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English

RSX-1560 Surround Sound Receiver

30

31

English

RSX-1560 Surround Sound Receiver

Party Mode: Selecting the Same Input for all Outputs 

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You may wish to have the same input for listening, recording, and all 
of the remote zones. The receiver makes this configuration (called Party 
Mode) easy by linking the inputs for recording and remote zones to the 
input selected for listening. When linked, changing the input selection for 
listening will automatically change the input for recording and remote 
zones.

To activate Party Mode,

 press and hold the ZONE button on the front 

panel or Remote for at least 3 seconds. The words PARTY ON appear 
briefly in the display and the ZONE icon flashes for 10 seconds. The 
record input selection and all remote zone input selections will be 
displayed as “SOURCE”, indicating that they are linked to the input 
selected for listening. While in PARTY mode, a “P” indicator remains in 
the front-panel display. 

To cancel Party Mode,

 press and hold the SEL button on the front panel 

or the REC button on the remote for at least 3 seconds. Party Mode is 
cancelled as indicated by the temporary display of the words PARTY 
OFF in the front-panel display. The recording input and the inputs for all 
remote zones revert to their last previous selection, no longer linked to 
the listening input.

You can also cancel the link for just the record output or for one 
individual zone by selecting a different input for that output. In this case, 
the input selection for the unchanged record output or remote zones 
remained linked to the listening input selection. Any source change 
cancels the “P” indicator in the display.

Selecting Digital Inputs 

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A default digital audio input can be specified for each source input using 
the Input Setup menu. However, you can override the default digital input 
for the currently selected source by pressing the D-SLT button on the 
remote. Each press of the button steps to the next digital input in order: 
OPTICAL 1, OPTICAL 2, OPTICAL 3, OPTICAL 4, COAXIAL 1, COAXIAL 
2, COAXIAL 3. The actual choices you see will be limited to those inputs 
with an active digital signal connected, so you may not see all of the 
inputs listed.

Overview of  
Surround Formats

To get the best performance from your unit, it helps to understand the 
many surround sound formats available today, to know which decoding 
process to use for a particular recording, and how to select it. This 
section provides basic background information about surround sound 
formats. The following sections provide detailed operating instructions for 
automatic and manual selection of surround modes. 

Dolby Surround 

Dolby Pro Logic II

The most widely available surround sound format for consumer audio/
video is Dolby Surround®, available on nearly all commercial VHS 
tapes, many television broadcasts, and most DVDs. Dolby Surround is 
the consumer version of the analog Dolby Stereo system first introduced 
in the film industry in 1972. It is a matrix-encoding system that records 
front left, front center, front right, and a mono surround channel into 
a 2-channel stereo recording. During playback, a Dolby Pro Logic® 

or Pro Logic II decoder extracts each channel and distributes it to the 
appropriate speakers.

The original Dolby Pro Logic decoder delivered a mono signal with 
reduced high-frequency content to the surround speakers. A more 
advanced decoder in the receiver, Dolby Pro Logic II, increases the 
separation and frequency response of the surround channels for 
significantly improved performance with Dolby Surround encoded 
recordings.

Dolby Pro Logic II decoding should be used for any analog recording 
labeled “Dolby Surround” or any Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. 
Dolby Pro Logic II does a superb job deriving surround sound from 
conventional 2-channel stereo recordings, using phase relationships 
to extract front, right, center, and surround channels. A “music mode” 
makes Pro Logic II an excellent choice for audio CDs.

Dolby Digital

In 1992, a digital recording system, called Dolby Digital, was first 
used in the film industry. Dolby Digital is a recording/playback system 
that uses compression techniques to store large amounts of audio data 
efficiently, much like the JPEG format stores large photographs in small 
files on a computer. Because it is capable of performance beyond that 
of audio CDs and can tailor its output for a wide ranges of system 
configurations, Dolby Digital is the standard audio format for DVDs and 
for digital television broadcasting in the United States.

The Dolby Digital system can be used to record up to six discrete audio 
channels, but can also be used for fewer. For example, a Dolby Digital 
2.0 soundtrack is a digital 2-channel recording of a matrix encoded 
Dolby Surround soundtrack. To play a Dolby Digital 2.0 recording, use 
Dolby Pro Logic II decoding as previously described.

The most common use of Dolby Digital in newer films, in both the film 
industry and in home theater, is Dolby Digital 5.1. Instead of encoding 
multiple surround channels on a two-channel recording, Dolby Digital 
5.1 records six discrete channels: front left, front center, front right, 
surround left, surround right, and a Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel 
containing ultra-low bass signals intended for a subwoofer. A Dolby 
Digital decoder extracts the channels from the digital bitstream, converts 
them to analog signals and routes them to the appropriate amplifiers 
and speakers. All channels provide full frequency response with total 
separation between all channels and large dynamic range capability. 
A Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack can provide more impressive surround 
sound than matrix Dolby Surround.

Decoding of Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks is automatic. When the 
receiver detects a Dolby 5.1 signal on one of its digital inputs, it activates 
the proper processing. Keep in mind that Dolby Digital is only available 
from digital sources (a DVD, a LaserDisc, or a Digital TV/Cable/SAT 
tuner). Also, you must connect the source with a digital cable (coax or 
optical) to an active digital input on the receiver.

Note:

 Many DVDs have a Dolby Digital 2.0 matrix soundtrack as 

the default, which should be decoded with Pro Logic II. The Dolby 

Digital 5.1 soundtrack may have to be selected as an option from 

the setup menus at the beginning of the DVD. Look for a Dolby 

Digital 5.1 selection under “Audio” or “Languages” or “Setup 

Options” when you insert the disc.

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