STAGE ONE THX ULTRA2 SURROUND PREAMPLIFIER THX SURROUND PREAMPLIFIER STAGE ONE IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 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 upon or CAUTION: against them, paying particular attention to cords at plugs, convenience RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK! receptacles, and the point where they exit from the product. DO NOT OPEN! 12. Overloading – Do not overload wall outlets, extension cords, or integral convenience receptacles as this can result in a risk of fire or electrical CAUTION! To reduce the risk of electric shock and fire, do not shock. remove the cover or back plate of the device enclosure. There are 13. Lightning and Periods of Non-Use – For added protection for this prod- no user serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to an Aragon uct during a lightning storm, or when it is left unattended and unused for authorized service center. long periods of time, unplug it from the wall outlet and disconnect the antenna or cable system. This will prevent damage to the product due to CAUTION! The international symbol of a lightning bolt inside a trian- lightning and powerline surges. gle is intended to alert the user to uninsulated "dangerous voltage" 14. Cleaning – Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning. Do within the device enclosure. The international symbol of an excla- not use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for cleaning. mation point inside a triangle is intended to alert the user to the 15. Object and Liquid Entry – Never push objects of any kind into this prod- presence of important operating, maintenance and servicing infor- uct through openings as they may touch dangerous voltage points or mation in the manual accompanying the device. short-out parts that could result in a fire or electric shock. Never spill liquid of any kind on the product. WARNING! To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock, do not 16. Damage Requiring Service – Unplug this product from the wall outlet and expose this equipment to rain or moisture. refer servicing to qualified service personnel under the following condi- tions: 1. Read Instructions – All safety and operating instructions should be read a) When the power supply cord or plug is damaged, before operating the device. b) If liquid has been spilled, or objects have fallen into the product, 2. Retain Instructions – The safety and operating instructions should be c) If the product has been exposed to rain or water, retained for future reference. d) If the product does not operate normally by following the operating 3. Heed Warnings – All warnings on the device and in the operating instruc- instructions. Adjust only those controls that are covered by the operat- tions should be adhered to. ing instructions as an improper adjustment of other controls may result 4. Follow Instructions – All operating and safety instructions should be fol- in damage and often will require extensive work by a qualified techni- lowed. cian to restore the product to its normal operation, 5. Attachments – Do not use attachments not recommended by the product e) If the product has been dropped or damaged in any way, and manufacturer as they may cause hazards. f) When the product exhibits a distinct change in performance – this indi- 6. Water and Moisture – Do not use this product near water (for example, cates a need for service. near a bath tub, wash bowl, kitchen sink, or laundry tub; in a wet base- 17. Replacement Parts – When replacement parts are required, be sure the ment; or near a swimming pool; and the like). service technician has used replacement parts specified by the manufac- 7. Ventilation – Slots and openings in the cabinet are provided for ventilation turer or that have the same characteristics as the original parts. and to ensure reliable operation of the product and to protect it from over- Unauthorized substitutions may result in fire, electric shock, or other haz- heating, and these openings must not be blocked or covered. The open- ards. ings should never be blocked by placing the product on a bed, sofa, rug, 18. Safety Check – Upon completion of any service or repairs to this product, or other similar surface. This product should not be placed in a built-in ask the service technician to perform safety checks to determine that the installation such as a bookcase or rack unless proper ventilation is provid- product is in proper operating condition. ed or the manufacturer’s instructions have been adhered to. 19. Servicing – Do not attempt to service this product yourself as opening or 8. Heat – This product should be situated away from heat sources such as removing covers may expose you to dangerous voltage or other hazards. radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other products that produce heat. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. 9. Power Sources – This product should be operated only from the type of power source indicated on the marking label. If you are not sure of the If this unit is purchased outside of the U.S., please contact your local dealer type of power supply in your home, consult with your product dealer or the or distributor for service center information. If purchased inside the U.S. and local power company. For products intended to operate from battery dealer service is not available, contact Aragon Customer Service for a return power, or other sources, refer to the operating instructions. authorization (RA) number before shipping. For further service information, 10. Grounding – This product is equipped with a three-wire grounding-type contact: plug, a plug having a third (grounding) pin. This plug will only fit into a grounding-type power outlet. This is a safety feature. If you are unable to ARAGON CUSTOMER SERVICE insert the plug into the outlet, contact your electrician to replace your obso- 1-866-781-7284 lete outlet. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the grounding-type plug. 137 COUNTY RD 278 HOPE, AR USA 71801 2 Welcome to the Aragon Stage One. We designed the Stage One as a high-performance multi-channel preamp/processor that would eliminate the need for separate home theater and two-channel music systems. It integrates an audiophile-quality analog stereo preamplifier (based on the design of the Aragon Aurum), an eight-channel analog preamplifier for connection to a DVD-Audio player, SACD player, or other multi-channel source with analog outputs, and an advanced THX® Ultra2 digital surround sound processor. Sophisticated design should mean more than just great performance. A central goal in the development of the Stage One was ease of use without the sacrifice of operational flexibility. We believe that in this respect the Stage One breaks new ground. The Stage One combines the ease of use of a good stereo preamplifier with the most advanced surround-sound processing available today plus numerous features that allow precise tailoring to the rest of your audio/video system. The Stage One itself will lead you through the basics so that you can start enjoying your system almost as soon as you have finished making connections between components. This manual exists to help you take the processor to its limits, to answer your questions, and to guide you through any troubleshooting that might be required. To get the most out of your Stage One, look through the opening sections before installation and read the entire manual at your leisure afterward. The version number of the owner’s manual is located at the bottom of this page. Updates will be provided on our Web site at http://www.aragonelectronics.com/ Click on Help Center at the top of that page to download the latest version of the manual in Adobe Acrobat pdf format. Adobe’s free Acrobat Reader is required to view the downloaded manual on your computer, and our Web site provides a link for downloading it as well. Please send in your warranty card or register online in the Help Center so that we can keep you informed about updates to the Stage One and other important developments. Mondial Designs Worldwide Headquarters 3502 Woodview Trace Suite 200 Indianapolis, IN 46268 866-781-7284 Email: [email protected] www.aragonelectronics.com Version Number 1.1 Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. “Dolby”, “Pro Logic” and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. Confidential Unpublished Works. ©1992-1999 Dolby Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. Manufactured under license from Digital Theater Systems, Inc. U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,942 and other worldwide patents issued and pending. “DTS” and “DTS Digital Surround” are registered trademarks of Digital Theater Systems, Inc. ©1996 Digital Theater Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Manufactured under license from Lucasfilm Ltd. U.S. patent numbers 5,043,970; 5,189,703; and/or 5,222,059. European patent number 0323830. Other U.S. and foreign patents pending. Lucasfilm and THX are trademarks or registered trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd. Surround EX is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories. Used under authorization. 3 THX SURROUND PREAMPLIFIER STAGE ONE TABLE OF CONTENTS Stage One Features 6 Latest Digital Decoding and Post-processing 6 Two-channel Analog Preamplifier 6 Full Auto Format Selection 6 Analog Volume Control 6 In-system Software Upgradable Design 6 24-Bit A/D and D/A Converters 6 Eight-channel Analog Preamplifier 6 Combination Digital and Analog Bass Management 6 Analog-Domain Dialog Normalization 7 Adjustable Crossover Point 7 Separate Level Settings for Each