CINEMA 500
Home theater speaker system
QUICK-START GUIDE
THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING THIS
®
PRODUCT
JBL
The Cinema 500 is a complete six-piece home theater speaker
system that includes four identical, two-way, video-shielded satellite
speakers, a dedicated, voice-matched, video-shielded center
speaker with dual midrange drivers an 8-inch (203mm), 150-watt
powered subwoofer and all of the cables you need to connect all of
the speakers to your audio/video receiver or preamp/processor and
amplifier.
INCLUDED ITEMS
1X 1X 4X 4X 8X 1X
4X
1X
3X
15 ft (4.5m)
We're confident that this JBL system will provide every note
of enjoyment that you expect – and that when you think about
purchasing additional audio equipment for your home, car or office,
you will once again choose JBL products.
This quick-start guide contains all the information you need to set
up, connect and adjust your new speaker system. For more in-depth
information, go to our Web site: www.jbl.com.
2X
30 ft (9.0m)
SUBWOOFER REAR-PANEL CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS
On/Standby
LED
Crossover
Control
Phase Switch
Power-On
Mode Switch
Subwoofer
Level Control
Line-Level In
LFE Connector
Line-Level In
L/R Connectors
Power Switch
Power Cord
On/Standby LED: When the Power-On Mode Switch is in the “Auto”
position, this LED indicates whether the subwoofer is in the On or
Standby state:
When the LED glows green, the subwoofer is turned on. •
• When the LED glows red, the subwoofer is in the Standby mode.
When the Power Switch is set to “Off,” the LED will not light up, no
matter what setting the Power-On Mode Switch is in.
Crossover Control: This control determines the highest frequency
at which the subwoofer reproduces sounds. The higher you set the
Crossover Control, the higher in frequency the subwoofer will operate
and the more its bass will “overlap” that of the satellite speakers. This
adjustment helps achieve a smooth transition of bass frequencies
between the subwoofer and the satellites for a variety of different
rooms and subwoofer locations.
NOTE: The Crossover Control functions only when you are using
the Line-Level In L/R Connectors. The Line-Level In LFE Connector
bypasses the subwoofer’s built-in crossover and Crossover Control.
Phase Switch: This switch determines whether the subwoofer
driver’s piston-like action moves in and out in phase with the satellite
speakers. If the subwoofer were to play out of phase with the satellite
speakers, the sound waves from the satellites could partially cancel
out the sound waves from the subwoofer, reducing bass performance
and sonic impact. This phenomenon depends in part on the placement
of all the speakers relative to each other in the room.
Power-On Mode Switch: When this switch is set in the “Auto”
position and the Power Switch is set to “On,” the subwoofer will
automatically turn itself on when it receives an audio signal and will
enter the Standby mode when it has gone without receiving an audio
signal for 20 minutes. When this switch is set in the “On” position, the
subwoofer will remain on whether or not it is receiving an audio signal.
This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme
NMB-003 du Canada.
Subwoofer Level Control: Use this control to adjust the subwoofer’s
volume. Turn the knob clockwise to increase the volume; turn the knob
counterclockwise to decrease the volume.
Line-Level In LFE Connector: This input bypasses the subwoofer’s
internal crossover circuitry, so use it only with a receiver or processor
subwoofer output that has been low-pass filtered. If your receiver or
processor does not have a dedicated subwoofer output that is lowpass filtered, use the subwoofer’s Line-Level In L/R Connectors (see
below) instead.
Use the supplied mono RCA cable (purple connectors) to connect the
Line-Level In LFE Connector to the dedicated subwoofer output of a
receiver or preamp/processor.
Line-Level In L/R Connectors: These inputs pass through the
subwoofer’s built-in crossover. Use them if your receiver or preamp/
processor does not have a dedicated subwoofer output that is lowpass filtered.
Power Switch: Set this switch in the “On” position to turn the
subwoofer on. The subwoofer will then be in On or Standby mode,
depending on the setting of the Power-On Mode Switch.
Power Cord: After you have made and verified all subwoofer and
speaker connections described in this manual, plug the power cord
into an active, unswitched electrical outlet for proper operation of the
subwoofer. DO NOT plug this cord into the accessory outlets found on
some audio components.
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PLACING THE SPEAKERS
FRONT LEFT AND RIGHT SPEAKERS CENTER SPEAKER
TV
English
Front Left
Speaker
Surround Right
Speaker
Front Right
Speaker
Front Left
Speaker
SURROUND SPEAKERS AND SUBWOOFER
Front Left
Speaker
Surround Left
Speaker
TV
Center
Speaker
TV
Center
Speaker
0 – 2 ft
(0 – 61cm)
Front Right
Speaker
Front Right
Speaker
Subwoofer
5 – 6 ft
(1.5m – 1.8m)
Surround Left
Speaker
Surround Right
Speaker
www.jbl.com
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