Meridian Digital Surround Controller 561 User Manual Download

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Setting up the digital surround controller

To connect to active loudspeakers
(eg Meridian M33s)

561 Digital Surround Controller

M33 Active

Loudspeaker

Audio leads

INPUT

Main/Side

INPUT

M33 Active

Loudspeaker

●

Connect the appropriate ANALOGUE OUT sockets from the

digital surround controller to the speaker inputs, using

screened audio cable.

You can connect the 561 to up to two pairs of active

loudspeakers and a centre speaker.

To connect to a stereo power
amplifier (eg Meridian 556)

556 Stereo Power Amplifier

INPUT

561 Digital Surround Controller

Audio leads

Main/Side

●

Connect the appropriate ANALOGUE OUT sockets from the

digital surround controller to the stereo power amplifier line

inputs, using screened audio cable.

●

Connect the speaker outputs from the stereo power amplifier

to suitable speakers.

Summary of Contents for Digital Surround Controller 561

Page 1: ...Meridian 561 Digital Surround Controller u s e r g u i d e...

Page 2: ...i Preface Meridian 561 Digital Surround Controller User Guide...

Page 3: ...rporation Canadian patent 1 037 877 Lucasfilm Ltd US patents 5 043 970 5 189 703 5 222 059 Trifield Productions Ltd and Nimbus Records Ltd Dolby Pro Logic AC 3 and the double D symbol are trademarks o...

Page 4: ...dian System Remote 15 Quick guide to operating the 561 with the remote 16 Selecting a source 17 Adjusting the volume 19 Changing the DSP preset 20 Changing the display 21 Recording a source 22 Definin...

Page 5: ...round controller 49 Describes how to unpack and install the digital surround controller and gives details of the video and audio connections Unpacking 50 Connecting the digital surround controller 51...

Page 6: ...ettings file 84 Setting up speakers 86 Setting the speaker sizes 89 Setting up sources 91 Configuring presets 95 Changing the setup options 98 Calibrating the settings with your system 99 Creating a U...

Page 7: ...Preface vi...

Page 8: ...ic and cinema sound The 561 Digital Surround Controller accepts analogue digital composite video and S video sources It supports all the current two channel and multi channel audio formats including P...

Page 9: ...ntuitive control interface 500 Series communications The Meridian 500 Series includes a sophisticated communications link to ensure that any configuration of units will work together as a fully integr...

Page 10: ...ally good response for such a compact case and can be mounted either horizontally or vertically for total flexibility Sample configurations Meridian DVD Player M33 561 M33 M33 M1500 M33 rear M33 rear...

Page 11: ...SP5000C Digital Centre Loudspeaker to provide audiophile quality sound A further two or four M33 Active Analogue Loudspeakers can be added as side or rear loudspeakers to give extremely convincing mul...

Page 12: ...it Delta Sigma DAC 6 x unbalanced outputs for centre sub rears and mains or sides or subs Outputs variable between 0 and 3 5Vrms output impedance 47 Distortion 0 01 Noise and hum 95dB CCIR Digital out...

Page 13: ...nd product specifications at any time Available accessories The following accessories are available from your dealer Meridian 511 S patch Box The Meridian 511 S patch box provides a convenient way to...

Page 14: ...A Fan kit is available for the 561 to provide additional ventilation if the unit is installed in an enclosed space The fan can be programmed using the Meridian Configuration program so that it either...

Page 15: ...use at a later date This section gives information about each of the built in DSP presets and gives recommendations for the best preset to choose for different types of material Multi channel digital...

Page 16: ...dio channels of up to 192kHz 24 bit quality to be stored on a DVD without losing any information It can also be used to store four channel audio on a standard CD without any loss of quality Multi chan...

Page 17: ...urround controller can also accept a conventional two channel source such as music on compact disc or a video soundtrack and by analysing the information in the signal separate the two channel recordi...

Page 18: ...ng Special DSP presets The digital surround controller also includes the following special DSP presets for specific applications Mono and Academy The Mono and Academy presets are designed for reproduc...

Page 19: ...12 Introduction...

Page 20: ...hapter provides a summary of the functions of the digital surround controller to identify the controls which you use to operate the unit It also provides step by step instructions for operating the di...

Page 21: ...VCR outputs 3 Preset Changes the preset 4 Mute 5 Display Changes the information displayed on the front panel 6 V Decrease Decreases the volume 7 A Increase Increases the volume 8 Off Switches to sta...

Page 22: ...er For controlling a DVD Player 7 Menu keys For customising the 561 8 Preset Changes the DSP preset 9 Display Changes the front panel display 10 Volume keys Mute Change the volume Meridian System Remo...

Page 23: ...h Tape card only Function Volume A V Function Volume A V Change display Display Not available Change DSP preset Preset Preset Move to next or previous menu Menu Function Menu Change the value of this...

Page 24: ...e by pressing the appropriate source key on the remote eg DVD If the digital surround controller is part of a Meridian system it will automatically switch on any other unit in the system such as the C...

Page 25: ...ion program for more information refer to Configuring the digital surround controller using a computer page 79 To switch to standby Press Off on the front panel or the remote The display will show If...

Page 26: ...ied in the range 1 to 99dB When you first connect power to the digital surround controller the volume is set to 65 which is similar to the midway position of the rotary volume control on a conventiona...

Page 27: ...Preset front panel or remote to step between the different DSP presets The display shows the current preset for example M u s i c You will be able to choose any of the predefined DSP presets or any u...

Page 28: ...In addition the following symbols on the front panel display indicate which of the DSP processing modes are operating Symbol What it means THX processing is operating Dolby processing is operating In...

Page 29: ...he display shows C o p y T V You can now listen to a different source such as CD by selecting the source without affecting what is being recorded Recording a source Display Option C o p y S o u r c e...

Page 30: ...ed range of more advanced adjustments for each DSP preset to allow you to change the characteristics of the sound to the settings you want This chapter explains how to change these advanced parameters...

Page 31: ...hat the parameters cannot be accessed To display or change the DSP presets or to define your own presets you first need to unlock the digital surround controller menus To lock the menus Press Off to p...

Page 32: ...nes See Defining your own presets page 34 Standard parameters All DSP presets except Mono and Direct provide the standard parameters shown on the next page Individual DSP presets provide additional pa...

Page 33: ...Rear 30dB to 10dB 0dB The level of the rears Sides 30dB to 10dB 0dB The level of the sides R Delay 0ms to 30ms 15 0ms The delay of the rears S Delay 0ms to 30ms 15 0ms The delay of the sides LipSync...

Page 34: ...speaker For more information see the speaker user guide To change the treble Press or remote until the display shows the current treble For example T r e b l e 1 5 Press A or V remote to change the tr...

Page 35: ...the position where 0 is central 8 is in line with the corresponding main speaker and 10 is fully to one side Note that this adjustment is not available for the Mono or Academy presets A conventional...

Page 36: ...You can change the relative loudness of the rear loudspeakers from 30dB about one eighth of the loudness to 10dB about double the loudness For example to double the loudness of the loudspeakers Adjust...

Page 37: ...rom the listening position If you have a centre loudspeaker you can adjust its relative loudness to provide the best integration of the centre with the main left and right speakers You can also adjust...

Page 38: ...le for the Direct Stereo Mono or Academy presets To change the relative delay of the rear or side speakers Press or remote until the display shows the speaker s you want to adjust For example R D e l...

Page 39: ...setting of 12ms Press or remote until the display shows LipSync 0 Press A or V remote to change the delay in milliseconds You can adjust the delay between 0 and 30ms where 30ms corresponds to sitting...

Page 40: ...n the front panel or the appropriate source key on the remote eg CD If necessary select a signal in the appropriate format For example to change the DSP preset used for DTS compact discs play a DTS CD...

Page 41: ...e to select the DSP preset you want to modify and then associate with the source For example T r i f i e l d Change the preset parameters to the values you want to store see To change a DSP parameter...

Page 42: ...ess steps through the sequence A to Z a to z 0 to 9 full stop and blank You can also select a blank directly by pressing Clear remote If you are using a Meridian DSP loudspeaker you select a blank by...

Page 43: ...the menus page 24 Press Preset front panel or remote to select the DSP preset you want to clear For example U s e r 2 Press and hold down Clear remote for several seconds The display shows P r e s e...

Page 44: ...ed by each DSP preset and gives details of the types of material you should use with each preset It also gives details of the special DSP parameters available for each preset The DSP presets are divid...

Page 45: ...is an encoding system based on a phase amplitude matrix whose output can be decoded by a very simple passive matrix Such a decoder gives quite a poor separation The Pro Logic system uses psychoacoust...

Page 46: ...d Controller this decorrelation is optimised to give spacious surround sound that has no artefacts disturbing to music or other sensitive sounds in the mix The time synchronisation between loudspeaker...

Page 47: ...t channels for use when different languages or material are carried on each channel A combined version of the two input channels for use if the material was originally mono and has been conveyed on a...

Page 48: ...round technique Trifield As for the Music DSP preset the Trifield preset extracts the mono and surround components of the original recording It then calculates the signals for the front left centre an...

Page 49: ...Surround encoded An advantage over the Music DSP preset is that the front stereo image is more focused and the width of the image can be adjusted Music and Trifield DSP preset parameters Parameter Opt...

Page 50: ...dio LP or CD The digital surround controller uses accurately matched frequency dependent phase amplitude matrices to decode the signal and construct the signals for each speaker feed The fundamental d...

Page 51: ...e cutoff of high 9kHz frequencies from the side surrounds Super Stereo only Ambisonic only Music Logic Music Logic is a music DSP preset with user adjustable steering designed to provide an exciting e...

Page 52: ...DTS Music is a special version of the DTS preset designed with a lower LFE level of 10dB to match the bass levels applied to DTS music CDs MPEG Music MPEG Music is a special version of the MPEG prese...

Page 53: ...ly high bass levels that Dolby Digital can produce DTS DTS is unusual among the compressed surround formats in that it can deliver high quality music at high bit rates CDs and LaserDiscs are currently...

Page 54: ...gital format it allows dynamic range control without the distortion involved in analogue methods The Compress parameter can be set to one of the following options Option Description Off No compression...

Page 55: ...e subwoofers the parameter is named Max SPL and it sets the peak level limit for the LFE channel If your loudspeaker layout contains no subwoofer the parameter is named Limit and it sets the peak leve...

Page 56: ...t it to your other audio equipment and speakers and the siting constraints Before you begin installation you should ensure that your digital surround controller is the correct voltage for you local AC...

Page 57: ...of FCC rules for a Class B computing device These limits are intended to provide reasonable protection against such interference in home installations EEC This product has been designed and type teste...

Page 58: ...232 ON Tape2 D4 LD O1 DVD D2 CDR D3 DTV D5 CD D1 DIGITAL IN Meridian Comms Only Tape Out Centre Rear L Main Side ANALOGUE OUT Sub Main Side Rear R TAPE OUT Room 2 Tape A6 A7 A5 A4 A3 A2 A1 VCR1 VCR2 C...

Page 59: ...Outs output will enable you to record either composite or S video sources Digital audio inputs The following table gives details of the digital audio inputs Use this input To connect to this CD D1 DVD...

Page 60: ...is output To connect to this Main 1 2 Main left and right speakers Centre Sub 3 4 Centre speaker and centre or mono subwoofer Sides Sub 5 6 Left and right subwoofers or side left and side right surrou...

Page 61: ...ket Additional expansion output The function of the expansion socket depends on the expansion card fitted The optional Tape card provides a headphone output Control outputs The following table gives d...

Page 62: ...ble gives details of the communications connections Use this connection To connect to this COMMS Other Meridian 500 Series equipment and the master digital speaker RS232 The serial port of a PC to con...

Page 63: ...S video sources it is recommended that you connect the S video Main Outs VIDEO OUT socket to the S video input of your television or monitor using an S video lead and select this when viewing an S vi...

Page 64: ...er typically the centre speaker Use the audio part of the M5 lead to connect the digital speaker to the appropriate DIGITAL OUT socket If your system includes more than two Meridian DSP loudspeakers y...

Page 65: ...er inputs using screened audio cable You can connect the 561 to up to two pairs of active loudspeakers and a centre speaker To connect to a stereo power amplifier eg Meridian 556 556 Stereo Power Ampl...

Page 66: ...or best results you should use these instead of the subwoofer s crossover To do this set the subwoofer filtering to Narrow and remove any crossover in the subwoofer or set it to its highest setting eg...

Page 67: ...a high quality digital phono lead If the digital source provides an analogue output and you want to be able to make analogue tape recordings of the source connect the analogue output to one of the AN...

Page 68: ...61 using a digital lead To connect to a LaserDisc player OPTICAL OUTPUT 561 Digital Surround Controller LaserDisc player Meridian 519 Demodulator OPTICAL OUTPUT OPTICAL INPUT RF INPUT RF OUTPUT Optica...

Page 69: ...t to the tape output By adding the optional Tape card you will also be able to record analogue sources to the digital tape output To connect to an analogue recorder ANALOGUE IN Tape1 A3 Analogue Recor...

Page 70: ...Surround Controller to the video recorder s audio inputs Connect the video recorder s audio outputs to the VCR1 A6 ANALOGUE IN sockets on the 561 Connect the appropriate VCR Outs VIDEO OUT socket on...

Page 71: ...standby Press CLEAR remote Each unit will display A u t o S e t u p Connecting to other Meridian equipment One unit will then be designated as the controller and display C o n t r o l l e r This is th...

Page 72: ...ront panel controls and Meridian System Remote This chapter explains how to configure the digital surround controller without using a computer and then how to calibrate the loudspeakers and sources fo...

Page 73: ...on screen display also provides additional text explaining what to do For information about setting up the on screen display refer to Connecting video page 56 The Type you choose depends on the follow...

Page 74: ...until the display shows T y p e i n 5 Keep holding down the A key for a further 5 seconds The display will show T y p e W a i t Followed by the current Type setting for example T y p e 5 1 A A A Press...

Page 75: ...hannel Digital DTS MPEG input input preset preset preset preset CD CD D1 Trifield Digital DTS Mus MPEG Mus Radio Radio A2 Music Digital DTS Mus MPEG Mus DTV DTV D5 DTV S4 Music Digital DTS MPEG TV TV...

Page 76: ...ing position As you run the calibration procedure the name of each calibration test is shown on the front panel display followed by the parameters adjusted in the test If your digital surround control...

Page 77: ...the V key on the front panel for at least five seconds The display shows the distance units M e t r e s Or F e e t I n c h e s To start the calibration procedure Select a video source to produce an o...

Page 78: ...calibration tests Press remote to move to the next test Press remote to move back to an earlier test Press Store to jump to the next set of tests The calibration tests are described in the following...

Page 79: ...e layout in the sequence Left Centre Right Side R Rear R Rear L Side L and subwoofers Use A and V to adjust the level of the speaker Ignore any tonal difference For correct THX reproduction you should...

Page 80: ...ub Left Right Left Side Right Side Left Rear Right Rear Surround Sub Measure from the ear height at the listening position to the tweeter on each speaker where applicable in the distance units you hav...

Page 81: ...ows you to adjust the phase For example L e f t If you have an on screen display it shows The next display shows the distance or delay for the same speaker For example L e f t 1 8 0 If you have an on...

Page 82: ...tention to the centre channel as this can have a dramatic effect on the overall sound As you increase the delay the speaker will appear to move away from you You have now completed the calibration of...

Page 83: ...ain Xover and Sine To turn off Gain Sub mode Repeat the above procedure until the display shows G a i n S u b O f f To adjust the sensitivity of analogue sources The 561 contains a very high quality A...

Page 84: ...rect just below clipping Press or remote until the display shows G a i n 9 Press A or V remote to adjust the sensitivity until three bars are showing in the loudest passages Repeat for any other analo...

Page 85: ...cludes a sinewave signal test to help you set the subwoofer crossover frequencies or check for room resonances Turn on Gain Sub mode as described above Press or remote until the display shows S i n e...

Page 86: ...es and the other equipment in your system To configure the 561 you use the Meridian Configuration program an intelligent Windows based application that is supplied with the 561 This allows you to crea...

Page 87: ...ition of the on screen display the information provided on the front panel displays the startup volume and settings affecting its operation in multi room systems Speakers Lets you configure the digita...

Page 88: ...figuration program installation disk Choose Run from the Start menu Type A setup and press R Follow the on screen instructions inserting the second installation disk when prompted Planning the configu...

Page 89: ...es the current settings and User Types to attached products Disconnect Disconnects the program from attached products Copy Copies text or settings onto the clipboard Paste Pastes text or settings from...

Page 90: ...d Connect one end to the RS232 connector on the back panel of the 561 Digital Surround Controller Connect the other end to one of the serial ports on the PC or PC notebook computer Then specify the se...

Page 91: ...tial configuration in the settings file Double clicking Return to top level takes you back to the previous level The section explains how to create a new settings file using the Meridian Configuration...

Page 92: ...and Presets The options available in each case are explained in the following sections At this stage you may find it useful to maximise the Meridian Configuration program window so you can see all th...

Page 93: ...etting up the speakers is to specify the number of speakers in the layout and the type and size of each speaker The 561 Digital Surround Controller can support up to 8 loudspeakers or up to 6 loudspea...

Page 94: ...the subwoofers To specify the size and type of the main speakers Choose Large if your main left and right speakers are large with good bass performance and you want to use them for full range reprodu...

Page 95: ...akers and side speakers you have in your surround system Specify the types of the rear and side speakers To specify the number of subwoofers and the DSP presets that use them If your main left and rig...

Page 96: ...woofer A setting of Max corresponds to no protection and 0 corresponds to full protection By default any Meridian DSP loudspeakers in your system are set to Max as these include built in protection Yo...

Page 97: ...n and Phase Gain pages of settings for the moment these will allow you to check the values you have set up when you calibrate the 561 To specify the type of subwoofer For each subwoofer in the system...

Page 98: ...tion describes how to use the Meridian Configuration program to configure the sources provided by the digital surround controller To set up sources Click the Sources icon in the left hand panel of the...

Page 99: ...ing selectable using the Meridian System Remote by disabling this option If you want you can change the name displayed when the source is selected by editing the Name field The name can consist of up...

Page 100: ...cision for the source by choosing an option from the Precision drop down menu All CDs and laserdiscs are currently 16 bits The 518 provides 24 bits If in doubt choose 24 bit The Extra analogue input d...

Page 101: ...sources as it will prevent the sound from being in sync with the picture Select Only ever play DTS for this source to create a video DTS source that will avoid any DTS noise when switching audio forma...

Page 102: ...n also create up to 12 additional user defined presets Each user defined preset is based on one of the built in presets and can have any name of your choice To set up presets Click the Presets icon in...

Page 103: ...bass settings will not be available if your system includes DSP loudspeakers because in this case the DSP speakers handle the treble and bass adjustments For more information about the DSP parameters...

Page 104: ...te this preset button To copy a preset to a specific position in the list of user defined presets Highlight the preset you want to copy Choose Copy from the Edit menu or click the Copy button in the t...

Page 105: ...creen display Specifies the default position of the position on screen display Multi room displays Includes displays of information from Meridian sources eg CD track number or FM tuner frequency Diagn...

Page 106: ...d source settings so that you can check that they correspond to your system configuration Check that there is a printer connected to your PC Click the Settings icon in the left hand panel of the Merid...

Page 107: ...st the sources The second calibration stage involves adjusting the sensitivity of the analogue sources see To adjust the sensitivity of analogue sources page 76 To fetch the calibrated settings Finall...

Page 108: ...nit to them whenever you need to When you store one or more User Types to the 561 they become available in the list of Types alongside the built in Types For more information about selecting one of th...

Page 109: ...it on in the left hand panel of the Meridian Setup window eg Standard Click the Copy as new user type button Select In use if you want the User Type to be selected automatically when you store it to...

Page 110: ...from the Edit menu or click the Paste button in the toolbar You can also copy and paste source and preset settings from one section of a user type to the same section of another user type as follows...

Page 111: ...Digital Surround Controller Click the Store button The settings will then be downloaded to the 561 The 561 will display R e c e i v i n g As the download proceeds the following dialogue box shows its...

Page 112: ...olutions to typical problems that may occur when setting up the digital surround processor If you are still not able to resolve a difficulty with the help of this guide and the suggestions in the foll...

Page 113: ...ss Clear on the Meridian System Remote Observe all units responding correctly If this fails the memory of the 561 may have been corrupted If this is suspected perform a full reset see Choosing a stand...

Page 114: ...ude a two channel Dolby Digital soundtrack which will use the default two channel preset Select a six channel soundtrack if it is available Unit is overheating If there is not adequate ventilation aro...

Page 115: ...ain Sub mode see To adjust the sensitivity of analogue sources page 76 There is radio interference The 561 is a digital audio and computing device which has been designed to very high standards of ele...

Page 116: ...bit capability on its internal analogue to digital converter which is used for analogue sources When the volume is turned up high you may hear its dither as a hiss when the sources are stopped This hi...

Page 117: ...ed a layout that expects one See To specify the speaker layout page 86 Centre not working There may be a connection problem In a digital or Meridian feed to the centre you may have set it up to be rig...

Page 118: ...nals can be significantly deteriorated by cross modulation in the RF domain It is unwise to attempt to cascade and mix several video sources eg LaserDisc VCR etc to an antenna system Video problems Vi...

Page 119: ...ited if your layout includes the corresponding speakers Meridian Configuration program repeatedly fails to talk to the product Check that you have selected a COM port Check that no other program curre...

Page 120: ...guarantee Guarantee The 561 Digital Surround Processor is guaranteed against defects in material and workmanship for 2 years from the date of purchase The guarantee is void if the 561 Digital Surroun...

Page 121: ...114 Troubleshooting...

Page 122: ...right surround and an additional Low Frequency Effects LFE channel which is band limited to 120Hz Dolby Surround The encoding system used for the majority of movies on video and many TV broadcasts Dol...

Page 123: ...LFE channel Menus The flexible system for choosing options and configuring settings in Meridian products On the 561 the menus are controlled by the A and V keys on the MSR MLP MLP Meridian Lossless Pa...

Page 124: ...An input to the system such as CD or TV The Meridian 500 and 800 Series provide 12 named sources corresponding to the names of the 12 source keys on the MSR In the 561 you can choose the logo display...

Page 125: ...thful reproduction of cinema sound in the home Trifield A music decoding system designed to extract centre and surround signals from a conventional two channel stereo source Type A standard configurat...

Page 126: ...ameter 25 26 28 Bass DSP parameter 26 27 Bass changing 27 built in presets changing 34 C Calibrating the system 69 Calibration procedure exiting from 71 starting 70 Calibration tests 72 Distance 73 Fi...

Page 127: ...e 26 30 42 changing 25 DSP parameters continued Compress 47 Depth 25 26 30 Input 40 LFE 47 Limit 47 48 LipSync 26 32 Max SPL 47 48 Mono Rear 39 40 44 OSD 26 32 Phase 26 27 Position 44 R Delay 26 R Fil...

Page 128: ...ation program 81 Integration of the centre changing 30 Introduction 1 L LaserDisc player connecting 61 Levels calibration test 72 LFE DSP parameter 47 Limit DSP parameter 47 48 Lip sync changing 32 Li...

Page 129: ...anging position 32 Optical input 52 Options View menu 83 Options dialogue box 83 OSD DSP parameter 26 32 Overheating problems 107 Owner icon 84 85 P PC using to configure the 561 79 Peak level limitin...

Page 130: ...33 configuring options using a PC 91 connecting 60 recording 22 selecting 17 setting advanced options using a PC 94 setting up 76 setting up using a PC 91 specifying connections using a PC 92 standard...

Page 131: ...Meridian Configuration program 112 video 111 TV Logic DSP preset 10 39 Types 66 choosing 67 standard 68 U UHJ format 43 Unlocking the menus 24 Unpacking 50 User Types copying settings between 103 cre...

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