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B&K Components, Ltd.
REFERENCE 50 SERIES 2
User Manual
Seven Channel Surround
A/V Preamplifier Processor
13790 1104
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ii ACCESSORIES AND WARRANTY USER MANUAL - Reference 50 Series 2 © 2004 B&K Components Ltd. All rights reserved. The information in this manual is copyright protected. No part of this manual may be copied or reproduced in any form without prior written consent from B&K Components, Ltd. B&K Components Ltd. SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR OPERATIONAL, TECHNICAL OR EDITORIAL ERRORS/OMISSIONS MADE IN THIS MANUAL. The information in this manual is subject to change without prior notice. Accessories Included
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1 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACCESSORIES AND LIMITED WARRANTY ii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 SAFETY PRECAUTIONS 3 FEATURES 4 AUDIO OVERVIEW 5 AUDIO AND SURROUND FORMATS 6 FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTION 10 BACK PANEL DESCRIPTION 11 QUICK START CONSIDERATIONS 12 HARDWARE CONNECTIONS 13 SOURCE CONNECTIONS 13 Source Connection Diagram 13 SACD or DVD-Audio Connection 13 VIDEO MONITOR CONNECTION 14 Component Video Monitor Connection 14 S-Video Monitor Connection 14 Composite Video Monitor Connection 14 SURROUND OUTPUT CONNEC
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2 TABLE OF CONTENTS DSP Usage 35 Security Options 35 RS-232 Control Port 36 Plug and Play Timing Setup 37 Zone 2 ‘B’ Second Zone 38 FACTORY RESET 38 SR10.1 REMOTE CONTROL OPERATION 39 UNIT OPERATION 40 Master Power On / Off 40 On / Standby 40 Adjusting Volume 40 Center, Rear and Subwoofer Volume 40 Source Selection 40 Z1 Operation - Theater 41 Sleep Timer 41 Z2 Operation - Second Zone 41 Zone Operation Button 41 AM / FM Tuner Operation 42 Headphone Operation 42 FRONT PANEL DISPLAY OPERATION 43 P
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3 SAFETY CAUTION RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WARNING: to prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose this unit to rain or moisture. Care should be taken to prevent objects or liquid from entering the enclosure. Never handle the power cord with wet hands. • The lightning flash with arrowhead within a triangle is intended to alert the user of the presence of uninsulated "dangerous voltage" within the product's enclosure that may constitute a risk of electric shock to you.
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4 FEATURES FEATURES The Reference 50 Series2 preamplifier is a versatile Audio/Video control center. This preamplifier is designed to sound sensational and be an attractive, easy-to-use addition to your Audio/Video system. Video Transcoding - Allows composite and S-Video inputs to source the composite, S-Video and component video outputs. Composite video will transcode to S-Video and S-Video will transcode to composite. Video transcoding allows a single set of component video cables to be used
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5 AUDIO / VIDEO OVERVIEW AUDIO / VIDEO OVERVIEW Definitions Sources - A source is considered to be any device that can be connected to the audio/video receiver or processor and transmit a signal that can be seen or heard. Typical sources include DVD players, satellite boxes, CD players, etc. Your preamplifier can provide audio from its built-in AM/FM tuner. Your preamplifier is designed to accommodate a wide range of audio and video signals. Zone - A zone is usually a room or section of the h
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6 AUDIO / VIDEO OVERVIEW Analog vs. Digital Audio - This refers to the method used to place audio information on the source material and how they are delivered to your preamplifier from the source. Analog signals exactly represent the sound you will hear through a continuously varying voltage. Audio cassettes are analog recordings and are normally delivered to your preamplifier over a pair of coaxial audio cables. Digital signals closely approximate the original audio signals with a set of numb
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7 AUDIO / VIDEO OVERVIEW Dolby Digital Surround EX - Dolby® Digital Surround EX™ provides a third surround channel on Dolby Digital movie soundtracks. The third surround channel can be decoded at the cinema's or home viewer's option for playback over surround speakers located behind the seating area. The left and right surround channels are reproduced by surround speakers to the sides. To maintain compatibility, the back surround channel is matrix-encoded onto the left and right surround channe
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8 AUDIO / VIDEO OVERVIEW DTS 5.1 (Digital Theater Systems) - DTS is a multi-channel digital audio compression format transmitted over optical digital or coaxial digital connections. DTS is dedicated to delivering the “Ultimate Entertainment Experience.” DTS has created a media-delivery format that makes audio tracks sound more dynamic, more realistic and more closely matching the original than other digitally encoded soundtracks and consumer media. Coupled with the multi-dimensional playback be
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9 AUDIO / VIDEO OVERVIEW waves is a desirable effect to a point. Different locations in the room will have waves that collide with one another. This collision can cause a superposition (addition or subtraction) of the audible wavelength. In either case, these locations are referred to as nodes. If a positive node occurs in the primary listening position, that frequency drowns out all other frequencies at that location, resulting in limited frequency response for that location in the room. A
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10 FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTION 1. Headphone Jack - Headphones having a standard ¼” (6.3mm) stereo plug can be connected to the headphone output. 2. Source Selector - Turning the selector clockwise or counterclockwise will cycle through the available inputs. Available inputs are V1, V2, TV, DVD, CD, SAT, TAPE, FM and AM. 3. Front panel buttons - ON/STANDBY Toggles the preamplifier in and out of standby mode, (ON or OFF). PRESET Cycles through audio presets for instant preset recall. ENTER Confirm S
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11 BACK PANEL DESCRIPTION 1. AC fuse holder - Holds the AC Line fuse. Replace only with same type and value - .5 amp Fast Blow. Note: The voltage rating label is located on the AC fuse holder cover plate. 2. AC input receptacle - For attaching the supplied AC power cord to the preamplifier. 3. Four 10-12VDC @ 50mA Control Outputs - 1/8" (3.5mm) mono mini plug. Trigger outputs for controlling external devices, such as amplifiers, projection screens, IR emitter, etc. Page 18. 4. ZA & ZB IR Data I
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12 QUICK START QUICK START CONSIDERATIONS Your B&K preamplifier is pre-programmed for ease of operation right out of the box. In general, there is minimal setup required to start using your new A/V preamplifier. To quickly setup and begin operating your preamplifier, follow these quick steps: 1 1 Start with all AC power cords unplugged from their designated AC outlet. 2 From each source device, connect the A/V cables to the appropriate A/V SOURCE INPUTS on the preamplifier’s back panel.
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13 HARDWARE CONNECTIONS SOURCE CONNECTIONS Your preamplifier supports several A/V input and output formats. In most cases only one audio and one video connection is needed for each source device. Shown below are the available options: Analog audio (Stereo): left and right. Composite video: coaxial (Yellow RCA). Digital audio: either coaxial or optical. Super-Video: S-Video. DVD-Audio & Super Audio CD (SACD): Analog 5.1 Component video: Red, Green & Blue. Connect an audio / video source to the s
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14 HARDWARE CONNECTIONS VIDEO MONITOR CONNECTION There are many types of video monitors that can be used with your B&K system. Some popular video monitors are televisions, plasma screens, LCD screens and projectors. The B&K A/V processor has video and audio switching capability. The system source devices should be connected to the B&K processor for both audio and video. One set of video cables may be connected from the B&K preamplifier's component video OUT to the video monitor. The B&K video
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15 HARDWARE CONNECTIONS SURROUND OUTPUT CONNECTIONS Your B&K preamplifier has two types of surround outputs: balanced (XLR) outputs and coaxial (RCA) outputs. Both types of outputs connect from the preamplifier directly to the amplifier in the system. Either type of connection can be used when connecting to the external amplifier. When connecting audio cables to the amplifier, be sure to match the labeled output channel to the position of the speaker in the room. 7.1 balanced surround outpu
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E E E E E E E E E E E E E E S S S S S S S S S S S S S S U U U U U U U U U U U U U U F F F F F F F F F F F F F F E E E E E E E E E E E E E E S S S S S S S S S S S S S S 16 HARDWARE CONNECTIONS 6.1 / 5.1 Balanced Output Connections For use in a 6.1 or 6.0 audio setup, refer to the diagram below. We recommend the 6th speaker be connected to the surround back left channel of the surround preamplifier. However, either the back left or back right output will operate correctly when the system is conf
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17 HARDWARE CONNECTIONS RCA Surround Output / Subwoofer Connection The Reference 50 Series2 supplies 7.1 RCA coaxial surround outputs. These surround outputs can be used to connect an external amplifier or the subwoofer to the preamplifier. To connect seven audio channels, connect seven coaxial audio cables between the surround outputs and the amplifier inputs. Be sure to match the appropriate preamp output to the speakers location in the room, i.e. connect the center channel output to the ce
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18 HARDWARE CONNECTIONS PASS THROUGH / RECORD LOOP CONNECTIONS The B&K preamplifier has a few options for record/pass through outputs. There is a Zone A optical digital output, a Zone A coaxial digital output and a Zone B coaxial digital output. The B&K preamplifier provides three analog audio, composite & S-video outputs. These outputs are labeled TAPE, V1 and Z2/V2 in the Line Outputs section of the back panel. Optical Digital Output - The optical digital output will output the digital signal
