The Bose® Acoustimass® 15 Series II and Acoustimass 16 Home Entertainment Speaker Systems Owner's Guide Safety Information WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose the powered Acoustimass® module to rain or moisture. CAUTION: To prevent electric shock, match wide blade of plug to wide slot, insert fully. CA UTION RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK DO NOT OPEN CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK). NO USER-SERVICABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL. AVIS RISQUE DE CHOC ÉLECTRIQUE NE PAS OUVRIR ATTENTION : AFIN DE RÉDUIRE LE RISQUE DE CHOC ÉLECTRIQUE, NE PAS RETIRER LE CAPOT DE L'APPAREIL (ou son panneau arrière). IL N'EXISTE À L'INTERIEUR DE CET ÉQUIPEMENT AUCUN ÉLÉMENT OU SOUS-ENSEMBLE POUVANT ÊTRE DEPANNÉ PAR L'UTILISATEUR. LA MAINTENANCE DOIT ÊTRE RÉALISÉE PAR UN PERSONNEL QUALIFIÉ. These CAUTION marks may be located on the Acoustimass module: The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated dangerous voltage within the system enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock. The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle, as marked on the system, is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance instructions in this owner's guide. Additional safety information See the additional safety information on the Important Safety Instructions page enclosed with your speaker system. Please read this owner's guide Please take the time to follow this owner's guide carefully. It will help you set up and operate your system properly, and enjoy all of its advanced features. Please save your owner's guide for future reference. CAUTION: No naked flame sources, such as lighted candles, should be placed on the apparatus. For your records The system serial number is located on the bottom of the Acoustimass module. Serial number: ________________________________________________________ Dealer name: _________________________________________________________ Dealer phone: ____________________ Purchase date ____________________ Please keep your sales receipt and warranty card together with this owner's guide. ©2002 Bose Corporation. No part of this work may be reproduced, modified, distributed or otherwise used without prior written permission. Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. "Dolby" and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. Confidential Unpublished Works. ©1992-1997 Dolby Laboratories. All rights reserved. 2 Contents Where to find... Setting Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Before you begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Unpacking the carton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Placing your speakers to achieve realistic home theater sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Front center cube speaker array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Front left and right cube speaker arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rear cube speaker arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Powered Acoustimass® module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting the speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting front cube speaker arrays to the Acoustimass module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting rear cube speaker arrays to the Acoustimass module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting the Acoustimass module to the receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Checking the connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting the Acoustimass module to power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Upgrading your Acoustimass 15 Series II speaker system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . For realistic home theater sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adjusting the LFE level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adjusting the bass/room compensation level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting your digital surround sound receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Be sure to get the digital audio signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting your analog surround sound receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Customer service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cleaning the speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Technical information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warranty period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4 4 5 6 7 7 7 8 8 9 10 12 12 12 13 13 13 13 13 14 14 15 15 15 16 16 17 17 3 Setting Up Before you begin We appreciate your choice of the Bose® Acoustimass® 15 series II or Acoustimass 16 home entertainment speaker system. 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. The cube speaker arrays, along with the powered Acoustimass module, reproduce the full-spectrum of sound from multi-channel digital programming. Integrated Signal Processing assures full bass performance from all channels at all listening levels, regardless of your receiver settings. Your stereo VCR, stereo television, or DVD player sends the encoded program material to the surround-sound receiver, which interprets and distributes the information to the powered Acoustimass module. The module delivers the bass for all channels and sends appropriate sounds to each cube speaker array. The sound mix varies with different program types: dialogue is usually sent to the center cube speaker array, a visual soundstage is created by the left and right front cube speaker arrays, and you feel as if you are in the center of the action because sounds and special effects are directed to the rear cube speaker arrays. At any point in a surround-sound performance, you may hear sound from one, a few, or all of the cube speaker arrays. To select surround-encoded program material, look for the terms Surround, Dolby Surround, the double-D symbol 3, Dolby Digital 1, other digital formats, or the word "surround" preceding a TV broadcast. Your system is compatible with home theater receivers. You can also enjoy a wide variety of stereo programming that is not surround-encoded. Unpacking the carton WARNING: The powered Acoustimass module weighs 33 pounds (15 kg). Use good lifting practice to avoid injury. WARNING: To avoid danger of suffocation, keep the plastic bags that wrap these speakers out of the reach of children. Note: This product is not to be powered by any DC-to-AC inverters that may be found in automobiles, recreational vehicles, boats, ships, or other similar situations. Carefully unpack the carton contents (Figure 1): 1. 2. 3. 4. Remove the brown inner carton containing the cube speaker arrays. Gently roll the carton over onto its side. Slowly pull the Acoustimass module from the carton. Stand the module up. If the cube speaker arrays or the module appear damaged, do not use them. Repack everything in the original carton and contact your authorized Bose dealer immediately. Or, to contact Bose directly, see the list of offices and phone numbers enclosed with your system. 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. Please save all packing materials for possible future use. 4 Setting Up Figure 1 Carton contents 20-ft (6.1m) system input cable Three 20-ft (6.1m) front speaker cables Powered Acoustimass module ® Rubber feet for front center cube speaker array With Acoustimass 15 Series II system With Acoustimass 16 system Five cube speaker arrays Six cube speaker arrays Two 50-ft (15.2m) rear speaker cables Three 50-ft (15.2m) rear speaker cables Power cord (1) USA/Canada Europe UK/Singapore Australia Placing your speakers to achieve realistic home theater sound A suggested home theater layout is shown in Figure 2. You may want to place the speakers differently to take advantage of the sound characteristics of different rooms. Here are some suggested guidelines for placing your speaker system: · The cube speaker arrays are identical and can be used for any channel. · All cube speaker arrays are magnetically shielded to prevent interference with a TV picture. · The top and bottom sections of the cube speaker arrays can be rotated to create room-filling sound patterns (Figure 3). · Bose® wall brackets and floor stands can extend your placement options. See "Accessories" on page 17. Please follow wall bracket instructions carefully. Proper mounting will ensure optimum performance and safety from your system. Note: The Acoustimass 15 Series II may be upgraded by adding a center rear cube speaker array. See "Upgrading your Acoustimass 15 Series II speaker system" on page 12. 5 Setting Up Figure 2 Suggested home theater layouts 2-5 m R LR RR L For Acoustimass® 15 Series II For Acoustimass 16 2-5 m R CR LR RR C L C + 0.6 m + 0.6 m CAUTION: To prevent interference, keep the Acoustimass module at least 2þfeetþ(.6m) from your TV set. Figure 3 Sound patterns For Acoustimass 15 Series II For Acoustimass 16 Front center cube speaker array The front center cube speaker array localizes action and dialogue on your screen. Sound should seem to come from within the picture. · Place the front center cube speaker array above, below, or on top of your television. If below, be sure that it is not supporting the weight of the television in any way. · Keep the front cube speaker array as close to the vertical center of the screen as possible, for the most accurate dialogue reproduction. CAUTION: Choose a stable and level surface for your cube speaker arrays. Vibration can cause them to move, particularly on smooth surfaces like marble, glass, or highly polished wood. If you are placing the center cube speaker array on top of your television, use the set of four rubber feet provided. You may obtain additional rubber feet (part number 178321-04), free of charge, by contacting Bose® Customer Service. See the list of phone numbers included with your system. 6 Setting Up Front left and right cube speaker arrays The front left and right cube speaker arrays create a sound image wider than the screen that seems natural to viewers sitting anywhere in the room. You can place the cube speaker arrays near a TV screen with no picture interference. Place the front cube speaker arrays on either side of your TV, at least 6 feet (2m), or as much as 15 feet (5m) apart (see Figure 2). Rear cube speaker arrays The rear, or surround cube speaker arrays add discrete sounds and special effects that expand the visual image, bringing the viewer into the center of the action. The rear cube speaker arrays may carry dialogue as well. · Position the left and right rear cube speaker arrays to allow the sound to reach the viewer from both sides, rather than from directly behind (see Figure 2). · Place the rear cube speaker arrays at ear height (when seated) or higher, if possible. · Rotate the top and bottom sections of the rear cube speaker arrays to direct the sound to the front and back of the listener. · If you hav ...