DIGITAL AUDIO REFERENCE THEATER SYSTEM
SYSTEM INSTALLATION GUIDE
Thank you for purchasing Phase Technology’s revolutionary dARTS (Digital Audio Reference Theater
System). This exciting entertainment system will provide the best possible sound reproduction of music and
video programming in any room environment, and at every seat in that room.
Please take a few moments to study this Installation Guide to get the most out of the dARTS system. Your
professional installer will make every effort to place the speakers to take into account your room’s natural
acoustics, but will also accommodate your needs in making them fit into your decorating plans. Phase
Technology’s perfectly matched speakers, and the Audyssey Laboratories MultEQ XT room correction
software as implemented by your installer, will then work together to overcome the acoustic anomalies of your
room and give you ideal sound at every seating location.
Referring to Audyssey’s calibration guide, your installer will use a professional calibration microphone and a
digital audio interface with his laptop computer to analyze your room’s acoustic properties as they affect the
entire seating area. This will give him the information to properly set up the volume levels and delays for each
speaker, and then it will automatically generate a series of correction filters to load into your Phase Technology
DP2000 amplifier/speaker controller. This correction process will then return your speakers to their original
perfectly matched levels, and remove the room’s harmful acoustic contributions, leaving you with superb sonic
performance that sounds the same at every seat in the room.
SPEAKER PLACEMENT
Phase Technology’s ability to precisely match each speaker to one another yields a much more enveloping
and accurate soundfield. This immersive entertainment experience will be enhanced if you will follow a few
basic rules of speaker placement. The front speakers (left, center, right) should all be placed in as close to a
horizontal line as possible, and should be at or slightly above ear level while seated. The left and right
speakers should be far enough apart (6- 8 feet if seated no more then 12 feet from your video display) to
separate the information from each channel, but not so far as to create a discontinuity with the image on the
video display. With a large projection screen, they should be placed as close to the sides of the screen as is
practical. In addition to being in line with the front channels, the center speaker should be as close to the
center of the display as possible, whether above/below the display, or behind a perforated projection screen.
Phase Technology speakers are magnetically shielded so they will not interfere with any type of television set.
Please place the included rubber feet on the bottom corners of each speaker to keep it from vibrating against
the shelf or stand on which it sits.
Please note that each speaker is labeled with numbers on its terminal cup on the back. These labels identify
which speaker belongs to which channel in your individually produced system, and which connection belongs
to which driver. Please refer to the connection charts below to see which numbers correspond to which
channel, and place the speakers accordingly. These numbers will also make connecting the system very
simple, as amplifier output #1 goes to speaker input #1, and so on, until all channels are connected.
Each of the dARTS speakers (except for subwoofers) includes Phase Technology’s acclaimed variable-axis
soft dome tweeters. This allows your installer to direct high frequencies toward your listening location for even
greater latitude in speaker placement, and more precise imaging and localization of sound. Please adjust these
tweeters by carefully pressing on the outer rim of the housing only, avoiding contact with the actual soft dome
speaker element. These adjustments, if needed, should be done prior to your installer calibrating the system to
your room, so the correction process will read the tweeters’ energy accurately at each listening position.
The surround speakers should be placed well above ear level in most rooms. Whether you are using directradiating speakers or our switchable dipolar/bipolar speakers for the surround channels, please pay attention
to placing them to create a large and enveloping soundfield. In a 5.1-channel configuration, you will use one
pair of surround speakers. If your listening area is near the back wall, the best results can often be obtained by
placing the surround speakers on the side walls, centered on your listening positions. With speakers directly to
the sides, switching the surround speakers into “Dipole” mode (with their front-panel toggle switch) will a very
diffuse, non-directional soundfield. If you prefer to have more localization of the surround effects, select the
“Bipole” mode or use direct-radiating speakers to match the front channels. If your seating is away from the
back wall, you can choose to mount your surround channels either beside or behind the listening position.
Experiment with both “Dipole” and “Bipole” surround settings with your installer to see which sounds best to
you, so he can calibrate the room to your taste.
In a 6.1-channel setup, a pair of surround speakers will be placed to the sides of your listening area, with an
additional rear center channel speaker behind you. If you choose to implement 7.1-channel surround you will
use a pair of surrounds to the sides, and another pair behind you, spaced evenly to fill the room. Again, please
experiment with your installer to determine which modes sound best for each pair before he calibrates your
room to determine the correction curves for each channel. If you change your mind later, you will need to have
the room recalibrated to accommodate the new speaker settings. Also, if you change your room’s furnishings
in any significant way (floor coverings, drapes, furniture) please have your installer recalibrate the room to
return your system to its original target response curves.
Your dARTS powered subwoofer(s) are specifically designed to blend well with the dARTS main speakers, and
to perform well with either music or movies, augmenting the deep bass which is such an integral part of our
emotional involvement with our entertainment choices. Although very deep bass is essentially non-directional,
the higher bass frequencies and the initial attacks of each note are often shared by the main speakers. Thus,
subwoofers usually blend best when they are relatively close to the front channels. The dARTS Custom Built-In
line offers subs which are the same width as the main speakers, so they can be readily used as speaker
stands, ensuring proper integration and impact. If you do use the system in this way, please have your installer
mount the included connecting brackets to lock the subs and main speakers together, with their fronts vertically
aligned. The brackets allow for vertical adjustment of the main speakers to accommodate the use of isolation
feet. The Audyssey Laboratories MultEQ XT room calibration software WILL account for sub placement (as it
does for all speakers) while measuring your room and designing the correction curves, but the closer you can
come to ideal placement, the better will be the results.
SYSTEM WIRING AND CONNECTION
Phase Technology’s dARTS systems are unique in that all speakers are either bi-amplified or tri-amplified. This
means that each tweeter, midrange, and woofer set is connected to their own individual amplifier channel to
allow for greater dynamic performance and flexibility in configuration. To take advantage of these connections,
front main and surround channels need to be wired with four-conductor speaker wire. The horizontal center
channel is tri-amplified, so it needs to have six conductors available. Phase Technology recommends using 14
AWG speaker wire (no smaller than 16 gauge) for each of these connections. Wire with higher gauge numbers
is thinner, and is not recommended.
The dARTS subwoofer includes its own 500-watt on-board power amplifier. It will need to have a shielded
audio interconnect run to its “LINE INPUT L” jack from the DP2000 amplifier/controller’s “SUB OUT 8” jack.
The subwoofer’s amplifier features both line-level inputs and outputs To add additional subwoofers to increase
the bass performance in a large room, have your installer run an additional shielded audio interconnect from
the first sub’s “LINE OUTPUT L” jack to the second sub’s input “LINE INPUT L” jack, continuing on to as many
subs as desired. The sub amp’s volume control should be set at the“12:00” position for the calibration process,
but can then be raised or lowered a bit to match your own desired bass levels in the room.
The heart of the dARTS system is the DP2000 digital amplifier/controller. It consists of a 16-channel power
amplifier (up to 250 w/ch), the setup firmware used by Phase Technology to individually match your speakers
to each other (frequency response, crossover, time alignment), and space for the room correction program
your installer will run to calibrate the system to your room. Each of your speakers will connect to the DP2000
with either two or three pairs of speaker wire. Your surround processor or receiver’s preamp outputs will also
be connected to the DP2000. If desired, your installer can connect a 12 VDC trigger to the amplifier’s “POWER
CONTROL IN” jack from your surround processor or your automated control system to turn the amplifier on
and off. There is also a “POWER CONTROL OUT” jack available to pass on the control voltage to another
component in your theater system. The following tables show how each channel’s wiring is connected to the
amplifier/controller’s input and output terminals:
CONNECTIONS FROM SURROUND PREAMP/RECEIVER TO DP2000
DP2000 INPUT NUMBER PREAMP OUTPUT CHANNELS
1 LEFT FRONT
2 RIGHT FRONT
5 CENTER
6 SUBWOOFER
9 LEFT SURROUND
10 RIGHT SURROUND
13 LEFT SIDE IN 7.1, OR REAR CENTER IN 6.1
14 RIGHT SIDE IN 7.1
CONNECTIONS FROM DP2000 TO SYSTEM’S SPEAKERS
DP2000
OUTPUT NUMBERS
1 LEFT FRONT WOOFER 9 LEFT SURROUND WOOFER
2 LEFT FRONT TWEETER 10 LEFT SURROUND TWEETER
3 RIGHT FRONT WOOFER 11 RIGHT SURROUND WOOFER
4 RIGHT FRONT TWEETER 12 RIGHT SURROUND TWEETER
5 CENTER WOOFER (NOT
CONNECTED IF USING A 2-
WAY CENTER SPEAKER)
6 CENTER
7 CENTER TWEETER 15 RIGHT SIDE WOOFER IN 7.1
8 (RCA “SUB OUT 8” JACK) TO SUBWOOFER(S) 16 RIGHT SIDE TWEETER IN 7.1
SPEAKER
CONNECTIONS
WOOFER/MIDRANGE
DP2000
OUTPUT NUMBERS
13 LEFT SIDE WOOFER IN 7.1 (OR
14 LEFT SIDE TWEETER IN 7.1 (OR
SPEAKER
CONNECTIONS
REAR CENTER WOOFER IN 6.1)
REAR CENTER TWEETER IN 6.1)
PLEASE NOTE: Although these connecting connections directions are not “normal,” based on
conventional surround systems, they ARE correct for the dARTS system, and must be followed
exactly for the system to operate properly and safely. Please do not plug the amplifier into AC
power or turn it on until ALL system connections have been securely made.
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions
Model Number DCB1.0-LR DCB5.0-C DCB-SURR DCB210-S DP2000
Description
System Type
Woofer
Midrange N/A
Tweeter (1) 1" soft dome tweeter (1) 1" soft dome tweeter (2) 1" soft dome tweeter
Impedance
Frequency
Response (+/-
2dB) 40 Hz-30 kHz 40 Hz - 30kHz 60Hz-30kHz 20Hz-120Hz N/A
(inches W xH xD ) 14 x14 x 8.57 18.75 x 8.25 x 11.5 10.5 x 20.25 x 4.63 14 x 28 x 17 17 x 5.625 x 17
Left, right main Horizontal center Dipolar/bipolar surround Subwoofer Digital amp/controller
(2) 6.5"
Glass/honeycomb
4 Ohms 4 Ohms 4 Ohms 4 Ohms
(1) 6.5"
Glass/honeycomb
(1) 6.5"
Glass/honeycomb N/A 125 w/ch @ 8ohms
(2) 6.5"
Glass/honeycomb 16 channels
(2) 10" long-throw
woofers, 500 watt BASH
amplifier
250 w/ch @ 4 ohms
©2005 Phase Technology Corporation 6400 Youngerman Circle Jacksonville, FL 32244 (888)PHASE TK
www.phasetech.com
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