TacT Audio RCS 2.2X User Manual

Owner ’s Manual

RCS 2.2X

Preamplifier / Room Correction System

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WARNING

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO
NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC

SHOCK DO NOT OPEN

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

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

The lightning with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is
intended to alert the user to the presence of “Dangerous Voltage”
within the product’s enclosure that maybe of sufficient magnitude to
constitute a risk of electrical shock to a person.

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Important Safety

Instructions

1. Read these instructions entirely before installing or operating this equipment.

2. Keep these instructions.

3. Heed all warnings.

4. Do not use this equipment near water or allow it to become wet.

5. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the

manufacturer’s instructions.

6. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or
other appliances (including amplifiers) that produce heat,; doing so may
damage the unit and present a fire hazard.

7. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A
polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. If the provided plug
does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the outlet to
one that is polarized. To protect against electrical shock, match the wide blade
of the polarized plug to the wide slot in the outlet and fully insert the plug.

8. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched, particularly at plugs,
convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit the equipment. Do not
use this unit with a damaged cord or plug.

9. Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer .

10. Unplug this equipment during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of

time.

11. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.

1. Always unplug the unit from the electrical outlet before cleaning.

2. Do not use abrasive cleaners. Simply wipe the exterior with a clean soft cloth. A

small amount of nonabrasive cleaner may be used on the cloth to remove
excessive dirt or fingerprints.

CAUTIONCAUTION

“Note” symbol

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Cleaning and

Maintenance

The >note< symbol indicates information very useful or essential to daily
operation.

Acknowledgments

© 2003 T act Audio Corporation. All rights reserved.
No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any

means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or other wise, without the prior
written consent of the Tact Audio Corporation.

The information contained in this document is subject to change without
notice.

Registration

IMPORTANT!

Please record your serial number here for future reference. Y ou will need this for
future upgrades or should you ever require service on your RCS 2.2X Preamplifier.

RCS 2.2X serial number: _____________________

Optional modules installed:

DAC-1 analog output / main-channels :__
DAC-2 analog output / subwoofers :__
ADC analog input :__

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Table of contents

Safety instructions 4

Acknowledgments/Registration 5

Unpacking the RCS 2.2X 7

Introduction 8

Connecting the RCS 2.2X 1 0

Front Panel Controls 1 5

Remote Control 1 6

Front Panel Display 1 8

Main screen 18
Saving Menu Settings 19
MAIN menu 20
MODE menu 20
ADC menu 21
DOUT FS menu 21
POL menu 22
TEST menu 22
DISPLA Y menu 23
COMM menu 2 4
CRO menu 2 4
OPTIONS menu 2 5
DOUT menu 26
AMP menu 2 6
CORR menu 27
LEVELS menu 28
DELA YS 28
NAME menu 29
P AREQ menu 30
TONE menu 32

CAUTIONCAUTION

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T acT 2.2X Room Correction Software 3 3

System Requirements 33
Software Installation 33
Microphone Installation 33
Connect your RCS 2.2X to
your Computer 34

Quick Setup 3 5

Update the RCS 2.2X Firmware 40

Unpacking the RCS 2.2X

Carefully remove the RCS 2.2X and accessory kit from the carton and visually check
for shipping damage. Contact both the shipper and TacT Audio immediately if the unit
shows any sign of damage from rough handling. All TacT Audio equipment is carefully
inspected before leaving our factory .

KEEP SHIPPING CARTON AND PACKING MATERIALS for future use or in the
unlikely event that the unit needs servicing. If this unit is shipped without the original
packing, damage could occur and void the warranty .

Accessories

Operating voltage

Y ou should find the following items in the accessory kit:

- one AC mains cord

- RJ1 1 data cable

- RJ11-to-RS232 adapter

- 15’ RS232 cable

- CD-ROM with RCS software

- Measurement microphone

- remote control

- 2 AAA batteries

- this manual

The RCS 2.2X is designed with an automatic switching power supply . It will operate
on 65-265 volts at 50-60hz. No external settings are required.

The RCS 2.2X has three operating modes:

- OFF AC mains power is cut off, either via the rear
panel mains switch, or by unplugging it from the
wall outlet.

- ST ANDBY The unit is powered but all outputs are muted and the
display is off. The unit uses very little current and
is “idling” or “sleeping”.Use the remote or front panel
“STANDBY” button to toggle between ON and STANDBY.

- ON Everything is powered and ready to go.

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Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of your RCS 2.2X. Y ou have now acquired the most
advanced stereo Preamplifier / Room Correction System ever developed!

The RCS 2.2X has four times the processing power of the famous TacT RCS 2.0 and
even better AD and DA conversion. This now combined with new features and a more
user-friendly interface takes TacT Audio’ s room correction to new heights. The RCS

2.2X has no noise and extremely low distortion, yielding amazingly transparent
accurate sound. Every effort has been made to make this preamplifier the best that
money can buy. Add to this the latest evolution of TacT Audio’s room correction
technology and the result is absolutely staggering.

CAUTIONCAUTION

Room Correction

System

Separate Subwoofer

Control

T acT room correction technology has been praised by the press all around the world.
Comments like “Wholesale improvement in sound quality” have become a standard
phrase for reviewers describing the results that can be achieved with TacT’s room
correction. Now we have taken room correction technology even further , not only in
terms of processing power, but also in terms of the measurement and correction
systems. The measurement is now done with a triple pulse for each acquisition. This
increases the measurement resolution in both the time and frequency domains.
Correction resolution is now four times higher than found in the original RCS 2.0.

One of the most exciting features of the RCS 2.2X is its separate subwoofer output.
The RCS 2.2X can be used with one or (preferably) two subwoofers. An electronic
crossover can be set with a frequency between 60 and 400 Hz and a slope between
12 dB/octave and 60 dB/octave to split the audio signal between the main and
subwoofer outputs. The correction software aligns the sub-woofer(s) with the main
speakers in the time domain and in the frequency domain, for completely seamless
integration surpassing even the best single-box systems.

With the RCS 2.2X, you can add subwoofers to an existing High End speaker system
for substantial sonic improvements. Preferably, the subwoofers should be placed in
the corners behind the main speakers. Corner placement of the subwoofers will yield
much higher efficiency with significantly reduced low-frequency distortion. But more
importantly , the transfer of energy from the sub to the listening position will be much
more direct, resulting in vastly improved impulse response. The room correction
system will easily compensate for the frequency response variations of the subs
introduced by corner placement. It will delay the main speakers for perfect time
alignment to within 1/8 of an inch.

Flexible DSP’s

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The RCS 2.2X offers you the opportunity to add subwoofers to a system and improve
the transient response tremendously at the same. This contrasts sharply with the
normal result of adding subwoofers to a system: slow – undefined bass with lots of
frequency and time behavior problems. If the separate subwoofer outputs are not
used, then the RCS 2.2X will use all the processing power on the main speakers.

Introduction

Modular design

True Upgradeability

The internal layout of the RCS 2.2X is completely modular . All of the expensive com­ponents such as DSP’s, D/A and A/D converters are a plug-in type and are placed on
a motherboard. This allows for easy and inexpensive future upgrades. Even the rear­panel, including the sockets, can be exchanged to accommodate future interfaces.

The front-panel and DSP’s are 100% software driven, and improvements or new fea­tures can be loaded through the RS232 port with firmware upgrades. It is our policy to

offer software upgrades at no cost, and we therefore encourage you to fill out and
submit the enclosed registration card by fax or email ([e-mail]).

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RCS 2.2X Connections

Digital input

The RCS 2.2X has 5 digital inputs:

- Three RCA (S/PDIF)

- One AES/EBU (XLR)

- One TosLink (S/PDIF)

All of the digital inputs supports PCM audio data with sampling rates from 32kHz to
96kHz /16-24 bits however, the AES/EBU and RCA/coaxial input also supports

192kHz.

CAUTIONCAUTION

Digital output 1

main channels

The RCS 2.2X has three digital outputs for the main channels :

- One RCA (S/PDIF)

- One AES/EBU (XLR)

- One T osLink

All outputs are 24-bits at 44.1, 48, 88, 96 or 192 kHz sampling rates (TosLink does
not support 192kHz). The output sampling rate is set in the “DOUT” menu.

The main channel output is used for your main speakers or for Mid/High frequencies
when used with subwoofers. Connect one of these outputs to a T acT digital amplifier
or external DA converter .

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RCS 2.2X Connections

Digital output 2

subwoofers

The RCS 2.2X has three digital outputs for subwoofer(s) :

- one RCA (S/PDIF)

- one AES/EBU (XLR)

- one TosLink

All outputs are 24-bits at 44.1, 48, 88, 96 or 192 kHz sampling rates. The output
sampling rate is set in the “DOUT” menu. (T osLink does not support 192kHz)

The sub output is for your subwoofer(s) and can be configured for either mono or
stereo. Use the “MODE” menu to set the appropriate output mode 2.0, 2.1, or 2.2.
Connect one of these outputs to a TacT digital amplifier or external DA converter.

Optional modules

The RCS 2.2X is designed to accommodate virtually any input and output needed
without adding extra cost for features certain users might not use. There are therefore
3 optional modules that can be installed:

- ADC-converter module for analog inputs such as a Tuner ,

Cassette deck, VCR etc.

- DAC-converter module for main channels, for example

when the RCS 2.2X is used with traditional analog
amplifiers

- DAC-converter module for subwoofer(s), for example when

the RCS 2.2X is used with analog self-powered
subwoofer(s)

These modules are based on the latest 24-bits/192kHz state-of-the-art technology
and offer performance far beyond that of most stand-alone converters. Due to the
modular design of the RCS 2.2X, these modules can be added any time or exchanged
if upgrades should become available.

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RCS 2.2X Connections

Analog input

(optional ADC module)

The RCS 2.2X has 4 stereo analog inputs when the optional ADC module is installed:

- three analog stereo single ended (RCA)

- one analog stereo balanced (XLR)

NOTE: A/D conversion is always performed at 24-bits/192 kHz.

NOTE: The optional ADC module is required for analog inputs.

CAUTIONCAUTION

Analog output

main channels

(optional DAC module)

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The RCS 2.2X has 2 stereo analog outputs for main channels when the optional DAC

-MAIN module is installed:

- one analog stereo single ended (RCA)

- one analog stereo balanced (XLR)

NOTE: The optional DAC module is required for analog outputs.

RCS 2.2X Connections

Analog output

subwoofer(s)

(optional DAC module)

The RCS 2.2X has 2 analog outputs for subwoofer(s) when the optional DAC-SUB
module is installed:

- one analog stereo single ended (RCA)

- one analog stereo balanced (XLR)

NOTE: The optional DAC module is required for analog outputs.

Microphone input

Connect the supplied measurement microphone to the “Mic Input” connector when
taking a room measurement for room correction.

CAUTION: To avoid damage through static discharge, we strongly recommend
to turn off the RCS 2.2X at the rear panel mains switch before connecting the
microphone.

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RCS 2.2X Connections

RS-232 interface

ports

The RCS 2.2X has two RS232 interface ports:

- INPUT

- AUX

Use the “INPUT” port for communication with your Personal Computer.
Use the “AUX” port to connect to TacT digital amplifiers, or to daisy chain with

multiple RS232 components.

CAUTIONCAUTION

AC mains input
& mains switch

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Connect the RCS 2.2X to the AC mains wall socket.
Use the mains switch to turn power ON or OFF.

CAUTION: Use the supplied IEC mains cable, or a 3-prong grounded cable only.