Atlantic Technology 5 LCR - Manual (Page 2)

System 5 LCR
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Atlantic Technology
®
Thank you for purchasing Atlantic Technology products. Our speaker systems Thank you for purchasing Atlantic Technology products. Our speaker systems Thank you for purchasing Atlantic Technology products. Our speaker systems
have been designed to deliver exceptional sound and value. We hope you like have been designed to deliver exceptional sound and value. We hope you like have been designed to deliver exceptional sound and value. We hope you like
what you hear from them, and are happy with your decision to buy them. what you hear from them, and are happy with your decision to buy them. what you hear from them, and are happy with your decision to buy them.
Please take a few moments to read these instructions. They’re intended not
only to tell you how to mount the speakers, but how to get the best perfor-
mance from them.
Important Considerations
Before Installation
Recommended Wire Sizes
The longer the wire run, the heavier the wire should be. Use the following
recommendations as a guide for your installation. And if you’re in doubt,
remember that it never hurts to get the next heavier grade of wire. Also note
that lower gauge numbers equal heavier wire sizes.
Wire Run Wire Gauge
<15 ft. 18 ga.
15 to 30 ft. 16 ga.
30 to 50 ft. 14 ga.
50 to 80 ft. 12 ga.
80 to 120 ft. 10 ga.
Location, Location, Location
A major determinant of any speaker’s sound quality is the room and its loca-
tion in it. With in-wall speakers there are fewer placement options than with
box speakers, so giving some thought to location can really pay off. Addition-
ally, the wall your speaker is mounted in will affect its sound. Our InWall
Theater Systems have been computer designed to minimize the detrimental
effects wall mounting can have on sound, so they sound better than most, if
not all in-wall speakers.
Locations of Choice
Assuming that you’ll be using System 5 speakers for more than simple back-
ground listening, here are some placement recommendations:
Stereo Systems
For stereo music reproduction the speakers are best located at approximately
ear level when seated, both on the same wall, facing the prime listening
location. A separation of approximately six to eight feet between the left and
right speakers is usually good. Ideally, the distance between the two speakers
will be the same as the distance from the speakers to the listening position.
The speakers and the listening position will then form an equilateral triangle.
There is a benefi t to mounting the speakers approximately the same distance
from the side walls, so they both create the same refl ective patterns.
S
YSTEM
5
LCR
High Performance InWall Loudspeaker System High Performance InWall Loudspeaker System High Performance InWall Loudspeaker System
Hard surfaces create lots of sound refl ections in the room while soft surfaces
tend to absorb sound. Note the speaker’s location in terms of proximity to
glass and other highly sound refl ective or absorptive surfaces. A simple pair glass and other highly sound refl ective or absorptive surfaces. A simple pair glass and other highly sound refl ective or absorptive surfaces. A simple pair
of curtains can make a major difference in sound quality and intelligibility!
The more similar the speaker’s surroundings, the more consistent the sound
will be. So placing one speaker directly adjacent to a glass wall, with the
other speaker by an open archway, will make for two dramatically different
sounding speakers.
Note that as bass frequencies refl ect within the room, some locations may be
bass heavy while other areas may be bass shy. With an external subwoofer,
changing its placement within the room may reduce these effects. But when
in-wall speakers are utilized full range, the only real option is to change the
listening position, if you end up in a diffi cult bass area.
Home Theater Systems
Today’s home theater systems require you to place six or more speakers in
your room. Placement for these speakers is potentially more critical than
with pure music reproduction alone. That’s because the goal of setting up
a good home theater isn’t to put you in the movie theater; it’s to put you
in the movie! That’s right, we want you to believe you’re in the jungle, the
restaurant, the offi ce, or wherever the video scene is taking place. If you keep
this goal in mind throughout the system development process you’ll end up
with a better home theater, for sure.
Left/Center/Right Locations The front three speakers should be at ear
height when seated, just as with stereo speakers. Unfortunately, the presence
of the television tends to make this diffi cult, if not impossible to achieve.
(Unless you’re using a front projector and a perforated screen with the center
channel speaker directly behind it). The closer you can get to this ideal the
better, however. Try to keep the left and right speakers within 3 feet to either
side of the TV screen. If possible, place the left and right speakers no more
than 2 feet above or below the height of the center channel speaker. The
center speaker itself should be centered on, and directly above or below the
TV screen.
IMPORTANT: The System 5 LCR speaker may be used in a vertical (portrait) or
horizontal (landscape) orientation.
The All Important Surround Speakers In order to achieve optimum perfor-
mance we strongly recommend Atlantic Technology Dipole or TriVector sur-
round speakers. If you are using our dedicated surround speakers please follow
the placement recommendations included in their installation instructions.
Non-Dipole Surrounds If you decide to use the System 5 LCR as a surround
speaker keep the following in mind. The more a direct radiator like the System
5 LCR is aligned with your ears, the more localizable its sound will be. And
since the vast majority of surround information consists of sonic cues that
aren’t supposed to be localized, this is particularly undesirable. Generally
then, when used as a surround speaker, place the System 5 LCR on the side
or rear walls at least 2 feet above ear level, when seated.
System 5 Manual 2 5/31/02, 1:44 PM 2