If you have an OEM radio, you use the "OEM" setup; if you have an aftermarket system and will use the 3Sixty.2 for processing only, you enter "New Setup." Since most of the processing is the same after an OEM setup, I'll describe that functionality. To simulate an installation in an OEM-radio-equipped vehicle, I used one of the OEM radios lying around my lab and measured the frequency response (see Graph 1). As you can see by the blue line on the graph, it shows how much EQ is "built in" to the OEM equipment.
When you enter the OEM setup, the screen changes and explains that the setup procedure will calibrate your unit to the OEM system. It then instructs you to insert the included setup CD into the car's source unit, play track one, set the volume to the maximum undistorted setting and make sure the balance, fader and tone controls are set to center and zero respectively. Each screen is much like a Windows prompt, with a "Back" and "Next" button. As you complete the easy to follow steps, the 3Sixty.2 will prompt you to proceed. It then instructs you to go to track two and asks if you would like it to sum any channels that it finds that are not fullrange. This ability to automatically sum channels is one of the things that make the 3Sixty different from most of the other interfaces on the market.
(Graph 1) Automatic Correction...
(Graph 1) Automatic Correction Function Response. The dark blue line represents the EQ curve in the OEM radio. The violet line is the response after the 3Sixty.2's auto-correction function.
With the controls on the radio set as instructed, you are prompted to adjust the gain controls until the red clip LED barely illuminates, or just flashes red. A blue LED indicates the presence of signal.
The unit asks you which channels are connected and begins an examination of the audio on each of the input channels (when using an aftermarket source unit; OEM integration automates the entire process), determining the frequency response and, if requested, the channels to sum together for a fullrange signal. Then it can, if you choose, automatically re-equalize in reference to the OEM radio in an attempt to flatten any built-in EQ curve as much as possible. When complete, it shows you a graphical representation of the "before" and "after" response curves on the screen (see Graph 1). I found this step to take several minutes.
(Graph 2) Manual tuning for...
(Graph 2) Manual tuning for flat response
With the setup for the OEM radio completed, I was eager to check out the operation of the other features that everyone will be able to make use of, regardless of the system design.
The "Tuning" screen allows a wide range of control and functionality to be accessed, and you can do it wirelessly from the driver's seat! I would have given my eyeteeth for this kind of tuning capability back in my car audio competition days. You can tune each channel individually or as a stereo pair. You can choose to mute any or all channels individually to assist in tuning. You can also adjust the overall level of each of the six channels individually or as stereo pairs.
The list of signal processing features is extensive and shows someone understood what kind of control and flexibility is needed to tune a vehicle. The "Tune System" mode includes controls for the following adjustments:*Crossover settings, Highpass/Lowpass/Bandpass or All Pass, from 50Hz to 10kHz at -12 or -24dB/octave slopes (individual channels or linked stereo pairs)*Output level controls for each channel that can also be linked in pairs*31-band EQ for front L & R and 27-band EQ for rear L & R & center, with +/-10dB of adjustment*Separate 10-band EQ for the subwoofer output*Infrasonic filter for the subwoofer output*Delay for each fullrange channel, marked in distance increments for easier soundstage tuning, to a maximum delay of 5'
After about five minutes of tuning manually, I was able to improve the flatness of the response as shown in Graph 2.