INSTALLATION & OPERATION GUIDE M M OO DD EE LL SS AT8000 AT8200 ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY IN-WALL LOUDSPEAKERS ® B LENDING H IGH F IDELITY AND A RCHITECTURE ® Congratulations! Thank you for choosing Advanced Technology In-Wall Loudspeakers from Niles. With proper installation and operation, you'll enjoy years of trouble-free use. Niles manufactures the industry's most complete line of custom installation components and accessories for audio/video systems. For a free full line catalog write: Niles, Catalog Request, P O. Box 160818, Miami, Florida 33116-0818 . TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION FEATURES AND BENEFITS INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS SPEAKER PLACEMENT INSTALLATION FUNDAMENTALS INSTALLATION OF BRACKETS, FRAMES AND GRILLES IN NEW CONSTRUCTION INSTALLATION OF BRACKETS, FRAMES AND GRILLES IN EXISTING WALLS INSTALLATION OF THE SPEAKER AND GRILLE IN NEW OR EXISTING CONSTRUCTION OPERATION SPECIFICATIONS WARRANTY REGISTRATION CARD LIMITED WARRANTY 1 1 3 5 7 12 14 15 17 18 20 21 ©1999 Niles Audio Corporation. Because Niles strives to continuously improve its products, Niles reserves the right to change product specifications without notice. Niles and the Niles logo are registered trademarks of Niles Audio Corporation. Blending High Fidelity and Architecture, BumpBack, X-Matrix and MicroSensor are trademarks of Niles Audio Corporation. Dolby is a registered trademark of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation. Decora is a registered trademark of Leviton Manufacturing Co. Introduction The AT or Advanced Technology group of In-Wall Loudspeakers are designed to deliver truly stunning performance with optimum installation flexibility. All models in the AT series are constructed using the highest quality components and utilize advanced materials technology to create speakers capable of reproducing both music and movie soundtracks with stunning realism and sonic impact. They are perfect anywhere that quality of sound is the most important consideration. An AT8000 Series Speaker Kit; AT8000 Series Bracket Kit; and an AT8000 Series Frame/Grille Kit are required to install one AT8000 Series In-Wall Loudspeaker in either new or existing construction. Hyperbolic Tri-Laminate Dome Midrange and Zero-Diffraction Swiveling Tweeter* The AT8000's 1-1/2" midrange driver and 1" tweeter both share a tri-laminate design consisting of an inner textile layer which forms the dome, a high damping layer to kill unwanted resonances, and an outside layer of urethane to add stiffness and prevent breakup modes. AT8200 Aluminum/Urethane Composite Woofer The AT8200's 8" woofer is constructed of a composite of aluminum and urethane which is extremely light, highly efficient, and offers superior damping characteristics. Hyperbolic Aluminum/Urethane Dome Midrange and Zero-Diffraction Swiveling Tweeter* The AT8200's 1-1/2" midrange and 1" tweeter incorporate the same aluminum/ urethane composite used in the construction of the AT8200's woofer. The result is a very natural sounding speaker capable of reproducing mids and highs with superb detail and accuracy. Computer Optimized Crossover with Acoustical Configuration Controls The second order Linkwitz-Riley crossover is computer optimized and constructed of premium components for unparalleled sonic performance. The baffle-mounted Tone Controls provide installers with Bass, Midrange and Treble adjustment in four increments (-2dB, Flat, +2dB, +4dB). These controls can be used to fine tune the speakers performance or to compensate for less than ideal room acoustics. (For more information, see Setting the Tone on page 15.) BumpBackTM Woofer Magnet Niles engineers have utilized a unique magnet construction allowing far greater "throw" or voice coil excursion. This enables Niles AT loudspeakers to play louder without mechanical distortion or "bottoming" . Patent Pending Features and Benefits Features and Benefits High Performance Woofer and Tweeter Designs Both the AT8000 and AT8200 incorporate woofer designs which feature inverted dust caps, butyl rubber surrounds, and Niles exclusive BumpBackTM magnet structure to provide powerful and accurate bass response. Additionally, both models feature tweeters housed in a zerodiffraction swiveling enclosure which can be positioned up to 15 degrees off axis to deliver optimum clarity regardless of speaker placement or listening position. AT8000 Interlaced Carbon/Glass Fiber Woofer The AT8000's 8" woofer is constructed of carbon and glass fibers which are not only lighter and more rigid than polypropylene, but are interlaced in a pattern that reduces cone breakup and effectively lowers distortion. 1 X-MatrixTM Reinforced Baffle The X-Matrix baffle design uses specially molded ribs to add rigidity to the baffle assembly. The end result is better bass and improved midrange detail. Weather Resistant Construction The AT8000 and AT8200 loudspeakers feature drivers which are impervious to moisture; the grille (sold separately as part of the AT8000 Series Frame and Grille kit) is made of aluminum, and all exposed hardware is constructed of stainless steel. Absolutely Flush to the Wall Appearance The unique mounting system of the AT loudspeakers powerfully clamps the frame to the bracket, sandwiching the wall material between them. Because the clamping action is totally uniform around the frame, there are no shadows or gaps between the wall and the frame. Additionally, the Niles mounting system is carefully optimized to stiffen the surrounding drywall and prevent it from resonating. You hear only the music, not the drywall. Easy Retrofit Installation in your Existing Home Designed for ease of installation, the Niles mounting system makes retrofit installations simple and fast. A supplied template assures fast and accurate hole cutting. The bracket slips behind the drywall and the screws secure the bracket to the frame, sandwiching the drywall between them. The speaker baffle attaches to the frame, and the grille mounts over the speaker. Three Stage Installation System for Remodels or New Construction You install only the parts you need for a particular stage of construction. When the framing and wiring are finished, you install the bracket. After the drywall is up, but before the painter begins to paint, you install the frame and provide the painter with the aluminum grilles so that they can be painted to match the surroundings. Only when construction is completely finished do you put the valuable speaker in the wall. You don't have to mask or prep the speaker for painting, and worries about theft during the final phases of construction are never an issue! Eight Ohm Impedance The AT8000 and AT8200 speakers are designed to be compatible with most amplifiers. Their eight ohm impedance is an easy electrical load for most amplifiers to drive. Low Diffraction, Paintable Aluminum Grilles AT speakers are available with aluminum grilles. The powder-coated aluminum grille has hundreds of precisely sized perforations, creating an acoustically transparent grille. Infrared Sensor Mount The speaker baffle has a locator designed for the Niles MS-1 MicroSensor,TM a miniature infrared sensor. The MS-1 installs discretely behind the aluminum grille and therefore minimizes wall clutter in your home. When you want to control your equipment, you simply point your remote control at the speaker from up to 15 feet away. Features and Benefits 2 Figure 1 Model AT8000 Shown Installation Considerations New Construction Wings Bracket Frame Speaker Baffle Grille Installation Considerations Recommended Amplifier Power For satisfactory performance, we recommend an amplifier with a power rating of twenty to two hundred watts for the AT8000 and AT8200 speakers. Curiously, most speakers are not damaged by large amplifiers but by small amplifiers. If your system is playing loudly, a small amplifier will run out of power very quickly. When an amplifier runs out of power it creates damaging "clipping" distortion. A large amplifier will play at the same volume without distorting. (For more information about clipping distortion, see the section on Operation, on page 17.) Incorporating a Local Volume Control In a multi-room system there is one indispensible control for true convenience--a local volume control. It allows you to adjust the volume of the speakers without leaving the room. Plan to wire the system so that each pair of speakers has its own volume control built into the wall (think of a volume control as a dimmer switch for sound). Niles makes a wide range of high performance indoor and outdoor volume controls. They are available in Standard or Decora® style faceplates (just like your light switches and dimmers). Volume controls are connected in line with the speaker, so you must connect the wire from the amplifier to the volume control and then from the volume control to the speaker. 3 Speaker Wire Use 2-conductor speaker wire when connecting AT speakers to your receiver or amplifier. For most applications, we recommend you use a minimum of 16 or 18 gauge wire. For wiring runs longer than 80 feet we recommend a minimum of 14 gauge wire. The spring loaded binding post terminals of the AT speakers will accommodate up to 8 gauge wire directly. Banana jack or pin connectors may also be used to allow the connection of larger size wires if necessary. An IR sensor requires that a 2-conductor shielded wire (West Penn D291 or equivalent) be home run from each sensor location to the main equipment location. This wire is normally run beside the speaker wire at the same time. Typically, the sensor is placed in a location that faces your listening position. Most remote controls will have an effective line of sight range of 18 to 30 feet with any Niles sensor placed in a wall, ceiling, on a cabinet or tabletop. However, when you place a Niles MS-1 MicroSensor behind the perforated alu- Installation Considerations 4 TECH TIP Wire size is expressed by its AWG (American Wire Gauge) number. The lower the number, the larger the wire, i.e. twelve AWG is physically larger than fourteen AWG. When wire is to be run inside walls, special jacketing (CL-2 or CL-3) is required to both protect the wire and for fire prevention. In some areas conduit is required. For a trouble-free installation, low voltage wire such as speaker wire must be run in accordance with the National Electrical Code and any applicable provisions of the local building code. If you are unsure of the correct installation techniques, wire jacket or type of conduit to use, consult a professional audio/video installer, your building contractor, or the local building and inspection department. Incorporating a Remote Control If you are planning to use a stereo system with a hand held IR remote control, consider the advantages of installing a Niles IR Repeater system. You are able to control all of the functions of your system from the room with the remote pair of speakers. Niles makes a number of IR sensors which install in the wall, in the ceiling, in cabinetry, on tabletops, or even behind the grille of your Niles AT speakers. minum grille of a speaker, the sensor's effective range is reduced to 9 to 15 feet. Acoustical Treatment Options For the best performance from your AT speakers, acoustically treating the surrounding drywall is suggested. In new construction installations, the most practical option is to block off the wall cavity both above and below the area where the speaker will be installed. This will create a "backbox" containing a specific volume of air in which the performance of the AT8000 and AT8200 speakers will be optimized. When installing the AT speakers in a standard wall (16" stud spacing with 2x4 studs) the suggested air volume would be 2540 cubic inches or 52" of space between the top and bottom walls of the "backbox". If the speakers are to be installed in a 2x6 wall, a true backbox may be constructed using 1/2" or 5/8" thick Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF). The dimensions of the enclosure may be varied in terms of height, width, and depth, as long as the interior volume of the enclosure remains approximately 2540 cubic inches. Although the AT speakers utilize an infinite baffle design which does not require the use of a backbox, critical listeners may appreciate the tighter bass and extended frequency response into the lower octaves that the use of a backbox (or blocking off the wall cavity) will provide. A hole cutting template is provided with the AT8000 Series Bracket Kit. The cutout for the speaker must measure 9-3/4" x 17-1/4". Insulating the Wall Cavity When it is not possible to use a backbox, good results can be achieved by treating the interior of the drywall cavity with DynamatTM or a similar cabinet damping material. At least two linear feet of damping material should be adhered to the rear wall and to the front wall (one foot above and one foot below the cutout) of the wall cavity. Additionally, insulating the wall cavity behind ...