Deer Creek Audio EQ901 Platinum User manual
EQ901 Platinum User Guide
Introduction 2
1. Features 2
2. What’s Included 3
3. Typical Installation Examples 3
3.1 Stereo Mode 4
3.2 Dual Stereo (Quad) Mode 5
3.3 Active Subwoofer Mode 6
3.4 Tape / Processor Loop Setup 7
3.5 Analog Only Preamp / Power Amplifier Setup 8
4. Bluetooth 9
5. USB Audio 11
5.1 Connecting with macOS 11
5.2 Connecting with Windows 11
6. Level Setting 12
7. Subwoofer Settings 12
8. USB Music Server Volume Setting Warning 13
9. Using the EQ901 Platinum Remote Control 13
10. Setting Tone Modes 14
11. Specifications 14
12. Warranty Terms 14
Contact Deer Creek Audio 16
Page 1 EQ901 Platinum User Guide - Rev. 072922 deercreekaudio.com
Introduction
The EQ901 Platinum is Deer Creek Audio's flagship equalizer / preamplifier for the legendary
Bose 901®Series speakers. The EQ901 Platinum features four specifically designed
equalization curve sets unique to each series: I/II, III/IV or V/VI (select your series when
ordering).
The EQ901 Platinum is also a high fidelity digital preamplifier intended to drive high quality
power amplifiers, integrated amplifiers or receivers. Analog, USB, SPDIF, TOSLINK and high
definition Bluetooth (LDAC) streaming inputs are included.
When used in the digital input mode, the music stream is maintained in the digital domain all
the way through the 901 equalization process. This is the purest and highest fidelity way to
drive your 901s.
1. Features
● Precise BOSE 901 equalization
● The four BOSE 901 tone modes (EQ curves) are available on all four outputs
○ Normal mode
○ Enhanced mode
○ Warm mode
○ Low frequency reduction mode
● Two identical stereo pairs outputs are available, allowing for dual active stereo systems
(two stereo power amps) or the addition of an active subwoofer(s)
● Remote volume control with 0.5dB resolution and mute
● Inputs - remote selectable
○ Bluetooth streaming - LDAC CD quality
○ Analog RCA or Balanced TSR
○ USB audio
○ TOSLINK / SPDIF (RCA / optical)
● Output Options
○ Single-ended analog I/O (RCA)
○ Balanced analog I/O (TRS)
● OLED front panel display and volume control knob
● Ultra low noise and distortion
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2. What’s Included
● EQ901 Platinum equalizer
● Four precision engineered tone adjustment equalization curves
● IR remote
● External power supply (UK/EU/US)
3. Typical Installation Examples
Analog audio input and output connections are made directly to the RCA input and output
jacks. For RCA connections, #1 is Left (L) and #2 is Right (R). When making these
connections, make sure to power off the equipment being connected.
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If you have a receiver or integrated amplifier with a pre-out / main in loop, you can insert the
EQ901 Platinum as shown below.
4. Bluetooth
The EQ901 Platinum includes LDAC and aptX HD Bluetooth. To put the EQ901 Platinum into
pairing mode:
1. Press the encoder button on the Platinum twice and rotate it until the display shows
“Bluetooth.”
2. Press and hold the encoder and the display will change to “BTPairing.” The EQ901
Platinum is now in pairing mode.
3. Open the Bluetooth Settings on your mobile device to pair with the Platinum. The exact
appearance will vary depending on your specific device, but this series of screenshots
illustrates a typical sequence.
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4. If your device supports LDAC, enable it by using the gear icon.
When Bluetooth audio is selected as the source, the front panel display will show the source in
the lower right corner as one of the following:
● BT(C) - Paired over Bluetooth
● BT(NC) - No Bluetooth device is paired
● BT(P) - In pairing mode.
The EQ901 Platinum will receive and play the audio stream from the paired device.
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5. USB Audio
The EQ901 Platinum accepts USB stereo audio from your Windows pc or macOS computer.
5.1 Connecting with macOS
Open Audio MIDI setup and select “miniDSP 2x4 Flex”. Sample rates up to 192 kHz can be
selected. To set the EQ901 Platinum as the default audio output device, right-click and select
“Use this device for sound output.”
5.2 Connecting with Windows
To set the EQ901 Platinum as the default audio output device, open the Windows Control
Panel and navigate to the Audio Devices section. On the Playback tab, click the device named
“miniDSP 2x4n” and select the “Set Default” button. To change the bit depth and sample rate,
click on Properties and select Advanced. Drop down the selection menu and choose the
desired value. Sample rates up to 192 kHz can be selected.
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The enclosed thumb drive contains a USB driver that enables streaming music from the
computer to the EQ901 Platinum. Connect the EQ901 to the computer using the USB cable
then download and install the driver from the thumb drive.
6. Level Setting
Your EQ901 Platinum is being delivered with an internal level (gain) setting of 0db (max, no
insertion loss) that you will adjust with the supplied remote control. It has been set with the
analog inputs selected. Be sure to turn down your music source to protect your system at
turn on. Once you have your inputs connected and all components on, you can adjust all the
gain levels for optimal volume midposition control performance.
7. Subwoofer Settings
You may drive an active subwoofer with outputs 3 and 4, however, keep in mind these are an
exact, full range stereo match to outputs 1 and 2. To begin, your subwoofer should be set at
mid-level gain and the crossovers should be set at the mid-level setting. After you have the
system up and running, adjust the subwoofer level, phase and crossover to get the best
response.
We offer an active crossover subwoofer solution for users with pre/power amplifiers or
pre-in/pre-out ports who wish to add a powered subwoofer to their system. This is applied to
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Tone Mode 4 only and is calibrated with high and low pass filters to provide natural sounding,
seamless subwoofer integration.
Please see the subwoofer supplement document for more information: EQ901 Elite / USB /
Platinum Powered Subwoofer Option Guide.
8. USB Music Server Volume Setting Warning
If you are streaming digital music via a server such as foobar2000, JRiver, Roon, etc., begin
with the server application level set low.
9. Using the EQ901 Platinum Remote Control
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10. Setting Tone Modes
Selection of the tone mode is generally a subjective choice based on what sounds best to you.
Specifically:
● Normal mode is the most neutral
● Enhanced mode provides a tighter sound
● Warm mode adds midrange with slight treble reduction
● Low frequency reduction mode is intended to control bass in smaller rooms or on
“boomy” recordings
If you have ordered the optional subwoofer option, Tone Mode 4 is calibrated with high and low
pass filters to provide natural sounding, seamless subwoofer integration.
11. Specifications
● Bluetooth streaming: LDAC™/aptX™ HD/aptX™/AAC/SBC
● Inputs: Stereo digital (USB Audio / SPDIF / Optical / Bluetooth), stereo analog
● Output versions: Unbalanced (RCA) or balanced (TRS)
● SNR (Digital to Analog): 121 dB(A)
● Analog Audio Input Impedance: 100 kΩ
● Analog Audio Output Impedance: 200 Ω
● Analog Devices Floating point DSP SHARC ADSP21489 @ 400MHZ
● Multi-Core USB Audio processor (XMOS)
● Dimensions: 150mm x 180mm x 41mm
● Power Supply: External PSU 12V/1.6A (US/UK/EU/AU plugs)
● Power: 10.3 W (idle) 3.1 W (standby)
12. Warranty Terms
This product is warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of
one year from the invoice date. Warranty does not cover failure of the product due to incorrect
connection or installation, improper or undocumented use, unauthorized servicing, modification
or alteration of the unit in any way, or any usage outside of that recommended in this manual.
Return shipping is the responsibility of the customer.
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