User manual VELODYNE HGS-12

"...the CT-120 is one of the few subwoofers I've tested at any price that could produce clean output at 20 Hz..." - Tom Nousaine Stereo Review, June 1998 "...it is an excellent sub..., it compares favorably with even the best...it is definitely superior...." - Howard Ferster Sensible Sound, February/March 2000 CHT Front Row System Owner's Manual Other Velodyne Subwoofer Products: HGS Series HGS-10 HGS-12 HGS-15 HGS-18 SPL Series SPL-800 SPL-1000 SPL-1200 VLF Series VLF-810 VLF-1012 F Series FSX-12 II BV Velodyne Acoustics, Inc. 1070 Commercial St. Suite #101 San Jose, CA 95112 408.436.7270 voice 408.436.7276 fax Web Site: www.velodyne.com E-mail: techhelp@velodyne.com Audio/Video Satellite and Surround System Printed on recycled paper. 6-01, #63-CHT FRS Rev. A CAUTION: To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not attempt to open or disassemble speaker cabinet. There are no user serviceable parts inside. SPECIFICATIONS: Classic Home Theater Front Row System Cabinet (H,W,D) Cabinet (H,W,D) Frequency Response 8.5" x 5.5" x 6.25" (L/R, F and R) 5.5" x 13" x 6.25" (center) 90 Hz - 22 kHz +/- 2 dB (L/R, F and R) 90 Hz - 22 kHz +/-1.5 dB (center) 3rd order (18 dB/oct) with equalization 2nd order (12 dB/oct) with equalization Momentary over power protection (self resetting mute ~10 dB) 4" long throw with 11 oz. magnet (x2 center) 1.2" two layer copper 3/4" soft dome with neodymium magnet Ferro-fluid cooled voice coil Gold Plated Binding Posts (accepts bare wire and banana plugs) Two years (parts and labor) 40 lbs. (entire system, approx.) Specifications are subject to change without notice. Safety First High Pass Crossover 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Read instructions. All safety and operating instructions should be read before the speaker is operated. Retain instructions. The safety and operating instructions should be retained for future reference. Heed Warnings. All warnings on the speakers and in the operating instructions should be adhered to. Follow instructions. For optimum performance, all operating and use instructions should be followed. Water and moisture. The speakers should not be used near water. For example, near bathtub, washbowl, sink, laundry tub, pool, outdoors, or in an extremely damp environment. Stands. If stands are used, they should be sturdy enough to prevent accidental tipping and resulting damage of the speaker. Wall or ceiling mounting. The speaker should be mounted to a wall or ceiling using hardware suited to fastening an object of the speakers weight or damage may result. Consult your dealer for specific recommendations. Heat. The speaker should be situated away from any direct heat sources such as radiators, stoves, or any other appliances that produce heat. Cleaning. The speaker should be cleaned only with a damp cloth. Harsh abrasives or cleaning solutions may damage the finish and should not be used. Foreign object or liquid entry. Care should be taken so that objects/ liquids do not fall onto any part of the speaker. Damage requiring service. The speaker should be serviced only by a qualified technician when: a. Objects have fallen or liquid has been spilled into the speaker b. The speaker has been exposed to rain or severe moisture c. The speaker does not appear to operate normally or exhibits a marked change in performance d. The speaker has been dropped, or the enclosure damaged Servicing. The user should not attempt to service the speaker beyond cleaning and making signal connections. All servicing should be referred to a qualified service technician. Low Pass Crossover Protection Woofer Woofer Voice Coil Tweeter 6. 7. Inputs 8. Warranty Weight 9. 10. 11. FOR YOUR RECORDS. . . DATE PURCHASED ____________________________________ DEALER __________________________________________________ SERIAL# ______________________________________________ *NOTE: Please complete and return your warranty card within ten (10) days of purchase. 12. 1 10 Troubleshooting and Service Before seeking service for your Front Row Speaker System, please check all the components in your system for proper operation. Following is a simple troubleshooting guide to assist you. 1. Verify speakers are properly connected to receiver/amplifier and that electronics are switched on and functioning properly. 2. Is the speaker selector switch of the receiver in the proper position? 3. Are all speaker cables in good condition and making good contact with all terminals? 4. Is your receiver getting a signal from your source device? 5. Is your receiver sending a signal to the speakers? 6. If speakers have been running at high levels, the protection circuit may be engaged which reduces volume for a short period of time. First, reduce the volume setting of your equipment. The volume should return to normal after a few moments. Congratulations! Congratulations on your purchase of the CHT Front Row System. This system represents the state of the art in home audio reproduction and will provide you with years of listening pleasure when properly used and cared for. Read and follow this instruction manual to insure safe and proper system connection and operation. This speaker system was designed to offer seamless integration with any of our CHT Series subwoofers. It is essential that you use a Velodyne subwoofer with the CHT Front Row System to achieve optimal performance. The addition of a Velodyne Subwoofer will allow your loudspeaker system to reproduce the bass frequencies from approximately 80Hz and below. With the CHT Front Row System and a Velodyne subwoofer, working together as a system, the sound quality, output levels, and value will exceed most other systems. Please unpack the system carefully. Remove all staples used to seal the carton as they can scratch the cabinets. Please save the carton and all packaging materials for future use. Record the serial number in the space provided on the warranty card for future reference. The following conditions require service by a qualified technician: 1. The enclosure has become damaged or broken. 2. The unit does not appear to operate normally or exhibits a marked change in performance. 3. The unit has been exposed to water. 4. Some part of the speaker (woofer or tweeter) is physically damaged. Product Features Woofer q 4" diameter with cast aluminum basket q Moisture resistant treated fiber cone q Inverted dustcap for smoother response q Rubber surround for long life and lower distortion q Magnetically shielded to allow placement near TV's Tweeter q 3/4" diameter Silk Dome Tweeter with neodymium magnet q Ferro-fluid cooled q Magnetically shielded to allow placement near TV's Crossover q Woofer (12 dB/octave), Tweeter (18 dB/octave) q Frequency and impedance equalization q Protection circuit to prevent driver damage General q Removable grille q Sealed enclosure. Thank you for purchasing a Velodyne! 5/8" MDF enclosure to reduce cabinet resonance and continued. . . sound coloration 9 2 Prepare for Installation Your new Front Row System provides for a number of installation options, especially when combined with a Velodyne subwoofer. Read all the installation information below in order to determine which installation option is best for your system. Remember to perform all installation procedures with system power turned off to prevent possible damage. Interconnect Cables When installing your new Velodyne speaker system with a subwoofer using the line level connections, you should always use shielded phono cables. There are many cables available today, any of which will work perfectly well. We do recommend that you keep the length of cable as short as possible to avoid any potential noise problems. For speaker level connections, use a 16-gauge or larger speaker cable that mates well with the connectors. Be very careful to avoid any loose strands or frayed wires which may result in a short, causing damage to your equipment. Cables of extremely large size are typically not required. Oversize wire may not properly fit in the binding posts, resulting in a poor connection and possible short circuits. Placement Your new Velodyne speaker system, like any good speaker system, requires proper positioning within the listening space to provide maximum performance. Improperly placed speakers may degrade the sound quality and reduce your listening pleasure. Depending on the size and type of furnishings in the room, perfect placement may not be possible. Finding the best location for your environment will likely require some experimentation. We suggest observing the following guidelines, then experiment with the location during setup to find what sounds best to you when seated in your typical listening position. While the optimum location for a subwoofer (typically) is tucked away in a corner of your listening room, the front Left, Center, and Right satellite speakers should be placed so the speakers are at the same height as your ears when seated in your typical listening spot. The center speaker will typically be placed above or below the TV in the direct center of the screen. The left and right front speakers should be placed at equal distance from the center and close to the same height and close to the height of your ears when seated (Figure 1). The rear surround speakers are not as critical of placement and should be placed behind the listeners. Mount the rear speakers slightly above listeners ears. They may be aimed straight ahead, or angled inward toward the listener. q Care of your speaker system Your Velodyne speaker system does not require any regular maintenance. Normal dusting or cleaning of the surface for appearance purposes are all that is required. We do suggest you avoid any harsh detergents or chemicals when cleaning the cabinet. Abrasives, detergents, or cleaning solutions may damage the finish on the cabinet. We recommend using only a damp cloth to clean the cabinet. Find your space Select an area of the room which gives you an unobstructed line of sight to the speakers. Achieve proper tonal response Your speakers will perform best when they are placed at least 1-2 feet from any back or side walls. Speaker height In the front, speakers should be close, if not equal to the height of the listeners ears. continued. . . q q 3 8 Connection Thru Subwoofer (line-level) Figure 4 illustrates how to connect your new satellite speakers through your Velodyne subwoofer's line level crossover. This is only possible if your receiver has in/out loop connections that separate the amp and preamp stages. Consult the manual for your receiver for further information on this capability. This will remove the lower bass from your front satellite speakers only. Other speakers will still receive full range information. This method should only be used if your receiver does not have high pass crossover functions built into the surround sound processor. Figure 4. Connecting thru Velodyne subwoofer's line level high pass crossover RED (+) POSITIVE AMP BLACK (-) NEGATIVE AMP RED (+) POSITIVE SPEAKER BLACK (-) NEGATIVE SPEAKER q Speaker separation The distance between the speakers will have a considerable effect on the stereo image and apparent placement of sound. A good rule of thumb for most listening rooms is to have the left and right speakers between 6-9 feet apart. q Fine tune position (up/down) If the speakers are at a different height than the listener, it may be beneficial to tilt the speakers up or down to aim them more directly at the listening area. Fine tune position (left/right) Once general position of the speakers is selected, adjust the angle of the speakers. In some installations you may need to "toe in" the speakers to aim them at the listeners. Tone control adjustment These speakers are designed to provide a very smooth and accurate frequency response, in most rooms, without any extra equalization. This makes adjusting the tone controls (bass/treble) unnecessary in most installations. Room furnishings The type and location of furnishings in your room may greatly affect the sound you hear. Rooms with hardwood floors and minimal upholstered surfaces may sound very bright and live from an extra amount of reflected sound. Other rooms with heavily padded floors and carpeting, along with thick drape tend to make the sound warm and softer. Keep this in mind when setting up your audio/video listening room. q q FRONT LEFT CENTER RIGHT q -+ -+ -+ SUBWOOFER (line level) IN L-R OUT L-R Figure 1. Optimal Speaker Height and Separation 3-4 ft. typical 3-4 ft. typical Tweeters on same plane RECEIVER SPEAKER L-R OUT L-R IN L-R FRONT + - PRE-AMP TO AMP FRONT (line-level) CENTER + - + - OUTPUTS REAR L-R Tweeters on same plane LEFT RIGHT Height equal to listeners ears REAR -+ -+ continued. . . 7 4 Connection Direct From Receiver Figure 2 illustrates how to connect your Velodyne speaker system directly to your receiver or amplifier. This is the preferred connection method for most systems that have a "subwoofer out" connection and electronic filter as part of the surround sound processor. It is recommended that you activate your receiver/processor's high pass filter function. We recommend setting this crossover in your receiver or processor to 80 Hz. To do this, select "small" mode on the speaker setup menu of your receiver. This is nominal for most systems and will allow your satellite speakers to go reasonably low and provide good imaging while allowing your sub to blend in perfectly. The higher the crossover frequency between your speakers and subwoofer, the easier it will be to locate sound from the subwoofer. This is undesirable, as it will degrade the imaging of your system. If your equipment does not have the required outputs for this type of installation, consult the following two installation methods for more options. If none of the methods shown will work in your system, or if you should have further questions, please consult your dealer or call our technical support department for more help. Figure 2. Connections direct from power amp/receiver with electronic crossover RED (+) POSITIVE AMP BLACK (-) NEGATIVE AMP RED (+) POSITIVE SPEAKER BLACK (-) NEGATIVE SPEAKER Connection Thru Subwoofer (speaker-level) Figure 3 illustrates how to connect your new satellite speakers through your Velodyne subwoofer's speaker level crossover. This will remove the lower bass from your front satellite speakers only. Other speakers will still receive full range information. This method should only be used if your receiver does not have high pass crossover functions built into the surround sound processor. Be careful to connect the positive + (red) terminals on your receiver to the + (red) terminals of your subwoofer. Reversing these connections may damage your subwoofer. Figure 3. Connecting thru Velodyne subwoofer's speaker level high pass crossover RED (+) POSITIVE AMP BLACK (-) NEGATIVE AMP RED (+) POSITIVE SPEAKER BLACK (-) NEGATIVE SPEAKER FRONT LEFT CENTER RIGHT -+ -+ -+ FRONT LEFT CENTER Line level sub out to Velodyne sub line in RIGHT SUBWOOFER (speaker level) IN L-R OUT L-R -+ -+ -+ + - + RECEIVER / AMPLIFIER RECEIVER / AMPLIFIER MAIN SPEAKER OUTPUTS FRONT CENTER L-R SUB OUT REAR L-R MAIN SPEAKER OUTPUTS FRONT CENTER L-R REAR L-R + - + - + - + - + - + - LEFT LEFT RIGHT RIGHT REAR -+ -+ REAR -+ -+ continued. . . 5 6