BBE 362SW User Manual
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User Guide
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Reference
Manual
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Sonic Maximizer + Sub-woofer Filter
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Sound, Inc.
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.
Welcome
Congratulations on your purchase of the BBE 362SW Sonic Maximizer + Sub-woofer Filter - a
two channel signal processor that will benefit any sound reproduction system. You now own a
very unique signal processing tool with no equal in the audio world. We're confident that with
your purchase of the BBE 362SW, you will find its rugged construction and careful electronic
design a welcome addition to your sonic arsenal.
This book is divided into two main parts: the User Guide and the Reference Manual. The User
Guide will help you to effectively use the BBE process and sub-woofer filter. In this section you'll
find complete instructions regarding the controls and connections, along with some application
notes and diagrams. In the Reference Manual, we've included specifications, a calibration proce
dure, and all of the related technical information regarding Service, Warranty and Maintenance for
your product.
Thank you for your purchase, and for the trust that you've placed in BBE. We are committed
to bringing you the finest products, with useful and unique features, to solve your audio needs. If
you have any comments or questions about this product that are not answered in this book,
please feel free to call us at (714) 897-6766 - we're always glad to be of service.
User Guide Contents
Important Message
Welcome..................................
The BBE Process Explained
Product Description...............
Controls and Connections
Application Notes / Diagrams..
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Reference Manual Contents
1 Specifications
2 Warranty
3
4-5
6-8 Schematic Diagrams
Maintenance & Service
Calibration Procedures
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12-13
14-17
9
10
11
The BBE Process Explained
What is BBE? (some big words to describe the mysteries of our little black box)
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 essen
tial 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 com
plex time and amplitude relationships. These relationships define a sound's "sound".
When these complex relationships pass through a speaker, the proper order is lost. The
listener perceives this loss of sound integrity in the reproduced sound as "muddy" and "smeared".
BBE Sound, Inc. conducted extensive studies of numerous speaker systems over a ten year
period. With this knowledge, it became possible to identify the characteristics of an ideal speaker
and to distill the corrections necessary to return the fundamental and harmonic frequency struc
tures 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 does BBE work? (a mildly technical expose - for those that need to know)
The BBE Process imparts a predetermined phase correction to the high frequencies where
most harmonic information exists. This is done by breaking the signal into three sub-bands or
groups:
a. ) LOWS (20Hz-150Hz)
b. )MIDs 050Hz-1200Hz)
c. ) HIGHs (1200Hz-20kHz).
The low group is delayed about 2.5 ms (milliseconds) via a delay within the passive low pass
filter. The front panel LO CONTOUR control allows for either a flat response or a boost 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 VGA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier). The high
group is used as a point of reference to make dynamic amplitude corrections to the high frequen
cies.
The RMS average loudness detectors continuously monitor both the mid-range and high fre
quencies to compare the relative harmonic content levels of the two bands and apply the appro
priate 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.
Product Description
The BBE 362SW is an intelligent audio processor and a sub-woofer filter network combined
into one unit. The true beauty of the BBE 362SW is in its ease of set-up and operation. The BBE
362SW is a ganged dual channel, single rack space device for use in -lOdBu unbalanced line level
applications.
The BBE portions of the BBE 362SW consist of a Function switch, Lo Contour control. Process
control and a pair of clip lights. The Function switch is for comparing the processed sound to the
direct sound. The Lo Contour control is for adjusting the level of phase corrected low frequencies
in the program material. The Process control is for adjusting the level of the phase corrected high
frequencies in the program material. Each channel output is monitored by a clipping circuit
which turns on a LED when the output level is at 3dB below true clipping.
The Sub-woofer Filter portion of the BBE 362SW consists of a Sub-woofer Frequency control
and a Sub-woofer Level control. The phase corrected low frequency information from both chan
nels is summed together and directed through an 18dB/octave filter network. The Sub-woofer
Frequency control adjusts this filter, and has a selectable range from 30hz to 120hz. By simply
adjusting the Frequency control you can set the filter's frequency point of the Sub-woofer circuit.
For example, if you set the Frequency control to 40hz - then only the information below 40hz will
be sent to the Sub-woofer Output jack. The Sub-woofer Level control adjusts the output level of
the sub-woofer circuit. The level is adjustable from fully off to a gain of 6dB.
Front Panel Controls
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7. SUB-WOOFER FREQUENCY: The phase corrected low frequency information from both chan
nels is summed together and directed through an 18dB/octave filter network. The Sub
woofer Frequency control adjusts this filter, and has a selectable range from 30hz to 120hz.
By simply adjusting the Frequency control you can set the filter's frequency point of the
Sub-woofer circuit. For example, if you set the Frequency control to 40hz - then only the
information below 40hz will be sent to the Sub-woofer Output jack.
2. SUB-WOOFER LEVEL: This control adjusts the output level of the sub-woofer circuit. The level
is adjustable from fully off to a gain of 6dB.
3. CLIP LEDs: These LEDs indicate when the output of the BBE 362SW is 3dB below true
clipping.
4. LO CONTOUR: Each channel shares a common Lo Contour control that regulates the amount
of phase corrected bass frequencies.
5. BBE FUNCTION: This push button switch allows for quick comparison of the processed and
unprocessed sound. When the switch is pushed in, the process is on and the indicator LED
is green. When the switch is out, the process is off and the indicator LED is red.
© © © ©
6. PROCESS: Each channel shares a common Process control that regulates the amount of
phase corrected treble frequencies.
7 POWER: This switch controls the primary power to the BBE 362SW.
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