Instruction Manual System 4200e THX Select High Performance C.O.R.E. Technology Loudspeaker Components 2 Table of Contents System 4200e High Performance Loudspeakers Table of Contents 2 2 2 3 3 C.O.R.E. Technology Unpacking the Speakers Attaching the Grilles What's THX? Individual Component Descriptions System 4200e THX Select High Performance C.O.R.E. Technology Loudspeaker Components Thank you for choosing Atlantic Technology products. Your new speaker components are precision-crafted to give you years of enjoyable, trouble-free service. This manual covers the Atlantic Technology System 4200e speaker components. It will show you how to incorporate these components into your present setup, as well as how to assemble a complete system from them. The Model 642e SB box-type enclosure subwoofer is covered in detail in a separate manual. This system can be used with all current and past sound formats including Stereo, Dolby Surround®, Pro Logic®, Dolby Digital 5.1®, Dolby Digital EX®, DTS®, DTS ES®, DTS ES Discrete®, DTS Neo:6®, DVDAudio and SACD Audio. 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 6 8 8 8 9 4 Placement Model 4200e LR Front Channel Speakers Acoustic Controls Model 4200e C Center Channel Speaker Models 4200e SR Surround Speakers Home Theater Surround Effects and Speaker Locations 6.1 and 7.1 Channel Systems Stereo Systems Bass Management Operation of the Rear Panel Controls on the LCR Speakers Dipole/Bipole Operation of the SR Speakers Setting Levels 6 Connecting Your System 8 System Setup C.O.R.E. Technology C.O.R.E. (Technology) is an acronym for Custom Optimized Room Enhanced. These systems allow you to optimize the custom aspects of the core package by building up different configurations using box subs, and dipole, bipole, or direct radiator surrounds. Room Enhanced refers to the high degree of room acoustic matching and source optimization offered by the system components. IMPORTANT: Although it may seem like asking for driving directions, please take a few moments to read all of this booklet. It has many helpful tips and ideas on properly setting up and using your system. We promise that if you take the time to read and follow these tips you'll get better system performance and more enjoyment. 9 Mounting 10 Care and Feeding of Your Speakers 10 Specifications Unpacking the Speakers Use care when unpacking the speakers. Since the grilles are packed off the speakers, be particularly careful of the driver elements as you unpack and move the speakers. Remember to keep the original boxes and packing material, in the unlikely event the speakers need servicing, or if you move. For Future Reference Record the serial number and date of purchase for each speaker here. The serial number is found on the speaker terminal panel on the back of the enclosure. Serial Number Serial Number Serial Number Date of Purchase Attaching the Grilles The included metal grilles are held to the front of the enclosures with powerful neodymium magnets. There are depressions on the back of the grille that the magnets fit into. Once the speakers are in their final position, remove the grille from its protective plastic bag and carefully position it over the magnets on the baffle. Move them together slowly and when you get close enough, the magnets will draw the grille in and hold it tight. Be careful not to get your fingers caught between the grille and the cabinet. NOTE: You will notice a threaded insert in the bottom of the LR satellites. This is for bolting the satellites to speaker stands that utilize a through hole in the middle of the stand's top plate. Use a 1/4" x 20 bolt to secure the LR to the stand. The contents of this manual are Copyright © 2004 by Atlantic Technology International, Corp., and may not be duplicated or reproduced by any means, whether physical, electronic or otherwise without prior written consent from Atlantic Technology International, Corp. Atlantic Technology and the Atlantic Technology logo are registered trademarks of Atlantic Technology International, Corp. Specifications are those in effect at the time of printing.Atlantic Technology International, Corp. reserves the right to change specifications or designs at any time without notice without obligation to modify existing units. Individual Component Descriptions Instruction Manual 3 What's THX? THX is a series of demanding performance standards and specific technologies developed by Lucasfilm Ltd. (of Star Wars fame). Equipment that meets the rigorous THX standards will deliver performance in your home that matches as closely as possible what the director/artist/engineer heard and saw during the final mixing of the source material. Please note that THX is not a separate surround sound decoding format. THX-certified equipment enhances every viewing and listening experience, regardless of the surround format used. THX Select standards are based upon a room size of 2000 cubic feet (L x W x H). This does not mean these components must be used in a rooms this size. The room sizes simply provide a frame of reference, as they indicate that these systems must deliver a minimum level of performance in this specified room size. Your System 4200e is THX Select certified. For more information, visit the THX website at www.thx.com. Figure 1 4200e LR Individual Component Descriptions Figure 2 Model 4200e LR Front Channel Speakers The Model 4200e LR Front Channel Speakers (Figure 1) are high-performance 2-way systems intended for use with a quality subwoofer, such as the Atlantic Technology Model 642e SB box-type subwoofer. Each speaker contains two GLH (Graphite Loaded Homopolymer) 5 ¼" (135mm) woofers and an advanced 1" (25mm) ferrofluid-cooled, damped silk dome tweeter with a powerful neodymium magnet structure. The drivers are configured in a D'Appolito array (midrange-tweeter-midrange alignment) This vertical arrangement of drivers provides wide left to right coverage of sound while limiting the floor and ceiling reflections that color the sound. These components are mounted in an acoustically inert internally braced MDF enclosure. The LR speakers are magnetically shielded so they may be placed close to a TV set without concern. 4200e C Figure 3 Acoustic Controls System 4200e LR speakers include unique acoustic controls to help maximize their performance in your room. These controls are explained in greater detail on page 8. Model 4200e C Center Channel Speaker For accurate reproduction of a multi-channel soundtrack, the three frontchannel speakers must have the same sonic signature. Therefore, the 4200e C Center Channel speaker contains the same driver complement as the respective matching LR speakers (see Figure 2). They are both designed for use with a dedicated subwoofer and include the same unique acoustic controls mentioned on page 8. The 4200e C is designed to be placed horizontally. They are also magnetically shielded and can be placed directly adjacent to your TV set with no adverse effects on the television's picture. The 4200e C can be tilted on its dedicated base to provide optimum sonic coverage of the listening area. 4200e SR 4 Placement System 4200e High Performance Loudspeakers Model 4200e SR Surround Speakers The Model 4200e SR Dipole/Bipole Surround Speakers (Figure 3) are intended for use in multi-channel audio/video sound systems as dedicated side or back surround channel speakers. The 4200e SR enclosure has two 4 ½" (115mm) GLH woofers and two of the same high performance silk dome tweeters found in the 4200e front speakers. The surround speakers can be switched between Dipole and Bipole operation. These settings are explained on page 8,"Dipole/Bipole Operation of the SR Speakers." NOTE: Although the speakers in the Atlantic Technology System 4200e are acoustically and cosmetically matched to each other for ideal results, they may also be used with other Atlantic Technology components and a wide variety of speakers from other manufacturers with excellent results. Surround Effects and Speaker Locations The 4200e SR's shape allows great flexibility in placement. Due to the switchable Dipole/Bipole design, it's possible to place the speakers almost anywhere within the rear third of the room and get good results. However, the best location for surround speakers is straight out to the sides, or slightly behind the primary listening area, approximately 1-2 feet (.3,.6m) above seated ear level, but no closer than 2 feet (.6m) from the ceiling. As noted above, the surround speakers (as opposed to the back speaker(s) in a 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 channel system, see below) are primarily intended to re-create the ambient sounds taking place in the movie scene. Therefore, throughout most of a movie or TV program you may not be consciously aware of output from these speakers. In other words, don't worry if you aren't hearing the surround speakers. Please try to avoid the trap of turning the surrounds up and up so that you hear them most of the time. The result will be a much less believable surround experience. There are dedicated LEFT and RIGHT model 4200e SR speakers. This is clearly marked on the back of each speaker. Be sure that the Left side surround speaker is placed directly to the left side of the prime listening area (facing the screen) and the Right speaker is directly to the right side. As an easy reference, the Dipole/Bipole switch should always be facing the back of the room. Placement Speaker/room interactions have a huge impact on the sound of the system. Moving the speakers just a little can make a dramatic difference in what you hear. Remember that the best acoustic placement of the speakers will vary from room to room. Use the following placement guidelines (see opposite page) as a starting point. But also feel free to experiment. In fact, it may be beneficial to hook up the front LR and surround speakers with some extra wire and to simply drape the wire across the floor before installing the speakers permanently. This will allow you the opportunity to move the speakers around easily so you can find the best sonic and visual locations. 6.1 and 7.1 Channel Systems For best performance in a 7.1 channel system, we recommend using another pair of 4200e LR's on the back wall, and 4200e SR's on the side walls. If you are setting up a system that uses back surround speaker(s) as well as side surrounds (Dolby Digital EX, DTS ES, etc.) you can choose to use either SR model speakers in Dipole or Bipole mode or another pair of front LR speakers in the back of the room. If the 4200e SR's are used as back surrounds in a 6.1 or 7.1 channel system, they should be installed with the Right speaker placed over the listener's left shoulder and the Left speaker placed over the listener's right shoulder; these back surrounds should be placed approximately 150 degrees from the screen on the back wall. About one-third of the way out from the corners in most rooms is a good starting point. If you are using a THX Ultra 2 certified controller/receiver, you should place the back surround speakers approximately 1 to 2 feet (.3,.6m) apart in the center of the back wall. The special circuitry in the processor will help to create a believable and effective surround field using this placement. Please read the electronics manual to learn more about this placement option. Home Theater Remember that the primary goal of a good home theater is not to make you believe that you are in a movie theater. It's to make you believe you're in the movie. For a home theater system, place the LR speakers on either side of the television. The three front channel speakers (LR and C) are magnetically shielded so they will not interfere with your television picture. The left and right front speakers should be far enough apart (6 to 10 feet, 2-3 meters, is usually best) that you get a good stereo "image" when they are playing alone, but not so far apart that the sound seems to be disembodied from the TV, distracting you from the picture. When using a center channel speaker, a wider separation of the left and right front speakers is usually possible. You may chose to "toe" the LR speakers in, aiming them approximately at the prime listening position. This can be particularly useful if the front LR speakers are fairly far apart. IMPORTANT NOTE Try to keep the LR and C tweeters at approximately the same height and aimed at ear level when seated. This is because we've designed the alignment of the drivers on the front panel to limit the vertical spread of the mid and high frequencies, thereby reducing the floor and ceiling reflections that adversely affect sound quality. If the speakers are too high or too low however, you will miss a significant portion of the upper middle and high range elements of the sound. This alignment of the drivers provides enhanced horizontal spread of the sound making for a much better sound experience for a group o f listeners and reducing the need to sit in a precise "sweet spot." Spe ...