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Page 14

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Fathom 

f212

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS IN DETAIL

Power Switch

Th

  e “Power” switch determines the operational readiness of the Fathom 

subwoofer and should be the only switch used to turn the Fathom on and off . Do not 
use a power strip switch, switched outlet or any other external switch as these may 
result in undesirable and potentially damaging transient pops. Do not unplug the 
Fathom’s AC power cord while the unit is turned on.

Th

  e power switch has three positions:

“On”

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  e Fathom is fully powered at all times. Front panel lights are on unless 

they have been turned off  via the “Lights” switch.

“Off  ”

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  e Fathom’s internal power amplifi er is powered down. In this state, 

a negligible current draw will exist for operating the main power relays. All front 
panel lights are off  .

“Auto”

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  e Fathom will power up its internal amplifi er when an audio signal is 

present at any of its inputs and will power down the internal amplifi er if no signal has 
been detected at its inputs for thirty (30) minutes. When dormant, the Fathom will 
draw a very small amount of current (< 5 watts) to power its signal-sensing circuitry. 
Front panel lights will turn off  when the Fathom powers down and light when the 
Fathom powers up (unless they have been turned off  via the “Lights” switch).

In the unlikely event that the Auto feature is not sensitive enough for a particular 

system, use a Y-cable adaptor to split the incoming signal into both RCA or XLR 
inputs on the Fathom.  Th

  is will increase the input sensitivity by 6 dB.  Please be 

aware that if the Auto sensitivity is too high or if there is signifi cant noise on the 
input cable, the Fathom may not turn off  as desired.  If this happens, remove the 
Y-cable adaptor or look for the noise source in the upstream components. 

Automatic Room Optimization (A.R.O.)

 

A powerful feature of the JL Audio Fathom subwoofers is their innovative 

Automatic Room Optimization (A.R.O.) technology.  Th

  is one-touch system 

serves to eliminate the single largest acoustic response peak in your home theater 
at the main listening seat, greatly improving the in-room low-frequency response.  
Calibration of the A.R.O. system is fully automated and takes only a few minutes to 
accomplish. Please consult the next section of this manual for details on how to use 
the A.R.O. system

Using the included JL Audio calibration microphone, the A.R.O. calibration 

procedure takes less than three minutes.  In brief, you will connect the included 
microphone to the “Calibration Mic.” input, press the Calibrate button, and then 
hold the microphone at ear height in your main listening seat during the test. A 
series of tones will be played through the Fathom subwoofer, and the room response 
will be automatically measured, analyzed and equalized to eliminate the single 
largest acoustic room response peak at your listening seat. 

For detailed instructions 

on the A.R.O. setup procedure, refer to pages 29-30.

Calibration Mic. Input

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  is input is for connecting the supplied JL Audio calibration microphone to 

the Fathom subwoofer.  Connect one end of the supplied cable to the microphone 
and the other end to this jack prior to using the A.R.O. system. Th

  e A.R.O. system 

is specifi cally calibrated to this microphone and its connection scheme is specifi c to 
the supplied microphone. Th

  e calibration sequence will not operate when a diff erent 

microphone is connected or if no microphone is connected.

IMPORTANT

Summary of Contents for Fathom f212

Page 1: ...f212 Owner s Manual...

Page 2: ...rces such as radiators heat registers stoves fireplaces or other devices which produce heat Do not place candles on top of or near the subwoofer 10 Power sources The subwoofer should only be connected...

Page 3: ...fallen or liquid has been spilled into the subwoofer c the subwoofer has been exposed to rain d the subwoofer does not appear to operate normally or exhibits a marked change in performance e the subwo...

Page 4: ...gnal processing technologies specifically aimed at delivering exceptional low frequency performance Your Fathom combines these core disciplines within a compact beautifully crafted package to deliver...

Page 5: ...patented feedback technology were created The advanced amplifier design in the F212 is capable of unclipped output voltages equivalent to 3000 watts of RMS power when referenced to the nominal loudsp...

Page 6: ...he strongest output with the fewest dips When the subwoofer is pulled away from a corner or wall the room modes are excited less which can alter the sound at your listening seat Be sure to experiment...

Page 7: ...005 3 4 0 0 5 3 0 130 4 4 5 104 5 0 4 3FTVMUT JO XFBLFS VOFWFO CBTT QFSGPSNBODF 45 4 5 104 5 0 4 PTU BDDVSBUF CBTT QFSGPSNBODF 0 130 4 4 5 104 5 0 4 PSF JOUFOTF CVU MFTT BDDVSBUF CBTT QFSGPSNBODF 8034...

Page 8: ...spirited operation we do recommend that adequate heat vents are included in any custom cabinet which encloses the Fathom Pairs of 3 inch 7 5 cm diameter vents over the full cabinet height 8 vents tota...

Page 9: ...m at diagonally opposite corners of the room or at the center points of opposing walls as shown at right Experimentation with subwoofer and listener placement is recommended to achieve the best result...

Page 10: ...listening area can be achieved using four subwoofers placing one at the midpoint of each of the four walls although using two or three subwoofers can be almost as good Experimentation with subwoofer a...

Page 11: ...bag and place in the carton 11 Tilt the subwoofer forward toward its grille to remove the rear split foam insert first Then tilt the subwoofer in the opposite direction towards its amplifier panel to...

Page 12: ...low depicts the front control panel of a Fathom f212 subwoofer A R O page 14 15 Power page 14 Input Mode page 15 Level Mode page 15 Master Level page 16 Lights page 16 LP Filter page 16 LP freq Hz pag...

Page 13: ...and Connectors The labeled Figure below depicts the rear panel of a Fathom f212 subwoofer Balanced Inputs page 18 Unbalanced Inputs page 19 IEC Style AC Connector page 21 Output to Slave Connector pa...

Page 14: ...the input cable the Fathom may not turn off as desired If this happens remove the Y cable adaptor or look for the noise source in the upstream components Automatic Room Optimization A R O A powerful...

Page 15: ...ill not start unless the supplied JL Audio test microphone is plugged into the Fathom subwoofer Once the calibration routine is complete the green light in the center of the Calibrate button will ligh...

Page 16: ...gnal path 12 dB sets the roll off slope of the low pass filter to a 12 dB per octave slope Butterworth alignment 24 dB sets the roll off slope of the low pass filter to a 24 dB per octave slope Linkwi...

Page 17: ...h is immediate it compliments the operation of the Phase control and cannot be replaced by it When placing your Fathom in the room experiment with the Polarity switch before adjusting the Phase contro...

Page 18: ...rocessors Separate left and right input jacks are provided for systems without a dedicated mono subwoofer connection This typically applies to two channel audio equipment Appropriate balanced cables a...

Page 19: ...receivers and preamplifier processors Separate left and right RCA type input jacks are provided for systems without a dedicated mono subwoofer connection This typically applies to two channel audio e...

Page 20: ...his section any further If your installation incorporates two or more Fathoms you will designate one Fathom as the Master and all others in the system as Slave subwoofers via the Master Slave switch o...

Page 21: ...lave signal carries any signal processing selected on the Master Fathom including the Master Level setting and A R O processing to further Fathoms operating in Slave mode From Fathoms operating in Sla...

Page 22: ...A type connector Balanced connections provide superior noise rejection and ensure proper grounding between components If your receiver or processor has balanced outputs we highly recommend that you us...

Page 23: ...or has balanced outputs we highly recommend that you use them to connect to the Fathom designated as the master In the connection diagram at left balanced connections are shown as solid lines unbalanc...

Page 24: ...mfortable running your main speakers full range you can split your preamplifier s output signals using appropriate Y connectors in place of the active crossover shown in the diagram Two connection typ...

Page 25: ...wo connection types are available for connecting the Fathoms to your two channel audio system balanced XLR or 1 4 inch TRS connector and unbalanced RCA type connector Balanced connections provide supe...

Page 26: ...speaker setup menu properly set all speaker distances to the primary listening seat including the subwoofer s distance Use a tape measure to determine these distances time coherence is important If mu...

Page 27: ...connected directly to your receiver or preamp processor is indicating Master on its Input Mode lights and that all other units are indicating Slave on their Input Mode lights If not you will need to a...

Page 28: ...on pages 15 16 of this manual 2 Polarity and Phase Adjustment It is often helpful to have a second person operating these controls so that you can easily hear the changes from the primary listening s...

Page 29: ...emove the calibration microphone from its protective pouch and connect its cable to the mini XLR jack on the Fathom s front control panel NOTE A R O Calibration is only possible when the included JL A...

Page 30: ...trols to their previously determined settings before the A R O calibration run and re tweak the subwoofer output level as described in Step 1 Level Setting on page 28 Since the A R O will smooth the l...

Page 31: ...til these artifacts disappear Will my electric bill be high if I leave the Fathom in Auto mode When in Auto mode the Fathom amplifier is only powered up when a significant signal is detected on the in...

Page 32: ...y automotive wax and a microfiber cloth both available wherever automotive detailing supplies are sold We recommend Meguiar s NXT Tech Wax and Meguiar s Microfiber Detailing cloths Never use a polish...

Page 33: ...ify the position of the ELF Trim knob Hums or other unusual noises from your Fathom 1 See Input Mode discussion on page 20 of this manual especially if any upstream components cables etc have recently...

Page 34: ...Page 34 Fathom f212...

Page 35: ...allow limitations on implied warranties therefore these exclusions may not apply to you This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state...

Page 36: ...Signal Sensing Light Modes Off On or Dim Low Pass Filter Mode Off 12 dB per octave or 24 dB per octave Low Pass Filter Cutoff Frequency Variable from 30 Hz 130 Hz Polarity 0 or 180 degrees Phase Varia...

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