User manual FOCAL SCU STAND CENTER UTOPIA BE

[. . . ] In addition to one loudspeaker and a user manual (such as this one), each carton should contain: · A copy of the SCU White paper · a "quick start" leaflet · A guarantee card Please check that none of these items are missing, and remove all accessories from the carton. To remove the loudspeaker from its carton without damage, open the end flaps fully and bend them right back. Then remove the upper cushion and lift the loudspeaker out gently: please beware that one of the enclosure sides may hold a passive radiator and thus handling of the speaker requires special care. It is a good practice to keep the packaging in case of future transportation. [. . . ] These 3 products are identical, from a technical and functional point of view, and only differ by the shape of their enclosure. For specific information on their companion, the SCU-S subwoofer, please refer to a further section. the design of the enclosures was meant to acoustically optimise the performance of the loudspeakers. SCU-L and SCU-R are meant to be used respectively as Left and Right main speakers (or the opposite if used as back surround speakers), while the SCU-C is to be used as a centre channel speaker. The shape of each of these enclosures ensures minimal detrimental effects of acoustic diffraction, and maximum spatial imaging by allowing mirror configurations. On the SCU-L and SCU-R, the 30 degrees angle of the mid-hi panel (with respect to the LF driver panel), makes it easy to meet the recommendations for surround monitoring (aligning LF panels is just enough). The attached pictures allow to locate the main components, on the front and rear panels. B), two separate XLR-type inlets are provided for audio connections, one for an analogue signal, the other one for a digital (AES-3 compatible) signal. Both use the standard cabling scheme, namely: Pin 1 = Ground (shield) Pin 2 = In phase voltage ("hot") Pin 3 = Out-of-phase voltage ("cold") Selection of one input or the other is done automatically by the SCU internal programme, with highest priority to the incoming digital signal whenever it can be locked on. The analogue signal is to connect to the dedicated XLR input mentioned above (inside the ANALOGUE IN box) The sensitivity of this input can be adjusted using the two-position switch located within the same box: the +4dBu position is suitable for standard professional audio equipment, while ­10dBV position may be used for other types of sources providing a lesser output level. When this input is used the sampling rate of the internal A/D converter is 96kHz. You will then have to check for the serial numbers of the corresponding speakers: they can be found on the back of each unit. Finally enter these numbers in the relevant fields, but using only the last 6 numerical digits. Please note that the Subwoofer does not need any initialisation, as by definition it can only be utilised for this particular channel. You will find in this section a brief description of the main features of the control software. Firstly, it is worth emphasizing the benefit of setting the monitoring level on the speakers themselves rather than on the mixing console: the latter case is inevitably detrimental to overall performance (due to lessened resolution in the digital domain), contrary to the former case where level adjustment takes place after the final D/A conversion. Please note that positive values are not allowed, as 0dB corresponds to digital full scale (maximum value). For easy mutichannel operation, the gain levels can be set both by a Master level adjustment (i. Another, and very significant benefit provided by the SCU thanks to its digital core lies in its capability to fine tune what is generally referred to as the "sweet spot". Essentially it is about adjusting delays applied to each transducer so that, at the listening position, acoustic waves generated by each transducer can be perfectly coherent in phase, therefore combine together and be perceived as a virtual point source. This requires 3 parameters to be entered by the user: spacing between Left and Right loudspeakers, distance (horizontal spacing) and height (vertical distance) between the tweeters and the listener's ears. If a center channel is used, then the distance and height of this speaker are required too (fig. [. . . ] They can be enabled or disabled by blanking the frequency fields, which (when enabled) are to be set by the user. For all channels except for the Sub, the Hi-Pass slope can be set to either 12 or 24dB/ oct. Please note that when the 24dB/oct is selected, the Low-Pass filter is no longer available. On the Sub channel, it is the opposite: Low-Pass can be either 12 or 24dB/oct in which case the Hi-Pass is defeated. [. . . ]