Parasound P-DD-1500 User Manual

O W N E R ' S M A N U A L

P/DD-1500 Digital Surround Pr ocessor

2 P/DD-1500 Owner's Manual

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

The lightning flash with the arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the
presence of “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may constitute a risk of electric shock.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important
operating and maintenance instructions in the literature accompanying the product.

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER-SERVICEABLE
PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL

1. Read Instructions — Read all the safety and operating instructions before operating this product.

2. Retain Instructions — Retain safety and operating instructions for future reference.

3. Heed Warnings — Adhere to all warnings on the product and in the operating instructions.

4. Follow Instructions — Follow all operating and use instructions.

5. Cleaning — Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning. Use a damp cloth for cleaning.

6. Attachments — Do not use attachments not recommended by the product manufacturer; they may cause hazards.

7. Water and Moisture — Do not use this product near water.

8. Accessories — Do not place this product on an unstable cart or stand. The product may fall causing bodily injury and

damage to the product.

9. A product and cart combination should be moved with care. Quick stops, excessive force, and uneven surfaces may

cause the product and cart combination to overturn.

10. Ventilation — Slots and openings in the cabinet are provided for ventilation and to ensure reliable operation of the

product and to protect it from overheating. These openings must not be blocked or covered. This product should not

be placed in a built-in installation such as a bookcase or rack unless proper ventilation is provided.

11. Power Sources — Operate this product only from the type of power source indicated on the marking label. If you are

not sure of the type of power supply to your home, consult your dealer or local power company. This product is
equipped with a three-wire grounding type plug. This plug will only fit into a grounding type power outlet. If you are
unable to insert the plug into the outlet, contact your electrician to replace your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the safety
purpose of the grounding type plug.

12. Power Cord Protection — Power supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be walked on or pinched

by items placed upon or against them.

13. Lightning— For added protection for this product during a lightning storm, or when it is left unattended and unused for

long periods of time, unplug it from the wall outlet. This will prevent damage to the product due to lightning and power
line surges.

14. Overloading — Do not overload wall outlets or extension cords. This can result in a risk of fire or electric shock.

15. Object and Liquid Entry - Never push objects of any kind into this product through openings; they may touch

dangerous voltage points or short out parts that could result in a fire or electric shock.

16. Servicing — Do not attempt to service this product yourself. Opening or removing covers may expose you to

dangerous voltage or other hazards. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.

17. Damage Requiring Service — Unplug this product from the wall outlet and refer servicing to qualified service

personnel under the following conditions: a) When the power-supply cord or plug is damaged. b) If liquid has been
spilled, or objects have fallen into the product. c) If the product has been exposed to rain or water. d) If the product does
not operate normally by following the operating instructions. e) If the product has been dropped or damaged in any way.
f) When the product exhibits a distinct change in performance.

18. Replacement Parts — When replacement parts are required, be sure the service technician has used replacement parts

specified by the manufacturer or have the same characteristics as the original part. Unauthorized substitutions may result
in fire, electric shock, or other hazards.

19. Safety Check — Upon completion of any service or repairs to this product, ask the service technician to perform safety

checks to determine that the product is in proper operating condition.

20. Heat — The product should be situated away from heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other

products (including amplifiers) that produce heat

P/DD-1500 Owner's Manual 3

Table of Contents

Safety Instructions.....................................................................................................................................................2

Introduction ...............................................................................................................................................................3

Unpacking and Placement of Your P/DD-1500 .........................................................................................................3

Making Connections to Your P/DD-1500...................................................................................................................6

Input Connections .....................................................................................................................................................6

Output Connections...................................................................................................................................................6

Setting Up Your P/DD-1500 ......................................................................................................................................7

Bass Management ....................................................................................................................................................7

Operating your P/DD-1500......................................................................................................................................10

P/DD-1500 Processing Modes ................................................................................................................................10

Additional Signal Processing Features....................................................................................................................11

Using Your P/DD-1500 with Other Processors........................................................................................................11

Maintaining Your P/DD-1500...................................................................................................................................14

Troubleshooting.......................................................................................................................................................14

Specifications ..........................................................................................................................................................15

Special Features .....................................................................................................................................................15

Limited Warranty .....................................................................................................................................................16

Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of this precision audio component and thank you for your selection of
Parasound. Your P/DD-1500 incorporates high-quality full 20 bit decoders, filters, and D to A
converters to process Dolby Digital encoded material to provide you with an unbelievable home theater
experience. Although we designed the P/DD-1500 for control by the companion P/SP-1500 A/V
Processor/Preamplifier, it can also be used with many other processors that have six discrete inputs.

Please take the time now to read these instructions thoroughly to fully appreciate the advanced
capabilities of your P/DD-1500 Digital Decoder. Be sure to refer to the P/SP-1500 Owner's Manual. It
contains much of the information regarding connecting, setup and operation of both units.

Unpacking and Placement of Your P/DD-1500

Carefully unpack your P/DD-1500 and remove all the enclosed accessories including the remote control,
DB-25 interconnect cable, and detachable AC cord. Be sure to inspect the unit for any possible shipping
damage. If you see any, contact your Parasound Dealer immediately. Save all of the packing material
including the outer carton in case you ever need to ship the unit.

Locate the P/DD-1500 near your P/SP-1500 to allow for easy connection with the provided DB-25
interconnect. Keep your P/DD-1500 out of direct sunlight because it could interfere with its remote
control sensor. You should also keep the unit away from heat sources such as hot air ducts or radiators.
Before you proceed, find the serial number located on the rear panel of your unit and record it for
reference:

SERIAL NUMBER: ____________________ DATE OF PURCHASE: ____________________

4 P/DD-1500 Owner's Manual

P/DD-1500

Digital Surround Decoder

Parasound Products, Inc.

San Francisco, CA USA

Power Consumption: 70 W

AC 120 V 60 Hz

2 Channel Audio Output

LR

CAUTION:

TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK,

DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER

SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER

SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE

PERSONNEL.

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

5.1 Audio Output & Control Input

LFE/ Bass ManagementLS / RS Channels

Small Speakers

Bass Filter On

Large Speakers

Bass Filter Off

Coaxial

Toslink

RF Input

External

Remote

Digital Inputs

12

Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories

Licensing Corporation. "Dolby", "AC-3", "Pro Logic",

and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby

Laboratories Licensing Corporation. Copyright 1992

Dolby Laboratories, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Manufactured under license from LucasFilm Ltd.

U.S. Patent Numbers 5,043,970; 5,189,703; and

5,222,059. Foreign patents pending.

Re -EQ

Center Channel Speaker

Subwoofer On, No Filter

Subwoofer Output = LFE Only

Subwoofer Output On, No Filter

Sub Out = LFE + 5 Channels Mixed

Subwoofer Output Off

LFE & C, LS, RS, Bass Frequencies

Mixed with L, R Channels

No Speaker

Phantom Mode

Large Speaker

Bass Filter Off

Small Speaker

Bass Filter On

Audio 3

R

L

R

L

Video 2 Play Video 1 Play

Rec Output Rear

Audio Outputs

External

Remote

Input

PARASOUND P/SP-1500

AV Processor / Preamplifier

Parasound Products, Inc

San Francisco, CA U.S.A.

L C R full range

Sub off

Center

Speaker

None

Small

Large

or THX

Center

AC 120V 60Hz

Subwoofer

Video 4 Play Video 3 Play

Video 2 Play Video 1 Play

DC Trigger

Comp

Video

S

Video

Monitor Video 4 Rec

Audio 2 Audio 1 Video 4 Play Video 3 Play

Video 4 Rec

Sub Control

all Modes

L C R high pass

THX Filter

+12V

GND

Front/Direct

Audio Inputs

Power Consumption 20 W

L C R full range

Sub Full Range

Video 4 Play Video 3 Play

Video 2 Play Video 1 Play

Monitor Video 4 Rec

Discrete 5.1 Adapter

Figure 1: P/SP-1500 and P/DD-1500 Rear Panels

P/DD-1500 Digital Surround Decoder

O

n-O

ff

RF

Toslink

C

o

axial

LFE

C

LS

RS

m

S

%

L

R

Lock

Re-EQ

2 C

hannel

Dolby D

igital

Pro Logic

2

1

Dialog

Dynam

ic

Norm

Range

Re-EQ

Delay

Delay Tim

e

C

inem

a

Select

Off

Volume

On

Input

Dynamic

Range

Cal Trim

Mono

2 Ch

Hall

Ambiance

5.1

Select

Re - EQ

Stereo

Direct

Pro LogicTHX

Audio 1

Video 1

Audio 2 Audio 3

Video 2 Video 3 Video 4

Dialog

Delay

Display

Mute

Surround

Delay

Pro Logic

Dolby

Digital

Decoder

RF

Toslink

Coax 1

Coax 2

R-1500

P/DD-1500 Owner's Manual 5

Keys Control P/SP-1500 Only

Keys Control P/DD-1500 Only

Keys Control Both Models

Figure 2: P/DD-1500 Front Panel and Remote Control