Phase DP4000 User guide

Phase Technology Corporation www.phasetech.com
MSE Audio 10661 Rene St. Lenexa, Kansas 66215 [phone] www.mseaudio.com
Power FL-8 Power FL-10 Power FL-12
DP4000
System Installation Guide
Thank you for purchasing Phase Technology’s
revolutionary dARTS (Digital Audio Reference The-
ater System). This exciting entertainment system
will provide the best possible sound reproduction
of music and video programming in any room envi-
ronment, and at every seat in that room.
Please take a few moments to study this Instal-
lation Guide to get the most out of your 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 accom-
modate your needs in making them t into your
decorating plans. Phase Technology’s perfectly
matched speakers, and the Audyssey Laboratories
MultEQ XT 32 room correction software as imple-
mented by your installer, will then work together
to overcome the acoustic anomalies of your room
and give you ideal sound at every seating location.
Contents:
Safety Instructions 2
Audyssey MultEQ XT32 Installation 3
DP4000 Features 3
Speaker Placement 3
System Wiring and Connection 4
Caring for Your DP4000 7
Maintenance and Service 7
Warranty 7
DP4000 Features:
Audyssey MultEQ XT32 callibration software
Molded aluminum enclosure
Large dual mode power supply
Eight (8) XLR balanced Inputs
Sixteen (16) congurable input/output channels
Controls up to four (4) rooms of stereo
Auto switch

1. Read Instructions - All the safety and operating
instructions should be read before the appliance is
operated.
2. Retain Instructions - The safety and operating
instructions should be retained for future reference.
3. Heed Warnings - All warnings on the appliance and in
the operating instructions should be adhered to.
4. Follow Instructions - All operating and other instructions
should be followed.
5. Water and Moisture - The appliance should not be
used near water - for example, near a bathtub, washbowl,
kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a wet basement, or near a
swimming pool, etc.
6. Carts and Stands - The appliance should be used
only with a cart or stand that is recommended by the
manufacturer.
PORTABLE CART WARNING
7. Wall or Ceiling Mounting - The appliance should be
mounted to a wall or ceiling only as recommended by the
manufacturer.
8. Ventilation - The appliance should be situated so that
its location or position does not interfere with its proper
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
ventilation. For example, the appliance should not be
situated on a bed, sofa, rug, or similar surface that may
block the ventilation openings; or placed in a built-in
installation, such as a bookcase or cabinet that may
impede the ow of air through the ventilation openings.
9. Heat - The appliance should be situated away from heat
sources such as radiators, stoves, or other appliances that
produce heat.
10. Power Source - The appliance should be connected to
a power supply only of the type described in the operating
instructions or as marked on the appliance.
11. Power Cord Protection - Power supply cords should
be routed so that they are not likely to be walked on or
pinched by items placed up or against them, paying
particular attention to cords at plugs, convenience
receptacles, and the point where they exit from the
appliance.
12. Cleaning - The appliance should be cleaned only as
recommended by the manufacturer.
13. Nonuse Periods - The power cord of the appliance
should be unplugged from the outlet when left unused for
a long period of time.
14. Object and Liquid Entry - Care should be taken so that
neither objects fall nor liquids spill into the inside of the
appliance.
15. Damage Requiring Service - The application should be
serviced by qualied service personnel when:
a. the power supply cord or the plug has been damaged,
b. objects have fallen onto or liquid has been spilled into
the appliance,
c. the appliance has been exposed to rain,
d. the appliance does not appear to operate normally or
exhibits a marked change in performance, or
e. the appliance has been dropped or the cabinet
damaged.
16. Servicing - The user should not attempt to service the
appliance beyond those means described in the operating
instructions. All other servicing should be referred to
qualied service personnel.
17. Grounding or Polarization - Precautions should be
taken so that the grounding or polarization means of an
appliance is not defeated.
Explanation of Graphical Symbols
The lightning ash with arrowhead symbol, within
an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert you to the
presence of un-insulated “dangerous voltage: within the
product’s enclosure that may be off sufcient magnitude
to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle
is intended to alert you to the presence of important
operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the
literature accompanying the appliance.
CAUTION: To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove cover (or
back). No user-serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualied service
personnel.
CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
APPLICABLE FOR USA, CANADA OR WHERE
APPROVED FOR USAGE
CAUTION: TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK, MATCH
WIDE BLADE PLUG TO WIDE SLOT, INSERT FULLY.
ATTENTION: POUR EVITER LES CHOCS ELECTRIQUES,
INTRODUIRE LA LAME LA PLUS LARGE DE LA FICHE
DANS LA BORNE CORRESPONDANTE DE LA PRESE
ET POUSSER JUSQU AU FOND.
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Audyssey MultEQ XT32 Software Installation
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 lters to load into
your Phase Technology DP4000 amplier/speaker controller. This correction process will then return your
speakers to their original perfectly matched levels, and remove the room’s harmful acoustic contribu-
tions, 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 envelop-
ing and accurate soundeld. 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 inter-
fere 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.
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 loca-
tion 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 ac-
curately at each listening position.
The surround speakers should be placed well above ear level in most rooms. Whether you are using di-
rect- radiating speakers or our switchable dipolar/bipolar speakers for the surround channels, please pay
attention to placing them to create a large and enveloping soundeld. In a 5.1-channel conguration, you
will use one pair of surround speakers. If your listening area is near the back wall, the best results can of-
ten 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 soundeld. 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 set-
tings with your installer to see which sounds best to you, so he can calibrate the room to your taste.
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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 ll 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 signicant way (oor 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 specically designed to blend well with the dARTS main speak-
ers, and to perform well with either music or movies, augmenting the deep bass which is such an inte-
gral part of our emotional involvement with our entertainment choices. Although very deep bass is es-
sentially 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 accommo-date the use of isolation feet. The Audyssey Laboratories MultEQ XT
32 room calibration software WILL account for sub placement (as it does for all speakers) while measur-
ing 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-amplied or tri-amplied.
This means that each tweeter, midrange, and woofer set is connected to their own individual amplier
channel to allow for greater dynamic performance and exibility in conguration. 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-amplied, 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 con-
nections. Wire with higher gauge numbers is thinner, and is not recommended.
The dARTS subwoofer includes its own 500-watt on-board power amplier. It will need to have a shield-
ed audio interconnect run to its “LINE INPUT L” jack from the DP4000 amplier/controller’s “SUB OUT 8”
jack. The subwoofer’s amplier 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 rst 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 DP4000 digital amplier/controller. It consists of a 16-channel
power amplier (up to 250 w/ch), the setup rmware 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 DP4000 with either two or three pairs of speaker wire. Your surround processor or receiv-
er’s preamp outputs will also be connected to the DP4000. If desired, your installer can connect
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a 12 V DC trigger to the amplier’s “POWER CONTROL IN” jack from your surround processor or your
automated control system to turn the amplier 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 amplier/controller’s input and output termi-
nals:
Connections From DP4000 to Surround Preamp/Receiver
DP Input
Number
XLR Balanced
Input Number Preamp Output Channels
1 1 Left Front
2 2 Right Front
5 3 Center Channel
6 4 Subwoofer
9 5 Left Surround
10 6 Right Surround
13 7 Left Rear Surround in 7.1 System;
Rear Center in 6.1 System
14 8 Right Rear Surround in 7.1 System
Connections From DP4000 to System’s Speakers
DP4000 Output
Numbers (Channels 1-8) Speaker Connections
1Input 1: Left Front Woofer;
XLR Input 1: Left Front Speaker
2Input 2: Left Front Tweeter;
XLR Input 1: Left Front Speaker
3Input 3: Right Front Woofer;
XLR Input 2: Right Front Speaker
4Input 4: Right Front Tweeter
XLR Input 2: Right Front Speaker
5
Input 5: Center Channel Woofer;
XLR Input 5: Center Channel Speaker
Note: Not connected if using a 2-way center
channel speaker
6Input 6: Center Channel Woofer/Midrange;
XLR Input 5: Center Channel Speaker
7Input 7: Center Channel Tweeter;
XLR Input 5: Center Channel Speaker
8 (RCA “Sub Out 8” Jack) Input 8: To Subwoofer;
XLR Input 6: Subwoofer
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DP4000 Output
Numbers (Channels 9-16) Speaker Connections
9Input 9: Left Surround Woofer;
XLR Input 9: Left Surround Speaker
10 Input 10: Left Surround Tweeter;
XLR Input 9: Left Surround Speaker
11 Input 11: Right Surround Woofer;
XLR Input 10: Right Surround Speaker
12 Input 12: Right Surround Tweeter
XLR Input 10: Right Surround Speaker
13
Input 13: Left Rear Woofer in 7.1 System
(or Rear Center Woofer in 6.1 System);
XLR Input 13: Left Rear Speaker
14
Input 14: Left Rear Tweeter;
(or Rear Center Woofer in 6.1 System);
XLR Input 13: Left Rear Speaker
15 Input 15: Right Rear Woofer;
XLR Input 14: Right Rear Speaker
16 Input 16: To Right Rear Tweeter;
XLR Input 14: Right Rear Speaker
PLEASE NOTE: Although these connecting connections directions are not “normal,” based on conven-
tional 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 amplier into AC power or turn it on until ALL
system connections have been securely made.
Speaker outputs 1-16
12 v input trigger
12 v output trigger
Input channels 1-16
Subwoofer line level output
AC Input
XLR Balanced Level Inputs
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Caring for Your DP4000
The DP4000 is molded in an aluminum enclosure and nished with a high degree of craftsmanship. We
recommend using a lint-free rag with a small amount of glass cleaner to maintain the long-lasting beauty of
the nish. Avoid products containing silicones, oils, oil derivatives, or solvents. Aluminum enclosures may
be cleaned with a damp cloth as necessary.
Maintenance and Service
Because of Phase Technology’s uncompromising quality control programs, it’s unlikely that your DP4000
will ever need service if connected and used as outlined in this Owners’ Manual. In the unlikely event that
a problem does occur, please contact your Phase Technology dealer. Your dealer has the necessary
factory-authorized parts and trained technicians to quickly restore your speaker to its original performance
specications.
Warranty
Limited Warranty
Phase Technology warrants its loudspeakers to be free from defects in material and workmanship for a
period of ten (10) years for speaker product and three (3) years for the electronic components to the original
purchaser. Purchase must be made from an authorized Phase Technology dealer.
This warranty does not cover service or parts to repair damage caused by misuse, abuse, damage while in
transit, alterations, unauthorized repairs, failure to follow instructions, re, ood or any other cause beyond
the reasonable control of Phase Technology. Defects in speaker cabinets or grilles must be brought to the
attention of your dealer immediately after purchase. This warranty will be void if the products’ serial number
has been altered or removed.
To obtain warranty service, the defective product must be shipped in its original carton or equivalent
together with original invoice or bill of sale, insured and prepaid to your authorized Phase Technology dealer
or the factory when warranty service is requested.
If you choose to return the defective product to the factory you must rst call us at (888) phase-tk to obtain
a Return Authorization number prior to shipping. Product repaired under this warranty will be returned to
you freight collect.
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