1
Introduction
to the CP-3
PLUS
CP-3
PLUS
Digital Surround Processor
Introduction
1
All of the operating modes of the Lexicon CP-3
PLUS
Digital Surround
Processor have a common goal: to draw you, the listener, more deeply into
a musical performance or a film. For music the CP-3
PLUS
uses true stereo
digital processing to recreate the original recording space or to create a new
one of your choosing. For films it offers an extremely accurate version of
Dolby
®
Pro Logic Surround decoding with all of the enhancements of the
LucasFilm Home THX
®
Cinema system and Lexicon's own decoding for
monaural film soundtracks. The increase in impact of a musical perfor-
mance or film when heard with the CP-3
PLUS
is incredible.
A great deal of effort went into designing an instrument which would be
flexible enough to satisfy the most critical listeners and yet be simple to
operate. Essentially, the CP-3
PLUS
is a signal processing computer that can be
custom-programmed for any specific system. Once installed, it can be
operated by either of the two remote controls supplied with the unit. The
Standard Remote features simple, intuitive controls for most day-to-day
operations; the Expanded Remote, which is used to customize the CP-3
PLUS
,
allows complete control of every aspect of operation.
To recreate the experience of being at a live musical performance the
CP-3
PLUS
draws on recent studies of concert-hall acoustics, and applies this
research to home listening rooms. Our auditory sense is quite adept at
interpreting clues about our physical environment. Even with your eyes
closed, it is possible to get a good mental picture of the room or hall you are
in by listening to the ambience, or reflected sound energy, in the room. We
are not aware of our auditory sense in everyday life because it confirms
what our eyes identify as the environment. When we listen to recorded
music, however, there are no visual clues and we rely completely on our
sense of hearing. The introduction of two-speaker stereo systems over
thirty years ago brought dramatic improvement to high fidelity music
reproduction. With a carefully-designed system, and good recording, it
became possible to produce a good sonic picture of the original event.
Unfortunately, our listening rooms do not approximate the acoustics of a
good concert hall, an intimate jazz club, or a magnificent cathedral — our
ears tell us where we really are. The Lexicon CP-3
PLUS
is designed to
overcome this fundamental limitation to two-speaker reproduction and
bring us closer to the ultimate goal of transporting ourselves to the original
musical event. The object is to increase the sideways-moving sound in a
room, thus increasing Spatial Impression, or SI. The CP-3
PLUS
increases SI by
either extracting it from the original recording, using the Panorama or
Surround modes, or by generating a new acoustic environment with
Ambience or Reverb.
When a listener is in the correct spot the Panorama mode provides an almost
ideal recreation of the original recording space. It works by using digital
signal processing to cancel the crosstalk between the listener’s ears, effec-
tively spreading the sound from the two front loudspeakers in a wide arc in
front of the listener. With the optional addition of rear speakers, Panorama
can be startling in its realism.
Introduction
to the CP-3
PLUS
