31-5012 RCA® 100W Home Theater Receiver Tutorial: How to Set Up for Surround Sound

In this tutorial we will show you how to set up for surround sound on the RCA® 100W Home Theater Receiver. To ensure the best possible surround sound, be sure to complete the following set up operations. This is particularly important when using the Dolby* Digital and DTS** surround mode. You only need to make these settings once (unless you change the placement of your current speaker system or add new speakers). Below is a picture of part of the remote control. The numbers on the remote represent each step and what buttons you will push for that step.

31-5012, remote control- receiver power, receiver, tuning, pre-set channels

For additional information on this product, see the links below:

Step 1: Turn on the Receiver

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Press RECEIVER POWER to turn the power on. The STANDBY indicator goes out.

Step 2: Start Surround Setup Mode

Press RECEIVER. This button switches the remote to the receiver's surround setup mode.

Step 3: Initiate Setup Mode

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Press LEFT or RIGHT arrow keys to select the mode you want to set. For best results, start with "SPEAKERS setting mode" and make your initial adjustments in the order described below. The current settings are displayed automatically. Click on the links below for more information.

SPEAKERS (Front, Center, Surround) setting mode (FL-CL-SL) - Use to specify the number and type of speakers you have connected.
SUBWOOFER ON/PLUS/OFF setting mode (SUBWF. ON) - Use to specify as On, Plus or Off.
Crossover frequency setting mode (X.OVER 100) - Use to determine which frequencies will be sent to the subwoofer (or "Large" speakers if you do not have a subwoofer).
LFE attenuator setting mode (LFE ATT 0dB) - Use to specify the peak level for the LFE channel and the crossover network for rerouted bass frequencies.
Low cut filter ON/OFF setting mode (LCF ON) - Use to cut the distorted sound from the subwoofer.
FRONT speakers distance setting mode (FRT 2ft) - Use to specify the distance from your listening position to your front speakers.
CENTER speakers distance setting mode (CNT 2ft) - Use to specify the distance from your listening position to your center speaker.
SURROUND speakers distance setting mode (SUR 2ft) - Use to specify the distance from your listening position to your surround speakers.
Dynamic range control setting mode (DRC MID) - Use to compress the dynamic range of the sound track.
Dual mono setting mode (ch 1) - Use with Dolby Digital™ software that has dual mono encoding if you want to isolate one channel or listen in this specialized mono mode.
Component input 1 setting (COMP 1.DVD) - Use to specify the video component connected to component video in 1 jack.
Component input 2 setting (COMP 2.TV) - Use to specify the video component connected to component video in 2 jack.
Coaxial digital input setting (COAX.DVD) - Use to specify the input assigned to this coaxial digital input.
Optical digital input 1 setting (OPT 1.CD) - Use to specify the input assigned to this optical digital input.
Optical digital input 2 setting (OPT 2.CDR) - Use to specify the input assigned to this optical digital input.

Step 4: Select a Setting

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Press the UP or DOWN arrow keys to select the setting your want. The setting is entered automatically. The setting mode automatically exits if no operation is performed within 20 seconds.

Repeat Steps 3 and 4 to set other surround modes.