SET UP U S E R ’ S M A N U A L Digital Drive PLUS DD-10+, DD-12+, DD-15+ and DD-18+
Enjoy. We here at Velodyne want to thank you for selecting our product. Get ready to experience the highest quality and amazing low-distortion bass that Velodyne is world famous for. Relax as you enhance your home entertainment experience with our easy setup instructions. Welcome . . .
1 SAFETY NOTICES 3 INTRODUCTION 26 Choose Interface to use with Manual-EQ Optimization 3 Read What You Need To 27 Optimization Parameters EQ 4 Manual Conventions 31 Optimization Parameters 31 Parametric 5 PA R T O N E - O P E R AT E 5 Introduction 6 Controls & Connections 6 Cabinet Front 6 Remove Subwoofer Grille 6 32 Recommended Parametric Adjustment Order for Maunal-EQ Optimization 34 RESOURCES Install Subwoofer Grille 35 M A I N TA I N 7 Cabinet Back Panel 35 Protect
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual SAFETY NOTICES SAFETY NOTICES CAUTION: To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove cover (or back). No user-serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified service personnel. THE LIGHTNING FLASH WITH ARROWHEAD SYMBOL is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual SAFETY NOTICES 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, paying particular attention to cords at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point at which they exit from the product. 13. CLEANING — The product should be cleaned only as recommended by the manufacturer. 14.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual INTRODUCTION You’ve just unpacked your Digital DrivePLUS; the most advanced and best sounding subwoofer available. Velodyne designed the Digital DrivePLUS to integrate with a wide variety of audio systems. The Digital DrivePLUS integrates with systems consisting of classic turntables and analog amplifiers to those with surround sound processors and digital media players.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual INTRODUCTION PART THREE – OPTIMIZE Goal • To help you choose the Digital DrivePLUS optimization option and user interface that are right for you. Recommended If • You are unfamiliar with the Digital DrivePLUS optimization options for getting the best bass response for your listening room and preferences. • You are unfamiliar with the optimization parameters for a subwoofer.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual PART ONE — OPERATE INTRODUCTION This part of this manual describes how to operate your Digital DrivePLUS subwoofer and its remote control, including: Controls and Connectors • The subwoofer’s front and back panel controls and connectors. • The remote control functions. • Audio preset settings. • How to remove and replace the front grille to access the front panel controls. Features • Night, light and power modes. • Protection circuitry.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual PART ONE — OPERATE CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS The subwoofer is set up, configured and adjusted by the controls, inputs and connections located on the back and front panels of the subwoofer and the remote. Figures 1, 2 and 3 show the location of each of these important operational interfaces. Brief descriptions of each interface are below. Cabinet Front In order to access the controls and connections on the front of the cabinet, you need to remove the grille.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS Cabinet Back Panel Figure 2: Subwoofer Cabinet Back Panel [7]
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS XLR AUDIO INPUTS A. LFE INPUT: Balanced XLR inputs. RCA AUDIO OUTPUTS G. THRU: Connect subwoofer output M. 12V Trigger: Turns the subwoofer Connect LFE or left and right balanced to downstream subwoofer in a ON and OFF using a 12V signal from XLR inputs from your receiver or “daisy-chain.” Output is unfiltered L&R. receiver to control. This signal can be processor. Either of these inputs can be used for an LFE signal. either + 12V or -12V.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS Remote Control The Velodyne Digital DrivePLUS remote control allows you to: • Select listening presets and night mode. • Adjust the subwoofer volume. • Run Auto-EQPLUS. • Set up, adjust and reset your subwoofer when connected to a TV. Take care not to lose or misplace your remote control as some of the adjustments to the subwoofer can only be done using the remote.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS Listening Controls Other Controls Optimization Controls for EQ Set Up Using a TV Screen A. MUTE: Mutes and unmutes the E. : Toggles the subwoofer between subwoofer. You can use this to toggle active and standby modes if power between how your audio system sounds switch on back of subwoofer is ON. I. MENU: Enters SETUP mode from the introductory screen. with and without the subwoofer playing. F. LIGHT: Changes the LED display J.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual FEATURES FEATURES Audio Presets The subwoofer comes with six audio presets, five of which are pre-programmed at the factory. The preset or preset’s numbers and their corresponding labels on the remote are shown in the table below. • Presets 1, 2, 3 and 5 are shipped from the factory with predetermined settings. • Preset 4’s contour level is set at 0 from the factory and is customizable by the user.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual FEATURES If using the video output display, night mode shows as active below the Preset note on the Introductory screen. Night mode can be modified in the “Next” page of either the video output menu or the Windows Setup Program. Active, Inactive & 12V Trigger Power Modes The subwoofer has three power ON modes. These modes help the user control power conservation when the subwoofer isn’t playing, but allow the subwoofer’s power switch to remain ON at all times.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual FEATURES The overdrive protection circuitry operates constantly without being audible under most situations. If the subwoofer should shut down, reduce the volume setting and shut the subwoofer off until it cools down. The time the subwoofer takes to cool down depends on the ambient room temperature, but typically at least 10 minutes are required for the subwoofer to cool down and recover from the thermal shutdown. Also, try plugging the unit into a different wall socket.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual FEATURES The serial commands are shown below.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual PART TWO — CONNECT How to Connect Using an LFE Signal RCA LFE Connection: XLR LFE Connection: [ 15 ]
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual CONNECT How to Connect Multiple Subwoofers Using One Subwoofer as Master to Control the Other Slave Subwoofer How to Connect Separate Left and Right Audio Channels to Your Subwoofer Left & Right RCA Connection: [ 16 ]
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual CONNECT Left & Right Speaker Level Connection: NOTE: Be sure to connect + to + and - to -. Do not leave any wire strands loose at the connection.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual CONNECT How to Connect Two Audio System Outputs to Your Subwoofer Using Line Level and Speaker Level Connections Line Level & RCA Connection: NOTE: Be sure to connect + to + and - to -. Do not leave any wire strands loose at the connection.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual CONNECT PLUS Connect the Digital Drive PLUS The Digital Drive using Dual Inputs has dual inputs; line-level RCA and speaker-level. You can use these dual inputs for dual systems and dual connections to a single system. Guidelines for using this feature: • Adjust the input level from each system for proper balance.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual CONNECT Connect with Dual Connections into a Single System To use the Digital DrivePLUS dual inputs to make dual connections for a single system: 1) Connect the speaker-level inputs as shown in the Connect section. Be sure to connect + to + and – to –. 2) Connect the LFE signal to the subwoofer’s RCA LFE input connector. 3) In the receiver, set the bass management options to “large” or “full range front left and right speakers.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual PART THREE — OPTIMIZE OPTIMIZATION INTRODUCTION This part of this manual first explains the optimization methods and nomenclature. To help you choose a method, this section then describes the capabilities of each method as well as the time each optimization requires to complete. Next, to help you choose how to perform your selected optimization method, this part describes the optimization software interfaces available, including the Window Setup Program and your TV screen.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual OPTIMIZATION CHOOSE OPTIMIZATION METHOD & OPTIONS With Digital DrivePLUS you choose the level of subwoofer performance optimization that is right for you. The optimization level determines what options the Auto-EQPLUS system optimizes for, including: • Your room acoustics • Your audio system • Your listening preferences • Different audio genres Use the table below to choose an optimization level.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual OPTIMIZATION SUBWOOFER PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION METHOD 1 Place & Play Self-EQ Auto-EQPLUS Manual-EQ Cable Connection, Receiver Setup, Program Installation & Clean Up Time 8 minutes 10 minutes 15 minutes 25 minutes Optimization Time 0 minutes 2 minutes 5 minutes 30 minutes Optimization Options Audio genres Room Room, audio system, & listening preferences Parameters Optimized Contour filter frequency and level (boost) Contour filter frequency and level (b
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual OPTIMIZATION 1 Setup and optimization times are approximate and for one subwoofer. 2 We recommend using the Windows Setup Program as making the USB connection between the front of the subwoofer and the laptop is much easier than having to access the composite video or S-video input connection on the back of your TV. Also, with the Auto-EQPLUS software you can see the changes to the frequency response on the same screen as the one on which you’re changing parameters.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual OPTIMIZATION the parametric filter frequencies, bandwidths and levels. It’s your subwoofer, not ours any more. You have the freedom to make it sound the way you want it to. Optimize for Subwoofer Placement When you unpack the subwoofer, you place it in the room according to the information in the general section and optionally the ”Crawl Test” section in the Subwoofer Placement Recommendations Guide.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual OPTIMIZATION CHOOSE INTERFACE TO USE WITH MANUAL-EQ OPTIMIZATION This section is an overview of the subwoofer optimization interface options so you can choose which to use for Manual-EQ optimization. You can perform Manual-EQ optimization using either the TV or Windows Setup Program interface. The Setup Program comes with your Digital DrivePLUS and needs to be installed on a Windows XP, Vista or 7 computer.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual OPTIMIZATION OPTIMIZATION PARAMETERS EQ The following table describes the subwoofer EQ parameters that are either automatically configured with Auto-EQPLUS and/or Self-EQ. All of these parameters can be manually customized by you using the Manual-EQ method. EQ Parameter Low Pass Crossover Set with Auto-EQPLUS Set with Self-EQ Yes No Description The upper limit of your subwoofer’s frequency response.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual OPTIMIZATION EQ Parameter Set with Auto-EQPLUS Set with Self-EQ Description Adjust the subsonic filter if your media requires it or if peaks and valleys exist at the very lowest frequencies that you can’t correct using room placement of the subwoofer and/or parametric filter adjustment. Use of a lower slope at the lowest crossover frequency should be done only intermittently to extend the life of your Digital DrivePLUS subwoofer.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual OPTIMIZATION EQ Parameter Set with Auto-EQPLUS Set with Self-EQ Description The factory default presets include volume difference from the Setup preset volume per the character of the preset. This difference helps identify the preset audibly, but can be changed. Each preset increments its volume in accordance with any changes of the subwoofer volume, keeping these differences intact.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual OPTIMIZATION EQ Parameter Set with Auto-EQPLUS Set with Self-EQ Description response. The lowest distortion setting of 8 lowers the overall perceived level because of the elimination of distortion products, producing a very tight and “fast” sounding bass – well suited for listening to music. Numbers in between yield a result either more towards the one end or the other. You can determine the best setting by listening.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual OPTIMIZATION PARAMETERS OPTIMIZATION PARAMETERS Parametric The following table describes the three parameters of the eight EQ filters that can be adjusted during the optimization process of the Digital DrivePLUS subwoofer. The parametric filters can help you to achieve better room equalization.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual RECOMMENDED PARAMETERS RECOMMENDED PARAMETER ADJUSTMENT ORDER FOR MANUAL-EQ OPTIMIZATION The recommended order for modifying parameters during Manual-EQ is described below. As you make changes observe the frequency response and how the system sounds to you to evaluate the impact of each parameter change. For examples of the Manual-EQ optimization process see the Digital DrivePLUS User Interface Manual. For Manual-EQ optimization: 1.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual RECOMMENDED PARAMETERS e. If any dips are of higher concern than the rest of the peaks, then proceed to use Steps 14a through 14c for those, but pull the EQ filter marker up in level. f. Proceed cautiously with the dips, as you are very likely to find one or more that cause you to want to put multiple filters very near each other to get “enough boost”. This will be a null, which can show very little change after applying a lot of acoustic power at its particular frequency.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual RESOURCES RESOURCES What to do if Your Surround Sound System Also Does Equalization Most surround sound systems also perform an automatic optimization of your system. You probably have already done this for your existing system. When you add in the Digital DrivePLUS subwoofer, we recommend you: 1. Place your subwoofer in its permanent location. 2. Run the Digital DrivePLUS Auto-EQPLUS .
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual MAINTAIN MAINTAIN Protect Subwoofer from Damage DO NOT PUT HEAVY OBJECTS or other objects ON TOP of the subwoofer cabinet that could scratch or dent the cabinet. DO NOT ALLOW OBJECTS TO FALL INTO, OR LIQUIDS TO SPILL ON, THE SUBWOOFER CABINET. DO NOT EXPOSE SUBWOOFER TO DRIPPING OR SPLASHING FROM LIQUIDS. DO NOT PLACE LIQUID-FILLED OBJECTS ON OR NEAR THE SUBWOOFER. Examples of liquid-filled objects include flower vases, beverages and liquid-fueled lamps.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual MAINTAIN TV SHOWS DISTORTED COLORS. Some TVs are particularly sensitive to stray magnetic fields. If your TV shows distorted colors after installing your subwoofer, simply increase the distance between your TV and your subwoofer until normal color returns. POOR VIDEO QUALITY on SETUP SCREENS on TV Many new receivers and AV processors support HDMI connectivity and can up-convert legacy source material to true high definition 1080i/p output.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual WARRANTY FOR YOUR RECORDS. . . Date Purchased _____________________________________________________________________________________ Dealer ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Serial # ____________________________________________________________________________________________ *NOTE: Please complete and return your warranty card within ten (10) days or Register. . . ON LINE . . . It’s faster . . . and easier www.
Digital Drive PLUS User’s Manual SPECIFICATIONS [ 38 ]
Velodyne Acoustics, Inc. 345 Digital Drive Morgan Hill, CA 95037 408.465.2800 voice 408.779.9227 fax 408.465.2851 service voice 408.779.9208 service fax www.velodyne.com Service E-mail: service@velodyne.com General E-mail: help@velodyne.com Other trademarks or registered trademarks are property of their respective owner.
