Features
Controls
Connections
Features
Overview: The JBL Studio SUB 550P powered subwoofer
incorporates a 10" front-firing woofer and a built-in hi gh-performance 300-watt
RMS amplifier that deliver the powerful, dynamic and accurate low-frequency
performance that makes your film soundtracks and music come alive. And with
line-level and LFE inputs, adjustable crossover & phase controls, plus automatic
turn on/off, the SUB 550P is also simple to connect and set up.
300 Watt Amplifier: The 300 watt (RMS) high-output amplifier generates
less heat than conventional amplifiers to play louder with less distortion for
more realistic bass.
10" Front-Firing Woofer: The JBL Studio SUB 550P subwoofer features a
front-firing 10" PolyPlas cone woofer with a cast-aluminum frame. It can
reproduce both lightning-fast transient sounds and sustained low notes for
heightened realism and excitement. Placed against a wall or in a corner, the
front-firing JBL SUB 550P subwoofer delivers maximum bass impact to heighten
your movie-watching experience.
Sealed Enclosure: A sealed (acoustic suspension) enclosure more
precisely controls the motion of the woofer cone than ported designs, for
smoother, more realistic response in the deepest frequencies.
Metal Floor Spikes: Four metal spikes are supplied for use when you
place the subwoofer on a carpeted surface. Using the spikes decouples the
subwoofer from the floor and prevents unwanted acoustic damping. The metal
spikes add 0.1875" to the height of the powered sub.
Placement: The performance of a subwoofer is directly related to its
placement in the listening room and its physical position relative to the other
speakers in the system. While it is true that in general our ears do not hear
directional sounds at the low frequencies where subwoofers operate, when
installing a subwoofer within the limited confines of a room, the reflections,
standing waves and absorptions generated within the room will strongly influence
the performance of any subwoofer system. As a result, the specific location of
the subwoofer in the room does become important to the amount and quality of
bass that is produced.
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Placing the powered sub in a corner generally will maximize
the amount of bass in the room. However, corner placement can also increase
the destructive effect of standing waves on bass performance. This effect
can vary depending on the listening position; some listening positions may
yield very good results while others may have far too much (or too little)
bass at certain frequencies.
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Placing the subwoofer along the same plane as the left &
right speakers can produce the best integration between the sound of the
subwoofer and that of the left & right speakers.
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In some rooms, the best performance could even result from
placing the subwoofer behind the listening position.
Note: We strongly recommend that you experiment with
placement before choosing a final location for the JBL power subwoofer.
Controls
Input Mode: When this switch is in the "Normal" setting, the input
signal from the Line In connectors is active. When this switch is in the "LFE"
setting, the input signal from the LFE In connector is active, and the
subwoofer's internal crossover is bypassed.
Volume Level: Use this control to adjust the subwoofer's volume
relative to your system's speaker volume. Turn the knob clockwise to increase
the volume; turn the knob counterclockwise to decrease the volume. Once you have
balanced the subwoofer's volume with that of the other speakers in your system,
you shouldn't have to change it.
Low-Pass Crossover: The powered subwoofers' low-pass crossover frequency is adjustable
(50-150Hz) for optimal performance
with a variety of different speaker types. This control determines the highest
frequency at which the subwoofer reproduces sounds. The higher you set the
Crossover control, the higher in frequency the subwoofer will operate and the
more its bass will "overlap" that of your system's other speakers. This
adjustment helps achieve a smooth transition of bass frequencies between the
subwoofer and the other speakers for a variety of different rooms and subwoofer
locations.
Note: The crossover control functions only when the Input Mode
switch is in the "Normal" position. When the switch is in the "LFE"
position, the subwoofer's built-in crossover and crossover control are
bypassed.
Phase Control: The JBL SUB 550P subwoofer has a phase switch
(0°/180°) to ensure
its driver moves in sync with the loudspeaker drivers in your system for clean,
coherent output across all frequencies. This switch determines whether the
subwoofer driver's piston-like action moves in and out in phase with your
system's other speakers. If the subwoofer were to play out of phase with the
other speakers, the sound waves from the other speakers could partially cancel
out the sound waves from the subwoofer, reducing bass performance and sonic
impact. This phenomenon depends in part on the placement of all the speakers
relative to each other in the room.
Power Switch: Set this switch in the "On" position to put the
subwoofer in the Standby mode (the On/Standby LED lights red); set this switch
in the "Off" position to turn the subwoofer off.
Auto Turn On/Off: The JBL powered subwoofer automatically turn itself
on when sensing an audio signal and switches into standby mode after 10 minutes
of no signal. An LED indicates whether the subwoofer is in the On or Standby
state.
- When the LED glows green, the subwoofer is turned on.
- When the LED glows red, the subwoofer is in the Standby mode.
- When the LED is off, the subwoofer's Power switch is set to "Off".
Connections
Line-Level Inputs: The JBL SUB 550P powered subwoofer is fitted with a
set of stereo line-level (RCA) inputs. The audio signal from these inputs pass
through the subwoofer's internal low-pass crossover. When you're connecting the
subwoofer to the preamp or subwoofer outputs of a home theater receiver that
does not have its own low-pass crossover network, use both line inputs.
Note: You must set the Input Mode switch in the "Normal" position.
LFE Input: The powered sub's "Left" line-level input can be used as an
LFE input. The audio signal from this input bypasses the subwoofer's internal
low-pass crossover. When you're connecting the subwoofer to the dedicated
subwoofer output of a home theater receiver that has its own low-pass crossover
network, use the LFE input.
Note: You must also set the subwoofer's Input Mode switch in the
"LFE" position.
Detachable AC Power Cord: The JBL SUB 550P comes with a detachable 6'
AC power cord.
