Paradigm DSP-3200 Manual - Page 6

YOUR NEW SUBWOOFER Break-In Although your Paradigm® subwoofer will sound great "out of the carton" it will sound even better when broken in. Allow it to operate for several hours before you listen critically. Cleaning Do not use a strong or abrasive cleaner on your subwoofer. Clean it with a damp soft cloth, but do not get it wet. Do not place wet objects, such as drinking glasses or potted plants, on top of it. If allowed to soak in, even a small amount of water may permanently damage the enclosure. POWER REQUIREMENTS The "Watts" (W) rating indicated on the rear panel of your subwoofer is the maximum AC power the unit will draw when producing its maximum power output. However, the actual wattage draw will vary with the bass content of the program material. Although generally not required for typical music and movie program material, if the bass content of your program material is very loud and more continuous in nature, we recommend connecting subwoofers with higher wattage ratings (i.e. 1500 W) to dedicated AC circuits. ROOM ACOUSTICS You are about to experience the powerful and extremely accurate deep bass performance of Paradigm® subwoofers. These subwoofers offer incredible output with low distortion, exceptional extension and superb definition. It is important to note, however, that just as the amount of soft furnishings has a decided impact on mid and high frequencies, those frequencies below 150 Hz are dramatically affected by the room itself-its size, shape, as well as the physical boundaries of the room. The extra care you take in correctly positioning your subwoofer(s) will result in greater listening enjoyment. Keep the following guidelines in mind when deciding on best subwoofer placement: • Concrete floors and walls tend to aggravate low-frequency standing wave problems and are less preferred. • Rooms where height, width and length are similar should be avoided as they can exhibit significant low-frequency standing wave problems. This may result in reduced clarity. If no other room is possible, experiment with subwoofer placement to minimize acoustic problems. SUBWOOFER PLACEMENT To avoid personal injury, install subwoofer in a location where any rear amplifier parts such as panels and/or heatsinks, etc. cannot be accidentally touched. Bass is less and less directional as it goes down in frequency. For best sonic integration, locating your subwoofer between your front speakers or beside one of them and close to the back wall will usually provide the best bass performance. If this location is not possible your subwoofer may be placed anywhere in the room without affecting the stereo image of your front speakers or the soundstage of your multichannel speaker system. Fig. 1a and Fig. 1b, on page 4, highlight how bass output is generally affected by room placement. When seated in a typical listening area of your room, placing the subwoofer inside the "shaded" areas will typically result in bass performance as follows: Fig. 1a: Corner placement provides the most bass, but sometimes at the expense of accuracy. Fig. 1b: A subwoofer placed near a wall usually provides a good balance of quantity and accuracy. Controls are provided to align your subwoofer's output to the other speakers in your system, see "Fine Tuning," page 8. The Advantages of Using Two Subwoofers Although a single Paradigm® subwoofer provides exceptional performance and substantial output, the quality (and quantity) of bass can be further improved with the use of two subwoofers (Fig. 2). This allows you to randomize the standing waves within your listening room so that bass will be distributed in a more uniform manner. Two subwoofers also provide even lower distortion, especially at high output levels. See Dealer for connection instructions using multiple subwoofers. 5