BassCube 6S Manual 5/24/02 1:29 PM Page 1 PASSIVE DUAL-COIL SUBWOOFER USER MANUAL BASSCUBE 6S TM BassCube 6S Manual 5/24/02 1:29 PM Page 2 INTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing the BassCube 6S. Your new subwoofer features a high quality driver in a solid cabinet. The bandpass enclosure design of the BassCube 6S produces plenty of room-filling bass with low distortion in an extremely compact package. The Product Development team at Cambridge SoundWorks believes that there is no better combination of audiophile-level attention to detail and reasonable cost. Inspecting for damage Examine each part carefully for shipping damage. If there is any, do not install or use the system. Return the subwoofer to the store or merchant where you made the purchase or call Cambridge SoundWorks at 1-800-FOR-HIFI (1-800-367-4434) for assistance. Its a good idea to store the carton and packing material for future use and transport. BassCube 6S Manual 5/24/02 1:29 PM Page 3 USE AND SATELLITE MATCHING The BassCube 6S is engineered to complement the Cambridge SoundWorks Newton Series MC50, MC100, MC150, and MC200 satellite speakers. The combination of the BassCube 6S and Newton Series satellites produces smooth wide-range reproduction that rivals much larger conventional loudspeakers. The woofer uses a dual-voice coil that combines both the left and right channel signals to the single subwoofer. Both input channels should always be used, even if you are using a monaural source. Use of only one input will result in low output and uneven response. The design of the BassCube 6S features a high excursion 8" passive radiator in a single tuned bandpass enclosure driven by an internal 6 1/2" woofer. This results in a compact enclosure with high output and a response which naturally compliments the mating satellite loudspeakers. Maxium Bass Output Placement The subwoofer should be placed on the floor. Its location in the room affects its output. The output increases the closer the subwoofer is placed to the intersection of walls and floors (see diagrams). Moderate Bass Output Some Advantages Of Corner Placement: Corner placement also provides the most consistent output from deep bass to upper bass. Corner placement "forces" more of the bass energy toward the center of the room. Other locations: Any position in a room can be used, but a position away from the intersection of two room surfaces has two drawbacks. The subwoofer will not achieve as strong an output as near a wall, and the output across the subwoofer's range will be less consistent. Least Bass Output 3 BassCube 6S Manual 5/24/02 1:29 PM Page 4 WIRING DIAGRAM The BassCube 6S is designed to connect in parallel with the satellite speakers to the main Left and Right speaker outputs of your receiver or amplifier. This parallel connection may be made at the Receiver, Subwoofer, or Satellite speaker terminals. Making this connection at the receiver is recommended since this usually results in the least overall resistance in the wiring to all of the loudspeakers. However, in some installations it may be more convenient to make the parallel connection at the Subwoofer or Satellite terminals. No external crossover circuitry is necessary when using Cambridge SoundWorks satellite loudspeakers because it is already included within the loudspeakers. Due to the action of the crossover components in the satellites, this connection results in a load that will be safe for virtually all high-quality receivers. BassCube 6S + + ­ ­ Right Speaker R L Left Speaker + Receiver + 4 BassCube 6S Manual 5/24/02 1:29 PM Page 5 CONNECTING THE SYSTEM The terminals of the BassCube6S will accept bare wire, individual banana plugs, or spade lugs. Due to compliance with CE safety guidelines, the terminal spacing will not accommodate dual banana plugs. Use at least AWG#18 speaker cable for runs under 15 feet. Use AWG#16 or heavier speaker cable for longer runs. Speaker cable will have some means of identifying the two conductors. This will often be printing, a ridge or stipe on the insulation, or different color of the conductors. Determine which conductor you will use to connect to the positive (+) terminals of the amplifier and speaker systems. In most systems, it will be best to connect the subwoofer and satellite wiring together at the receiver's speaker outputs. This will mean that you connect bth the wire from the satellite speaker, and the same channel of the BassCube 6S together to the same speaker output terminal. The receiver's speaker terminals will determine the maximum wire size that you can easily use. 1) Determine how long each of the speaker cables should be. Cut the cable to the appropriate lengths. 2) Strip approximately 3/4 inch of insulation from the two individual conductors on both ends of each speaker cable. Twist the exposed strands of the bare wire to keep them together. 3) Run the wire to each satellite speaker, and to the subwoofer. Connect the conductor you have chosen as the positive (+) conductor to each satellite speaker. Repeat for the negative (-) wire. 4) Likewise, connect the positive and negative wires to the terminals of the subwoofer. Maintain the same wiring polarity as you did for the satellite speakers. It does not matter which channel is connected to input A or B on the BassCube 6S. The two inputs are identical. 5) At the receiver, twist the positive wire from the right satellite speaker together with one of the positive wires from the BassCube 6S. Connect this pair of wires to the right channel positive speaker output terminal. Repeat for the negative wires. 6) Repeat for the remaining left channel wires. 5 BassCube 6S Manual 5/24/02 1:29 PM Page 6 Surround Receiver Speaker Size Settings · Set the main Left and Right speaker size setting to "Large" · Set the Center and Surround to "Small" · Set Subwoofer to "None" or "off" The bass management circuitry of the receiver will then direct all of the bass content from the main, center, and surround channels to the L and R speaker outputs, where it will drive the BassCube6S. Fine Tuning The room plays an important role in how the bass propagates, and all rooms are different. With any tone controls or equalization set "flat" or bypassed, experiment with placement as shown on page 2 until you get the most natural blend of bass output from the system. When the system is well balanced it should create the illusion that the bass is coming from the satellite speakers. You should not hear the subwoofer as a separate source of sound. Once you achieve the smoothest blend of the subwoofer output to satellite make any final adjustments to taste with the receiver's tone controls. 6 BassCube 6S Manual 5/24/02 1:29 PM Page 7 Specifications Dimensions: 11 1/8"H x 10"W x 10"D (including feet) Weight: 12 lbs. Impedance: 8 Ohms each channel Frequency Response: 45-125Hz +/­3d Sensitivity with 2.83V input: 93dB @ 1 meter (60Hz, both channels driven) The BassCube6S can safely be used with receivers rated above 25 Watts RMS per channel. There is little advantage gained in using more power than 100 Watts per channel, but receivers above this rating may be used as long as the receiver is not operated at distorted levels. Warning About Excessive Amplifier Distortion Operating a receiver (of any power rating) beyond its maximum undistorted output level creates distortion, which is essentially added signal content not part of the musical program. Certain types of distortion dramatically increase the internal operating temperature of a loudspeaker and will eventually cause the speaker's failure due to burned or melted internal parts. While Cambridge SoundWorks incorporates the most heat tolerant parts commensurate with good acoustic design, the speaker's Limited Warranty against defects in materials and workmanship does not apply to parts that fail from long-term operation at very high temperatures. Enclosure Cleaning The speaker enclosure may be cleaned with a window-cleaning product. Use a soft, lint free cloth only. Avoid spraying cleaner on the passive radiator diaphragm. 7 BassCube 6S Manual 5/24/02 1:29 PM Page 8 CAMBRIDGE SOUNDWORKS, INC. 26 Dartmouth Street, Westwood MA, 02090 Telephone: 1-800-367-4434 Fax: 1-617-527-3194 A Company P81-1930