digital audio signals are not fed to the second zone but signals from the analog outputs of digital components e g CD and DVD players can be selec
87. may not respond prop erly to commands It receives from two sources at the same time AC Connection and Power The C 1 operates on 90 260 volts so no voltage selector switch is necessary Plug its power cord into an AC outlet that is always live unswitched The C 1 will not operate properly if it s plugged in to an AC outlet that might be switched off Next press I on its rearpanel AC Power switch This will enable the C 1 to be turned on and off from its front panel On Off button or remote control On and Off buttons The only time you might want to use the AC Power switch again is if you plan to be away for an extended time Note Do not press 0 on the AC GETTING STARTED continued Power switch or unplug either end of the AC cord before the C 1 has first been turned off by the remote control or front panel On Off button If AC power is removed from the C 1 before it is turned off you will lose the selections you made during setup and you may hear some nasty thumps In your speakers For more detailed directions to connect the C 1 see the three chapters Making Connections pages 37 54 Controls and Operation For starters all you need to do is turn the C 1 on and wait a few seconds for it to boot up Select an input see below and raise the volume to a comfortable level The display will show which input is selected and to what input jacks it s assigned the listening mode and the current volume level
88. mote brings up a list of options For bass limiter setup the display would read Audio setur Turning the knob a little or rocking the thumbpad to one side changes the setting or adjusts the function you ve selected For example Bass limiter would go from Off to On and back to Off again while Limiter level would change in 1 dB steps from 50 to O dB If you ve finished making changes and would like to go to a different setup you can save your changes and move back to a higher menu level by selecting Exit from the current menu by rocking the thumbpad up or down or by turning the front panel knob until you reach Exit To exit the current menu press the center of the thumbpad or turn the front panel knob one click To save your changes and get out of setup altogether press the STATUS button on the front panel or the MENU button on the Master remote To get out of setup without saving your changes press ESC Escape on the Master remote Each of the six setup titles in the Main Menu is the heading for a separate submenu each sub menu includes a number of control options or sub submenus which are described individually in the pages that follow Main Menu Trigger setur THR Audio setur Exit ADJUSTMENTS MENUS AND SETUP continued Audio Setup The settings made on this screen are global affecting all inputs and modes unless specifically overridden by gt D SetuP settings made via othe
89. mote zone The SideKick s OFF and ON buttons can be reprogrammed with macros to turn on the C 1 Controller s Zone circuitry and any equip ment such as TV sets or amplifiers in the second zone If your C 1 was set up by your dealer or installer the SideKick has probably been programmed for your system and the way you use it If not you can program it very easily from your PC by downloading and running the MxX Editor software from our Web site To program the SideKick connect the programming cable to your computer and click the MX Editor program s SideKick tab then using your computer s mouse drag the functions you want from the pictured Master remote and drop them onto the SideKick buttons you wish to control them with 2 USING THE MASTER AND SIDEKICK REMOTES continued For Further Information The Halo Master and SideKick remotes are customized versions of the award winning Home Theater Master MX 700 manufactured by Universal Remote Control Inc Further information updates and literature can be found at Universal s Web site www hometheatermaster com together with the MX Editor software and a tutorial and programming manual for it However the MX Editor version at our Web site www parasound com halo is specifically adapted for the version supplied with the C 1 ADJUSTMENTS MENUS AND SETUP As you ve probably gathered from the many earlier references to this chapter just about every aspect of the C 1 Cont
90. n dB and is called the common mode rejection ratio or CMRR The Tape Monitor and its Many Uses The Tape Monitor Play In and Rec Out jacks on the C 1 are designed for easy integration of a stereo ana log recorder tape CD MiniDisc or even the inputs and outputs of your computer s sound card It is espe cially useful with recorders that permit simultaneous playback of the just recorded tape enabling you to quickly compare the recorded output to the signal you re recording simply by pressing the Tape key on Page One of the Master remote s C1 C2 menu The Tape Monitor jacks can also be used with equaliz ers and other two channel signal processors If you connect the Rec Out jack to the processor s input and connect the processor s output to the Play In jacks you will be able to switch between the direct output of the C 1 and the output of the processor If you have so many components that you re short of input jacks the Play In jack can also be used as an extra unbalanced analog stereo input However the signal from this input will not be available through any of the recording outputs or Zone Bass and Treble Controls The bass and treble controls offer adjustment of overall tonal balance in the front left center and right channels The Bass controls allow you to boost or cut low frequen cles 12 dB at 20 Hz in 1 dB increments The Treble controls allow you to boost or cut high frequencies 12 dB at 20 kHz in 1 dB i
91. n lead to decreased bass at specific fre quencies caused by interference between the subwoofer s bass output and that of the other speakers if that occurs you can try reversing the polarity of your sub or simply shut EBASS off TEST Sends a calibration noise signal to each channel in turn for use in checking channel iden tification and setting speaker levels For channel identification the signal advances from channel to channel every 2 seconds starting from the left front and moving clockwise to the center D USING THE MASTER AND SIDEKICK REMOTES continued right front right Surround right back left back left surround and subwoofer When used for manual level setting it can be directed to whichever channel you re adjusting This feature is only available in Level setup on the Speaker setup menu e 7 1 Switches to the C 1 Controller s 71 channel analog unbalanced inputs for use with multi channel DVD Audio and SACD players or any future components that do their own surround decoding Like the Bypass mode for the balanced Inputs this is a direct pass through mode with no processing except the precision analog volume control for maximum signal purity Page 2 of the C1 C2 Menu The factory default input titles shown here match the factory defaults of the C 1 The inputs on this list and on the C 1 can be renamed by your dealer or installer to correspond to the sources in your system You can also
92. nce Y and color difference Cb and Cr rather than trans mitting them mixed together and separating them out later Not every Source component or video monitor labels its component video Y Cb and Cr some may label their connections as be Y B Y and R Y or Y Pb and Pr Refer to the owner s manual of your video component for details A growing number of video components including large screen IVs video projectors and DVD players have component video connections and you ll get the best possible picture quality if you use these connec tions However you will need both a component video source the C 1 has inputs for three such sources and a TV or projector with component video inputs as the C 1 s component video board is isolated from its other video circuitry Component video systems commonly use RCA or twist on BNC connectors with BNC offering a slight edge in picture quality the C 1 has BNC Jacks and comes with adapters for cables with RCA plugs In addition to these three jacks which you ll find on home theater components and some professional video gear may have RGB connections which use separate cables for red green and blue plus external connections for horizontal and vertical sync signals or sometimes R G and B plus a composite sync as do the VGA video inputs and outputs on computers the five jacks on the component video inputs and output of the C 1 can be connected to these components too TECHNICAL
93. ncrements Io preserve sonic clarity use these controls sparingly and only for record ings that actually sound better with tonal correction You will find that very slight adjustments can add a degree of warmth richness clarity and airiness However greater adjustments may obscure musical detail and even risk overloading your speakers You can only adjust the bass and treble controls via Page 3 of the C1 C2 menu on the Master remote Bass and treble controls do not affect the Rec Out Record 1 Record 2 or Zone outputs but their effect can be heard when playing back through the Play In input IR Repeater Input Jacks The IR inputs one for each zone on the rear panel of the C 1 are used for connecting the C 1 to wired infrared repeater sensors or system controllers Note that the main and remote zones each have their own IR input jacks The IR input jacks accept standard 3 5 mm two conductor mini plugs with the positive wired to the plug s tio and the negative to Its sleeve Your Authorized Parasound Dealer or custom installer can recommend a compatible infrared repeater system for the C 1 Preventing or Minimizing Hum and Buzz Audible hum and buzzing noises in a system are usually related to issues with the component grounds Ground Sometimes called common is a point of reference for voltages In virtually all audio and video components Every component has its own ground reference and the audio signal swings positiv
94. nd infinite continuous duration Thanks to the flexibility of its three triggers the C 1 can initiate and end a number of operations For example the On Off trigger could be used to turn power amplifiers on and off with the C 1 video based settings could be used to lower a projection screen turn on a video projector dim room lights and draw window curtains THX Audio Setup THX EX enable can be set to Auto or Manual With Auto the C 1 will automatically switch into THX Surround EX THX EX Enable Automatic mode if the following conditions are met THR Audio setur THX Ultra Sub 1 THX processing Is switched on THX Ultraz Sub Ve Boundary gain comp n 2 You are playing a Dolby Digital soundtrack that carries Bac the digital flag that identifies it as carrying information for surround back speakers 3 You selected Back speakers in Speaker Setup Size If there is no EX flag THX processing will default to THX Cinema for 5 1 and 6 1 channel speaker setups and THX Ultra2 Cinema for 71 channel setups If THX EX enable is set to Manual EX processing can be activated when applicable by press ing the THX key on the Master remote once or twice when the C 1 is in Direct mode Boundary gain comp compensation tames the excessive boomy bass that can occur when listeners are near the back wall of home theaters whose subwoofers meet THX Ultra2 stan dards or have flat anechoic response down to 20 H
95. nd displayed they turn power off and on for that device only These buttons can also be reprogrammed to turn your entire system on and off when the remote is displaying its Main screen rather than screens for individual components unless reprogrammed they will control power for both the C 1 and the T 3 tuner when the remote s Main screen is displayed e The two VOL buttons on either the Main or SideKick remote raise and lower the volume setting of the C 1 regardless of the current control page e MUTE on either remote turns off the C 1 Controller s audio outputs in the local zone or if the C 1 is already muted unmutes it USING THE MASTER AND SIDEKICK REMOTES continued e Like the STATUS button on the front panel of the C 1 the STATUS button on the Master remote and the INFO button on the SideKick can be pressed to show the current main zone operating sta tus Source audio and video signal types audio mode and volume setting on the C 1 controller s front panel display or on any video projector or monitor connected to the OSD video output jacks The status information will be shown for 5 seconds Status information will only be shown on the front panel display if it is turned on in status mode or is in video preview mode and Superimpose has been selected in Display Setup page 34 This information will also appear on any TV set or pro jector connected to the composite or S Video OSD output jacks on the rear panel o
96. nitor disconnected Reconnect video monitor Video monitor is connected to the Move cable to OSD jack No OSD jack on C 1 OSD hard to read against Superimpose set to On Set Superimpose in Display setup to Off video image OSD blanks video picture Superimpose set to Off Set Superimpose in Display setup to On Digital Error message on Faulty input signal lf message persists more than a few seconds display change satellite channel DVD or CD check source component check satellite dish Some C 1 functions Control microprocessor is Turn the C 1 off by its front panel switch then don t work latched or locked up by its rear panel switch wait about one minute and turn it back on again Built in screen doesn t show No composite video signal Attach a cable from the composite video out video program available put of each source to the corresponding C 1 composite video input jack Difficult to read status mes Display screen too dim Press the Dim button to increase brightness sages on built in screen g View screen closer to on axis Note Additional information can be found by checking the Product FAQs frequently asked questions and tech bulletins on our Web site www parasound com halo SERVICING YOUR C 1 If All Else Fails Call Us for Help Call your Parasound dealer or Parasound s Technical Service Department toll free at 1 866 77
97. ns The C 1 comes with two triggercontrol wires Each wire is 3 feet 1 meter long with a 3 5 mm mini plug to fit the C 1 trigger output jacks and a 2 5 mm sub mini plug for the trigger input jacks on Parasound amplifiers and tuners Additional wires are available trom Parasound CAUTION Insert or remove trigger plug wires only when the C 1 is switched off or disconnected from the AC power line Otherwise its trigger circuits may be damaged TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE TROUBLE eg 310 7 1 E e7 UE 5 REMEDY Power cord is disconnected Connect power cord Rear panel AC switch is turned off Turn switch back on Check outlet by plugging in another device if dead check fuse or circuit breaker Power on but no sound Turn up volume Switch muting off Unplug headphones Check input selection Make sure source Is turned on and playing Source setup wrong Make sure source Is set for correct input type analog or digital Amplifiers turned off Turn amplifiers on One channel dead Faulty connections Check all connections in channel fix as needed All channels on one Faulty connection from analog Check connections from source to C 1 side dead source No sound in Mono mode Center speaker is off Turn center channel on and check its Dialog is muffled amplifier and speaker or inaudible No power No sound at unbalanced C 1isin Bypass mode Change Balanced Routing in Source output from balanced setup menu from
98. ociating presets with inputs 32 Audio recorders 11 12 44 45 Audio Setup menu 25 26 55 Autocalibration abort 31 Autocalibration Distance amp Level 30 31 Autosearch input selection mode 11 19 57 Aux Programmable Outputs 29 30 50 52 B Back surround channels 6 12 14 17 27 29 395 48 5152 61 Balanced Inputs and Outputs 14 33 37 38 42 47 48 55 59 65 Balanced In Bypass mode see Bypass Bass control see Tone controls Bass limiter 26 55 BNC Connectors see also component video 4 37 39 50 60 Boundary gain compensation 35 61 62 Built in display screen 5 8 15 34 Bypass mode 11 12 14 18 33 38 table 42 47 55 59 63 w C1 C2 Menus on Master Remote 9 12 17 18 Calibration microphone 8 30 31 Calibration noise Test signal 17 18 Center Width setting 13 25 Central overhead channel 52 CH buttons SideKick remote 11 20 21 Club mode 13 25 61 CMRR see Common mode rejection ratio Colors of on screen display OSD 34 Common mode rejection ratio CMRR 59 Component video 5 6 11 33 35 37 40 49 50 52 table 60 63 65 Component video RGB jacks 40 50 60 Composite video 6 15 32 34 37 40 49 50 56 60 63 65 Concert Mode 13 25 61 Control jacks 5 35 50 51 53 54 59 Crossover filter 27 D A digital to analog converters 63 Delay Programmable Aux Channels 9 and 10 29 35 Delay Speaker distance adjustment 28
99. on vhalo and a standard RS 232 serial cable can be purchased at any dealer who sells PCs or computer accessories Further the RS 232 port can be used to update the C 1 Controller s operating software should future developments such as new types of surround recording make it necessary or simply to incorporate ongoing Parasound upgrades We ll post news about product developments on our Web site IR Inputs These two jacks accept remote control signals relayed or repeated from remote IR receivers or sensors Repeater systems extend the range of your remote control handset permitting it to con trol the C 1 when it is installed in a cabinet with closed doors Each of the two IR input jacks on the C 1 is dedicated to control of a single zone The Zone IR input is used to operate the C 1 from the second remote zone and commands received through this jack affect only remote zone operation The Main IR input affects only the local zone enabling you to operate the C 1 if it s mounted out of sight in a cabinet or equipment closet or from other rooms within the local zone Note Position the C 1 and any remote infrared sensors in the main room so that the beam from a remote control handset cannot reach both at once otherwise the C 1 may not respond correctly to the remote s commands When positioning the C 1 and sensor remember that infrared can be reflected just as other light wavelengths are CONTROL CONNECTIONS con
100. ones have a jack you will need a stereo jack to stereo 4 mini plug adapter Video Signal Formats The C 1 can handle the three common video signal formats composite video outputs S Video and component video TECHNICALLY SPEAKING continued Composite video combines all the components of the video signal and passes them through a two conduc tor cable It therefore offers the least vivid and detailed video images It is however the most widely used home video connection standard largely because it is the oldest In the C 1 composite video input signals are fed only to the composite video out puts RCA connectors usually yellow are used almost universally for this format S Video which uses separate wires for luminance pic ture brightness in effect the signal portions that make a black and white picture and chrominance color information Keeping these picture elements separate reduces interactions between them and produces a cleaner more detailed picture than composite video It also requires the use of connectors with four pins two each for the luminance and chrominance circuits Component video which requires three cables is capable of handling all current high definition televi sion HDTV formats up to 1080 1080 lines inter laced and beyond The key to the high quality of component video con nections are that they include separate links connec tions for the video signal components of lumina
101. ontrol J Digital Audio Inputs AX D Audio 5 Record 1 Record 2 OO WO OO IO O Play In Rec Out C Analog Audio Inputs Tape Monitor Analog Audio Outputs 7 1 Analog Audio Inputs Main Analog Audio Outputs Programmable Out Tape Zone amp Monitor Record Outputs The output jacks for audio recording are all unaffected by the volume bass and treble controls and from changes otf listening mode You can adjust any of these listening parameters even while you record without affecting the sound of the recording The Tape Monitor Rec Out jacks and the separate Record output jacks receive the same signal as the main zone If you wish to listen to one signal in your main zone while recording another connect your recorder s input to the Zone output jacks whose program source can be selected independently With the C 1 you can easily connect three recorders at once even without using the Zone output for example an analog tape deck on the Tape Monitor jacks a VCR on the audio Record 1 and video Record outputs and a digital audio recorder connected to digital inputs and outputs and to audio Record 2 If desired a DVD recorder could be substituted for the digital audio deck receiv ing video trom the S Video Record jack while the composite Record jack feeds the VCR Showing all of these possibilities in one diagram would produce something like a map of the New York subway system So the diagrams that follow show various pos
102. or composite video Wrong cable type Use video cable with yellow plugs not audio image cable Audible dialog is out of DVD player does not correctly Switch off the progressive scan mode on the sync with speakers lip synchronize the audio signal with DVD player Check www parasound com halo for movements when playing the video image in its progres further information on this issue a DVD sive scan mode No sound or picture in Remote zone turned off Turn remote zone on remote zone Remote control affects Remote infrared sensor plugged Move sensor cable to correct jack wrong zone into wrong jack TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE continued TROUBLE PROBABLE CAUSE REMEDY Remote control does Remote beam reaching both built in Change setup so beam reaches only not work and remote infrared sensor atonce one sensor Infrared beam from remote Clear any obstructions cannot reach sensor Battery problem Make sure batteries are fresh and are inserted correctly Autosearch can t find the Source component is turned off Turn source component on PESEE SOUNGE Player is stopped Make sure player is in Play or Pause Wrong signal types Check connections and the Source setup menu to be sure desired source receives digi tal audio composite video or S video signals No on screen display OSD Video monitor off Turn video monitor on OSD set for wrong connection In Display Setup set OSD Output to Both Video mo
103. ost recently If your primary viewing screen is also used for on screen display OSD it will show the same information as the C 1 front panel display To turn the front panel display on and change display modes press the DISPLAY MAIN button on the front panel of the C 1 To select Superimpose see Display Setup on page 34 for con necting an on screen display see also page 49 You can access specific setup menus by pressing the front panel MENU button to advance to the next item on the list or by pressing MENU on the Master remote then rocking the remote s thumbpad up or down until the name of the setup you want appears on the second line of the built in display or is indicated by the cursor on the video screen Note Programming is much easier with the remote which lets you scroll backward and for ward through the list rather than simply torward Main Menu When you reach the setup menu you want press the cen ter of the Master remote s thumbpad or turn the front panel knob slightly clockwise to display the next level of menus Under Audio setup for example the front panel display would show ADJUSTMENTS MENUS AND SETUP continued Once again pressing MENU on the front panel of the C 1 or rocking the Master remote s thumbpad down brings gt SetuP you to the next option as shown by the on screen cursor And once again turning the front panel knob slightly or pressing the thumbpad on the Master re
104. ound patterns commonly referred to as modes from 7 1 channel surround Dolby Digital EX or dts ES to mono in the remote zone only modes that work with two channel signals are available The 71 channel analog input allows full Surround operation with surround sound sources having no digital Surround output such as multichannel DVD Audio or SACD players which have only analog multichannel outputs and any future formats with up to eight channels The output section already has 75 channels including two additional dedicated bass channels and two channels which can be programmed for even more bass functions or a variety of other uses A full color 5 video screen can display the current video program and operating status for either the local or remote zone It also speeds and simplifies setting up the C 1 by showing you complete control menu pages The front panel screen on the C 1 is particularly convenient for setup if your primary video screen is connect ed via component video jacks since component video doesn t carry on screen display information Like the TFT screen on a notebook computer the C 1 screen should be viewed from directly in front Its picture qual ity is degraded when viewed trom more than 15 to either side or more than 30 above or 10 below An RS 232 serial interface allows the C 1 Controller s settings to be stored on and modified by a PC it also allows the software built into the C 1 to be updated as need be The digit
105. ounds will be heard in the surround channels if you select No back speaker Subwoofer select Yes or No Subwoofer filter On Off A low pass crossover filter that passes only the low bass which sub woofers are designed to reproduce and blocks upper bass midrange and treble which subwoofers reproduce very badly Most self powered subwoofers and many passive subs have such filters built in still you might prefer to use this filter instead because it works in the digital domain and therefore filters at 12 dB per octave without creating phase alterations Don t use both the filter in your sub and the filter in the C 1 or some frequencies you want may not be heard at all If your sub doesn t have a bypass switch for its crossover filter adjust it to its highest frequency setting to minimize redundant filtering Subwoofer freq sets the subwoofer filter s cutoff frequency in 10 Hz increments from 40 to 140 Hz The optimum setting will depend on your speakers your sub and your room s acoustics Enhanced bass gives you the option of sending bass from channels with Large speakers to the subwoofer as well When all speakers are set to Large the subwoofer normally gets only the Low Frequency Effects or LFE signal Switching Enhanced Bass on will give you more bass energy but switching It off may make the sound clearer or even louder in some rooms because it eliminates the possibility of phase problem
106. overload becomes obnoxiously high almost at once when digital converters reach their overload point Note that signals from the digital inputs are not sent to the Rec Out analog jack and should be recorded digitally from one of the digital outputs on the C 1 DYN or Dynamic Range activates Dolby s Late Night mode when the C 1 Is playing Dolby Digital soundtracks This reduces the dynamic range of digital movie soundtracks by making the soft sounds louder and the loud sounds softer In late night listening this enables you to hear all the dialog with out awakening your family or neighbors when the sound effects get loud With anything other than Dolby digital signals the displays will read Incompatible source when you press this key EBASS or Enhanced Bass is for use in systems that have some Large speakers i e those able to deliver adequate bass on their own See Size under Speaker Setup next chapter When EBASS is off bass from the program channels with Large speakers goes only to those speakers and the subwoofer receives bass from the LFE Low Frequency Effects channel and bass trom the channels whose speakers you selected as Small during setup With EBASS on bass from all program channels goes to the subwoofer as well This can lead to a bass increase which will probably be more welcome with movie soundtracks and with pop and rock music than with classical music However in some rooms it ca
107. peaker If the added speakers are toward the front of the seating area you might try blending 10 L 90 LS on the left side 10 R 90 RS on the right Extra surround speakers closer to the rear could blend signals 2 CONNECTING THE AUDIO AND VIDEO OUTPUTS continued from the appropriate side surround channel and the back channel Time delays for these new speakers should be set for the distance to the closest seats e Add a rearchannel subwoofer try 50 B 25 LS and 25 RS Then add low pass filtering If needed and a delay time for the sub s distance from your seat If you prefer to add subwoofers on the sides of the room try feeding the left sub 100 L 60 C 100 LS 60 LFE and feed the right sub 100 R 60 C 100 RS 60 LFE e Add time delay for a tactile transducer try 100 LFE 0 to 50 C 50 100 each of L R LS and RS Add a central overhead channel Try 100 each of LS and RS or 2 30 C 10 LS 10 RS 50 B If you find yourself acutely aware of sound coming from this new speaker adjust the channel s low pass filter to roll off its highs above say 8kHz to blend it with the other speakers whose high frequencies are less noticeable because they re further away Create a mono channel for an adjacent room try 100 C 50 L 50 R 25 LS and RS and adjust the LFE percentage or high pass filter so as not to overload the speaker with bass it can t handle e Add more front speakers for
108. r screens or via the remote Audio setur Treble and Bass can be set here in 1 dB steps for up to 12 dB of cut or boost Tone control adjustments made via the Master remote will add to or subtract from these settings These adjustments affect only the front left center and right channels LFE level affects the level of the Low Frequency Effects signal the 1 of a 5 1 channel digital surround signal such as Dolby Digital or DTS or a 71 channel signal Dolby Digital Surround EX THX EX DTS ES This is not the same as a sub woofterlevel setting because the subwoofer output may depending on your speaker setup include bass from the main and surround channels as well as the LFE The LFE level can be set from 10 to O dB Reverb sets the level of reverberation in the Club and Concert ambient music modes It is adjustable in five steps Dry 1 3 and Wet with Dry which includes some reverb being the minimum The Club and Concert modes make recordings sound as if they were made in medium sized or large halls reverb changes the apparent acoustics of those halls A touch of reverb may also help create a more seamless transition between the left center and right speakers especially when the centerchannel speaker is positioned higher or lower than the left and right speakers Dolby DTS Setup The adjustments in this submenu are for use with two channel mainly analog sources when the C 1 is set to either Dolby Pro Logic II
109. rademarks and technologies under license from their owners If you re eager to get up and running right away simply follow the basic step by step instruc tions If you want to learn about some of the technical and design aspects of your C 1 refer to the Technically Speaking and Design Overview sections in the back of the manual If you run into difficulties the Troubleshooting Guide should help you quickly remedy the problem We appreciate you taking the time to read these instructions and thank you for selecting Parasound for your listening pleasure And for updates and corrections to this manual check our Web site www parasound com halo Enjoy The Parasound Staff Keeping Records for Future Reference Record the serial number located on the bottom of your C 1 in the space below Also note your Parasound Dealer s name and phone number We recommend that you keep your purchase receipt with this manual and store them both in a safe place You may need to refer to this infor mation sometime in the future Parasound C 1 Controller Serial Parasound Dealer Phone Number Date of Purchase YOU SHOULD KNOW There is no Parasound warranty for this unit if it was not purchased from an Authorized Parasound Dealer Investigate any warranty claims made by unauthorized dealers very carefully as you will need to depend entirely upon the dealer and NOT upon Parasound Unauthorized dealers may lack the capability to arrange repairs of Parasoun
110. ram s terminology differs slightly from that used in this manual but operation is nearly self explanatory We strongly recommend that you save your original settings before you begin so that you can restore them later if you dislike the changes you have made Use the File Save As command to create a configuration Tile and give it a name you ll understand if you get back to it months later e g Harry s original stg If you have modified settings through the menus in this chapter use the Operations Download command or the F6 key to copy the current settings to the Halo Setup program to program the C 1 with settings you have made within the program use Operations Upload All settings F8 to copy all settings to the C 1 or use Operations Upload Changed settings F7 to copy only those you ve altered If uploading or downloading does not work use Operations Check Connections press the F5 key If that discloses problems go to File Options and check that the program is using the correct port The factory default is COM 2 if that does not work try the others beginning with Com 1 Note that the illustration shows only one of the program s seven main pages some of which open out Into sub pages The program runs on Windows 95 and higher Parasound Halo Setup BE ASE File Operations About General Audio Source Speaker OSD Trigger Presets General AudioSettings Re
111. ramming the remotes for your system requires the MxX Editor software which includes the infrared command codes for hundreds of current and discontinued IVs VCRs DVD players and so on click on Program at the top of MX Editor window then on IR Database and a manual and tutorial under Help You can download this software from www parasound con yvhalo The C 1 comes with the cable you need to connect the remotes to a PC s serial port Most of the buttons on the Master remote and all the buttons on the SideKick have predeter mined functions whose names are printed on the button face However the ten smaller keys flanking the Master remote s LCD display are unprinted because their functions change when the remote is set to a new control page therefore the functions you ve selected for these buttons are shown next to them in the display The Main Menu Page Pressing the MAIN button on the larger Master remote dis plays a list of the components this remote has been custom programmed to operate The factory default list shown below is typical but should be changed to match your setup Normally the 10 components you use most often would appear on Page 1 of this menu if you have others they would appear on Page 2 accessed by pressing the PAGE but ton shown The Master remote can hold very sophisticated control Instructions including sequences macros that include up to 20 separate commands to simultaneously
112. re plugged in PHON precedes volume readouts on the built in display or OSD To the right of the jacks are the infrared sensor for remote control the MUTE button which cuts off the outputs in whichever zone you re controlling at the time and DIM which varies display brightness Muting is disabled when you raise the volume The tront panel display can show you the current status Source operating modes etc for the main or remote zone setup menus and whatever video program is selected for viewing in the main zone The screen will remain off if neither the DISPLAY ZONE or the DISPLAY MAIN but ton is pressed However each time you adjust volume or select a different input or mode in the main zone it will turn on automatically to display these changes for a few seconds You can cus tomize the colors and other aspects of the information display see Display Setup on page 34 Pressing the STATUS button displays the C 1 Controller s operating status Pressing the STATUS button also exits any setup menu after saving your most recent selections Pressing the MENU button puts the C 1 in its setup mode and is also used to navigate between menus advancing to the next setup menu with each push All these functions can be controlled trom the C 1 s Master remote and some are controllable from the SideKick Both remotes can also be set up to control other components in your system if those components are placed where the infrared beams from t
113. recorder s antenna cable RF inputs this can be done regardless of what you re watching and even when the C 1 is turned off Cabling for a DVD recorder would be similar to that shown for a VCR with the addition of digital audio connections like those shown for a digital audio recorder earlier in this chapter CONNECTING THE AUDIO AND VIDEO OUTPUTS The output jacks of the C 1 are grouped with the input jacks of the same types Component Video S Video Digital Audio Balanced Analog Audio Inputs amp Outputs Inputs amp Outputs Outputs amp Inputs Inputs amp Outputs Pr AC Power Unbalanced Analog Tape Zone amp 7 1 Channel Main Analog Programmable Switch Audio Inputs Monitor Record Analog Inputs Outputs Outputs Input amp Outputs Outputs Main Audio Outputs All audio input signals whether from unbalanced analog balanced analog or digital sources are available at the unbalanced and balanced analog outputs but only digital input signals also appear at the digital outputs Digital input signals are passed straight through to the digital outputs with no processing That means that signals from the digital outputs of the C 1 will not be heard in surround unless decoded or processed by some other component down the line The main balanced and unbalanced analog outputs are in groups of eight jacks each to handle up to 71 channel signals from multichannel sources or from stereo sources processed to incl
114. rename them yourself To rename the inputs on the C 1 using the Master remote see Source Setup in the Adjustments Menus and Setup chapter Io rename the input keys on the remote s Page 2 menu requires the downloadable MX Editor software it can also be used to rearrange the Page 2 menu if you find a differ ent order more convenient cic VID 1 VID 2 VID 3 VID 4 00000 a Page 3 of the C1 C2 Menu The controls on this screen page which affect the currently T P ean selected source only offer up to 12 dB of boost or cut of tre z CCZ ble and bass in the front left center and right channels and CI MRE TRE _ upto 12 dB of level adjustment in the center surround and O BASS BASS subwoofer channels CEN _ For inputs you have set to Flat Trims in the Source Setup i CEN C menu see next chapter these settings go back to zero C9 SUR SUR _ once you switch to a different source for inputs set to No C us sUe O Change these settings will remain until you reset them PAGE3 Printed Buttons and the C 1 As mentioned in the previous chapter several of the printed buttons affect the C 1 s operation e OFF and ON on the Master remote change function to match the current control page When the remote s screen displays any of the C1 C2 control pages the OFF and ON buttons turn the C 1 on and off When a control page for another device is selected a
115. rmation including background color will disappear from your OSD screen However you can then restore OSD by using the display and controls on the C 1 front panel OSD style changes the on screen display colors of the text background and error messages for the C 1 built in screen and for any viewing screen connected to the OSD video output jacks There are 30 possible settings the default is white lettering on dark gray with error messages in white lettering on red With some of these color combinations text and error messages will be indistinct and blurry when you view the built in display screen off axis and or when it is dimmed If OSD information is being shown on a TV monitor projector or rearprojection set that uses CRTs cathode ray tubes selecting the default dark gray background will extend the life of these tubes ADJUSTMENTS MENUS AND SETUP continued Trigger Setup Many home theater components including amplifiers retractable screens and some lighting equipment can be controlled by DC trigger signals The C 1 has three trigger outputs two of which P1 and P2 are programmable through this setup screen Trigger sense defines the event or condition that you wish the C 1 to sense in order to generate a trigger voltage A PowerOn few examples are the moment when the C 1 is turned on te activation of its display dimmer the presence of a compos Infin ite video signal an S video signal or whichever comes firs
116. roller s operation is customizable to suit your preferences and your home theater system Don t rush your setup it might take a few hours or more But this time will be amply rewarded with years of incredible performance and ease of operation If your system has been set up for you by your dealer or installer you may still wish to read this chapter in case you want to make further changes yourself Navigating The Setup Menus page 23 Display Setup page 34 Audio Setup page 25 Trigger Setup page 35 Dolby DTS Bass Limiter Presets Treble THX Audio Setup page 35 And Bass LFE Level Reverb THX EX Enable Boundary Gain Speaker Setup page 27 Compensation ASA Advanced Speaker Array Level Distance Size Aux Programmable Halo Setup Software page 36 Channels Autocalibration source Setup page 32 Inputs Title Preset Selection Analog Monitor Balanced Inputs Navigating the Setup Menus You can set up the C 1 just the way you want it with either the front oanel and remote controls or with a PC and downloadable HaloSetup software page 36 To get into Setup mode press the MENU button on the front panel or on the Master remote If the front panel display screen is on and the C 1 is in status mode or in video preview mode with Superimpose selected it will show the main menu with a triangular cursor pointing to the setup menu that was selected m
117. ry low level then raising It until each speaker s output reaches the THX O dB level The on screen display shows which channel is being calibrated and Its output level Note Autocalibration is a precision measuring and adjusting technique that requires a reasonably quiet environment Do not move the microphone once calibration starts And do not talk or make noise during autocalibration especially level autocalibration as high ambient noise or fluctuating noise levels may interfere with and interrupt the process If autocalibration is interrupted by extraneous noise the OSD will ask for silence count down for five seconds and then resume from where it left off It will keep try ing to autocalibrate until it either succeeds or it gives up and displays Exit to Abort To exit Autocal press the ESC escape button on the Master remote not the Exit button on the front panel If the subwoofer cannot be autocalibrated after three tries the OSD will request that you adjust subwoofer level manually as discussed under Level setup above If the subwoofer s level is still too high or low adjust the gain of the inter nal or external amplifier powering it At the start of distance autocalibration the C 1 once again checks ambient noise then plays repeated brief bursts of low level noise through each speaker in turn The display shows which speaker is being measured how near completion the measurement is and the required delay
118. s that can occur when speakers in differ ent parts of the room reproduce the same bass tones ADJUSTMENTS MENUS AND SETUP continued Level Setup For proper surround the sounds reaching you trom the different soeakers should have the same relative levels as the sounds reaching the audio engineer who mixed the soundtrack Because home systems vary the simplest way to do that is to send a standard test signal through each of the speakers In turn measure each one s sound levels at the main listening position and then adjust each channel s signal level so that all the sound levels are equal The C 1 can do this auto matically see Level autocalibrate on page 30 or manually The Level setup menu can be used for manual calibration or simply to check on the levels set by the autocalibration system To make manual adjustments you will need an SPL Sound pressure level meter it should be held micro 0 508 phone end upright near where your head would be when eae you sit at your main listening position Set the meter to its Right surround O 00B 80 dB scale and to C weighting Right back None Left back None Once the meter is set up and the Level setup screen is Left surround 0 008 Subwoofer O 0dB Exit displayed press the Test key on Page 1 of the Master remote s C1 C2 screen This will start a test noise that cycles through your speakers As each speaker plays the dB on its line of this menu w
119. sibilities by themselves CONNECTING AUDIO AND VIDEO SOURCES AND RECORDERS continued Analog Recording Via the Tape Monitor Jacks What You May Need e wo pairs of unbalanced interconnects with RCA plugs e Analog tape recorder preferably with off tape BCA muo third head monitoring Component Video Inputs and Outputs Balanced Analog Audio Inputs Balanced Analog Audio Outputs J Digital Audio Inputs Composite Video Inputs Video Outputs S Video Inputs S Video Outputs External Control Y Audio 5 Record 1 Record 2 O CiOO OlO C Pla In RecqfOut G Analog Audio Inputs A Tape Monitor Analog Audio Outputs 7 1 Analog Audio Inputs Main Analog Audio Outputs Programmable Out Tape Zone amp Monitor Record Playback DIGITAL Outputs Output COMES RECORDER With some audio recorders the Tape Monitor feature enables you to observe the quality of your recording as It s being made without having to rewind the tape or go back to the beginning of the disc and play it through again to be sure it is okay Analog recorders with separate record and playback heads can play the signal from the tape as soon as it s passed from the recording to the playback head If you re recording to the analog inputs of a CD DAT or other digital recorder using Tape Monitor lets you hear the signal after it s gone through the recorder s ana log to digital and digital to analog converters so
120. so functions as the ground connection Unbalanced interconnect cables are vulnerable to hum from an AC line or other noise such as RFI Radio Frequency Interference which can be reproduced through your loudspeakers Since the unbalanced line s ground also carries the audio signal there is no way for the connected amplifier or preamplifier to distinguish between the audio signals you want and unwanted noise emanating from external sources In balanced lines the positive and negative audio signals are carried on separate conductors within a separately grounded shield that provides equal inter ference protection to each signal The positive and negative audio each have opposite polarity with respect to ground making them equal but 180 out of phase with each other The input uses differential circuitry which amplifies only the difference between the audio signals but not the elements they have In common For example when a 1 volt signal arrives at a balanced input stage the differential input sees a positive 1 volt minus a negative 1 volt or 2 volts total Any external hum and noise that somehow does get into a balanced line appears on both conductors but with opposite polarities As a result the input circuit simply cancels the noise out a process known as common mode rejection One of the most important specifications for a differential circuit is its ability to reject signals common to both conductors This is measured i
121. sound distorted and could in very rare cases even damage them The bass limiter puts a cap on sub woofer output levels to prevent this Because Halo C 1 owners are apt to have large high output subwoofers that don t need this protection the factory default is Off It you ever do hear distorted bass from your sub however you can turn the C 1 Bass Limiter on and set its level to match your subwoofer s capabilities The bass limiter is not needed with subwoofers meeting THX Ultra2 standards so it is not available if you selected such a sub under THX Audio Setup To set the bass limiter first press the MENU button on the C 1 front panel or the thumbpad on the Master remote to move the cursor to Limiter noise then rock the thumbpad or turn the front panel knob one click to switch the noise on This will feed a low frequency signal to your subwoofer Next move to Limiter level and rock the thumbpad sideways or turn the front panel knob to raise the noise level until you just start to hear distortion from your subwoofer Using the thumbpad or front panel controls turn the noise off and the bass limiter on Preset Setup The preset menu lets you create up five different sound profiles each with its own memorized combination of Treble Bass Center level Surround level and Sub level adjustments Each preset can then be assigned to one or more specific inputs in the Source Setup menu This gives you a
122. t Widsign EGERIT a change of video source except component video or any audio source or selection of any specific source including the 71 channel input and whichever source is assigned to the balanced input duration EKIL Polarity does not change the trigger jack s output to and vice versa as its name implies Rather it selects whether the individual trigger output is normally off or normally on When Polarity is set to Posit the triggering event you selected will switch the trigger output from O to 12 volts when set to Negat the triggering event switches the trigger output from 12 to 0 volts Each trigger output can deliver up to 200 milliamperes 200 mA of current Delay adjusts the delay between a triggering event and the actual trigger signal output It can be set for No delay or for any of 14 delays of 1 second to 3 minutes Duration controls the trigger signal s duration The trigger signal can be set to remain active as long as the triggering condition applies Intin or to any of 16 periods from 10 milliseconds to 3 minutes If duration is set to 10 ms or 100 ms additional pulses of 10 ms and 100 ms are generated when the triggering event ends This enables the C 1 to control devices that require separate turn on and turn off pulses The third trigger marked On Off on the rear panel only operates when the C 1 is turned on and off It is set for positive polarity no delay a
123. ted and fed there So if you want to enjoy digital sources in the remote Zone connect your digital players analog as well as digital outputs to the C 1 Pressing the ZONE button next to the on off switch or the key next to the Zone legend on the Master remote s C1 C2 Page 1 switches the C 1 to control one zone or the other Switching between the main and Zone control modes does not affect the signal fed to either one and changing settings for one zone does not affect settings for the other The C 1 will switch from remote zone to main zone mode 10 seconds after your last control input The controls and commands are the same for either zone and whatever you do with the controls will affect only the zone you have currently selected If you turn the C 1 off while the remote zone Is in use the front panel display will show ZONE B ON until you press the ON OFF panel button or the OFF button on either remote USING THE MASTER AND SIDEKICK REMOTES The Master and SideKick remote controls supplied with the C 1 Controller are programmed at the factory to operate the C 1 and the Master remote is for testing and demonstration pre programmed at the factory with IR codes controlling various brands of televisions VCRs DVD players and other components However it can also be programmed to operate virtually every other component in your home theater system Usually your dealer or installer will do this but you can also do it yourself Prog
124. ted in Level setup If you use the tone and speaker level adjustments on the Master remote to change these settings your changes will persist as long as the C 1 Is set to that input but will be erased from memory and lost as soon as you change to another input A source set to No change will use the global settings made in the Audio setup menu until you change Its settings with the Master remote and changes made that way will be remem bered whenever you come back to this source A source set to Flat trims will use the global settings made in the Audio setup menu until you change them with the Master remote and will return to the global settings once you have changed sources Analog monitor is used to adjust input sensitivity for analog audio signals to insure against overloading the analog to digital converters in the C 1 and also to allow balancing analog sources so that volume will not shift annoyingly when you switch between them To use this feature select the desired analog audio source on the Source setup screen then select Analog monitor This will change the on screen display to a level scale flanked by fluctu ating level meter bars for each channel plus shorter bars that linger briefly to help you see the most recent peak levels Play some music that you know has high peak levels and listen carefully to see if the signal clips distorts on the peaks If so use the Master remote s thum
125. ted via balanced or unbalanced cables We sug gest using amps with balanced inputs in locations farthest from the C 1 and amps with only unbalanced inputs nearby While it s best to use identical amplifiers for all channels it s some times more convenient or economical to use a mixture of amplifiers especially if you already have some See Using Unmatched Amplifiers in the Technically Speaking section at the back of this manual CONNECTING THE AUDIO AND VIDEO OUTPUTS continued Connecting Audio Amplifiers to the C 1 a ae What You May Need Se e 6 to 8 unbalanced or balanced analog interconnects LP Female F one per channel RCA Plug XLR Connectors RIGHT SURROUND SPEAKER 5 CHANNEL AMPLIFIER RIGHT MAIN POWERED CHANNEL SPEAKER SUBWOOFER Inputs Outputs CENTER CHANNEL x SPEAKER TV VIDEO _ 44 MONITOR l LEFT MAIN N fig CHANNEL SPEAKER LEFT LEFT SURROUND BACK SPEAKER SPEAKER A The basic home theater setup is 5 1 channels Front left and right Surround left and right and Center front plus a subwoofer the 1 in the array That s sufficient for the Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks on most DVDs and the Dolby Surround soundtracks on most videocassettes Laserdiscs and broadcasts The two surround back channels are optional as the diagram indicates They are needed for optimum surround from
126. the sur round speakers and the lowest powered amps can be used for the surround back channels If you have a mix of Large and Small speakers use the more powerful amps for the Large ones THX Processing When THX modes are selected for an incompatible source or speaker setup the C 1 will remember the selection and will automatically apply it when the setup is changed or when a compatible source is selected Pressing the THX key on the Master remote turns on THX signal enhancements that work in conjunction with most of the C 1 listening modes The excep tions are those which generate surround signals from two channel source material such as Pro Logic PL II Movie PL II Music Neo 6 Cinema Neo 6 Music Natural Party Club and Concert THX processing has several parts and modes e Re Equalization which is patented by Lucasfilm adjusts the frequency response of movie sound tracks to compensate for the acoustical differences between home theaters and commercial movie theaters without it movie soundtracks would sound overly bright and fatiguing It is applied to the front channels and in THX Surround EX mode to the surround back channels but not to the side surrounds Re Equalization is not used in the THX MusicMode Timbre Matching compensates for a characteristic of the human hearing that changes the apparent frequency balance for identical sounds coming from different angles and directions Be
127. therwise make movie soundtracks sound too bright and timbre matching to maintain frequency balance between front and surround channels see page 60 THX processing is also unavailable if no surround speakers are selected in Speaker setup Size except in mono and stereo modes e THX Surround EX A THxX enhanced version of Dolby EX for movie soundtracks it is available only in sys tems with one or more surround back speakers in addition to L and R surround speakers To select It press the THX key once or twice depending on Setup entries and the input signal while in Direct mode THX Ultra2 Cinema A version of THX Surround EX for systems having two surround back speakers in addition to L and R surround speakers It is engaged by pressing the THX key again while in THX Surround EX mode THX MusicMode Similar to THX Ultra2 Cinema but for 71 channel listening with 5 1 channel music record ings which are mixed differently than movie soundtracks With a full 71 channel speaker setup it provides a wide stable rear soundstage placing surround sounds to best suit music playback It is reached by pressing the THX key yet again while in THX Ultra2 Cinema mode e DTS ES An enhancement of the DTS 5 1 channel surround system which adds back of the room surround infor mation In DTS ES Discrete soundtracks this is carried on a discrete or independent channel In DTS ES Matrix soundtracks it is encoded as a matrix that is carried by the left
128. tinued 12 Volt Triggers The three trigger output jacks transmit DC trigger signals that can be used to control many ampli tiers retractable screens TV sets and projectors and even some lighting equipment Outputs P1 and P2 can be Individually programmed to send trigger signals in response to such events as a change of audio or video signal selection of a specific input activation of the C 1 display dimmer and switching the C 1 on or off For each the trigger can be set off immediately or after a short delay or turned on when you press Stop on your DVD player Each of these trigger outputs can also be set for normally on or normally off operation These options are described in more detail in the Trigger setup section of Adjustments Menus and Setup The third trigger marked On Off on the rear panel only operates when the C 1 is turned on and off It operates with positive polarity normally on zero delay and infinite duration which is to say that it sends a trigger signal from the moment the C 1 is turned on until the moment you turn the C 1 off again Thanks to this flexibility the C 1 can trigger a number of operations To suggest just two examples An on off trigger could be used to turn power amplifiers on and off with the C 1 And video based settings could be used to lower a projection screen turn on a video projector dim room lights immediately or after a programmed delay and draw window curtai
129. tract from component video s increased signal purity and picture clarity However OSD is available for composite and S Video because its effect on these narrower bandwidth signals isn t as noticeable The diagram shows cables to only three of the five component video jacks provided the ones marked Pr Y and Pb as most home theater video devices use only those connections Professional video gear computers and a few DVD players and other devices use VGA or RGB connections that require five cables for red green blue and horizontal and vertical sync For the best possible picture quality especially for HDTV we recommend using cables with twist on BNC connectors however adapters are provided for the more commonly available RCA plug cables Note The component video jacks on the C 1 and the plug adapters supplied are not color coded however a key to the appropriate cable colors is printed below the bottom row of component video jacks from left to right they are Red Green and Blue Connecting a Second Entertainment Zone What You May Need e 1 composite video cable RCA PI Sis ae 2 unbalanced analog audio interconnects e 1 zone amplifier and pair of speakers pps 3 5 mm mini plug e 1 in wall infrared sensor e 1 IR repeater module Component Video Inputs and Outputs C2 Controller Parasound Products Inc alanced Analog Audio Inputs Balanced Analog Audio Outputs
130. ts are available at the composite and S Video output jacks and the S Video Record jacks they are not available at the Zone output jack e Component video connections give you the highest possible picture quality and are the best choice for high definition TV HDTV However not all DVD players and other sources have com ponent video outputs nor do all TV sets have component video inputs In the C 1 component video signals go only to the component output jacks a straight pass through with the widest bandwidth to assure the cleanest picture for HDTV formats Note that two of the component video inputs on the C 1 and its component video output have five jacks even though only three are shown in use Home theater equipment commonly uses the connection shown with three cables sometimes labeled Y R Y and B Y or Y Cb and Cr But computers professional video equipment and some projectors used in home theaters use a five wire standard RGB HV that uses separate cables for each color and for horizontal and vertical synchronization This system synchronizes the signal elements more precisely and elimi nates any possible trace of interference between them It also provides improved compatibility with the PAL video system used In Europe and many other places As with the CD player it is unnecessary to use both the digital and analog audio outputs from a DVD player unless you intend to record to an analog tape recorder or a VCR If you do use the
131. ude surround channel ambience by the C 1 The ninth balanced output jack Pro 1 Is a pro grammable output that will be covered later in this chapter together with the four unbalanced programmable output jacks If you choose not to process them stereo signals will appear at the left and right front output jacks and mono signals will appear at the centerchannel jacks or if your setup includes no center speaker through the same left and right front outputs If the cable between the C 1 and your amplifiers is more than about 10 feet 3 meters long using the balanced outputs and amplifiers with balanced inputs will guard against hum and noise pickup in the cables With balanced connections it s feasible to mount your amplifiers very close to your speakers and use short speaker cables With some amplifiers especially tube amps and some speakers this can subtly improve performance The balanced and unbalanced outputs normally carry the signals from the balanced input and the unbalanced inputs You can select a Bypass mode see Source Setup in the chapter on Adjustments Menus and Setup to route the balanced input signal directly to the left and right front balanced output jacks passing through no circuitry except the analog volume control Should you wish to use Bypass mode you must use balanced connections between the C 1 and the amplifiers serving the right and left front channels The other amplifiers however can be connec
132. ugh the C 1 entirely in the analog domain There is also a purist Bypass mode for the balanced analog input which sends the signal straight from input to balanced left and right front output with no processing save the volume control the same can be accomplished for unbalanced analog stereo signals by connecting them to the left and right channels of the 71 channel input As insurance against any possible circuit interactions the balanced circuits are on a separate board which is disconnected from the rest of the C 1 in Bypass mode and the 71 channel input has its own volume control For bass management the C 1 uses a patented hybrid of analog and digital circuitry to optimize head room while reducing noise and distortion It also preserves bass coherence by reducing time smearing when channels with differing delay times are com bined into a single subwoofer output The C 1 has a total of 75 output channels including an extra subwoofer output a low passed output for use with floorshakers and two programmable chan nels that can each be fed a userselectable mix of signals from the other channels The video side of the C 1 handles composite video S video and component video signals The component video circuits which have more than enough band width 300 MHz for any of today s high definition TV or video signals are also on a separate board that isolates them from the rest of the video circuitry The two component video
133. up page of the Audio Setup menu see page 24 e Dolby Digital EX An enhancement of the original Dolby Digital 5 1 channel surround system it adds back of the room surround information to the information coming from the surround speakers at the room s sides It can be used with a 6 1 channel speaker setup having one surround back speaker or with a 7 1 channel setup having two surround back speakers If the program includes an EX flag signal and if EX Enable is set to Auto page 35 the C 1 will select this mode automatically The Dolby EX mode can be selected manually for the many EX DVDs that lack the flag A list of Surround EX films can be found at www dolby com movies films_previous html Dolby 2 0 Two channel stereo recordings using the Dolby Digital signal format Processing modes avail able are mostly the same as those for stereo CDs THX In modes where it is available THX processing is controlled by the THX key on the Master remote s first C1 C2 page not by the remote s Mode keys or the SURROUND button on the C 1 The varieties of THX processing are described below THX Cinema This is the basic THX processing mode To save space it is shown only as THX on the C 1 s tront panel display When activated from mono or stereo mode or Direct mode with Dolby 2 0 sig nals this processing includes only re equalization to compensate for differences between home and the ater acoustics which would o
134. ut to make or change connections e Don t use excessively long cables they cost more money get in your way and can reduce signal quality Note Although analog audio cables have the same plugs as coaxial digital cables they do not have the proper characteristics to transfer digital signals properly However composite video cables which usually have yellow plugs can be used The following table summarizes the relationships between the different types of input and output in the C 1 AUDIO MAIN BALANCED RECORD 1 amp TAPE DIGITAL ZONE INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTPUTS OUTPUTS RECORD2 MONITOR OUTPUTS OUTPUT OUTPUTS REC OUT Available From 7 1 Channel Analog Inputs Yes Yes Yes Yes No No VIDEO COMPOSITE S VIDEO COMPONENT COMPOSITE S VIDEO ZONE INPUTS OUTPUTS VIDEO OUTPUTS VIDEO VIDEO REC OUT OUTPUT OUTPUTS OUTPUT REC OUT Available From Composite Video In S video In Component Video In Note Programmable Outputs can access the same sources as the Main Outputs CONNECTING AUDIO AND VIDEO SOURCES AND RECORDERS continued Connecting a CD or Other Audio Source Component to the C 1 ou T PUTS Unbalanced Digital Optical Digital Coaxial Analog Audio Output Output CONI CD PLAYER Balanced Analog Audio Outputs Composite Video Ifputs ip utputs S Video Inputs Audio1 Audio2 Audio3 Audio 4 OOOO 9000 Analog Audio Inputs Zn oo Tape Monitor Analog Audio Outputs 7 1 Analog Audio Inputs Main Analog Audio O
135. utputs Programmable Out What You May Need RCA Plug e One pair of unbalanced interconnects with RCA plugs e One 75 ohm digital coaxial cable with RCA plugs i OR one optical digital cable with Toslink connectors E eye th e CD player with digital and unbalanced analog outputs For the best possible sound always use your source component s digital output if it has one It is not necessary to use the source s analog outputs as well unless you plan to record from this source onto an analog recorder such as a cassette deck or to listen to this source In a remote listening zone Digital signals appear at the main analog outputs but not the analog recording or Zone outputs For FM AM tuners and similar analog audio gear that lacks digital outputs only the analog input connections are used Note that the first six analog audio inputs at the lower left corner numbered Video 1 through Video 6 are associated with the composite video and S Video inputs whose numbers they share For audio only sources it s best to use Inputs Audio 1 through Audio 4 as those inputs cannot be used with composite or S Video sources they can however be used with component video sources Connecting a DVD Or Other Video Source Component to the C 1 What You May Need e One pair of unbalanced interconnects with RCA plugs a D e One 75 ohm digital coaxial cable with RCA plugs or RCA Plug E E one optical digital cable with Toslink connectors e
136. utton is pressed and remains bright as long as the button s function is active The MUTE and MENU buttons stay active and bright until you turn them off The SOURCE and SURROUND buttons on the lower row stay active and illuminated for 5 seconds or for as long as you keep turning the knob to alter their set tings The ZONE button stays active and illuminated for 10 seconds or for as long as you keep altering control settings When any of these three buttons is active the front panel display will show the name of the control for SOURCE and SURROUND it will also show a circular arrow indicating that you can make selections for that button by turning the knob When you turn the knob the OSD on your video screen will show the settings for each input as you reach it When the front panel ON OFF button is switched off the halo around it glows soft blue and the Parasound logo glows soft red When the C 1 is turned on the logo becomes brighter the halos around the other buttons glow and the front panel display turns on Always turn the C 1 off with this button or with one of the remote controls before turning off the master power switch on the rear panel this will prevent turn off thumps being heard through your speakers The ZONE button selects whether the front panel controls will affect the main local zone where the C 1 is or the second remote zone While the Zone button is active all tront panel and remote control commands affect the
137. verb Volume 50dB i Dry 90dB j j gt 20dB rE Baoa OdB 12dB lt j a F oe gt 12dB is 2 3 Treble 0dB 12dB gt 12dB i Wet Bass Settings LFE Level Level OdB I Subwoofer Fitter 60 Hz v be Ey _ OdB I Enhanced Bass Offset 0dB se pede pate e arene ee ee users a N eeeee a Default THX Surround EX Mode Dolby PL II DTS THX Ultra2 f EX On f EX Off Settings Settings CONNECTING AUDIO AND VIDEO SOURCES AND RECORDERS G2 There are more than 100 signal input and output jacks on the Halo processor s rear panel more than you re likely to use but enough to ensure you can make any type of connection you re likely to need To simplify things the jacks are grouped by type and function Composite Component S Video Balanced Analog Digital Video Inputs Video Inputs Inputs Audio Inputs Audio Inputs Component Video Inputs P Po P WN Balanced Analog Audio Inputs Right S Video Inputs S Video Outputs ideo2 Video3 Video4 Video5 Video 6 Z z z z i di di n r r Audio1 Audio2 Audio3 Audio 4 udio 5 mn b 4 ideo3 Video4 Video5 Video6 Unbalanced Analog Tape Monitor 7 1 Channel IR AC Cord Audio Inputs Input Analog Inputs Inputs Inlet Even if your C 1 was set up by an installer it pays to know a bit about these connections in case you ever need to change them or trouble shoot your system C
138. way to automatically compensate for the audio properties of different sources especially analog sources such as cassette decks or VCRs that seem to need some help or simply set preferences for each nooks Preset is used to choose whichever of the five presets you want to adjust Treble and Bass override any treble and bass adjustments you may have made in the Audio Setup menu but only for the input or inputs to which the preset is assigned The range is from 12 dB cut to 12 dB boost Center Surround and Subw will for any input assigned to a preset raise or lower the levels in these channels by up to 12 dB relative to those selected in Level Setup under the Speaker Setup menu ADJUSTMENTS MENUS AND SETUP continued Speaker Setup To hear the closest possible match to what the Tilmmak ers heard when they mixed their soundtracks your home theater must be set up so that each speaker gets the pa proper signals that no speaker is louder or softer than it mel setup should be relative to the others and so that the sound from each speaker arrives at the proper time fet a E F rE pe TENNAD v foe oon fo FER ee ick gt Level autocalibrate Dist Exit Though not the first item on this menu it is the first one you should program it s used to adapt the C 1 to the number locations and types of speakers in your system Small speakers are those with limited bass capacity to avoid d
139. z If you have such a subwoofer setting THX Ultra2 Sub to Yes gives you the option of turning this feature on or off try listening to it both ADJUSTMENTS MENUS AND SETUP continued ways to see which gives you more lifelike bass If your subwoofer does not meet these stan dards setting THX Ultra2 Sub to No will disable boundary gain compensation ASA Advanced Speaker Array processes the sound sent to the surround back not the sur round side speakers THX recommends that the two back speakers be placed close together facing the front of the room to broaden the sweet spot in the room where their effect is most beneficial and provides processing to compensate if they must be spaced apart Set ASA to Together if the speakers are within 12 inches 30 cm of each other to Close if they are separated by 12 to 48 1 2 m and to Apart if the separation is more than 48 Halo Setup Software An additional setup aid is HaloSetup exe a Windows program that can be downloaded trom our Web site www parasound com halo With a standard serial cable available from computer stores connecting your PC to the RS 232 connector on the back of the C 1 you can use this pro gram to set up the C 1 and to store settings you ve made through the setup menus described in this chapter This is also the only way you can reprogram the default messages C 1 is turning on now and Shutting Down Some of the prog

Parasound Halo C1 Controller Speaker System User Manual

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