Arcam Solo bar, Handbook

E-17

E-16

English

Selecting an audio mode

The Solo bar has three pre-configured audio 

modes – 

STEREO

, 

MOVIE

 and 

CONCERT

. 

Press the 

button on the remote to 

switch through and make a selection.

Note: Stereo is the default mode and means 
audio is played as it was recorded.

Sound from your TV

If your TV is connected to the Solo bar 

using ARC, select the appropriate source on 

your TV and enjoy superb sound from the 

Solo bar using your TVs remote to control 

volume.

When used in this way, the Solo bar front 

display panel automatically shows 

TV/ARC

.

Sound from Bluetooth® 

devices

To enjoy listening to music wirelessly from 

any 

Bluetooth

 device, first make sure your 

device is paired with the Solo bar - see 

page 11 for more information.

Once your device is paired, simply follow 

the instructions provided with your device.

IR repeater

When the Solo bar is positioned in front 

of a TV it may (depending on the model)

obscure the remote control sensor on the 

TV so that operation is no longer possible.

If this happens, use the IR repeater function 

on the Solo bar to relay the signals through 

to your TV. 

Note: This will work even when 

the Solo bar is on standby.

See page 18 for setup information.

CEC control via HDMI

Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) is a 

feature that allows you to connect up to 15 

CEC-enabled devices to your Solo bar via 

HDMI and control them simultaneously 

using a single remote control unit. 

By default, CEC is enabled. See page 20 for 

setup information.

Typical examples of system control using 

CEC include:

<

Simultaneous power on or standby of 

every connected device.

<

Volume control.

<

Input source selection.

Auto setup

There is a proprietary automatic setup 

function built into the Solo bar which 

attempts to set the essential speaker settings 

for your system (including a subwoofer if 

present). It also calculates room equalisation 

(Room EQ) filter values to remove some of 

the worst effects of resonant frequencies in 

the listening room.

Using the calibration microphone supplied, 

insert the jack into the 

MIC

 socket on the 

rear panel and place the microphone at the 

main listening position.

This microphone picks up the special 

calibration tones generated by the speakers 

(and subwoofer) when Auto Setup is run. 

The Solo bar then analyses the signal and 

computes:

<

speaker level,

<

crossover frequency to the subwoofer,

<

problem resonant frequencies in the 

room which need control by filtering.

To help the system be as accurate as 

possible, follow these guidance rules:

<

Minimise any background sounds in 

the listening room and nearby rooms.

<

Close all windows and doors in the 

listening room.

<

Turn off all fans including air-

conditioning systems.

<

If holding the microphone in the hand, 

keep your hand and fingers still to avoid 

generating any ‘handling noise’.

<

Position the microphone pointing 

upwards at roughly head height in the 

normal listening position with a direct 

unobstructed view of the speakers. It is 

not necessary to point the microphone 

directly at the speakers.

<

If your system includes an active 

subwoofer, start by setting its output 

level/gain control to a value halfway 

between minimum and maximum.

To run Auto Setup, press 

 on the 

remote control followed by   until 

Speaker/EQ Setup

 is displayed on the Solo 

bar front panel. Now press   and notive 

the display changes to 

Auto Setup

. Press   

again to start the procedure.

The process will generate test tones from the 

speakers and typically takes less than two 

minutes. The test tone generator will cycle 

round each speaker twice. Between each 

cycle, 

Analysing

 will be displayed briefly. 

After the second cycle the display will show 

Calculating

 followed shortly by 

Complete

.

Should any errors occur during auto setup, 

follow the instructions provided on the 

display panel.

Auto Setup is normally quite accurate but 

occasionally false results can be generated. 

Problems may be as a result of:

<

external sounds or rumbling/handling 

noises picked up by the microphone

<

sound reflections off hard surfaces (e.g. 

windows or walls) close to the listening 

position,

<

very strong acoustic resonances within 

the room,

<

obstacles (such as a sofa) between 

speakers and the microphone.

<

Using a subwoofer

If your system includes an active subwoofer 

you may need to re-run Auto Setup with the 

subwoofer output level/gain control set to a 

medium value.

Auto Setup will attempt to select a crossover 

frequency that allows the smoothest low 

frequency transition from the main speakers 

to the subwoofer. However if this does not 

produce pleasing results we recommend 

manually trying other crossover frequencies 

to find something more to your preference.

When Auto Setup is run it also calculates 

Room EQ values to remove some of the 

worst effects of resonant frequencies in the 

listening room. 

By default, Room EQ is disabled. You should 

enable Room EQ on inputs you think 

benefit from this feature, as required, by 

listening to typical source material through 

each input.

While room equalisation can help to reduce 

problems with listening room acoustics, 

it is usually far better to try to solve these 

problems with the room directly. To enable 

Room EQ see page 19 in system setup.

Microphone

Place at head height in 

listening position with 

mic pointing upwards.