Parasound Halo C1 Controller manual

C 1 Contr oller Owner’ s Guide[...]

Congratulations, and Thank Y ou for Choosing Parasound Y our new Halo b y Parasound ® C 1 Controller presents the latest adv ancements in surround- processor tec hnology . The C 1 is built to the strict quality and performance standards set by P arasound. W e’ re proud to of f er you this e xceptional audio component that will bring you man y ye[...]

Unpacking And Placement Guidelines For the C 1 .......................... 4 Getting Started .............................................. 5 Controls and Operation ........................................ 7 OPERA TION Using the Main Controls .......................................... 9 Selecting Sound P at terns (Listening Modes) ..................[...]

UNP ACKING AND PLACEMENT GUIDELINES FOR THE C 1 Unpacking Y our C 1 Carefully unpac k your C 1 from the shipping carton and remov e all the enclosed accessories: • Master and SideKic k remote controls, with six AAA bat teries • Serial cable, D9 f emale to 3.5-mm male plug, for programming remotes • A C cord • 1 8 BNC-to-RCA adapters f or co[...]

The P arasound C 1 Controller is a complete home theater control center . W ith it, you can f eed signals from any of f our analog and digit al audio and six audio/video components to your sur round sound and video system, simultaneously f eeding video and stereo audio (ev en from a dif f erent source) to rooms in a second entertainment zone, and i[...]

The v arious t ypes of video jac ks (composite, S-Video, and component) use dif f ering connector types, but the so-called “ RC A ” type used for composite video (simply labeled “ Video ” on the bac k panel) is also used for analog and digital audio. The R CA jac ks on the C 1 are color -coded: red and white for right-and lef t-c hannel ana[...]

P ower switc h or unplug either end of the A C cord before the C 1 has first been t urned of f by the remote control or front panel On-Of f but ton! If A C pow er is removed from the C 1 bef ore it is turned of f you will lose the selections y ou made during setup and y ou may hear some nasty thumps in your speak ers. F or more detailed directions [...]

The butt ons are surrounded b y a blue halo of light when the C 1 is turned on; the halo around ev er y but ton (except DIM and S T A TUS) glows brighter when that but ton is pressed, and remains bright as long as the but ton ’ s function is active. The MU TE and MENU but tons st ay activ e and bright until you t urn them of f . The SO URCE and S[...]

Despite its versatility the P arasound Halo C 1 Controller has only ten pushbut tons, a knob, and a display on its front panel. That ’ s in part because we expect users will most of ten operate it by remote control and in part because man y front-panel controls do more than one thing . The operations described in this c hapter can be performed ea[...]

V olume and Muting The large knob on the C 1 front panel normally controls v olume. How ev er , when you press the front-panel SOUR CE or SURRO UND but tons, it will control those functions for the ne xt 5 seconds, or for as long as y ou keep using the knob to c hange those functions ’ set tings. The C 1 Controller ’ s volume can be adjusted o [...]

Changing Y our Listening and Viewing Source The C 1 Controller can accept up to f our audio and six audio/video sources. There are sev eral wa ys to select a ne w source for listening or vie wing . • If you press the SO URCE but ton at the low er right of the C 1 front panel, its halo will glow a brighter blue and the front-panel knob temporarily[...]

f eedbac k, producing a loud, very unpleasant noise through your speakers until y ou c hange the source or press MU TE. Because the signal f or the Zone output is selected separately , you can use that output to record one input source on an audio or video recorder while a dif f erent source is playing in the main z one. Changes in volume-control s[...]

wraps the sound of the front lef t and right speakers around the listening area, and Dimension, whic h mov es the surround field tow ard the bac k or front of the room. These adjustments are made through the Dolby/DTS set up page of the A udio Setup menu (see page 24). • Dolby Digital EX : An enhancement of the original Dolby Digital 5.1 -c hanne[...]

Notes : Ye s = THX post-processing is a vailable (Y es) = THX post-processing is not a vailable f or this mode and signal t ype No = Mode is not a vailable f or this signal t ype 1 = THX Ultra2 Cinema replaces THX Cinema if t wo surround bac k speakers w ere selected in setup 2 = R equires one or two surround bac k speakers 3 = THX Cinema is not a [...]

Using the Status and Info Buttons and the Displays The C 1 controller ’ s front-panel display screen can be set to sho w the current main-zone operat- ing status (source, audio and video signal types, audio mode, and volume set ting) continuously . If you wish to see this inf ormation when the display is sho wing the video program currently selec[...]

The Master and SideKic k 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, V CRs, DVD pla yers, and other components. How ev er , it can also be programmed t[...]

P age 1 of the C1/C2 Menu Of the items on the P age 1 menu, the MODE – , +MODE, DIM, and ZONE functions hav e already been discussed in the last c hapter , but the others are new . Here ’ s what they do: • THX ® : W ith most modes, this key simply switc hes THX Cinema processing on or of f (see “ T ec hnically Speaking ” ). In Direct mod[...]

right front, right surround, right bac k, lef t bac k, lef t surround, and subwoof er . When used for manual lev el set ting, it can be directed to whic hever c hannel you ’ re adjusting . This f eature is only av ailable in “ Le vel set up ” on the “ Speaker set up ” menu. • 7. 1 : Switc hes to the C 1 Controller ’ s 7 .1 -c hannel a[...]

• Like the S T A TUS but ton on the front panel of the C 1, the ST A TUS but ton on the Master remote and the INFO but ton on the SideKic k can be pressed to show the current main-z one operating st a- tus (source, audio and video signal types, audio mode, and volume set ting) on the C 1 controller ’ s front-panel display or on an y video proje[...]

Controlling Other Components In Y our System Exactly what your remotes do when controlling other components will depend on what compo- nents you ha ve and ho w the remotes are custom-programmed. If your remotes ha ve not been set up for y our specific system, y ou ’ ll find the Master remote already programmed to control various popular TVs, DVD [...]

• PREV CH recalls the last cable or satellite c hannel you were w atc hing, as long as your cable or satellite tuner supports this function. • GUIDE commonly display s your satellite or cable compan y ’ s program guide. • The numerical k eypad can be used f or c hannel selection, time set ting on V CRs, direct frequency entr y for t uning s[...]

For Further Information The Halo Master and SideKic k remotes are customized v ersions of the aw ard-winning Home Theater Master MX-700, manufact ured by Univ ersal Remote Control, Inc. F urther information, updates, and literature can be f ound at Universal ’ s Web site, www.hometheatermaster .com , together with the MX-Editor sof t ware and a t[...]

As yo u ’ v e probably gathered from the many earlier ref erences to this c hapter , just about ev er y aspect of the C 1 Controller ’ s operation is customizable to suit your pref erences and your home theater system. Don ’ t r ush your set up; it might t ake a f ew hours or more. But this time will be amply rew arded with years of incredibl[...]

Once again, pressing MENU on the front panel of the C 1, or roc king the Master remote ’ s thumbpad down, brings you to the ne xt option, as shown b y the on-screen cursor . And once again, turning the front-panel knob slightly or pressing the thumbpad on the Master remote brings up a list of options. F or bass-limiter setup, the displa y would r[...]

Audio S etup The set tings made on this screen are “ global, ” af f ecting all inputs and modes unless specifically ov erridden by set tings made via other screens or via the remote. T reble and Bass can be set here in 1 -dB steps for up to 1 2 dB of cut or boost. T one-control adjustments made via the Master remote will add to, or subtract fro[...]

Bass Limiter Setup The bass in toda y ’ s film soundtrac ks is of ten far louder than it is on music recordings or older films. Handling these loud bass tones can make man y smaller sub- woof ers sound distorted and could, in ver y rare cases, ev en damage them. The bass limiter puts a cap on sub- woof er output lev els, to prevent this. B ecause[...]

Speaker S etup T o hear the closest possible matc h to what the filmmak- ers heard when they mix ed their soundtrac ks, your home theater must be set up so that eac h speaker gets the proper signals, that no speaker is louder or sof ter than it should be, relative to the others, and so that the sound from eac h speaker arriv es at the proper time. [...]

Level Setup F or proper surround, the sounds reac hing you from the dif ferent speak ers should hav e the same relative le vels as the sounds reac hing the audio engineer who mixed the soundtrac k. Because home systems v ar y , the simplest way to do that is to send a standard test signal through eac h of the speakers in t urn, measure eac h one ?[...]

Aux (P rogrammable) Channel S etup The C 1 includes P arasound ’ s ex clusive 7 .5-Channel Enhanced Surround with four auxiliary (Aux) c hannels that provide wonderful options f or enhancing your home theater . T wo of these auxiliar y c hannels provide for greater lo w -frequency pow er and accuracy . Y ou can program the other t wo auxiliar y c[...]

Programming Aux Channels 9 and 10 Eac h of these t wo c hannels has independently adjust able high-pass and low -pass filters and provision f or deriving content from any or all of the other eight c hannels, mixed in an y proportion you lik e. They are programmed from this menu: Level adjusts the c hannel ’ s le vel relative to other c hannels, f[...]

Level and Distance Autocalibrate First, prepare the calibration microphone supplied with the C 1, by unscre wing its barrel to open the bat ter y compartment, inserting the AA bat ter y supplied with its + (but ton) end tow ard the switc h, screwing the barrel bac k on, and pushing the microphone ’ s On-Off switc h tow ard the dot. Plug the micro[...]

in ms (milliseconds), that the C 1 will apply . (This is equiv alent 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 phy sical dist ances, because it takes into account additional delay s caused by signal processing, subwoof er filters, and other facto[...]

adjustments controlled by the “ P reset setup ” submenu under “ A udio setup. ” When you select a source that has an associated preset, the preset ’ s bass and treble set tings replace those made on the main “ Audio set up ” screen and the center , surround, and subwoof er lev el c hanges are added to the values selected in “ L evel[...]

Display S etup The options on this screen af f ect the appearance of any inf ormation displayed on the C 1 Controller ’ s built-in screen and on any video screen connected to the Controller ’ s “ OSD ” video output jac ks. TV syst em sets both display s to either NTSC (the television system used in the W estern hemisphere and some A sian co[...]

T rigger 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 whic h, P1 and P2, are programmable through this setup screen: T r igger sense defines the ev ent or condition that you wish the C 1 to sense in order[...]

wa ys, to see whic h gives y ou more lif elike bass). If your subw oof er does not meet these st an- dards, set ting THX Ultra2 Sub to “ No ” will disable boundar y gain compensation. ASA (Advanced Speak er Ar ray) processes the sound sent to the surround bac k (not the sur- round side) speakers. THX recommends that the t wo bac k speakers be p[...]

There are more than 1 0 0 signal input and output jac ks on the Halo processor ’ s rear panel – more than you ’ re likely to use, but enough to ensure you can mak e any type of connection you ’ re likely to need. T o simplify things, the jac ks are grouped by type and function: Even if y our C 1 was set up b y an inst aller , it pay s to kn[...]

against hum and other noises, especially if your equipment rac k is crow ded with other components or your cables are more than 1 0 f eet (3 meters) long . (F or more information, ref er to the “ B alanced and Unbalanced Lines ” section in the “ T ec hnically Speaking ” section toward the end of this manual.) Balanced and unbalanced input s[...]

Connecting a CD or Other Audio Source Component to the C 1 F or the best possible sound, alwa ys use y our source component ’ s digital output, if it has one. It is not necessar y to use the source ’ s analog outputs as well, unless y ou plan to record from this source onto an analog recorder suc h as a casset te dec k or to listen to this sour[...]

Home theater systems can ha ve three types of video connection (composite, S-Video, and com- ponent), and there are times when it pay s to use all three as shown here. Normally , ev er y type of video you f eed into the C 1 would then be f ed out to your main video display screen or projector , and you ’ d use the video display ’ s input select[...]

Connecting a Multichannel Source to the C 1 Certain multic hannel sources, suc h as SA CD and D VD-A play ers, hav e internal surround decoders and D/A conv erters and can deliver multic hannel audio only via their analog output jac ks. The diagram shows a 5.1 -c hannel source, the most common type today , and indicates the “ Back ” connections[...]

Connecting a Balanced-Output Audio Source 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 P rogrammable outputs, but only signals going to the main 7 .1 -c hannel outputs are af f ected by whatev er surround, tone-control, and other DSP (digital sign[...]

Connecting Recorders Recorders require two-w ay connections to the C 1, so that y ou can record from it as well as pla y bac k through it. The C 1 has one pair of input and se veral sets of output jac ks for recorder use. There are other jac ks av ailable for pla ybac k. The output jac ks for audio recording are all unaf f ected by the v olume, bas[...]

Analog Recording Via the T ape Monitor Jacks With some audio recorders, the T ape Monitor f eature enables y ou to obser ve the quality of your recording as it ’ s being made, without having to re wind the t ape or go bac k to the beginning of the disc and play it through again to be sure it is oka y . Analog recorders with separate record and pl[...]

Connecting a Digital Audio Recorder T o 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 jac ks carr y the signal from the currently selected digital input but not from any analog input, and the analog record outputs do not carr y[...]

Connecting a Video Recorder The video R ecord jac ks, and the Record 1 and R ecord 2 audio output jac ks, carr y the same signal as the other main-zone outputs. T o t ape one video or broadcast while you vie w another , connect your video recorder to the Zone video and audio output jac ks and use the Zone control mode to select the source you w ant[...]

The output jac ks of the C 1 are grouped with the input jac ks of the same t ypes: Main Audio Outputs All audio input signals, whether from unbalanced analog, balanced analog , or digit al sources are av ailable at the unbalanced and balanced analog outputs, but only digit al input signals also appear at the digital outputs. Digital input signals a[...]

Connecting Audio Amplifiers to the C 1 The basic home theater set up is 5.1 c hannels: F ront (lef t and right), Surround (lef t and right) and Center (front), plus a subwoof er (the “ .1 ” in the arra y). That ’ s suf ficient for the Dolb y Digit al, and DTS soundtrac ks on most DVDs and the Dolb y Surround soundtrac ks on most videocasset t[...]

Connecting Video Displays It may seem odd to connect the C 1 to y our main video display three w ay s, as shown here, but in many sy stems it makes sense. This is because composite video sources are not a vailable at the S-Video outputs (though S-V ideo sources are av ailable at the composite jac ks) and compo- nent video sources can be seen only v[...]

Although the “ No OSD ” jac ks do not pass on-screen display information generated b y the C 1, they will pass status inf ormation coming from suc h source components as V CR and D VD play- ers, because that information is part of the video signal f ed to the C 1 . ( Note: No on-screen displa y is sent to the component video outputs, because on[...]

The C 1 allo ws you to f eed separate audio or audio-video programs to t wo dif ferent areas, or zones, in y our home. T o f eed video and audio to a second zone, connect a video cable with R CA plugs to the “ Zone ” composite video jac k and a pair of audio cables to the “ Zone ” unbalanced- output jac ks. The “ Zone ” audio output is [...]

from the appropriate-side surround c hannel and the bac k c hannel. Time delays f or these new speakers should be set f or the dist ance to the closest seats. • Add a rear -c hannel subwoof er: tr y 50% B, 25% L S, and 25% R S. Then add lo w -pass filtering , if needed, and a delay time f or the sub ’ s dist ance from your seat. If y ou pref er[...]

The jac ks in the control connection area of the rear panel can link the C 1 to a wide variety of devices be yond those that deliv er or receive audio and video signals. RS-232 Control This 9-pin, full-duple x serial port has sev eral potential uses. F or one thing, it allows the C 1 to communicate bidirectionally with widely av ailable, sof tware-[...]

CONTROL CONNECTIONS continued 54 12-V olt T riggers The three trigger output jac ks transmit DC trigger signals that can be used to control many ampli- fiers, retractable screens, TV sets and projectors, and ev en some lighting equipment. Outputs P1 and P2 can be individually programmed to send trigger signals in response to suc h events as a c han[...]

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 55 No pow er P ow er on, but no sound One channel dead All channels on one side dead No sound in Mono mode Dialog is muffled or inaudible No sound at unbalanced output from balanced source Some analog sources ar e much louder or sof ter than other sources Bass sounds cor rect on music but is weak on mo vie soundtrac ks Bass we[...]

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE continued 56 Bass Weak or Missing, continued Bass from sub does not blend with other c hannels Hum and/or buzz heard through speak er s or headphones Some headphones do not work with C 1 Surround modes unav ailable THX modes not av ailable P oor composite video image Audible dialog is out of sync with speakers ’ lip mov emen[...]

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE continued 57 Remote contr ol does not wor k A utosearc h can ’ t find the desir ed source No on-scr een display (OSD) OSD hard t o read ag ainst video image OSD blanks video pictur e “ Digital Er ror ” messag e on display Some C 1 functions don ’ t wor k Built-in scr een doesn ’ t show video progr am Difficult t o r [...]

SERVICING YOUR C 1 58 If All Else Fails – Call Us for Help Call your P arasound dealer or Parasound ’ s T ec hnical Ser vice Department toll-free at 1 -866-770-TECH (8324) . W e can of ten help you solv e the problem, with simple diagnostic tests you can perf orm yourself . If we determine that y our C 1 will need further inspection or ser vici[...]

TECHNICALL Y SPEAKING 59 Balanced and Unbalanced Analog Audio Connections Recording and broadcast st udios use balanced connec- tions almost ex clusively because of balanced lines ’ inher- ent ability to reject noise and hum, even when compo- nents are far apart and connected b y long cables. Certain high-qualit y preamplifiers, amplifiers, and s[...]

TECHNICALL Y SPEAKING continued 60 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 eac h hav e their own IR input jac ks. The IR input jac ks accept st andard 1 ⁄ 8 " (3.5 mm) two- conductor mini-plugs, with the positive wired to the plug ’ s tip and the [...]

TECHNICALL Y SPEAKING continued 61 Using Unmatched Power Amplifiers: While it ’ s best to use identical amplifiers for all c han- nels, it ’ s sometimes more convenient or economical to use a mixture of amps, especially if y ou already hav e some. If you do, obser ve the f ollowing: • Chec k with your amplifiers ’ manufacturers to see whic [...]

TECHNICALL Y SPEAKING continued 62 response down to 20 Hz (including subw oof ers that meet THX Ultra2 standards) are used in t ypi- cal-sized home listening rooms. It should be acti- vated in set up if you ha ve suc h subwoof ers, but other wise turned of f . On-Screen Messages The front-panel displa y and video on-screen display may sometimes sho[...]

P ARASOUND C 1 DESIGN OVERVIEW 63 The Halo By P arasound components are designed to add extra distinction to P arasound ’ s 20-year reputation for roc k-solid reliabilit y , amazing sound quality , and unequaled value. Although built for the home, our components hav e seen extensiv e use in professional studios. P arasound equipment was used by L[...]

Functionality The C 1 has inputs and outputs to accommodate an y home theater configuration, the ability to automatically decode all current surround signal f ormats, and a con- trol and interface str ucture that ’ s totally programmable. T o make that v ersatility manageable, the C 1 uses context-sensitiv e control logic that, with minor ex cep-[...]

P ARASOUND C 1 SPECIFICA TIONS 65 Audio Characteristics Frequency Response Digital Inputs 20 Hz – 42 kHz Analog Inputs 20 H z – 22 kHz 7 .1 - Channel Input 5 Hz – 200 kHz, - 3 dB 20 Hz – 20 kHz, - 0.5 dB T otal Harmonic Distortion Digital Inputs < 0.002% Analog Inputs < 0.002% 7 .1 - Channel Inputs < 0.002% Signal-to-Noise Ratio Di[...]

A A C cord, 6 A C outlet, 6 A C connection, 6 A C pow er switc h, 6 A C voltage, 6 A/D (Analog-to-Digital) Converters, 1 2, 63 Adaptiv e Decorrelation, 61 Adv anced Speaker Ar ray (AS A), 36, 61 Amplifiers, unmatc hed, 47 , 61 Analog Monitor , 33, 55 Analog audio sources, connecting, 37- 39, 41, 42 AS A (see: A dvanced Speaker Array) Associating pr[...]

INDEX continued 67 o On-of f switc h (Also see: Rear -panel switc h), 9, 1 5, 18 On-of f trigger , 35, 54 On-screen display (OSD), 6-7 , 1 0-1 1, 1 5, 33, 34, 49-50, 57 Operating voltage, 6 Optical digital (T oslink) cables, 38 OSD (Also see: On-Screen Display) “ OSD ” and “ Non-OSD ” video output jac ks, 1 5, 46, 49-50, 57 OSD Setup (see: [...]

Parasound Pr oducts, Inc . 950 Battery Street, San Francisco , C A 94111 415-397-7100 / Fax 415-397-0144 www .parasound.com ® V 0.96/6.37 © Parasound P roducts, Inc. 2003.[...]