The Bose® Acoustimass® -10 Home Theater Speaker System Owner's Guide December 20, 2001 AM183644_01.pdf Introduction Thank you We appreciate your choice of the Bose® Acoustimass®-10 home theater speaker system. With these Virtually Invisible® speakers you'll surround yourself with realistic sound, without a lot of equipment. For your records The serial number is located near the connection panel on the Acoustimass module. Serial number: _________________________________________________________________ Dealer name: __________________________________________________________________ Dealer phone: _______________________ Purchase date: ___________________________ We suggest you keep your sales slip and warranty card together with this owner's guide. Declaration of Conformity We, the offerer: Bose® Corporation, The Mountain Framingham, MA 01701-9168 USA acknowledge our sole responsibility, that the product: Kind of equipment: Type designation: Loudspeakers Acoustimass® -10 Home Theater Speakers in accordance with EMC Directive 89/336/EEC and Article 10(1) of the Directive, is in compliance with the following norm(s) or document(s): Technical regulations: EN50081-1, EN50082-1 Accredited by Bose Corporation 3 January 1996 Bose B.V., Nijverheidstraat 8 1135 GE Edam, The Netherlands Paul Olean, General Manager, Bose Europe Manufacturer's authorized EU representative 2 December 20, 2001 AM183644_01_V.pdf Contents Where to find... Introduction Thank you ................................................................................................................... 2 For your records ......................................................................................................... 2 Setting Up Before you begin ........................................................................................................ 4 Unpack the carton ...................................................................................................... 4 Placing your Acoustimass®-10 speakers to achieve realistic home theater sound .... 5 Select the locations for your speakers ....................................................................... 6 Left and right front cube speakers ...................................................................... 6 Center cube speaker ........................................................................................... 6 Surround cube speakers ..................................................................................... 7 Acoustimass module ........................................................................................... 7 Connect the speakers ................................................................................................ 8 Use the cable correctly ....................................................................................... 8 Connect the Acoustimass module to the center and front cube speakers ............................................................................... 9 Connect the Acoustimass module to the surround cube speakers .................... 9 Connect the Acoustimass module to the receiver .............................................. 9 Check the connections ..................................................................................... 10 Using Your Acoustimass-10 speakers For realistic home theater sound .............................................................................. 11 How to set your Pro-Logic receiver .................................................................. 11 Bass and treble adjustments ............................................................................ 11 Set your Dolby AC-3 receiver correctly ............................................................. 11 Maintaining Your Acoustimass-10 speakers Troubleshooting ........................................................................................................ 12 Customer service ..................................................................................................... 12 Cleaning the speakers .............................................................................................. 13 Warranty period ........................................................................................................ 13 Product Information Technical information ............................................................................................... 14 Accessories .............................................................................................................. 14 Bose® Corporation ................................................................................. inside back cover AM183644_01_V.pdf December 20, 2001 3 Setting Up Before you begin Bose® Virtually Invisible® speaker technology allows you to enjoy lifelike home performances from the very latest surround sound encoded movies, CDs, and television shows, without a room full of speakers. Your stereo VCR or stereo television sends the encoded program material to the surround sound receiver, which interprets it by distributing various sounds to particular speakers. Although the sound mix varies with different types of programs, dialogue is usually sent to the center speaker while sounds from the left or right side of the picture go to the left or right front speakers. Ambient sounds and special effects are directed to one or both of the surround (rear) speakers. The unique, easy-to-hide Acoustimass® module delivers bass for all channels. At any point in a surround sound performance, you may hear sound from all or just a few of the speakers, but the overall experience puts you in the center of the action. To select surround-encoded program material, look for any of the terms Surround, Dolby Surround, and the double-D symbol * on tapes and discs, and the word "surround" preceding a TV broadcast. Your Acoustimass-10 home theater speakers are also compatible with Dolby AC-3 receivers and program material. The special settings for Dolby Surround and AC-3 are described on page 11. You can also enjoy a wide variety of stereo programming that is not surround-encoded with your Acoustimass-10 speakers. Simply adjust your receiver accordingly. Unpack the carton · · · · · · Remove any staples from the opened carton flaps. Remove the brown inner carton containing the five cube speaker arrays and the Acoustimass module terminal cover. Gently roll the carton over onto its side and then onto its opening. Carefully lift the carton from around the Acoustimass module and packing cushions. Do not detach the removable cables connected to the Acoustimass module. If the speakers or the Acoustimass module appear damaged, do not use them. Repack everything in the original carton and contact your authorized Bose dealer immediately. WARNING: The Acoustimass module weighs 23 pounds (10.5 kg). Use good lifting practice to avoid injury. To avoid danger of suffocation, keep the plastic bags that wrap these speakers out of the reach of children. Note: Now is a good time to record the serial number of these speakers on page 2 of this guide and on your warranty card. It is a good idea to save all packing materials for possible future use. Figure 1 What comes in the carton: · Acoustimass module · Module end cover · 5 cube speaker pairs · 20' (6 m) speaker input cable · 20' (6 m) front speaker output cable · 50' (15 m) rear speaker output cable · 8 protective rubber feet · Owner's Guide * Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation. 4 December 20, 2001 AM183644_01_V.pdf Setting Up Placing your Acoustimass -10 speakers to achieve realistic home theater sound ® The center speaker localizes action and dialogue on your screen. Sound from the center speaker should seem to come from within the picture. The left and right front speakers create a sound image wider than the screen that seems natural to viewers sitting anywhere in the room. The surround speakers add subtle sounds and special effects that expand the visual image, bringing the viewer into the center of the action. The surround speakers should be positioned to allow the sound to reach the viewer from both sides, rather than from directly behind. You can place the front and center speakers near a TV screen with no picture interference, because all of the cube speakers are magnetically shielded. The Acoustimass module is not magnetically shielded and should be at least 2 feet (.6 m) from your screen, but at the same end of the room as the front and center speakers. Bose® Acoustimass speaker technology takes advantage of the fact that the source of bass sound is difficult to locate, so you can hide the Acoustimass module conveniently out of sight. A suggested home theater layout that conforms to the guidelines described above is shown in Figure 2. Twist the pairs of cube speakers so they describe angles that create room-filling sound patterns. You may choose to place the speakers differently, to take advantage of the sound characteristics of different rooms. Your speakers come with sufficient cable lengths to allow you to have the following distances between components: · Up to 20 feet (6 m) between the Acoustimass module and the receiver. · Up to 20 feet (6 m) between the Acoustimass module and the front and center cube speakers. · Up to 50 feet (15 m) between the Acoustimass module and the surround speakers. Bose wall brackets and floor stands can extend your placement options. See "Accessories" on page 14. NOTE: Please follow wall bracket instructions carefully. Proper mounting will insure optimum performance from your system. Figure 2 One suggested home theater layout AM183644_01_V.pdf December 20, 2001 5 Setting Up Select the locations for your speakers The cables provided with your Acoustimass®-10 system vary in length and provide a great deal of flexibility in speaker placement. Left and right front cube speakers Use the two cube speakers with black terminals. Figure 3 shows suggested ways to achieve an accurate left and right sound image. · · Place the front speakers on either side of your TV, at least 6 feet (2 m), or as much as 15 feet (5 m) apart. Place them in line with the center of the screen for the best sound balance (position 1). Or, place them in a lateral position, with one high and the other low (position 2). Placing them in a line above the top of the TV is a third choice (position 3). The speaker on the left as you face the TV is connected to the LEFT FRONT jack on the Acoustimass module. · Figure 3 3 2/3 Suggested choices for left and right front speaker placement 1 1 2 Center cube speaker Select one speaker with a gray terminal for the front center speaker. Sound from the center speaker should seem to come from within the picture. Figure 4 shows suggested positions for the center speaker. · · Place the center cube speaker above, below, or on top of your television. If below, be sure that the cube speaker is not supporting the weight of the television in any way. Keep it as close to the vertical center of the screen as possible, for the most accurate dialogue reproduction (positions 1 or 2). CAUTION: If you are placing the center speaker on top of the television, use the smaller of the two sets of four rubber feet provided. This will provide extra stability on surfaces such as marble or glass. Additional rubber feet are available, free, by calling the Bose® customer service numbers inside the back cover of this manual. Ask for Part Number 178321-04. Figure 4 1 Suggested choices for center speaker placement 2 6 December 20, 2001 AM183644_01_V.pdf Setting Up Surround cube speakers The remaining two speakers with gray terminals are to be used as surround speakers. The left and right rear channel sound should reach the viewer from both sides, rather than from directly behind. Refer to Figure 5. · · · · Put one on the left and the other on the right, keeping them as far apart as possible, beside or just to the rear of the home theater seating area. Place them high up, to avoid a direct sound path to the ears of the listeners (position 1). If you want these speakers directly behind the seating area, make sure they are not directed at the viewers (positions 2 and 3). The rear speaker on the left as you face the TV is connected to the LEFT SURROUND jack on the Acoustimass® module. Figure 5 1 1 Suggested choices for surround (rear) speaker placement 2 2 3 3 Acoustimass module Bose® recommends putting your Acoustimass module at the same end of the room as the television monitor. To prevent interference, keep the module at least 2 feet (60 cm) from the television. · · You may hide the Acoustimass module behind or under furniture, but do not block the opening. Be sure there is at least 2 inches (5 cm) between the opening and any surface. If the opening faces the wall it increases the bass; if it faces away it decreas ...