BBE 362 User Manual
Sound Inc.
S 0 N I C MAXIMIZER
USER MANUAL
Important Safeguards
WARNING
CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK,
DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK).
NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
A
To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose
the unit to rain or moisture.
ATTENTiON: RISQUE DE CHOC
The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within
an equilateral triangle, is intended to aiert the user
to the presence of uninsulated "dangerous
voltage" within the product’s enclosure that may
be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of
electric shock to persons.
The exclamation point, within a equilaterai triangie
is intended to alert the user to the presence of
important operating and maintenance (servicing)
instructions in the iiterature accompanying the
appliance.
ELECTRIC- NE PAS
OUVRIR.
For your protection, please read these safety instructions completely before operating the appliance, and keep this manual for future reference.
Carefully observe all warnings, precautions and instructions on the appliance and described in the
operating instructions supplied with the appliance.
INSTALLATION-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Water and Moisture - Do not install the
appliance near water: for example, near a
bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub,
in a wet basement, or near a swimming pooi.
Heat - Do not instaii the appliance near
sources of heat such as radiators, heat regis
ters, stoves, or other appliances that pro
duce heat.
Ventilation - Situate the product so its
location or position does not interfere with its
proper ventilation. For example, you should
not place the product on a bed, sofa, rug, or
similar surface that might block the vent
openings, or placed in a built-in installation,
such as a bookcase or cabinet that might
impede the flow of air through the ventilation
openings.
Wall or Ceiling Mounting - If your
appliance can be mounted to a wall or ceil
ing, mount it only as recommended.
USE
Power Source - Connect the appliance
to a power supply only of the type described
in the operating instructions or as marked on
the appliance.
Power-Cord Protection - Route the
power cord so that it is not likely to be walked
on or pinched by having objects placed on it,
paying particular attention to the plugs,
receptacles, and the point where the cord
exits from the appliance.
SERVICE
Unplug the appliance from the wall outlet and
consult qualified service personnel when:
• the power cord or the plug has been
damaged.
* a solid object or liquid has fallen into the
cabinet.
Grounding or Poiarization - Do not
defeat the grounding or polarization feature of
the AC power cord. If your AC receptacle will
not accept the power cord plug, contact your
electrician to install a proper AC receptacle.
When not in use - unplug the power
cord of the appliance from the outlet when left
unused for a long period of time.
To disconnect the cord, pull it out by grasping
the plug. Never pull the plug out by the cord.
■ the appliance has been exposed to rain or
moisture.
‘ the appliance does not appear to operate
normally or exhibits a marked change in
performance.
> the appliance has been dropped, or thé
enclosure damaged.
AC Receptacie - Check to make sure
that the AC receptacle holds the power cord
plug firmly and securely. If the power cord
plug is loose, contact your electrician to
replace the defective and unsafe AC
Foreign Objects - Be careful that foreign
objects and liquids do not enter the enclosure
through openings.
Do not attempt to service the appliance
beyond that described in the operating
instructions. For all other sen/icing, refer to
qualified sen/ice personnel only.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Precautions............................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
BBE Process Description......................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Product Description.................................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Controls/Connections............................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Applications ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Application Diagrams........................................................................................................................................................................... 5-9
Specification/Service/Maintenance/Warranty....................................................................................................................................... 10
Calibration Procedures........................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Schematic Diagrams......................................................................................................................................................................... 12-13
Congratulations on your purchase of the BBE 362 Sonic Maximizer, a two channel signal processor that will benefit any
sound reproduction system. You now own a very unique signal processing device with no other equal in the audio world. Whether
you purchased the BBE 362 for your home studio or club P.A. system, you will find the unit’s rugged construction and careful
electronic design a welcome addition to your audio system.
This manual will help you use BBE more effectively and in ways of which you may not be aware. Reviewing of the
information contained in this manual will answer most of the common questions that our service department receives. But if you
still have questions, please feel free to call (714) 897-6766.
The BBE Process-"What it is"
Loudspeakers have difficulty dealing with the electronic signals supplied by an amplifier. These difficulties cause such
major phase and amplitude distortion that the sound reproduced by a speaker differs significantly from the sound produced by the
original source.
In the past, these problems proved unsolvable and were thus delegated to a position of secondary importance in audio
system design. However, phase and amplitude integrity is essential to accurate sound reproduction. Research shows that the
information which the listener translates into the recognizable characteristics of a live performance are intimately tied into complex
time and amplitude relationships between the fundamental and harmonic components of a given musical note or sound. These
relationships define a sound’s "sound".
When these complex relationships pass through a speaker, the proper order is lost. The higher frequencies are delayed.
A lower frequency may reach the listener’s ear first or perhaps simultaneously with that of a higher frequency. In some cases, the
fundamental components may be so time-shifted that they reach the listener’s ear ahead of some or all of the harmonic components.
This change in the phase and amplitude relationship on the harmonic and fundamental frequencies is technically called
"envelope distortion." The listener perceives this loss of sound integrity in the reproduced sound as "muddy" and "smeared." In
the extreme, it can become difficult to tell the difference among musical instruments, for example, an oboe and a clarinet.
BBE Sound, Inc. conducted extensive studies of numerous speaker systems over a ten year period. With this knowledge
it became possible to develop an ideal speaker and to distill the corrections necessary to return the fundamental and harmonic
frequency structures to their correct order. While there are differences among various speaker designs in the magnitude of their
correction, the overall pattern of correction needed is remarkably consistent.
The BBE process is so unique that 42 patents have been awarded by the U.S. Patent Office.
"How It Works"
The BBE Process imparts a pre-determined phase correction to the high frequencies where most harmonic information
exists. This is done by breaking the signal into three sub-bands or groups; the low frequency group which is crossed over at 150Hz,
the mid-range group which is crossed over at 1200Hz and the high frequency group that handles everything else up to 20kHz.
The low group is delayed about 2.5 ms (milliseconds) via a group delay within a passive low pass filter. The front panel
control allows for either a flat response or a boost of the lows at 50Hz.
The mid-range group is delayed only about 0.5ms and passes through an active band-pass filter while the high frequency
group is passed through a high quality VGA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier). The high group is used as a point of reference to make
dynamic amplitude corrections to the high frequencies.
The RMS average loudness detectors continuously monitor both the mid-range and high frequencies to compare the relative
harmonic content levels of the two bands and apply the appropriate amount of control voltage to the VGA, thereby determining
the amount of high frequency harmonic content present at the final output of the BBE processor.
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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The BBE 362 is an intelligent audio processor designed to solve a series of complex problems as described in the previous
section. It is, however, very simple to set-up and operate and once installed will function flawlessly without further attention.
It is a dual channel, rack-mountable device for use in -lOdBu unbalanced line level applications such as those found in
semi-professional and musical instrument applications. The BBE 362 takes up one EIA standard rack space of 19 inches width and
1.75 inches height (lU). There are two separate channels that share common front panel controls to allow for either full stereo
program or two independent mono channels: A house P.A. mix feed for one channel and the stage monitor feed for the other
channel.
BBE applies different phase and algorithms to three separate frequency bands. The variable front panel control allows the
user to adjust the amount of process desired.
Using Your New BBE 362
BBE is a process to be added before all other mixing of reverb, special effects or equalization in order to increase
the clarity and intelligibility of the program material.
Unlike many aural exciters or equalizers, the BBE 362 does not add any extra noise or harmonics to the sound.
Thus, there will be no future problems in duplication or mastering caused by aberrant high frequency distortion. Since the
BBE technology is a single-stage process, there is no need for encoding or decoding.
Always "A-B" the processed to unprocessed sound with the Process In/Out Switch to adjust the amount of processing
required to suit your own musical tastes.
Things to Remember
The BBE 362 is designed to work in -lOdBu levels. This is suitable for most semi-pro mixers, P.A. consoles, home
stereos or disco equipment. The BBE 362 drives load impedance down to about IK Ohms and supplies a maximum level
of + 16dBu. Plugging a guitar or a microphone directly into the BBE 362 will not work, as the impedance level is much too
low.
If the program material has excessive background noise, the noise may be modulated with the program. In this case,
an equalizer or some type o noise reduction system should be inserted in front of the BBE 362 to roll off the noise first.
Set-Up
The BBE 362 is connected into the chain in series with the signal path—the same way a graphic equalizer or limiter
is connected. The output of the mixer, pre-amp or tape recorder feeds the input of the BBE 362. Remember, source outputs
connect to the BBE’s inputs and as long as the signal source level is within the nominal range as mentioned in the previous
section, the BBE 362 will function perfectly.
Setting-up and using the BBE 362 as an echo send device like a digital reverb is not recommended. The processing
effect is not fully realized when the output of the BBE 362 is summed with the original source audio.
WARNING!
It is good to turn on any effects boxes such as BBE, equalizers, expanders, surround sound accessories, etc, and the preamp
BEFORE turning on the power amplifier. Otherwise damage to the speakers or amplifier may result.
PANEL CONTROLS
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Front Panel
^_COOTQ^R: Each channel shares a common Lo Contour control that regulates the amount of phase compensated
bass equalization. This adjustment ranges from OdBu (fully counter-clockwise) to -f lOdBu (fully clockwise) at 50Hz
relative to the input.
raQCEgg: Each channel shares a common Process control that regulates the amount of phase compensated high
frequency equalization. This adjustment ranges from OdB (fully counter clockwise) to -I- lOdB (fully clockwise) at 2.5kHz
relative to the input.
n.TP T,F.T>; This LED indicates that the output of the BBE 362 has reached the maximum output level of -I- 15dBu.
This unit is equipped with a function push-button switch which allows for a quick comparison of processed
with unprocessed sound. When the switch is depressed, the green "In" LED lights. When the switch is out, the LED will
be red.
POWER: This switch controls primary power to the BBE 362.
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Rear Panel
L AC POWER CORD: Plugs into AC power receptacle. U.S. Model, 100-120Vac, 50/60Hz. Standard Model, 200-240Vac,
50/60HZ.
2. FUSE: Turn cap on fuse holder counter-clockwise to remove fuse. (Note: For U.S. Model, replace with 250Vac, 'hk
Fastblow type fuse. For standard Model, replace with 250Vac, .125A Fastblow type fuse.)
3- Each channel is equipped with a 14” phone jack that is a low impedance
unbalanced line level output and can deliver up to -l-16dBu into IK Ohms.
4. Each channel is equipped with a '4” phone jack that accepts a high impedance
unbalanced line level input with an average of -lOdBu. (Note: -f 16dBu is the maximum input before clipping.)
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