Sunfire III User Manual

Page of 60
User's Manual
48
CHAPTER 5
The Holographic Image is a 
unique pro cess which enhances the 
three-di men sion al effects and realism 
of stereo sound. This is modeled in 
DSP, from a design based on Bob's 
legendary (and much sought after) 
Carver C-9.
This circuit was designed to over-
come a problem in ob tain ing accurate 
sound re pro duc tion:
 In a stereo system, both ears will 
hear the output from both speakers. 
The left ear hears sound from the left 
speaker and from the right speaker. 
To see a problem with this, compare 
what happens when listening to a live 
musical performance:
During a concert, each ear will 
receive one direct sound arrival. For 
ex am ple, a cymbal crashes, both your 
ears will hear it and the brain tells you 
accurately the position of the mu si cian. 
In a stereo recording of the concert, this 
cymbal crash will be heard from both 
speak ers. The left ear will hear the left 
speak er, which is fi ne, but it will also 
hear the crash from the right speaker. 
These extra sounds tend to confuse the 
sense of sound source location.
The stereo effect in a good pair of 
head phones is enhanced because the 
left ear only hears the left head phone, 
and the right ear hears only the right 
headphone. There are no extra sound 
arrivals.
To summarize : 
1.   A real musical event will create 
only two direct sound arrivals, 
one at the left ear and one at 
the right. 
2.   Stereo playback will give four 
arrivals , as both speakers 
are heard by each ear. These 
second sound arrivals reduce 
our naturally accurate sense of 
positioning.
The Holographic Image circuit 
was de signed to cancel out the un-
wanted second arrivals. The left ear 
will mainly hear the left speaker and 
the right ear mainly hears the right 
speaker. This is accomplished by 
send ing a complex crosstalk signal 
from the left and right speakers in 
addition to the normal program. These 
extra signals are virtually identical to 
the unwanted second sound arrivals 
but they are out-of-phase with them 
and they cancel each other out.
The result is a more three-di men -
sion al and wider soundstage, where 
the positioning clues are restored. In 
a way, the musicians have been freed 
from the confi nes of the fl at plane be-
tween the speak ers. You will per ceive 
them as playing forward or playing 
behind the speakers or to one side 
or the other, not just somewhere in 
between. We recommend that you ex-
periment with its effect, remember that 
you are listening for a more accurate 
sense of the location of the different 
musicians.
Because the Holographic Image 
works by phase cancellation of the 
unwanted second sound arrivals, ac-
curate speaker positioning is required. 
You must make sure that the left 
speak er is the same distance away 
from you as the right speaker. Follow 
the front speaker place ment on the 
next page to get the best results. This 
is the same as any standard stereo 
system, only with more care taken to 
position the left and right speakers 
accurately.
The Hologram circuit can be 
engaged using the remote control or 
from the front panel. There is a short 
mute period until the circuit is fully 
engaged or dis en gaged.
Holographic Im age
Software CD
The TGIII Flash memory software 
can be upgraded by connecting your 
PC to the TGIII's RS-232 serial port, 
and downloading an update fi le from 
our website: www.sunfi re.com. This is 
the preferred method, as the software 
can be updated fairly quickly. See 
page 51 for more details.
Alternatively, the TGIII software 
can be upgraded using a CD avail-
able from Sunfi re Technical Support. 
This CD will be available periodically 
if there are major software changes 
since the initial release.
The following notes show the 
CD upgrade procedure. The CD or 
DVD player must be connected to the 
TGIII's digital audio inputs.
1.   Turn on your TV, your CD 
player and the TGIII.
2.   Use the TGIII remote to select 
the On Screen Display.
3.   Go to the Settings Menu and 
then select the Software Menu. 
4.   Select "Upgrade Software," 
which brings up a second OSD 
menu.
5.   On the TGIII, select the digital 
input which will play the CD. 
Press ENT on the remote (bot-
tom right).
6.   Press 1,2 and 3 on the remote, 
then play the CD. The TGIII 
display will show the status as 
the CD data is transferred into 
the TGIII.
7.   Turn off the TGIII when the 
software transfer is complete.
SOFTWARE
UPGRADE SOFTWARE
REVISION LIST