JBL CINEMA™ BASE

Home Cinema 2.2 all-in-one sound base for television

OWNER’S MANUAL

**JBL CINEMA BASE**

Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the JBL CINEMA BASE soundbase, with which you are about to begin many years of listening enjoyment. The JBL CINEMA BASEsoundbase has been custom-designed to bring the excitement and power of the cinema experience to your living room.

To obtain maximum enjoyment from your new soundbase speaker system, we urge you to take a few minutes to read through this manual, which:

• Contains a description of the features of JBL CINEMA BASE
• Lists the items included in the box
• Describes the JBL CINEMA BASE and its components
• Includes step-by-step instructions that will help you set up and get started with the JBL CINEMA BASE

In addition, a few minutes spent learning the functions of the various controls will allow you to take advantage of all the power and refinement of the JBL CINEMA BASE system.

CONTACT US: If you have any questions about JBL CINEMA BASE, its installation or its operation, please contact your retailer or custom installer, or visit our website at: www.JBL.com.

Description and Features
JBL CINEMA BASE is a complete home theater soundbase system including:

• Powerful 2.2 channel home theater soundbase with built-in subwoofers
• Exclusive JBL virtual surround sound
• Simplified, plug-and-play HDMI™ connection to your TV with HDMI ARC
• Wireless Bluetooth® connectivity for streaming from any device

JBL CINEMA BASE is a completely integrated sound system that fits conveniently on a shelf or table under flat panel televisions up to 60″. The sound experience is enhanced through integrating some of the latest surround sound technologies via digital signal processing. Most TV manufacturers pay little or no attention to the overall sound experience, concentrating most of their efforts on picture quality. Yet, with growing demand for improvements in television sound, the popularity of soundbases has been growing rapidly over the past few years.

JBL CINEMA BASE has been designed to be positioned under your television stand or on a shelf under your television for simple installation. It adds powerful JBL sound to your television experience – including enhanced bass response – in one compact unit. A simple plug-and-play solution, your television sound will transform into a 2.2 channel loudspeaker configuration featuring added bass from built-in subwoofers. JBL CINEMA BASE also features a built-in Bluetooth® connection which, with the evolution of the smartphone and tablet market, allows for wireless streaming of your music from your mobile device to your home sound system.

JBL CINEMA BASE is an all-in-one, easy-to-use, premium sound system that delivers JBL-quality sound combined with the convenience of Bluetooth®, HDMI ARC, and built-in USB port for device charging.

Included Items

The following accessories are provided with the JBL CINEMA BASE soundbase system:

IMPORTANT: If any of these accessories are missing or if any part of your JBL CINEMA BASE system fails to operate properly, contact your dealer immediately.

JBL CINEMA BASE TOP PANEL CONTROLS

Power Button: The Power button toggles the JBL CINEMA BASE between ON and Standby. When the JBL CINEMA BASE is in Standby mode (the button LED indicator is amber), press this button to turn the system  ON (the button LED indicator turns white). The subwoofer will remain on for approximately ten minutes after the soundbase goes into Standby mode. If the system is in MUTE mode, the power indicator will also blink white.

Auto turn-on: The JBL CINEMA BASE has a signal detector that automatically turns the unit ON when it senses an audio signal on the HDMI input or paired Bluetooth® source (when using HDMI, TV must support HDMI ARC). The auto turn-on mode gets activated for analog or optical inputs only when the JBL CINEMA BASE detects an audio signal on the input it was on before going into automatic Standby mode.

NOTE: If the JBL CINEMA BASE is put in standby using the power button, this will deactivate the auto turn-on feature on the analog and optical inputs.

Source Selection Button: The Source can be changed by pressing the Source Selection Button. Cycle through options to select your preferred Source in this order: AUX > OPTICAL > HDMI ARC > AUX.

Volume Up/Down Buttons: Press the ( – ) button to reduce the volume, press the ( + ) button to increase the volume.

NOTE: Pressing both Volume buttons at the same time will mute the system. Pressing either Volume buttons while the system is muted will restore the sound.

Surround Mode Button: The surround mode button turns Harman Display Surround processing ON and OFF. The surround mode indicator turns amber when Harman Display Surround is active and turns white when Harman Display Surround is not active (normal stereo sound – see page 5 for more details).

Bluetooth ® Button: The Bluetooth button is used to set the JBL CINEMA BASE into Bluetooth mode. You can pair the system with Bluetoothenabled devices using this button (see page 4).

NOTE: JBL CINEMA BASE’s Bluetooth device name is CINEMA BASE.

JBL CINEMA BASE REAR PANEL CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS

1.  Power switch
2. Optical (Digital Audio in)
3. Aux input (Analog Audio in)
4. HDMI with ARC support
5. Power Input AC

Power Switch: The power switch turns the JBL CINEMA BASE ON/OFF. This switch must be turned on before you can operate the system. Once this switch is turned on, the system will enter Standby mode  (the top-panel power indicator will be amber).

Optical (Digital Audio in): If your TV, disc player or cable/satellite tuner has an optical digital output, use the included optical cable to connect it here. Once a Dolby® Digital audio stream is sensed by the soundbase, its Dolby Digital decoding becomes active.

Aux input (Analog Audio in): You can connect an analog audio device to the CINEMA BASE by using the supplied 3.5 mm to RCA cable.

HDMI TV (ARC): Connect your television to this input using the supplied HDMI cable only if your television HDMI input supports Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature, the audio signal from the television will be automatically sent back to the soundbase with this single cable. If your television does not support ARC, you need to use the optical or analog connections based on your television’s compatibility. Please refer to your television user guide to confirm HDMI ARC support.

Power Input AC: Connect the supplied AC power cable to  this input.

REMOTE CONTROL FUNCTIONS

The following command buttons are included with the remote control:

1. Power on/Standby
2. Bluetooth
3. HDMI ARC
4. Aux-in
5. Optical
6. Audio Feedback
7. Mute
8. Volume +/
9. Subwoofer Volume +/10.
10. Harman Display Surround
11. Stereo
12. Harman Volume

Power on/Standby:
To bring the JBL CINEMA BASE to operational mode from Standby mode, press the Power button (the power indicator on the JBL CINEMA BASE will turn white). To put the system in the Standby mode, press the power button while the system is switched ON (the power indicator on the JBL CINEMA BASE will turn amber). If you do not press the Power button, the JBL CINEMA BASE will automatically go into Standby mode approximately in 10 minutes after the audio input signal stops.

Bluetooth®: This button is used to set the soundbase into Bluetooth mode. It is also the same button that will be used to pair your system with Bluetooth-enabled devices. Use a Short Press to switch to Bluetooth source. Press and hold to make the unit go into pairing mode.

NOTE: JBL CINEMA BASE’s Bluetooth device name is CINEMA BASE.
HDMI: Press this button to select an HDMI TV source.
Aux-In (Analog): Press this button to select an Analog source.
Optical (Digital): Press this button to select a Digital source.

Audio Feedback: The Audio Feedback button on the remote control enables/disables audio feedback. When enabled, this feature will add an audible tone to help you recognize when other features are engaged:

1. Bluetooth
2. Harman Volume on/off
3. Subwoofer volume control
4. Audio feedback on/off

When Audio Feedback is disabled, you will not hear any audible tone when using these functions.

Mute: Press the mute button to mute the sound, press the mute button again or any Volume button to release the mute control.

Volume +/-: Press the “+” button to increase volume; press the “–” button to decrease volume. Subwoofer Volume +/-: The Bass +/- buttons on the remote control increase and decrease the subwoofer levels.

Harman Display Surround:
This button turns the JBL CINEMA BASE’s Harman Display Surround  processing ON/OFF. The Surround button indicator on the JBL CINEMA BASE turns blue when Surround is active, and turns white when Stereo mode is active. The HARMAN Display Surround setting will produce a complete surround-sound experience for anyone sitting in front of and several feet away from the soundbase. Although it is particularly effective when watching movies, you can also try the HARMAN Display Surround setting for music.

Stereo: Use this button to switch your system into stereo mode.

Harman Volume: The Harman Volume button on the remote control activates Harman Volume. Harman Volume helps you keep your sound levels consistent and reduce extreme volume transitions. These types of transitions are typically experienced with television commercial interruption or movie transitions between quiet dialogue and loud sound effects.

PLACING YOUR TELEVISION ON THE JBL CINEMA BASE

Your JBL CINEMA BASE is designed to sit under your existing tabletop TV, directly underneath it and centered with the TV screen. As long as the table’s surface is flat, the JBL CINEMA BASE will rest securely on its rubber feet.

Warning Note: Please be careful while placing/moving the TV foot. It may scratch/damage the leather casing at the top of your Cinema Base.

Note: Maximum TV Stand Size (L x W): 23″ x 13.5″ (585mm x 342mm). TV stands are recommended to fit within the designated area. JBL CINEMA BASE supports TVs with weights up to 150lbs (68kg).

Placing the Optional Subwoofer
The JBL CINEMA BASE features enhanced bass performance with built-in dual subwoofers. Should you feel the need to add an optional subwoofer, this is done by connecting an external subwoofer to the “Sub Out” output on the rear panel of the soundbase. The performance of an external subwoofer is directly related to its placement in the listening room and its physical position relative to the other speakers in the system. Note that our ears do not typically localize the low frequencies that subwoofers reproduce. Because the reflections, standing waves and absorptions generated within a room will strongly influence the performance of any external subwoofer system, the specific location of the subwoofer in the room becomes important to the amount and quality of bass that is produced, requiring some experimentation in positioning.

IMPORTANT: Make sure that the subwoofer’s rear panel is at least 150 mm or 6″ away from the wall to allow for proper operation.

You may place any external subwoofer in the positions as represented in the above figure.

• Placing it in a corner that is position (1) will maximize the amount of bass in the room. However, corner placement can also increase the destructive effect of the 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 too much (or too little) bass at certain frequencies.
• Placing the subwoofer along the same plane as the sound base – position (2) – can produce the best integration between the sound of the subwoofer and the sound base. In some rooms, the best performance can be resulted by placing the subwoofer behind the listening position (3).

You can experiment with subwoofer placement by temporarily placing the subwoofer in the listening position and playing music with strong bass content. Move it to various locations in the room while the system is playing until you determine where the location of the best bass performance occurs. Place the subwoofer in that location.

OPERATION

Turning the JBL CINEMA BASE ON and OFF

Manually: First, make certain that the rear panel power switch is turned ON. Then, short press the JBL CINEMA BASE Power button either on the soundbase or the remote. To put the JBL CINEMA BASE into Standby manually, short press the Power button either on the soundbase or the remote again.

Auto turn-off: The JBL CINEMA BASE will automatically enter into Standby mode if no audio signal is detected at any of its source input connections for approximately 10 minutes.

Auto turn-on: The JBL CINEMA BASE has a signal detector that automatically turns the unit ON when it senses an audio signal on the HDMI input or paired Bluetooth source (when using HDMI, TV must support HDMI ARC). The auto turn-on mode gets activated for analog or optical inputs only when the JBL CINEMA BASE detects an audio signal on the input it was on before going into automatic Standby mode.

NOTE: If the JBL CINEMA BASE is put in standby using the power button, this will deactivate the auto turn-on feature on the analog and optical inputs.

**Operating through Bluetooth®**

To wirelessly stream audio to the JBL CINEMA BASE from a Bluetooth-enabled device:

1. Confirm that the JBL CINEMA BASE is in the Bluetooth pairing mode (the Bluetooth button LED will be flashing blue). If the LED is not flashing blue, press and hold the Bluetooth button until its LED starts flashing blue.
2. Place your Bluetooth-streaming device in pairing mode.
3. Use your device’s Bluetooth-pairing menu to pair it with the JBL CINEMA BASE. The system will appear as CINEMA BASE in the list of Bluetooth available devices. When the JBL CINEMA BASE’s Bluetooth button LEDilluminates constantly, it is paired with your device and you can stream audio via Bluetooth from the device to the JBL CINEMA BASE.

To listen to audio from the Bluetooth device, press the Bluetooth source button on the JBL CINEMA BASE to activate the source. If the JBL CINEMA BASE is in Standby mode, you can automatically wake up the system by starting to stream an audio Bluetooth signal to the JBL CINEMA BASE as long as your device has already been paired with the JBL CINEMA BASE.

To disconnect the Bluetooth device, press and hold the JBL CINEMA BASE’s Bluetooth button until the LED begins flashing.

NOTE:

• You can manually switch sources to the paired Bluetooth device by pressing the JBL CINEMA BASE’s Bluetooth button.
• If you switch the JBL CINEMA BASE to a different source while a paired Bluetooth device is streaming to the system, the JBL CINEMA BASE will send a STOP command and the Bluetooth device will stop streaming.
• While pairing the Bluetooth device for the first time, it mayreset the volume level to maximum.

Adjusting the System Volume
For the best sound, we recommend turning your TV’s built-in speakers off. Consult your TV’s owner’s manual to find out how to do this. If there is no wayto turn your TV’s speakers off, you can adjust the TV’s volume so that your JBL CINEMA BASE system will always supply most of the sound:

1. Using the volume buttons on your TV, turn its volume all the way down.
2. Use the JBL CINEMA BASE’s Volume Up/Down buttons to set the sound to a comfortable listening level.

This way, your JBL CINEMA BASE system should always be louder than your TV speakers.

IMPORTANT: If you play the JBL CINEMA BASE at more than 50% of max volume it will automatically reset at 50% of the max volume when it is turned off using either the power button or the auto turn off function.

Surround Mode Button
Press the soundbase’s or remote’s Surround Mode indicator to switch the sound between normal stereo and surround sound providing a complete surround-sound experience for anyone sitting in front of and several feet away from the soundbase. Although it is particularly effective when watching movies, you can also take advantage of the Surround setting for adding to your music-listening experience.

Programming JBL CINEMA BASE to Respond to Your TV Remote

You can program the JBL CINEMA BASE to make it respond to your TV remote’s power, mute, volume up and volume down commands. This programming lets you control the power and volume functions of your JBL CINEMA BASE soundbase with your TV remote. Before beginning to program the JBL CINEMA BASE, have your TV remote in hand. We recommend sitting down in front of the soundbase.

NOTE: Some steps will time out, so read through this entire process before you begin.

Have the TV remote in hand. When you start programming the remote, be ready to aim the TV remote to the front of the soundbase from about 300 mm – 900 mm (12 – 36 inches) away.

To program the power, volume down, volume up and mute commands:

1. Ensure that the JBL CINEMA BASE is ON.
2. On the soundbase, press and hold the top-panel Surround button until the LED flashes amber. If the LED does not flash after three seconds, release the buttons and try again.
3.  Press the soundbase top-panel button that you want to program (Power,Volume Down, Volume Up, Volume Down and Up simultaneously for Mute).
4. Aim the TV remote at the front of the soundbase and slowly press the corresponding button on the TV remote until the Surround button on the soundbase flashes white for one second. This indicates that the programming operation has been successful.
5. To exit the learning mode (at any time or when the learning is complete), press and hold the soundbase Surround button until the amber LED stops flashing.

NOTE: If you would like to program a new TV remote control or you are missing a command, restart the whole process.

Remote learning is not necessary with HDMI ARC connection and CEC- compatible TVs: CINEMA BASE control is automatic with your TV remote.

To reset the JBL CINEMA BASE remote settings:

1. Press the top-panel power button to enter Standby mode (amber color indicator)
2. Press and hold the Surround and Volume (-) buttons simultaneously.

Once factory defaults are restored, the JBL CINEMA BASE surround button will flash white for one second, then the unit will enter into operational mode.

CHARGING EXTERNAL DEVICES
With JBL CINEMA BASE, you can easily charge your external devices. The provided USB port can be used to plug in an assortment of external USB devices for convenient charging.

NOTE: USB is designed for charging and software updates only. USB will not support direct-connect audio streaming.

TROUBLESHOOTING

If your JBL CINEMA BASE system does not perform the way you think it should, check whether the problem is covered in this section before contacting your
dealer or a JBL representative.

SPECIFICATIONS

Frequency response: 45Hz – 20kHz
Maximum SPL: 100dB
Total amplifier power: 240W
Speakers: left and right 2.5″ (65mm) full range drivers and dual 3.5″ (90mm) subwoofers
Dolby® Digital Decoding
One HDMI™ output with Audio Return Channel (ARC)
Bluetooth® connectivity
One stereo analog-audio input
One optical digital input
One USB port for device charging and software update
One subwoofer output (optional external subwoofer not included)
Dimensions: (L x W x H): 23.6″ x 15.8″ x 4″ (600 x 401.6 x 102mm)
Weight: 17.6lb (8kg)
Maximum TV weight: 150lbs (68kg)
Maximum TV stand size: (L x W): 23″ x 13.5″ (585 x 342mm)
USB Power Rating: 5V, 1.5A

HARMAN International Industries, Inc. www.jbl.com
8500 Balboa Boulevard, Northridge, CA 91329 USA

© 2014 HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
JBL is a trademark of HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated, registered in the United States and/or other countries. “Hear the truth”
logo is a trademark of HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated.
The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by
HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated is under license. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.
Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
The terms HDMI, the HDMI logo, and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC in the
United States and other countries.
Features, specifications and appearance are subject to change without notice.

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