Onkyo TX SR501 Owner Manual - Page 20

Installing Your Speakers You can use two sets of speakers with your TX-SR501/ TX-SR501E: speaker set A and speaker set B. With speaker set A, which should be installed in your main listening room, and can be used with Dolby Digital or DTS surround material, you can connect front-left, front-right, center, surround-left, surround-right, surround-back, and subwoofer speakers. With speaker set B, which can be installed in another room, and used with stereo or mono material, you can connect a pair of standard hi-fi speakers. Positioning Your Speakers Speaker-set B can be positioned in the standard position for stereo speakers or where you like. Speaker-set A, however, must be positioned at specific points in your listening room to achieve the best results from surround sound material. The following illustration shows the best positions for your surround-sound speakers. Obviously, the positions you choose will depend on the shape of your room and the position of your TV or projector screen. Either way, use this illustration as a guide and try to use the same positions relative to your listening position. ■ Surround Speakers Surround speakers add a sense of movement and put you, the listener, in the middle of the action. • The surround-left and surround-right speakers should be installed at the sides, or slightly behind the listener, 2-3 ft. (60-100 cm) above ear level, and against the side walls. The surround-back speaker should be installed behind the listener also at 2-3 ft. (60-100 cm) above ear level. Make sure that the listening position is within the range of the speakers. ■ Subwoofer You'll need a subwoofer with a built-in power amp, what's known as an active subwoofer, to achieve the best bass performance. • The volume and quality of the bass output from your subwoofer will depend on its position, the shape of your listening room, and your listening position. In general, a good bass sound can be obtained by installing the subwoofer in a front corner, or at one-third the width of the wall, as shown. 1/3 1/3 1/3 Fsrpoleenfatt-ker TV/screen Subwoofer Center speaker sprFeiargokhnettr- Surround-left speaker Surround-right speaker Surround-back speaker To get the most from surround sound, you should connect all seven speakers. However, if you don't connect a center speaker or surround speakers, you can still enjoy surround sound material by specifying the number of speakers connected, and the TX-SR501/TX-SR501E will produce the best surround sound possible with the available speakers. See page 34. Similarly, if you don't have a subwoofer, you can turn off the subwoofer so that bass sounds are produced by the other speakers. See page 25. ■ Front Speakers Front speakers consist of front-left, front-right, and center speakers. The center speaker adds directionality and movement. • In general, the front-left, front-right, and center speakers should be installed facing the listener at ear-level. Corner 1/3 wall length See the instructions supplied with your speakers for more information. Attaching the Supplied Speaker Labels Speaker cables are two-wire cables, with one wire for connecting to the positive (+) terminal, and one for connecting to the negative (-) terminal. The TX-SR501/TX-SR501E's positive (+) speaker terminals are color-coded for ease of identification. (The negative (-) speaker terminals are black.) Speaker terminal Front left Front right Center Surround left Surround right Surround back White Red Green Blue Gray Brown Color The supplied speaker labels are also color-coded and you should attach them to the positive side of each speaker cable as appropriate. For example, put the white labels on the positive sides of the front-left speaker cable, as shown below. Front-left speaker 20