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sion level so that you can hear both the soft and loud
passages of the music at the desired volume level.
Note that by increasing the level of compression the
volume level for the soft passages will increase as well.
If necessary, re-adjust the volume level in between set-
ting the compression level.
Expansion is the reversed process of compression;
the relative volume level for the soft passages will be
lowered without changing the volume level for the loud
passages; making the differences in loudness between
the soft and loud passages bigger.
Some sound sources are already compressed, many
radio stations tend to compress music making it easier
for clear reception and transmission. The procedure to
engage expansion is identical with Compression but
instead of turning the control knob clockwise from the
neutral position turn it counter clockwise, use the TRE-
BLE - button on the remote control instead of the TRE-
BLE +.
NOTE: If the music source contains a significant
amount of hiss (old analogue recordings), then the
compression circuit will raise the level of hiss as well as
the soft passages. What you are hearing is the actual
noise from the source itself, not from the circuitry which
operates virtually noiselessly.
OTHER FEATURES.
BALANCE (20)
Recordings often contain small errors in channel bal-
ance, sometimes enough to degrade stereo imaging.
Small compensating changes in the setting of the bal-
ance control can significantly improve the depth and
stability of the stereo image.
The Balance control (20) or the Balance
and
Balance
buttons on the remote control (section 4 on
remote control drawing) adjust the relative levels of the
left and right channels. It has no effect on recordings
being made. Rotation of the Balance control to the right
(clockwise) or pressing the Balance
button gradual-
ly decreases the level of the left speaker until only the
right speaker can be heard; when adjusting with the
remote control to the right speaker only, the LEDs in
the display area will light up like this:
Rotation of the Balance control to the left (counter
clockwise) or pressing the Balance
button gradually
decreases the level of the right channel until only the
left channel can be heard.
Rotation to the right shifts the sonic image to the right
speaker (volume of the left speaker is gradually
reduced). When adjusting with the remote control to the
left speaker only, the LEDs in the display area will light
up like this:
HIGH GAIN (21)
The High Gain switch raises the volume level by
10dB when engaged. When playing at low or moderate
volume levels it is best to leave High Gain switched off,
giving you a larger range of control.
Engage High Gain if you wish to play at higher vol-
ume levels. Provided the input gain for all analogue
inputs has been set correctly (refer to chapter Set-up
and Initialisation; section Input Gain for more informa-
tion) the Peak indicator (23) will give an indication if
High Gain needs to be engaged. If the Peak indicator
(23) frequently lights up it indicates that the DAC may
be overloaded which can potentially cause audible dis-
tortion. In such cases engage the High Gain function.
NOTE: The High Gain button only works in the ana-
logue domain. If only the digital pre-amp output is used
(2 on back panel drawing) then the High Gain button
will have no effect.
MONO (24)
It can be useful sometimes to be able to switch from
Stereo to Mono, e.g. when trying to find the right posi-
tion for the loudloudspeakers; if the source is fed
through only the Left or Right channel, etc.
To switch from Stereo to Mono, press the Mono but-
ton (24; 9 on the remote control drawing) to engage;
the LED in the front panel button will light up. Press
button again to switch back to normal stereo operation.
NOTE: By turning control (17) fully counter clockwise
or using the remote control BASS - button (section 11
in remote control drawing) so that only the far left LED
in the display panel (26) is lit with the Width DSP func-
tion engaged, the sound will also be fully mono. Refer
to section Width of this chapter for more information.
NOTE: Unless Process to Tape (14) has been select-
ed, the Mono button will not affect the recording. Switch
Process to Tape on (LED in the button is lit) if you wish
to record in mono.
POLARITY (25)
With the Polarity switch (25; 8 on the remote control
drawing) you can reverse the polarity of the audio sig-
nal (the LED lights up in the button on the front panel).
Reversing polarity (or absolute phase, as it is also
known) causes a positive signal to be negative and
vice versa.
Changing the polarity of a signal can improve the
sound quality, as there isn’t much consistency for
polarity within the recording industry. The improvement
(or deterioration, if the polarity was correct in the first
place) can be very subtle; the effect depends on the
original recording, the listening environment and the
loudloudspeakers, sometimes no effect is noticeable at
all. The correct position of the switch can be estab-
lished by listening. For more information refer to chap-
ter “Glossary”.NOTE: The polarity switch operates both
analogue and digital pre-amp outputs and on the ana-
logue and digital recording outputs.
MAKING RECORDINGS; PROCESS TO TAPE
(14)
Two types of recorder can be connected; analogue
(compact cassette; reel to reel) and digital (DAT, MD,
DCC). Most digital recorders also have analogue in-