Sunfire Theater Grand Processor III User manual

Sunfire Theater Grand Processor III
Sunfire
LEVEL
1234567890+10
UP
DIRECT
AM/FM
DOLBY
DIGITAL
DIGITAL
SOURCE
PROLOGICII
DTS
SIGNALPROCESSING
SIDE-AXIS
HOLOGRAPHIC
IMAGE
ZONETWO
ADJUST
ZONETWO
POWER
POWER
Architect'sChoice
MANUAL
TUNING
DOWN
MODE
SELECT
UP
DOWN
UP
ROTATION
ZONE
TWO
DOWN
BASS
TREBLE
HOLOGRAPHIC
IMAGE
PANEL
DIM
MUTE
MANUALINPUTSELECTOR
FULLAUTOMATIC
OPERATION
TUNERCONTROLSTONECONTROLS

User's Manual
2
Safety
In struc tions
1. Read In struc tions -– All the safe ty
and op er a tion instructions should be
read before the Sunfi re Com po nent is
operated.
2. Retain Instructions — The safety
and operating in struc tions should be
kept for future reference.
3. Heed Warnings — All arnings on
the Com po nent and in these op er at ing
in struc tions should be follo ed.
4. Follow Instructions — All operat-
ing and other in struc tions should be
follo ed.
5. Water and Moisture — The
Component should not be used near
ater - for example, near a bathtub,
ash bo l, kitchen sink, laundry tub, in
a et base ment, or near a s im ming
pool, etc.
6. Ventilation — The Component
should be situated so that its location
or position does not interfere ith its
proper ven ti la tion. For example, the
Component should not be situated on
a bed, sofa, rug, or similar surface that
may block any ven ti la tion open ings; or
placed in a built-in installation such as
a bookcase, cabinet, or closed equip-
ment rack that may impede the fl o of
air through ven ti la tion openings.
7. Heat — The Com po nent should be
situated a ay from heat sources such
as radiators, or other devices hich
produce heat.
8. ower Sources — The Com po nent
should be con nect ed to a po er sup-
ply only of the type de scribed in these
op er a tion in struc tions or as marked on
the Com po nent.
9. ower Cord rotection — Po er-
supply cords should be routed so that
they are not likely to be alked upon
or pinched by items placed upon or
against them, paying particular at-
ten tion to cords at plugs, con ve nience
re cep tacles, and the point here they
exit the Com po nent.
10. Cleaning — The Com po -
nent should be cleaned only as
recommended in this manual.
11. Non-use e ri ods—The po er
cord of the Com po nent should be un-
plugged from the outlet hen unused
for a long pe ri od of time.
12. Ob ject and Liq uid En try — Care
should be taken so that objects do not
fall into and liquids are not spilled into
the inside of the Component.
13. Damage Re quir ing Service
— The Com po nent should be serviced
only by qualifi ed service per son nel
hen:
A. The po er-supply cord or the plug
has been dam aged; or
B. Objects have fallen, or liquid has
spilled into the Component; or
C. The Com po nent has been exposed
to rain; or
D. The Com po nent does not appear to
operate normally
or exhibits a marked change in per for -
mance; or
E. The Component has been dropped,
or its cabinet dam aged.
14. Servicing — The user should not
attempt to service the Component
beyond those means de scribed in this
operating manual. All other servicing
should be referred to qualifi ed service
personnel.
SAFETY

User's Manual 3
15. To prevent electric shock, do not
use this polarized plug ith an ex ten -
sion cord, receptacle or other outlet
unless the blades can be fully inserted
to prevent blade ex po sure.
Pour préevenir les chocs électriques
ne pas utiliser cette fi che polariseé
avec un prolongateur, un prise de
courant ou une autre sortie de cou-
rant, sauf si les lames peuvent être
insérées à fond sans laisser aucune
parIIIe à découvert.
16. Grounding or o lari za tion —
Pre cau tions should be taken so that
the grounding or polarization means
of the Com po nent is not defeated.
This apparatus does not exceed the
Class A/Class B ( hich ev er is ap-
pli ca ble) limits for radio noise emis sions
from digital apparatus as set out in the
radio interference regulations of the Ca-
nadian Department of Com mu ni ca tions.
WARNING – TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK,
DO NOT EXPOSE THIS AP PLI ANCE TO RAIN OR MOIS TURE.
CAUTION: TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK, MATCH WIDE BLADE
OF PLUG TO WIDE SLOT, FULLY INSERT.
ATTENTION: POUR ÉVITER LES CHOCS ÉLECTRIQUES, INTRO-
DUIRE LA LAME LA PLUS LARGE DE LA FICHE DANS LA BORNE
CORRESPONDANTE DE LA PRISE ET POUSSER JUSQU’AU FOND.
EXAMPLE OF ANTENNA GROUNDING ACCORDING TO NATIONAL
ELECTRICAL CODE INSTRUCTIONS CONTAINED IN ARTICLE
810—“RADIO AND TELEVISION EQUIPMENT”
GROUND CLAMP
GROUNDING
CONDUCTORS
(NEC SECTION 810-21)
ANTENNA
LEAD IN WIRE
POWER SERVICE GROUNDING
ELECTRODE SYSTEM
(NEC ART 250, PART H)
SERVICE
ENTRANCE
EQUIPMENT
GROUND CLAMPS
GROUND CLAMPS
ANTENNA DISCHARGE UNIT
(NEC SECTION 810-20)
NEC NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE.
NOTE TO CATV INSTALLER
This reminder is to call the CATV system installer's attention to Article 820-40 of the NEC that provides guide-
lines for proper grounding and in particular, specifies that the cable ground shall be connected to the grounding
system of the building as close to the point of cable entry as practical.
OUTSIDE ANTENNA GROUNDING
If an outside antenna is connected to the receiver, be sure the antenna system is grounded so as to provide
some protection against voltage surges and built-up static charges. Article 810 of the National Electrical Code,
ANSI/NFPA 70, provides information with regard to proper grounding of the lead-in wire to an antenna-discharge
unit, connection to grounding electrodes, and requirements for the grounding electrode. See Figure above.
ATTENTION — Le présent appar-
eil numérique n'émet pas de bruits
radioélectriques dépassant las limites
applicables aux appareils numériques
de class A/de class B (selon le cas)
prescrites dans le règlement sur le
brouillage radioélectrique édicté par
les ministere des com mu ni ca tions du
Canada.
SAFETY

User's Manual
4
Safety Instructions................................... 2-3
Chapter 1: Introduction ...............................5
Unpacking and Features ...........................6
Overvie .....................................................7
Quick Start Guide .......................................8
Front Panel Features................................10
Rear Panel Features ................................12
Installation ................................................14
Chapter 2: System Confi gurations ...........15
Chapter 3: Remote Control .......................25
Chapter 4: On Screen Display...................30
Speaker Calibration..................................40
Chapter 5: Using the Theater Grand III ....42
Bass Management....................................42
Surround Modes ......................................43
Tuner Operation .......................................45
Recording .................................................46
Zone 2 Operation......................................47
The Holographic Image ............................48
CD Soft are Upgrade ..............................48
Appendix:
Speaker Placement ..................................49
The RS-232 Port.......................................51
Troubleshooting Guide .............................52
Remote Control Codes.............................55
Favorite Settings.......................................57
Specifi cations ...........................................58
Limited Warranty ......................................59
Service Assistance ...................................59
Contents
CHAPTER 1
The Appendix sho s some addition-
al information, including a trouble-
shooting guide, the Warranty and
service assistance details
To fi nd out more about this and other
Sunfi re products, please visit our
ebsite: www.sunfi re.com
Read the Safety Instructions care-
fully before connecting and us-
ing your Sunfi re Theater Grand
Processor III (TGIII).
Chapter 1 is a general introduction
to the features, details and installa-
tion of your TGIII.
Chapter 2 sho s many options for
connecting your source equipment
and amplifi ers to the TGIII.
Chapter 3 describes the details and
operation of the advanced remote
control.
Chapter 4 sho s the various menus
of the On Screen Display, and ho
to adjust and customize your TGIII.
Chapter 5 describes the available
modes, options and operational
details of the TGIII.

User's Manual 5
CHAPTER 1
Dear Friend,
Thank you for pur chas ing my Sunfi re Theater Grand Processor III. I hope that you enjoy it and the music it makes
as much as I have en joyed creating it for you.
The Sunfi re The ater Grand Processor III is unlike any home the ater prod uct on the market. For one thing, e have
taken spe cial pains to make it as easy to use as possible. We’ve designed it to virtually do the thinking for you, so you can
quickly fi gure out ho to listen to your favorite vid eo tape, DVD or to bring in your favorite FM station.
When you use the “Full Automatic Operation” feature, the correct set tings are made by its sophisticated mi cro pro -
ces sors. So, hen you turn on your video component, the pro ces sor ill choose the proper in put for you. All you have
to do is adjust the volume the ay you ant, then sit back and enjoy. The same holds true if you ish to listen to a CD,
atch a DVD and more. We’ve also made the Theater Grand Pro ces sor III highly fl exible so you can easily adjust it to suit
your taste.
As ith our entire line of Sunfi re products, the Theater Grand Processor III is brimming ith exclusive, high-perfor-
mance tech nol o gy that ill help you get the highest level of enjoyment from your home theater system. These include:
• High quality digital signal processor supports sampling rates up to 96 kHz
• Dolby Digital EX and Dolby Pro Logic II processing
• DTS ES and DTS Neo:6 processing
• FM/AM tuner ith 40 station presets, and active dynamic FM noise reduction
• DSP Holographic Imaging, hich gives a greatly enhanced soundstage
• Automatic 5.1 channel mode selection
• Balanced audio outputs
• T o Zone operation
• Pre-programmed and learning LCD remote control
The Theater Grand Processor III lets you run all of your audio and video components from a single easy-to-use
control center. So you can experience the extraordinary, dynamic, full-range, mul ti di men sion al, all-to- all theater sound.
Introduction
Bob Carver, Audio Designer, Physicist

User's Manual
6
CHAPTER 1
Your Theater Grand Processor III
should reach you in perfect con di tion.
If you do notice any shipping damage,
please contact your Sunfi re Dealer
immediately.
Gently lift out the unit and remove
all the packing material and ac ces -
so ries. It is im por tant to save all the
packing ma te ri als and the box in case
your Theater Grand Processor III ever
needs to be moved or shipped for
repair.
Make sure that you keep your
sales receipt. It is the only ay to
establish the duration of your Limited
Warranty and it may come in useful
for insurance pur pos es.
Please take a moment to fi ll
out and mail the Sunfi re Customer
Response card. Also read the serial
num ber located on the rear panel and
record it here:
Serial #:
___________________________
Purchased at:
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
Date: _______________________
Unpacking Features
• Fully automatic signal-sensing for
audio and video input se lec tion
• Dolby Digital EX®, Dolby Pro
Logic II®, DTS ES® and
DTS NEO:6® decoding modes
• Zone 2 can play sources inde-
pendent of the Main Zone
• Six A/V inputs, each ith audio,
S-video and composite video
• Three A/V outputs, each ith au-
dio, S-video and composite video
• Three audio-only inputs, in clud ing
MM Phono
• 8 channel analog input ith
separate RCA connectors
• On Screen Display (OSD)
• T o Tape record outputs
• Three component video inputs
and t o component video outputs
• Six coaxial and four optical digital
inputs
• Coaxial and optical digital outputs
(including from analog and do n-
mixed 5.1 sources)
• Flash memory upgradable
through RS232 or CD
• IEEE 1394 port (FireWire™) for
future expansion.
• Treble and Bass tone controls
• RS-232 control port ith discrete
codes
• Trigger outputs for both zones
• IR control of both zones, ith rear
IR ports and discrete codes.
• Supports all digital sampling rates
to 96 kHz
• 24-bit Crystal Semiconductor®
Analog to Digital converter
• 24-bit, 192 kHz Analog Devices®
Digital to Analog converters
• 32-bit, 20 MHz control micro-
processor and 24-bit, 150 MIPS
Motorola SymphonyTM DSP pro-
ces sor
• DSP “simulated” sur round mode
for t o channel sources
• Party mode allo s t o channel
playback through all speakers
• DSP Holographic Imaging for
unbelievable soundstage
enhancement
• AM/FM tuner ith 40 presets
• Gold plated inputs and outputs
• 7.1 channel outputs plus stereo
side outputs for a total of 9.1
channels
• Record outputs are a do nmixed
2 channel output from a 5.1 digi-
tal source
• Direct 2-channel analog bypass
mode
• Balanced XLR outputs and un-
balanced RCA outputs
• Four sub oofer outputs
• IEC removable po er cord
• Steel chassis ith thick, milled
aluminum faceplate
• Designed and built in the USA
Remote Features
• Fully backlit
• Pre-programmed for most brands
of A/V equipment
• Learns commands from your
other remote controls
• Macro feature lets you program a
sequence of control steps
• Operates up to ten components
• No memory loss hen chang ing
batteries

User's Manual 7
Sunfire Theater Grand Processor III
Sunfire
LEVEL
1234567890
+10
UP
DIRECT
AM/FM
DOLBY
DIGITAL
DIGITAL
SOURCE
PRO LOGIC II
DTS
SIGNAL PROCESSING
SIDE-AXIS
HOLOGRAPHIC
IMAGE
ZONE TWO
ADJUST
ZONE TWO
POWER
POWER
Architect's Choice
MANUAL
TUNING
DOWN
MODE
SELECT
UP
DOWN
UP
ROTATION
ZONE
TWO
DOWN
BASS
TREBLE
HOLOGRAPHIC
IMAGE
PANEL
DIM
MUTE
MANUAL INPUT SELECTOR
FULL AUTOMATIC
OPERATION
TUNER CONTROLS TONE CONTROLS
CHAPTER 1
GUIDE MENU
MODEMODE
EXIT INFO
SYSTEM
+10
POWER
31
64
97
ENTDIS
M3M1
2
5
8
0
M2
PAGE
FAV
MAIN
OFF
VOL CH
MUTE
PREV
CH
CD
AUDIO
MAIN
TAPE
AUX
ZONE2
TGIII
DVD
VCR
SAT
TV
CABLE
Surround
mode
Select an
input
Po er
on/off
Most features of the Theater
Grand Processor III can be operated
by the remote control’s TGIII sec tion.
For the best home theater per-
for mance, you should calibrate your
speakers and customize the TGIII
settings for your system. Press the
MENU button on the remote control
to activate the On Screen Display
(OSD). This has several menus hich
ill allo you to set up your speakers
and calibrate your system correctly.
The remote can also be used to
activate and control all features of the
second zone.
Mute
Tuner
presets Tone con trols
Tuner
con trols
Volume
ad just ment
Overvie
The Theater Grand Processor III
is available in t o versions:
• 17” ide chassis model,
designed as part of the
“Architect’s Choice” line of
preamplifi ers and amplifi ers.
This series of 17” ide compo-
nents makes an ideal choice
for fi tting into Home Theater
entertainment centers and for
specifying in custom installa-
tions.
• 19” ide chassis model,
designed as an ideal match for
the Sunfi re range of 19” ide
t o and fi ve channel amplifi -
ers.
The illustrations in this manual
sho the Architect’s Choice model.
Apart from the chassis, the t o
models are identical in all operational
details, features and connections.
Please note that for the rest of this
manual, “Theater Grand Processor III”
is abbreviated “TGIII.”

User's Manual
8
MAIN MENU
TRIMS
MODES
TONE
INPUTS
SETTINGS
GUIDE MENU
MODEMODE
EXIT INFO
SYSTEM
+10
POWER
31
64
97
ENTDIS
M3M1
2
5
8
0
M2
PAGE
FAV
MAIN
OFF
VOL CH
MUTE
PREV
CH
CD
AUDIO
MAIN
TAPE
AUX
ZONE2
TGIII
DVD
VCR
SAT
TV
CABLE
MENU
Previous
MODE
TGIII
Next
MODE
MAIN
EXIT
CHAPTER 1
Quick Start Guide
12. The TGIII no needs to be setup
correctly to suit your speakers and
system. The follo ing On Screen
Display (OSD) menus are used to
enter and make three main adjust-
ments:
• Speaker Size
• Speaker Calibration
• Speaker Position
This setup needs to be done hen
you use your system for the fi rst
time, or if you change anything
such as the amplifi ers or speak-
ers, or the speaker position. The
calibration is also a good ay to
check that your system is orking
correctly. These adjustments are
made using the OSD as follo s:
12.1 Press MENU on the remote to
bring up the MAIN Menu of the
OSD on your TV.
12.2 Use the joystick
pad left, right, up
and do n buttons to
navigate through the
menus in the next
steps.
NOTE: you can quit the OSD at
any time by pressing EXIT on the
remote. Any changes you make
ill be saved. There is no need to
navigate back through previous
pages, unless you ant to make
more changes.
When the OSD is active, the TGIII
front panel display sho s an ab-
breviated message of here you
currently are in the menus.
7. Press the remote MAIN button
a fe times to make sure you
are on the Main Menu in the
remote's display.
8. Set the remote to operate the
TGIII by pressing the TGIII
button.
We hope that the follo ing details
ill help you get started using your
Theater Grand Processor III.
1. Take care to read and follo the
safety instructions on pages 2-3.
Also make sure that you read the
notes and details throughout the
manual, especially notes marked
ith a arning triangle ( ).
2. Add batteries to the remote control.
3. Connect your source equipment
and amplifi ers to the TGIII. See the
hookup diagrams on pages 15-24.
Make sure that all of your equip-
ment remains unplugged from
the AC mains until you have
made all the connections.
4. Connect the speakers to your am-
plifi ers.
5. The TGIII has a Bass Management
system hich allo s the bass from
each speaker to be redirected to
a sub oofer. Larger speakers can
play the full frequency range, and
smaller speakers such as satellite
types can have their bass redirect-
ed. See page 42 for more details.
Make a note of hich speak-
ers you ould like to play the full
frequency range (Large) and those
hich ill have the bass redirected
(Small). Also make a note of the
approximate distance of each
speaker from your listening posi-
tion.
6. Turn on the TGIII, and then turn
on your amplifi ers, TV and other
source equipment.
9. Turn do n the TGIII volume and
use the remote or front panel input
selector to select a video source.
10. Play the source, and bring up the
volume to suit your taste. Make
sure the video can be seen in the
TV monitor.
11. Stop or pause the source.

User's Manual 9
SPEAKER SIZE
MAIN LARGE
SIDE AXIS SMALL
SURROUND SMALL
CENTER SMALL
SURROUND BACK 2 SMALL
SUB ON
SPEAKER POSITION
MAIN/SIDE AXIS 10 FT
CENTER 11 FT
SURROUND 5 FT
SURROUND BACK 4 FT
SPEAKER CALIBRATION
L SURROUND BACK 0dB
LEFT SURROUND 2dB
SUBWOOFER 0dB
GO TO LEFT MAIN
ON-THE-FLY TRIMS ZEROED
SPEAKER CALIBRATION
LEFT MAIN 0dB
CENTER 0dB
RIGHT MAIN 2dB
RIGHT SURROUND 0dB
R SURROUND BACK 0dB
SETTINGS
MAIN ZONE
ZONE 2
SPEAKERS
VIDEO
SOFTWARE
CONTROL SPEAKERS
SIZE
POSITION
CALIBRATION
CROSSOVER 80 HZ
CHAPTER 1
12.3 In the MAIN Menu, select the
SETTINGS Menu, and then the
SPEAKERS Menu.
12.4 In the SPEAKERS Menu, select
the SIZE Menu.
Use the joystick pad to set the size
of each speaker to Small or Large,
or set to OFF for those speakers
hich are not present. Return to
the SPEAKERS Menu hen you
are fi nished.
12.5 In the SPEAKERS Menu, select
the CALIBRATION Menu to adjust
the output of each speaker. A
test noise plays in each selected
speaker, and you use the remote
to adjust the volume of each
speaker until they are all playing
at the same level. Return to the
SPEAKERS Menu hen you are
fi nished.
12.6 In the SPEAKERS Menu, select
the SPEAKER POSITION Menu.
Enter ho far each speaker is from
your listening position. You can
measure it ith a tape, or do a
visual estimation.
12.7 Press the remote’s EXIT button
to quit the On Screen Display. No
the TGIII is setup correctly and
ready for action.
13. If you play a Dolby Digital or DTS
encoded source, the TGIII ill
automatically select the correct
surround mode. If it is a 2-channel
source, you can select a surround
mode using the remote’s MODE
buttons or from the front panel.
14. The TGIII has many more op-
tions hich are described in further
detail in the OSD menu section on
page 30. These options ill help
you customize the TGIII to suit
your tastes. You can do this after
you have used the TGIII for a hile
and have a better idea of ho
you ould like to customize your
system.
15. Enjoy your ne Theater Grand
Processor III. It ill allo you to
listen to many great and onderful
performances, from Big Band 78s
in surround sound, to the latest
space-action blockbuster ith up
to nine speakers and a sub oofer
fully engaged.
Further Information
For more details, see the follo ing
pages of the manual:
Remote Control: Page 25
On Screen Display: Page 30
Speaker Size: Page 38
Speaker Position: Page 39
Speaker Calibration: Page 40
Bass Management: Page 42
Surround Modes: Page 43

User's Manual
10
Sunfire Theater Grand Processor III
Sunfire
LEVEL
1234567890
+10
UP
DIRECT
AM/FM
DOLBY
DIGITAL
DIGITAL
SOURCE
PRO LOGIC II
DTS
SIGNAL PROCESSING
SIDE-AXIS
HOLOGRAPHIC
IMAGE
ZONE TWO
ADJUST
ZONE TWO
POWER
POWER
Architect's Choice
MANUAL
TUNING
DOWN
MODE
SELECT
UP
DOWN
UP
ROTATION
ZONE
TWO
DOWN
BASS
TREBLE
HOLOGRAPHIC
IMAGE
PANEL
DIM
MUTE
MANUAL INPUT SELECTOR
FULL AUTOMATIC
OPERATION
TUNER CONTROLS TONE CONTROLS
CHAPTER 1
Front Panel Features
1. Signal Processing
DOLBY DIGITAL
This light is on hen a Dolby
Digital signal is being decoded.
DTS
This light is on hen a DTS
signal is being decoded.
DOLBY PRO LOGIC II
This light is on hen the Dolby
Pro Logic II mode is engaged.
DIGITAL SOURCE
This light is on hen a Digital
signal is being decoded.
ZONE TWO POWER
This light is on hen ZONE
TWO is active.
ZONE TWO ADJUST
This light is on hen ZONE
TWO is being adjusted.
HOLOGRAPHIC IMAGE
This light is on hen the HOLO-
GRAPHIC IMAGE "circuit" is
engaged. (This is actually
modeled in DSP).
SIDE AXIS
This light is on hen the side
axis outputs are enabled.
2. IR Receiver Windo
This indo should be clean
and free from ob struc tion for the
remote control to ork correctly.
3. Processor Display
This soothing blue display sho s
hich input is se lect ed, the tuner
frequency, volume level, and other
useful features.
4. Mode Buttons
MODE UP/DOWN
These buttons allo you to step
up or do n through the various
sound playback modes.
ZONE TWO
This button turns ZONE TWO
on or off.
TREBLE/BASS SELECT
Use these buttons to select
either the Treble or Bass for ad-
justment using the UP/DOWN
TONE controls (11).
HOLOGRAPHIC IMAGE
Engage this "circuit" to add a
three di men sion al effect, es pe -
cial ly to stereo listening.
PANEL DIM
The front panel lights have four
levels: bright, me di um, lo and
off (lo intensity display ith
amber LEDs off).
MUTE
This turns off the sound. Press
it again, or adjust the volume
control to return to the pre vi ous
volume level.
5. Rotation
This light pulses hen the volume
LEVEL or INPUT SELECTOR are
being rotated.
6. Level
Rotate this manual control clock-
ise to increase the volume.
The dB level ill appear in the
front panel display. Note that the
control knob does not rotate hen
the remote is used. When turning
on a ne source, make sure the
level is lo , such as -80 dB and
increase it slo ly. The dB display
becomes less negative as the
volume increases.
123 465
78 9 10 121311