MODEL
BG525
B LENDING H IGH F IDELITY AND A RCHITECTURE
®
INSTALLATION & OPERATION GUIDE
MODEL
BG525
BACKGROUND
®
®
Congratulations!
Thank you for choosing a Blueprint Series®In-Wall Loudspeaker 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 331 16-0818
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 2
FEA TURES AND BENEFITS 2
INST ALLATION CONSIDERA TIONS 4
SPEAKER PLACEMENT 6
INST ALLATION FUNDAMENTALS 8
INSTALLATION OF BRACKETS, FRAMES AND GRILLES IN NEW CONSTRUCTION 13
INSTALLATION OF BRACKETS, FRAMES AND GRILLES IN EXISTING WALLS 15
INSTA LLATIONOF THE SPEAKER A N D GRILLE INNEWOREXISTING CONSTRUCTION 16
OPERA TION 1 8
SPECIFICA TIONS 18
LIMITED WARRANTY 19
WARRAN TY REGIS TRATION CARD 20
2
Features and Benefits
Introduction
The BG Background group of Blueprint
Series
®
Loudspeakers offers a product
expressly designed for quality background music reproduction. This speaker
is perfect for hallways, laundry rooms,
entryways or other areas where critical
listening is unlikely and cost is a major
influence in the purchase decision.
A complete, installed pair of BG-525
In-Wall Loudspeakers consists of
three components:
1. BG-525 Speaker
2. 525 Bracket Kit
3. 525 Frame/Grille Kit
Features and Benefits
PointSource™ Full-Range Driver
The PointSource driver of the BG -525 is
constructed with a woven fiber cone supported by a treated foam surround. This
gives the driver rigidity for fast transients.
The frequency response curve of the
PointSource driver has been carefully
shaped for Background Music reproduction. It has a rich sound much more suitable for low volume listening than traditional speakers. The single driver configuration gives effective coverage over a wide
area allowing great latitude in terms of
speaker placement.
X-Matrix™ 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.
Absolutely Flush to the Wall
Appearance
The unique mounting system of the BG
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 frame to the bracket,
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 rustproof
aluminum
grilles
to the painter 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 speakers are designed to be placed in
multi-room systems with many pairs of
speakers. The eight ohm impedance is a
very easy electrical load for most amplifiers. This allows many pairs of BG speakers to be wired to a single amplifier using
a Niles speaker selection system.
Low Diffraction, Paintable Aluminum
Grilles
BG speakers are available with aluminum
grilles. The painted 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,™ a
miniature infrared sensor. The MS-1
installs discreetly 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
3
Recommended Amplifier Power
For satisfactory performance, we recommend an amplifier with a power rating of
five to fifty watts for the BG-525.
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. See the section on
operating the speakers for more information about clipping distortion.
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 cover plates (just like your
4
Installation Considerations
Figure 1
New Construction Wings
Bracket
Frame
SpeakerBaffle
IR Knockout
Grille
Installation Considerations
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.
Speaker Wire
Use 2-conductor speaker wire when connecting BG speakers to your receiver or
amplifier. For most applications, we recommend you use 16 or 18 gauge wire.
For wiring runs longer than 80 feet we
recommend 14 gauge wire. The spring
loaded terminals of the BG speakers will
accommodate up to 14 gauge wire
directly. Larger sizes can be accommodated via pin connectors.
When you run wire 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 con-
trol 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 BG speakers.
An IR sensor requires that a dedicated
2-conductor shielded wire (West Penn
D291 or equivalent) 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 sen-
sor placed in a wall, ceiling, on a cabinet
or tabletop. However, when you place a
Niles MS-1 MicroSensor behind the perforated aluminum grille of a speaker the
effective range is reduced to 9 to 15 feet.
Insulating the Wall Cavity
For best performance from your speakers
fill the wall cavity behind the speaker
with fiberglass insulation (e.g. R-19 unbatted insulation). Try to keep the same
amount of insulation for each speaker,
particularly in the same room, for consistent bass response.
5
Installation Considerations
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.
6
Speaker Placement
The Boundary Effect
Corners can affect the bass response of
the speaker powerfully! This is called the
boundary effect. You will emphasize particular bass frequencies and cancel out
other bass frequencies when you place
speakers close to the wall/ceiling boundary or a corner wall boundary. This can
make the speaker sound excessively
boomy and inaccurate to some listeners,
while to others it just seems like more
bass sound. A good rule of thumb is if
you always listen to your current pair of
speakers with the bass turned up, you’ll
enjoy corner placement. If you keep your
tone controls at neutral, try to keep the
speakers at least one or two feet from the
boundaries of the room.
Placement for Varying Listening
Positions
If you want the freedom to sit anywhere
in a room facing any direction, and/or
find that you prefer the “all around you”
sound of some car stereos to a conventional “sound stage” facing you, consider
the speaker placement techniques professional installers use in restaurants and
bars. They place speakers in an array
around the listening area, so that the
music is always surrounding you, regardless of the direction you face.
The rule of thumb is to add one pair of
speakers for every 100 to 200 square feet
of listening area. Curiously, this is not so
that you can play the music louder, but
so that you can play it softer! When you
have only one pair of speakers in a large
room you will notice that when the
sound is perfect in one part of the room,
it is too loud near the speakers. By placing more than one pair in the room you
will avoid these “hot spots” of loud
sound and you will create still more
sonic ambiance while maintaining clarity
and a rich sound everywhere.
You can make listener position still less
critical by using mono rather than stereo.
This can be difficult to achieve with normal stereo amplifiers. However, Niles
manufactures Systems Integration
Amplifiers which enable one room to be
wired in stereo while other rooms are
wired in mono. Consult your local Niles
dealer for more information.
In smaller rooms or rooms that are infrequently used, you typically can’t justify
the expense of more than two speakers.
Try to bracket the room with the two
speakers. Diagonal placement is a very
effective way to stretch the coverage pattern of two speakers. You can also compromise between direct sound (for detail
and clarity) and reflected sound (the
ambient or “all around you” effect). By
trying to place the speakers so that they
create as much reflected sound as possible, you emphasize the ambient effect.
They can be up high in the wall or even
down low at power outlet height, in the
ceiling, near corners, or directed at
reflective objects and walls. The more
reflected sound there is in the room the
stronger the ambient effect at low volumes. You should use moderation, however, otherwise the compromise becomes
too one sided and at high volumes the
sound will be blurred and less distinct.
Placement for Rear Home Theater
Applications
In a home theater, the goal is to reproduce the experience of a great movie theater in our homes. The biggest difference
between the two is the rear or surround
speaker array in a commercial theater.
Here, it is not uncommon to see twenty
or thirty speakers around the audience.
Speaker Placement
This huge array of speakers assures that
you will feel completely surrounded by
the ambient soundtrack of the movie.
Film makers try to use the “surround”
soundtrack to envelope you in the environment on screen. They will place background music, rain sounds, traffic noise,
etc. on the “surround” soundtrack. In a
home with a single pair of speakers it is
easy for the jungle sounds to sound like
they are “in the middle of your head” just
like headphones!
A single pair of BG Loudspeakers, properly placed, can create a very convincing
simulation of an array of speakers. If you
place them near a hard reflecting surface
you can make one pair of speakers sound
like several. Create as many reflections as
possible by mounting the speaker up high
in the wall so that the ceiling will act as a
powerful reflector. If you place the speakers near a corner, wash the sound down a
wall from a ceiling location, or mount the
speakers as far away as you can from the
listening area, more reflections will occur.
However, all of these placement techniques require that you work your surround sound amplifier channels harder. If
the surround sound system you are using
has a small five or ten watt amplifier for
the rear speakers, stay within five to eight
feet of the listening location. If you are
using a 25 to 50 watt amplifier you can
mount the speakers 10 to 15 feet away
from the listening location and still
achieve reasonably high volume levels.
Of course, the best way to emulate the
sound of multiple speakers is to use multiple speakers. In large or unusually shaped
rooms this might be the only way to
achieve a good effect. If you like to listen
to music surround modes which emulate
concert hall acoustics, more than two surround speakers will prove extraordinarily
effective. With Niles BG loudspeakers it is
easy to add another pair without affecting
the decor of the room. However, you will
need to use a much more powerful amplifier than that which is built into a typical
surround sound receiver or amplifier.
Niles makes a number of Systems
Integration Amplifiers with proprietary features that make them uniquely suited to
enhance a good surround sound system.
Consult your Niles dealer for more information.
7
Speaker Placement
Installation
Fundamentals
Running the Speaker Wire in New
Construction
If you have doubts about whether you are
capable of installing a Niles Blueprint
Series speaker in your walls, consult a
Niles dealer or professional installer. They
have special tools, techniques, and experience to make the impossible possible. The
installer can provide you with an estimate
before any work is done.
Scheduling and Preparation
Plan to schedule the speaker wiring after
the electrical wiring is finished. That way
you can avoid wire routes which could
potentially induce hum over the speaker
wire. The basic rules are:
• Never run speaker wire through the
same hole as an electrical cable.
• Never run speaker wire into the same
J-box as electrical cable.
• Avoid running the speaker wire beside
the electrical cable. Keep it at least three
or four feet distant from any electrical
power cable.
Side-by-side wiring is unavoidable in particular spots in every house, just move the
speaker wire route away as soon as possible. If construction forces a side by side
run for more than ten feet, install metal
conduit or shielded speaker wire. Lowvoltage wires such as doorbells, intercoms, telephone, security, or television
cannot cause interference or hum on your
speaker wires, so you can safely run all of
them at the same time, through the same
holes, side-by-side.
Before you drill any holes, mount the
speaker brackets in the desired speaker
locations and mount P-rings or open
backed J-boxes where the in-wall volume
controls and stereo equipment will be.
Safety First!
Wear gloves, safety goggles and head
protection when drilling. Avoid nails, they
ruin bits and they can create injury. Pay
particular care when using “hole-hogs” and
other powerful electric drills; the torque of
the drill when suddenly stopped by a nail
can break the wrist of a strong man.
Drilling
Use a bit that is large enough for the wires
you plan to run. An auger bit is the preferred bit for rough-in wiring. It will actually pull itself through the wood, so that
the drill motor, not you, does most of the
work. You will be drilling a lot of holes,
so this is important.
Always drill the holes in the center of the
stud. If you have to notch the stud or drill
the hole closer than one inch from the
edge of the stud, protect the wire with a
nail plate (See Figure 2).
When drilling holes in ceiling joists, drill
in the center of the joists and try to locate
the hole near the end of the joist. DO
NOT drill through a “gluelam” or any
load bearing beam without the direction
of your contractor.
8
Installation Fundamentals
Figure 2
Try to line the holes up perfectly, because
it makes pulling the wire much easier. A
good technique is to snap a chalk line
across the face of the studs or against the
bottom of the ceiling joists. Then work
backward so that you can always see the
holes you have already drilled. Paying
careful attention to this will save you a lot
of time later on!
Pulling the Cable
Pull the cable in sections (from the stereo
to the volume control, from the volume
control to the speaker). Start with the
longest sections and use left over wire to
complete the short sections. If you plan to
pull many rooms at the same time
through a central route, walk off the distance to each destination, add a generous
fudge factor for turns and other obstacles,
then cut off each section so that you have
a bundle of wires you can pull at once.
Whenever you run the wire further than
four and one half feet from a hole in a
stud or joist (open attic space, going up
walls, etc.), fasten the wire to the joists or
studs using cable clamps or appropriately
sized wire staples. The wire should not
have large sags in it, nor should it be too
tight. Try to protect the wire from being
stepped on in attics or other unfinished
crawl spaces. There are guard strips, raceways and conduits which can be used to
protect the cable. Consult the local building code for special requirements in your
area.
Concealing Speaker Wire in Existing
Walls
This is actually a fairly simple task if you
restrict your choice of speaker locations
and wire routes to the interior walls or
ceilings of your home. Interior walls in
almost all North American residences are
hollow, so that it is easy to flush mount
speakers into them and route new speaker
cable around the house. What you see
when you look at the painted wall
board, plaster, or paneling is only the
skin of the wall. Behind the skin is the
skeleton; two-by-four wood or metal
“studs” running vertically from the floor
to the ceiling in walls and two-by-six or
larger “joists” running horizontally in the
ceilings and floors. In between the studs
and the joists is the space for the wiring
and plumbing of your home.
Exterior walls are different. They must
insulate the house from the heat and
cold outside, so they are stuffed with
insulation. The national building code
requires that the hollow wall space in
exterior walls be broken by a horizontal
stud placed between the vertical studs.
This “fire blocking” makes it very difficult to retrofit long lengths of wire. In
some areas of the country the exterior
walls are constructed of solid masonry,
and have no hollow space for speakers
or wires.
Start by examining all the possible routes
you might take to run the speaker wire
from the speaker to the volume control
and back to the stereo. Use a stud sensor
or other device to locate the internal
structure of the wall. You want to avoid
all studs or joists. A typical route would
be: from the speaker location up the
inside of the wall to a new hole drilled
into the top “plate” (horizontal two-byfour at the top of the inside of the wall),
into the attic crawl space, then down to
the volume control location through
another top plate, back up to the attic,
across the attic, and finally down another plate to the wall behind the stereo system itself (See Figure 3). The other very
common route is through the bottom
plate of the wall into an unfinished basement or crawl space.
9
Installation Fundamentals
Identify where all of your electrical,
phone, and TV wiring is likely to be and
plan to route around it all. You can accidentally induce 60 Hz hum on your
speakers if you run your speaker wire right
beside electrical wire for more than a few
feet. Try to keep speaker wire running parallel to power cables at least 3 feet away.
To find exactly where an electrical cable is
routed, try inspecting the inside of the wall
by turning off the breaker for a particular
power outlet or switch, removing the
cover plate and switch or receptacle, and
shining a penlight into the wall. If you have
access to an attic or basement space you
can quickly see which part of the wall
space the wire is free of obstructions (See
Figure 4).
When you don’t have access above or
below the wall, try to estimate the existing
wire and pipe locations from the positions
of electrical outlets and plumbed fixtures
on both sides of the wall. Take a look at
the outside of your house too, sometimes
10
Installation Fundamentals
Figure 3
Speaker
Location
Volume
Control
Location
Stereo
Location
Figure 4
Unobstructed space
for speaker wiring
conduit, vents or drain pipe will be visible
that give useful information. Choose the
route with the fewest potential obstacles.
If your house is built on a slab or you are
wiring between two finished floors, look
for baseboards which could be removed
and replaced with the wire behind them.
Doorjambs can be removed and often
have enough space for speaker wire all
the way around the door (See Figure 5).
Sometimes, an under-the-carpet run is
possible (there are special flat speaker
wires made for under-the-rug wire runs).
As a last resort, heating and air conditioning vents can be used as wire raceways for
plenum rated wire (check your local
building codes, some municipalities
require conduit).
11
Installation Fundamentals
Figure 5
12
Figure 6
Installation Fundamentals
In traditional wood stud/ drywall construction you can cut the hole for the speaker
and utilize the large hole to auger holes
across, up or down the wall for as far as
your drill bit will take you. If you have
matching paint and take reasonable care in
patching you can cut a hatch in the drywall at each stud, run your wire, and patch
and touch-up the wall (See Figure6).
When you are dealing with the unknown
because of the structure of your home, or
with difficult to patch wall materials like
plaster, lath and plaster, faux finishes,
wallpaper etc., be patient. A careful study
of the potential problems before you start
the job will pay off.
Installation of
Brackets, Frames
and Grilles in New
Construction
Stage One: Before Drywall is Hung
Insulating the Wall Cavity.
If feasible, fill the wall cavity with insulation at this point.
Attach the wings to the bracket by snapping them into the sides of the bracket.
The wings can be shortened by breaking
them along the scored lines if their length
will interfere with a corner or eaves. You
can mount the bracket horizontally or vertically (See Figure 8).
Screw one side of the assembled bracket
with wings to the stud using one of the
supplied screws. Level the bracket. Screw
the other side of the bracket to the stud.
Two screws on each side makes for a very
secure installation. Attach the wire to the
bracket at the indicated wire tie points
(See Figure 9).
Stage Two: Before Paint
Screw the frame to the installed bracket
using the supplied screws. Do not overtighten the screws. This will distort the
frame and the grille will not fit (this is not
permanent, just loosen the screws and the
grille will pop in) (See Figure 10).
Painting the Aluminum Grilles
The grille is important to the sound of the
BG loudspeakers. Do not fill the holes of
the grille with paint. The grille is construct-
13
Installation of Brackets, Frames and Grilles in New Construction
Figure 8
ed of aluminum with a perfectly even
powder coat overall. This powder coat is
an ideal primer.
Remove the grilles before painting. If you are
using spray paint, use two thin coats without
any primer. If you are using a compressor and
a spray gun, use the finest, most diffuse
setting. Practice first on some paper if you
have no experience painting with spray paint.
If you are using an applicator or brush, and
a can of paint, thin the paint first. You do
not want to have to poke hundreds of
holes in your beautifully painted grilles.
14
Installation of Brackets, Frames and Grilles in New Construction
Figure 9
Figure 10
Installation of
Brackets, Frames
and Grilles in
Existing Walls
IMPORTANT: Before you cut into any
wall, review the sections on running
wire and speaker placement.
1. Drill a 1/8” pilot hole just barely
through the wallboard or drywall (1/2” to
5/8” deep in most homes) about an inch
below the center of your proposed speaker location (an inch to the side if you are
mounting the speaker horizontally). BE
VERY CAREFUL NOT TO DRILL
THROUGH EXISTING WIRES, PIPES, OR
STRUCTURE. IF YOU FEEL ANY EXTRA
RESISTANCE AS YOU ARE DRILLING,
STOP. Cut a piece of coat hanger equal to
the width of the bracket. Bend the wire in
half creating a right angle. Poke the “Lshaped” wire into the pilot hole and turn it
in a complete circle. If it turns freely,
repeat the procedure from a hole about an
inch above the center of your proposed
speaker location (See Figure 11).
If the wires movement is obstructed by a
pipe or cable, fill the hole (s) with spackle
or other patching compound and try
another location.
2. When determining the final location of
the cutout keep in mind that the frame
and bracket will extend beyond the
cutout. Make sure that you do not place
the edge of the cutout directly next to a
stud. Locate the studs using a stud sensor
or hand-knocking. Once you have determined the correct position for the cutout,
hold the supplied template up to the wall
surface. Level the template in either the
horizontal or the vertical position and
mark the wall with a pencil.
Drill the four corners with a
1/4” drill bit.
3. If you are cutting a painted
or wall papered drywall use
a sheetrock or keyhole saw.
Cut the hole with the saw at
a 45 degree angle. That way,
15
Installation of Brackets, Frames and Grilles in Existing Walls
Figure 11
Figure 12
the drywall section can be replaced cleanly if there is an unseen obstruction behind
the wall. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO
SAW THROUGH EXISTING WIRES, PIPES,
OR STRUCTURE. IF YOU FEEL ANY
EXTRA RESISTANCE AS YOU ARE CUTTING, STOP.
4. If you are cutting into lath and plaster
walls, use masking tape to outline your
penciled marks, drill the four corners with
a 1/4” bit and use a razor to score the
plaster down to the lath beneath. Then use
a chisel to remove all of the plaster within
the taped outline. Finally, insert a metal
cutting blade into a sabre saw and very
slowly and carefully saw the lath. Sawing
the lath can easily vibrate plaster off the
wall. If you have the patience, use a pair
of tin snips to slowly nip away at the lath
instead. There is no risk with this method,
it is just time consuming.
5. Fill the wall cavity with insulation at
this point. Remember to use equal
amounts of insulation for each speaker.
6. Slip the mounting bracket through the
hole and pull it toward you so that its front
edge slides into the hole and stops in
place.
7. Attach the frame to the bracket by
screwing the frame to the bracket using
the supplied screws. Do not overtighten
the screws, this will distort the frame and
the grilles will not fit (this is not permanent, just loosen the screws and the grille
will pop in). The screws should pull the
frame and bracket together (sandwiching
the drywall) so that the frame is absolutely
flush with the wall surface. There should
be no gaps between the wall and the
frame (See Figure 12).
Installation of the
Speaker and Grille
in New or Existing
Construction
Setting the Acoustic Fine Tuning
Setting the switch located on the rear of
the loudspeaker to the “
NORMAL” or
“
PRESENCE” position changes the overall
tonal character of the sound.
The speaker is shipped in the “
NORMAL”
position. This is most appropriate for
rooms with typical reflective painted or
wallpapered walls and ceilings, and normal amounts of furniture and drapes. You
might prefer the “
PRESENCE” position if you
are placing the speaker in a very large, or
very absorbent room (lots of drapes and
upholstered furniture or textured fabric
wallpaper).
Installing a Niles MS-1 MicroSensor™
There is a 1/2" round molded "IR Sensor
Knockout" on the face of the speaker baffle. To prevent damage to the crossover
network you must remove the knockout
from the rear of the speaker. Do not
attempt to remove the knockout with the
speaker face up. Lay the speaker face
down on a clean carpet or rug. Put the tip
of a screwdriver into the center of the
round "knockout" and sharply tap the
screwdriver handle as necessary. Install
the MS-1 using its mounting hex nut so
that it is tightly secured to the speaker.
Connect all wires and continue your
installation.
16
Installation of the Speaker and Grille in New or Existing Construction
Installing the Speaker
If the grille is already installed, remove it
by using a bent paper clip or the tip of a
corkscrew and pulling it away from the
frame (See Figure 13).
1. Separate the speaker wire so that at least
two inches of each conductor are free.
2. Strip one half inch of insulation
from the end of each conductor
of the speaker wire.
3. If you have gold pin connectors which you wish to
use, affix them to the
stripped wire ends now.
4. Connect one stripped
wire end (or connector) to the
black and one to the red terminal.
Pay attention to the markings on the
wire. Each speaker must be connected to
the amplifier in the same way.
5. Place the speaker baffle in the frame and
secure it with the supplied #8 x 3/4”
screws. If you find that the baffle does not
smoothly fit the frame, slightly loosen the
mounting screws that hold the frame to the
bracket.
6. Carefully fit the grille into its recess so
that it is barely in place. Starting with one
corner, go around the speaker, pushing the
grille in a little bit each time. You should
be gentle, the aluminum grille can be easily bent out of shape. The speaker will have
an absolutely flush appearance when it is
fully in place.
Speaker Phase
Speaker wire has two conductors. One
conductor is attached to the negative (-)
terminals and one conductor is attached to
the positive (+) terminals of both your
speaker and your amplifier. Usually, the
wire is marked for your convenience.
There are different ways wires are marked:
a stripe on one wire, a ribbed area of one
conductor you can only feel, different colors of metal wire on each conductor, or
there might be a fabric strand or string
wound into one of the conductors. Of
course, there are some wires which appear
completely identical. Be careful, or you
might make a mistake.
If you make a mistake, one speaker
will be playing “out-of-phase”
with the other speaker. An
out-of-phase pair of speak-
ers work against each
other and the sound of the
two speakers playing
together will be lacking in
bass and be “phasey”
sounding. If you suspect the
sound is not right and you cannot
see any markings on the wire, try this
simple test:
1. Stand half way between the two speakers.
2. Play some music with the amplifier or
radio set to Mono.
3. Listen to the richness of the bass and the
loudness of the sound.
4. Turn off the amplifier and reverse the
connections on one amplifier channel
only.
5. Repeat the listening test with the same
setting of the volume control. When the
sound has a richer bass and is slightly
louder the speakers are working together
or “in-phase”.
17
Installation of the Speaker and Grille in New or Existing Construction
Figure 13
Operation
Listening at Higher Volumes
It requires more power to achieve a reasonable volume of sound in a large room
than it does in a small room. It is possible (even if you are not a teenager) to
turn the volume so high that the amplifier
runs out of power
. This creates “clip-
ping” distortion.
Clipping distortion makes treble sound
very harsh and unmusical. When you hear
harsh sounding treble from any good
speaker, turn the volume down immediately! Those harsh sounds are masking
some much more powerful ultra-high-frequency sound spikes which will quickly
damage any fine loudspeaker. You are
much less likely to damage a speaker with
a large amplifier because it will be very
loud indeed before it produces any clipping distortion.
Cleaning
You can clean the speaker with a dampened soft cloth or paper towel. If the
speaker is mounted high up on a wall or
ceiling, use a broom to gently brush it off.
Specifications
Model BG-525
Driver Complement
5 1/4” woven fiber full-range PointSource
TM
driver
Design Principle
Infinite baffle for large and varying air
volumes
Recommended Amplifier Power
Five to Fifty watts per channel
Nominal Impedance
8 Ohms
Frequency Response
100 Hz to 12,000 Hz, plus or minus 5 dB
(on axis)
Sensitivity
89 decibels for 2.83 volts of Pink Noise,
measured at 1 meter on axis
Overall Exterior Frame Dimensions
7 1/8” x 9 7/8”
Depth Behind Wall
1 7/8” (Assumes 1/2” drywall)
Wall Cut-Out Dimensions
6 1/4” x 9”
Wiring Requirements
We recommend 16 to 18 gauge for up to
80 feet, 14 gauge for up to two hundred
feet. Connectors accommodate 14 to 22
gauge wire.
18
Specifications
19
Limited Warranty
Niles Audio Corporation ("NILES") warrants its loudspeaker products to the original purchaser
to be free of manufacturing defects in material and workmanship for a period of five years
from date of purchase.
This Warranty is subject to the following additional conditions and limitations. The Warranty
is void and inapplicable if NILES deems that the product has been used or handled other than
in accordance with the instructions provided by the manufacturer, including but not limited to
damage caused by accident, mishandling, improper installation, abuse, negligence, or normal
wear and tear, or any defect caused by repair to the product by anyone other than NILES or an
authorized NILES dealer.
To obtain warranty service, take the unit to the nearest authorized NILES dealer, who will test
the product and if necessary, forward it to NILES for service. If there are no authorized NILES
dealers in your area, you must write to NILES and include your name, address, model and
serial number of your unit, along with a brief description of the problem. A factory Return
Authorization Number will be sent to you. DO NOT RETURN ANY UNIT WITHOUT FIRST
RECEIVING WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION AND SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS FROM NILES.
If the above conditions are met, the purchaser's sole remedy shall be to return the product to
NILES, in which case NILES will repair or replace, at its sole option, the defective product
without charge for parts or labor. NILES will return a unit repaired or replaced under warranty
by shipping same by its usual shipping method from the factory (only) at its expense within the
United States of America. THERE ARE NO OTHER WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT
LIMITATION, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE PRODUCT.
REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT AS PROVIDED UNDER THIS WARRANTY IS THE EXCLUSIVE
REMEDY OF THE CONSUMER/PURCHASER. NILES SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR
ANY INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT PROVIDED
(OR PROHIBITED) BY APPLICABLE LAW.
Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages,
so the above limitation may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights,
and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.
For the name of your nearest authorized NILES dealer contact:
NILES AUDIO CORPORATION
P.O. BOX 160818, Miami, Florida 33116-0818.
Please fill in your product information and retain for your records.
Model___________________________________________________________________ _________________
Serial No._________________________________________________________________________________
Purchase Date_________________________________________________ ____________________________
Limited Warranty
CUT ALONG DOTTED LINE
Model Purchased__________________________________________________________ __________________________
Serial Number__________________________________________________________ __________________________
Date Purchased (month/day/year)______________________________________________ ____________________
Dealer Name and Location_____________________________________________________ ___________________
______________________________________ ____________________________________________________________
❑ Dr. ❑ Miss ❑ Mr. ❑ Mrs. ❑ Ms.
Name____________________________________________________________________________________________
Address________________________________________________________________________________ _________
_________________________________________________ _________________________________________________
City_______________________ __________________________________State________________Zip______________
Telephone (___________)___________________________________________________________________________
WARRANTY REGISTRATION CARD
Age:
❏
Under 25
❏
25-34
❏
35-44
❏
45-54
❏
55 & over
Income:
❏
Under $24,999
❏
$25,000-$34,999
❏
$35,000-$44,999
❏
$45,000-$ 59,999
❏
$60,000-$ 74,999
❏
$75,000-$ 99,999
❏
Over $99,999
Occupation:
❏
Arts/Entertainment
❏
Business Owner
❏
Engineer
❏
Finance/Accounting
❏
General Office
❏
Management
❏
Professional
❏
Sales/Marketing
❏
Student
❏
Tradesperson
Musical tastes:
(Please check all that
apply)
❏
Alternative
❏
Classical
❏
Country
❏
Jazz
❏
New Age
❏
Popular
❏
R&B
❏
Rock
❏
Other______________
How did you hear
about Niles?
❏
Architect/Developer
❏
Custom Installer
❏
Direct Mail
❏
Friend/Family
❏
In-Store Display
❏
Interior Designer
❏
Magazine Ad
❏
Mail-Order Catalog
❏
Newspaper Ad
❏
Product Brochure
❏
Product Review
❏
Retail Salesperson
What magazines do
you read?
1. ______________________
2. ___________________
3. _________________ ____
Who will install the
product?
❏
Custom Installer
❏
Electrician
❏
Friend
❏
Myself
Which factor(s) influenced the purchase
of your Niles product?
(Please check all that
apply)
❏
Ease of Use
❏
Price/Value
❏
Product Features
❏
Quality/Durability
❏
Reputation
❏
Style/Appearance
❏
Warranty
Do you. . .?
❏
Own a House. If yes,
how many square feet?
__________________
❏
Own a Town H ouse/
Condominium/Coop
❏
Rent an Apartm ent
❏
Rent a House
Are you interested in
receiving literature on
other Niles products?
❏
Yes ❏No
Are there products/
capabilities that you
would like to see
introduced?
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
Please take a moment to fill out our warranty registration card. The information helps us to
get to know you better and develop the products you want
CUT ALONG DOTTED LINE AND RETURN TO: Niles Audio Corporation. Warranty Registration Dept. P.O. Box 160818 Miami, Florida 33 116-0818
PLEASE FILL OUT THE
WARRANTY REGISTRATION
CARD ON THE REVERSE SIDE,
DETACH, AND MAIL TO:
Niles Audio Corporation
Warranty Registration Dept.
P.O. Box 1608 18
Miami, Florida 33116-0818
®
www.nilesaudio.com
Niles Audio
Corporation
1 2331 S.W. 130 Street
Miami, Florida 33186
Tel: (305) 238-4373
Fax: (305) 238-0185
Printed in Taiwan
©1999 Niles Audio Corporation. Because Niles strives to continuously improve its
products, Niles reserves the right to change product specifications without notice. Niles, the Niles logo,
Blending High Fidelity and Architecture and Blueprint Series In-Wall Loudspeakers are registered
trademarks of Niles Audio Corporation. Decora is a registered trademark of Leviton Manufacturing Co.,
Inc. Printed in USA DS00136A
NILES
®
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