Parasound PSP1000 User Manual

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

affordable audio for the critical listener

P/SP-1000 AV Processor/Preamplifier

Congratulations on your purchase of this precision component and thank you for your selection of
Parasound. Your P/SP-1000 AV Processor/Preamplifier has been designed with the latest technology to
become the heart of the finest home theater systems. Premium parts and advanced design combined
with full remote control make the P/SP-1000 one of the finest AV Processor/Preamplifier values ever
offered. You have made an excellent choice.

Please take a few moments now to read these instructions thoroughly so you may fully understand the
sophisticated capabilities of your new AV Processor/Preamplifier.

l

e

v

e

L

Level

CenterCenter

RearRear

oofer

Subw

Subwoofer

t

s

te

test

S

Q

m

y

E

s

la

s

e

a

D

Delay mS

Bass EQ

B

F

r

te

L

2020

3030

1515

d

a

rlo

R

e

v

O

Overload

C

r

a

e

R

Rear

L

R

p

y

ff/B

-O

n

O

On-Off/Bypass

DOLBY SURROUND

IC

G

O

- L

O

R

PRO - LOGIC

P/SP-1000 AV Processor/Preamplifier

Stadium

A

Audio

Pro LogicPro Logic

e

in

L

Line

io

d

u

a

A

Audio

io

d

u

e

p

a

Tape

T

3

o

e

id

Video 3

V

2

o

e

id

V

Video 2

1

o

e

id

V

Video 1

s

s

P

S

U

USF

p

m

a

re

Preamp

P

b

lu

ll

C

Club

a

H

Hall

D

Direct

n

e

C

Center

t

c

ire

Unpacking

Remove the remote control handset and the AC cord packed separately inside the carton. We
recommend using only this specially selected cord for the best musical reproduction.

Save your carton and the inserts for future safe transport in case you move or the unit requires shipping
for repair. The actual printed carton is not strong enough for safe shipping by itself; you must place
this carton into an additional outer carton before shipment.

Before you proceed, find the serial number which is located on the rear panel of the unit and note it here
for future reference or in case the unit is ever stolen. ____________________

Placement of the P/SP-1000

Keep your Parasound P/SP-1000 out of direct sunlight that will interfere with the remote control
infrared sensor. It should also be placed away from heat sources such as hot air ducts or radiators.

-1-

Input Connections to Your P/SP-1000

Refer to Drawing # 1

Before making any connections, make sure your P/SP-1000’s power is off and its volume control is
turned fully counterclockwise. Also, make sure the power is turned off to your power amplifiers. After
making connections, make sure there is no strain or tension on any wires that could cause them to pull
loose later on.

Audio/Video Input Connections

Your P/SP-1000 comes equipped with three audio/video inputs and two audio-only inputs. The audio
inputs are compatible with any typical analog line level source such as a CD player, D-A converter,
tuner, DAT, cassette deck, or the audio output of a laser disc player or VCR. The three audio/video
inputs also have switching capability for both NTSC composite and S-Video. Two of the A/V
connections and one of the audio-only inputs also provide recording capability. You may also use just
the audio sections of the A/V inputs if you wish.

LD Input (Play Only)

Connect the audio and video outputs of any audio/video source such as a laser disc player to this input.
The LD input accepts either S-Video or NTSC composite video connections, but it does not provide
an A/V record output.

Video Input 1 (Play Only)

Connect the audio and video outputs of any audio/video source such as a VCR of TV tuner. The
VIDEO 1 input accepts either S-Video or NTSC composite video connections, but it does not provide
an A/V record output.

Video Input 2 (Record and Play)

Connect the output of a audio/video source such as the VCR you use for recording. The VIDEO 2 input
has accompanying NTSC and S-Video video switching and full A/V recording output capability.

Tape Input/Play (Audio Only)

Connect an audio tape deck, DAT or DCC to this input or any other line level source. This input has
play and recording capability for audio only. Connect the OUTPUT of your analog deck to the PLAY
jacks of the P/SP-1000 and connect to the INPUT jacks your deck to the REC jacks of the P/SP-1000.

Line/Audio Input

This input is for the connecting a line level audio source such as a CD player or D-A converter. You
may also connect this input to the main line output of your existing preamplifier. When using your
P/SP-1000 primarily as a processor, use this input to take advantage of the Off/Bypass feature.
Whenever the P/SP-1000 is powered off, a precision gold-plated relay automatically loops the signal
from the Line/Audio input directly to the Bypass output jacks making a direct connection from your
preamp to your power amp this makes the P/SP-1000 "sonically invisible".

Important Note: When the unit is off in its bypass mode, the signal from the source connected to the
Line/Audio input is passed to the P/SP-1000 Bypass output jacks at its full level. Be sure to turn on the
P/SP-1000 before you turn on the source component connected to the LINE/AUDIO input and Bypass
output. Otherwise, the high signal level may overdrive the amplifier and speakers.

-2-

-3-

Video 2 Record/Playback Connections
Audio Connections

Connect the left and right audio INPUT jacks of the VCR you will use for recording to the
VIDEO 2 REC jacks of the P/SP-1000.

Connect the left and right audio OUTPUT jacks of the VCR you will use for recording to the
VIDEO 2 PLAY jacks of the P/SP-1000.

S-Video and NTSC Video Connections

Your P/SP-1000 comes equipped with NTSC composite RCA and S-Video circuits with separate video
amplifiers for each. If you connect a video signal to the NTSC composite RCA input, the signal will
only be available through the NTSC composite RCA output connections. Likewise, if you connect a
video signal to the S-video input, the video signal will only be available through the S-video output

connections.

NTSC Composite Video Connections (Yellow RCA Jacks)

Connect the video INPUT jack of the VCR you will use for recording to the VIDEO 2 REC jack of
the P/SP-1000.

Connect the video OUTPUT jack of the VCR you will use for recording to the VIDEO 2 PLAY jack
of the P/SP-1000.

S-Video Connections (5 Pin DIN Jacks)

Connect the S-video INPUT jack of the VCR you will use for recording to the VIDEO 2 REC jack of
the P/SP-1000.

Connect the S-video OUTPUT jack of the VCR you will use for recording to the VIDEO 2 PLAY
jack of the P/SP-1000.

Connections to the TV Monitor

Connect the RCA composite or S-video Monitor OUTPUT jack of the P/SP-1000 to the INPUT jack of
the TV monitor or projector. If you have a monitor with separate inputs for S-video and NTSC
composite, connect the S-video OUTPUT to one input (such as External 1) and the NTSC composite
RCA OUTPUT to another input (such as External 2).

Tape Record/Playback Connections

Connect the left and right audio INPUT jacks of the audio tape deck to the TAPE REC jacks of the
P/SP-1000.

Connect the left and right audio OUTPUT jacks of the audio tape deck to the TAPE PLAY jacks of the
P/SP-1000.

-4-

Output Connections to Your P/SP-1000

Refer to Drawing # 1

Front Left and Right Preamplifier Outputs

Connect the left and right FRONT/LINE outputs of your P/SP-1000 to the inputs of the amplifier that
will power your front left and right speakers. If you are using your P/SP-1000 as a processor with an
existing preamplifier, use the FRONT/LINE BYPASS jacks in order to take advantage of the Off/
Bypass feature (see page 2). You can also use the these jacks to drive an auxiliary zone amplifier.

Center Channel Output

Connect the CENTER output of your P/SP-1000 to the input of the amplifier that will power your
center channel speaker(s).

Rear Left and Right Preamplifier Outputs

Connect the rear left and right REAR outputs of your P/SP-1000 to the power amplifier channels that
will power your left and right surround speakers.

Subwoofer Output

Connect the SUBWOOFER output of your P/SP-1000 to the input of the power amplifier that will
power the subwoofer, or to the line input of a powered subwoofer.

Subwoofer and Center Channel Selection Switches

Subwoofer Low Pass Frequency Selector

This rear panel switch allows you to select the built-in 12 dB per octave roll-off frequency for the
subwoofer. The roll-off points can be selected at 80 Hz, 120 Hz, or FLAT (full range). If your
subwoofer has a built-in crossover set this switch to the FLAT position. Note that this is a low pass
filter only, it does not attenuate low frequencies to the front speakers.

Center Channel Speaker Selector

Set this rear panel switch to accommodate the type of center channel speaker you will be using.

Small (Normal)

Switch to the SMALL position for smaller size center channel speakers. In this position, bass
frequencies are diverted to the left and right channels to insure front channel imaging remains tonally
balanced even with the limited bass capability of a smaller center channel loudspeaker.

Large (Wide Band)

Switch to the LARGE position for center channel speakers that have the same low bass response as your
front left and right speakers. In this position the entire audio bandwidth is sent to the center channel
output.

None (Phantom)

Switch to the NONE position when a center channel speaker is unavailable. In this position the mono
center channel signal is partly reproduced by the right and left speakers to create a "phantom" center
image. However, without the center channel, you will be missing one of the key benefits of Dolby
Pro Logic processing.

-5-