Arcam SOLO MUSIC Handbook Download

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E-15

E-14

English

antenna

connectors

DAB/DAB+ and FM aerial

The Solo is fitted with an FM and a DAB/
DAB+ receiver module. The type of aerial
you need depends on your listening
preferences and the local conditions.
Your Solo is capable of superb radio
reception, but only if it is receiving a good
quality transmission signal.
Try the aerials supplied with your unit.
If you are in a medium to strong signal
area, these should be adequate for good
reception. In areas with poor signal
strength, you may require a roof or loft
mounted aerial.
Contact your local Arcam dealer or aerial
installation experts for advice about local
reception conditions.
In strong signal areas, the DAB/DAB+/FM
‘T’ wire aerial supplied can be used with
reasonable results. Mount the aerial as
high up as possible on a wall.
In the UK the ‘T’-elements need to be
positioned vertically for DAB/DAB+
reception since broadcasts are vertically
polarised. In other localities, check with
your Arcam dealer or try both horizontal
and vertical positions for best reception.

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi antenna

The Solo is supplied with both a

Bluetooth

and Wi-Fi antenna.
The two antennae are identical and need
to be inserted into the connectors labelled

and

WiFi

located at the rear of the Solo.

Try each usable wall of the room to see
which gives best reception and use tacks
or adhesive tape to secure the aerial in a
‘T’ shape, but note that no tacks should
come into contact with the internal wire
of the aerial.
In weak signal areas, a high-gain,
externally-mounted or roof-mounted
aerial is desirable in order to receive the
highest number of services.
In Band III transmission areas (such as
the UK), use a multi-element Yagi aerial
with the elements mounted vertically,
as the transmissions are vertically
polarised. If you are close to more than
one transmitter, use an omnidirectional or
folded dipole aerial.
If the DAB/DAB+ services in your area
are transmitted on L-band, then ask your
dealer for advice for the best aerial to use.

HDMI OUT

SAT

PVR

GAME

DAB/FM

SUB

WIFI

IR IN

AUX

RS232

speakers

Connecting speakers

The Solo is designed to drive a set of up
to five speakers, rated between 4 and
8 ohms. The unit is fitted with speaker
terminals that can accept either spade
terminals or bare wires.
The speakers are:

Solo movie:

(Left Surround),

(Left),

(Centre),

(Right) and

(Right Surround).

Solo music:

(Left),

(Right)

An active subwoofer may be connected
to the

SUB

output. See the diagram on

this page for recommended speaker
placement.

Speaker cables

The speakers should be connected to
the Solo using good-quality, high-purity,
copper cables. Solid core cables, or
those with surface-only conductors, are
particularly suitable. Bell wire and very
cheap speaker cables should be avoided,
as they significantly degrade the sound
quality.
Connections to the speaker terminals
should always be tight, whether using
bare wires, spade connectors or “banana”
plugs, but do not use tools such as pliers,
wrenches or spanners to tighten the
connectors as these may cause damage to
the terminals.

Speaker positioning

The advice given here is a general
guideline for setting up speakers. Refer
to the documentation supplied with your
speakers for more precise information.
Visit

www.dolby.com

for usefuI

information on listening-room layouts.

Room acoustics

Your room’s shape and how it is furnished
will affect the sound you hear. For
instance, too many bare surfaces may
cause a harshness to the sound. Carpets,
wall-hangings and curtains can all help.
If you have a choice of listening rooms,
avoid one that is perfectly square or has
one dimension exactly twice another. Such
a room can aggravate resonances that
colour the sound.
The closer you place a speaker to corners
and the intersection of wall and floor or
wall and ceiling, the stronger the bass
output, which may over-emphasise the
bass. Moving a speaker just a few inches
can sometimes make a big difference

0˚

90˚

110˚

22˚

30˚

SUB

Speaker setup

Proper speaker placement is the key to
achieving the best home theatre sound
(see diagrams). As a rough guide, speakers
should be placed on rigid stands about
15cm from the rear wall and at least 60cm
from any side wall.
Speakers should never be placed on
the floor (unless they are floor-standing
speakers), or in corners. Speaker drivers
should be at, or a little above, ear level
when seated. If possible, centre your
seating area between the surround
speakers.
Sound will depend on the acoustics of
the listening room so experimenting with
speaker positioning is very worthwhile.

Subwoofer

The location of the subwoofer will affect
the overall sound quality. Placing it next
to a wall or in a corner will often boost
efficiency and give a cleaner low bass
sound. However, all rooms react differently
and we recommend that you experiment
with positioning by allowing at least 15cm
clearance between the walls and the unit.

Speaker stands

The more firmly a speaker is held, the
better it will sound. We recommend the
use of rigid metal stands of 40–60cm
height.

Ensure that the stands and/or speakers do
not wobble. Properly damped stands that
do not ‘ring’ when tapped with a pencil,
will bring out the best in a speaker.