ACOUSTIMAX User Manual

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS
For your protection, please read these safety instructions completely before operating the appliance, and keep this manual for future reference. Carefully observe all warnings, precautions and instructions on the appliance and described in the operating instructions supplied with the appliance.

INSTALLATION

Water and Moisture - Do not install the appliance near water: for example, near a bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a wet basement, or near a swimming pool. Heat - Do not install the appliance near sources of heat such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other appliances that produce heat. VentIlation - Situate the product so its location or position does not interfere with its proper ventilation. For example, you should not place the product on a bed, sofa, rug, or similar surface that might block the vent openings, or placed in a built-in installation, such as a bookcase or cabinet that might impede the flow of air through the ventilation openings. Wall or Ceiling Mounting - If your appliance can be mounted to a wall or ceiling, mount it only as recommended. Accessories - Do not place this product on an unstable cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table. The product may fall, causing serious injury to a child or adult, and serious damage to the product. Use only with a cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table recommended by the manufacturer, or sold with the product. Any mounting of the product should follow the manufacturers instructions, and should use a mounting accessory recommended by the manufacturer. holds the power cord plug firmly and securely. If the power cord plug is loose, contact your electrician to replace the defective and unsafe AC Foreign Objects - Be careful that foreign objects and liquids do not enter the enclosure through openings. Cleaning - unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning. Do not use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for cleaning.
Power Source - Connect the appliance to a power supply only of the type described in the operating instructions or as marked on the appliance. Power-Cord Protection - Route the power cord so that it is not likely to be walked on or pinched by having objects placed on it, paying particular attention to the plugs, receptacles, and the point where the cord exits from the appliance. Grounding or Polarization - Do not defeat the grounding or polarization feature of the AC power cord. If your AC receptacle will not accept the power cord plug, contact your electrician to install a proper AC receptacle. When not in use - Unplug the power cord of the appliance from the outlet when left unused for a long period of time.To disconnect the cord, pull it out by grasping the plug. Never pull the plug out by the cord. AC Receptacle - Check to make sure that the AC receptacle

SERVICE

Unplug the appliance from the wall outlet and consult qualified service personnel when: the power cord or the plug has been damaged. a solid object or liquid has fallen into the cabinet. the appliance has been exposed to rain or moisture. the appliance does not appear to operate normally or exhibits a marked change in performance. the appliance has been dropped, or the enclosure damaged. Do not attempt to service the appliance beyond that described in the operating instructions. For all other servicing, refer to qualified service personnel only.

CONTENTS

Product Features 1 BBE Process Explained 2 Controls and Connections 3-5 Service/Maintenance 6 Warranty 7 Specifications 8

Congratulations on your purchase of the BBE Acoustimax Preamp Pedal! With the introduction of the Acoustimax, we are now able to offer a state-of-the-art instrument preamp with built-in BBE Sonic Maximizer in an extremely high quality and ruggedly built pedal.

IMPORTANT

Before you begin, please check the contents within this box to insure that included are: 1. The BBE Acoustimax Preamp Pedal. 2. The BBE Acoustimax Preamp Pedal Users Manual. 3. 12VAC External Power Supply. If any of these items are found to be damaged or missing, immediately contact the BBE dealer from whom the unit was purchased. This manual will help you to effectively utilize the BBE Acoustimax Preamp Pedal. Reviewing the information contained in this manual will answer most of the common questions that our service department receives. If you still have questions, please feel free to call 800-233-8346.

FEATURES

Fourth Generation BBE Sonic Maximizer Transparent, studio-quality sound. Extremely low-noise design. Outputs include: balanced DI, line level, tuner out, F/X loop and instrument level. Precise notch filter. Input and output clip indicators. 3 band EQ with sweep-able mid band.
THE BBE PROCESS"WHAT IT IS"
Loudspeakers have difficulty working with the electronic signals supplied by an amplifier. These difficulties cause such major phase and amplitude distortion that the sound reproduced by speaker differs significantly from the sound produced by the original source. In the past, these problems proved unsolvable and were thus delegated to a position of secondary importance in audio system design. However, phase and amplitude integrity is essential to accurate sound reproduction. Research shows that the information which the listener translates into the recognizable characteristics of a live performance are intimately tied into complex time and amplitude relationships between the fundamental and harmonic components of a given musical note or sound. These relationships define a sound's sound. When these complex relationships pass through a speaker, the proper order is lost. The higher frequencies are delayed. A lower frequency may reach the listener's ear first or perhaps simultaneously with that of a higher frequency. In some cases, the fundamental components may be so time-shifted that they reach the listener's ear ahead of some or all of the harmonic components. This change in the phase and amplitude relationship on the harmonic and fundamental frequencies is technically called envelope distortion. The listener perceives this loss of sound integrity in the reproduced sound as muddy and smeared. In the extreme, it can become difficult to tell the difference between musical instruments, for example, an oboe and a clarinet. BBE Sound, Inc. conducted extensive studies of numerous speaker systems over a ten year period. With this knowledge, it became possible to identify the characteristics of an ideal speaker and to distill the corrections necessary to return the fundamental and harmonic frequency structures to their correct order. While there are differences among various speaker designs in the magnitude of their correction, the overall pattern of correction needed is remarkably consistent.

CONTROLS AND CONNECTORS

MID EQ FREQUENCY SELECTOR CLIP INDICATOR
Indicates input overload. There is 3dB of headroom left when this is illuminated. Continuously variable from 400Hz to 2.5kHz.

MID EQ LEVEL CONTROL

12 dB of boost or cut at the selected frequency.

GAIN CONTROL

Input gain control.
BASS CONTROL MUTE INDICATOR
LED illuminates when mute footswitch is engaged. 12 dB of boost or cut at 60Hz.

TREBLE CONTROL

12 dB of boost or cut at 10kHz.

1/4 OUTPUT

The 1/4 output is designed for running instrument cables directly into the next instrument level input of your signal chain.

MUTE FOOT SWITCH

Engages mute function. When engaged, signal passes to the tuner output only. 3
NOTCH FILTER FREQUENCY SELECTOR
Continuously variable from 70Hz to 250Hz.

PROCESS CONTROL

Regulates the amount of phase correction.
CLIP INDICATOR NOTCH FILTER CONTROL
Adjusts amount of attenuation at the selected notch frequency. Indicates output clipping. There is 3dB of headroom when LED is illuminated.
SONIC MAXIMIZER INDICATOR
LED illuminates when Sonic Maximizer footswitch is engaged.
OUTPUT LEVEL CONTROL 1/4 INPUT
Plug in your guitar, bass or the previous instrument level output of your signal chain.
SONIC MAXIMIZER FOOT SWITCH
Engages BBE Sonic Maximizer.

LO CONTOUR CONTROL

Regulates the amount of phase corrected bass frequencies.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTORS/REAR PANEL

DI OUT AC INLET

Use supplied 12VAC power adapter ONLY. Balanced, transformerless active mic-level direct output.
XLR Pin configuration: Pin 1 = Ground Pin 2 = Positive Pin 3 = Negative.

LINE OUT

1kOhm line level output.

EFX LOOP

Tip, ring, sleeve (TRS) configuration. Tip is send, ring is return.

TUNER OUT

Connect to the input of your tuner. Always active even when mute switch is engaged.
POWER SWITCH GROUND LIFT SWITCH
Chassis ground is lifted when this switch is engaged.
PRE/POST SWITCH PHASE SWITCH

When engaged, this switch changes the polarity of pins 2 and 3 on the balanced XLR DI output.

PAD SWITCH

Attenuates the DI output by -12dB.
The DI output can derive its signal before or after (pre or post) the main output volume control by using this switch.
We recommend that if at all possible, a BBE Acoustimax which requires service be sent to our facility in Huntington Beach, California. We request that a RETURN AUTHORIZATION be issued by the dealer from whom you purchased the unit. If this is not possible, call BBE Sound, Inc. directly at (800) 233-8346, extension 116 to obtain a RETURN AUTHORIZATION. Include a copy of the bill of sale with the unit when it is shipped to BBE Sound, Inc. so that the service can be expedited. As the repair turnaround time is minimal, we request that the unit be sent to BBE Sound, Inc. We also need to add reliability data to our files so that future revision may be undertaken, if necessary, to improve the product. If unit has been purchased outside the US, please contact your national distributor.

MAINTENANCE

Maintenance of the BBE Acoustimax is limited to proper cleaning of the unit with mild household cleaner such as Formula 409 or Windex. There are no user replaceable parts and the unit should not be opened for any reason unless you are a qualified technician. Calibration should be performed if parts are replaced or if a performance check-out indicates a problem with calibration. Long term use has shown that over the life of this unit there is little or no drift of the components in the BBE Acoustimax which would cause a change in calibration.

WARRANTY

Warranty registration of the unit to BBE Sound, Inc. is not necessary. It is strongly recommended that you retain a copy of the bill of sale for future reference. IT IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE END USER TO PROVIDE THE BILL OF SALE OR OTHER MEANS OF PROOF OF PURCHASE TO VALIDATE THE WARRANTY IF WARRANTY SERVICE IS REQUESTED. The BBE Acoustimax is warranted against defects in material and workmanship for a period of five (5) years from date of purchase from BBE Sound Inc. or from an authorized dealer. During this period, we will repair units free of charge providing that they are shipped prepaid to: BBE Sound, Inc., 5381 Production Drive, Huntington Beach, CA 92649. We will pay return UPS shipping charges within the USA. All charges related to non-UPS shipping, including customs clearance, will be billed. The warranty will be honored for the longer of either 90 days from the date of any service or the remainder of the original 5 Year factory warranty. This warranty will be consider null and void by BBE Sound, Inc. if any of the following is found: 1. The equipment has been physically damaged. 2. The equipment shows signs of abuse. 3. The equipment has been electrically damaged by improper connection or attempted repair by the customer or a third party. 4. The equipment has been modified without authorization. 5. The bill of sales indicates that the purchase date of the equipment is not within the warranty period. All non-warranty repairs are warranted for a period of 90 days from the date of service. BBE Sound, Inc. is NOT LIABLE FOR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. Should the unit fail to operate for any reason, our sole obligation is to repair it as described above. DO NOT RETURN ANY PRODUCT TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS WITHOUT INSTRUCTIONS AND AUTHORIZATION ISSUED BY THE ABOVE LOCATION.

SPECIFICATIONS

Frequency Response: 50Hz ~ 20kHz Treble: +/-12dB @ 10kHz Mid: +/-12dB @ 400Hz ~ 2.5kHz Bass: +/-12dB @ 60Hz Notch: 0 to -12dB @ 70Hz ~ 250kHz BBE: Lo Contour +15dB @ 50Hz Process +15dB @ 10kHz Noise: Instrument Jack -98dBu (unity gain) Line Out -88dBu (+10dB gain) Max Output +10dBu @ Instrument Jack THD: 0.05% at 1kHz Impedances: Input 2.2 MEG Ohm Tuner Out 2K Ohm Line Out 1K Ohm Instrument Out 2K Ohm XLR Out 600 Ohm * 0dBu = 0.775Vrms Power Requirements: DC inlet: +12VDC min. 200ma Dimensions:. 8.5"(W) x 5.5"(D) x 2.6"(H) Shipping Weight: 3.3 lbs.
Note: Due to continuing product improvement, specifications and design are subject to change without notice.
5381 Production Drive Huntington Beach, CA 92649 714-897-6766 FAX 714-896-0736 www.bbesound.com
covered by U.S. Patent 5,736,897 and other U.S. and foreign patents pending. BBE is the registered trademark of BBE Sound, Inc.

rev3 9/2010