Niles Audio HDCTR, HDLRS User Manual

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Niles Audio HDCTR, HDLRS User Manual

www.nilesaudio.com

Niles Audio

Corporation

12331 S.W. 130 Street

Miami, Florida 33186

Tel: (305) 238-4373

Fax: (305) 238-0185

©1999 Niles Audio Corporation. DS00196A

I N S T A L L A T I O N & O P E R A T I O N G U I D E

M O D E L S

HDCTR

HDLRS

H I G H D E F I N I T I O N

®

B L E N D I N G H I G H F I D E L I T Y A N D A R C H I T E C T U R E®

Printed in Taiwan

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 33116-0818

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

2

 

 

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

2

 

 

INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS

4

 

 

SPEAKER PLACEMENT

6

 

 

INSTALLATION FUNDAMENTALS

10

 

 

INSTALLATION OF BRACKETS, FRAMES AND GRILLES IN NEW CONSTRUCTION

14

 

 

INSTALLATION OF BRACKETS, FRAMES AND GRILLES IN EXISTING WALLS

16

 

INSTALLATION OF THE SPEAKER AND GRILLE IN NEW OR EXISTING CONSTRUCTION 17

 

 

OPERATION

20

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS

21

 

 

LIMITED WARRANTY

22

 

 

 

 

 

 

©1999 Niles Audio Corporation. All rights reserved. Because Niles strives to continuously improve its products, Niles reserves the right to change product specifications without notice. Niles, the Niles Logo, Blueprint Series In-Wall Loudspeakers and Blending High Fidelity and Architecture are registered trademarks of Niles Audio Corporation. Dolby is a registered trademark of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation. Decora is a registered trademark of Leviton Manufacturing Co. DS00196A

Introduction

The HD or High Definition group of Blueprint Series In-Wall Loudspeakers® offers speakers expressly designed for superior sonic quality. They employ advanced technology components designed to extract the subtle nuances in recorded music or the thunderous action in a movie. They are perfect anywhere that quality of sound is the most important consideration.

An HD•CTR or HD•LRS Speaker Kit; CTR•LRS Bracket Kit; and CTR•LRS Frame/Grille Kit are required to install one HD•CTR or HD•LRS In-Wall Loudspeaker in either new or existing construction.

Features and Benefits

Dolby Digital Ready

The HD•CTR (Center) and HD•LRS (Left/Right/Surround) are specifically designed for Home Theater Sound. They exceed the specifications set forth by Dolby Laboratories for the accurate reproduction of Dolby Digital Encoded Sources.

Directed Sound Field Geometry™ (DSFG)

Both the HD•CTR and HD•LRS employ Niles’ Directed Sound Field Geometry (DSFG). With DSFG, the tweeter is offset from the center of the dual woofers. The resulting acoustic interaction between the woofers and the offset tweeter results in the flattest frequency and phase response approximately 15° off-axis from the tweeter. This gives optimum performance to a seated listener even if the loudspeakers are mounted above a built-in TV.

Mica Filled Polypropylene Woofers with Inverted Butyl Rubber Suspension

The unusually stiff and light polypropylene cone is filled with mica to enhance its rigidity for the fastest, most accurate response. Additionally, the use of an Inverted Butyl Rubber Suspension offers substantial benefits including: increased movement without

mechanical limitations; weather resistance; and improved midrange damping for better detail and clarity.

ElastoDynamicHybrid Dome

Tweeter

Constructed from a composite matrix of elastomers and natural fiber substrates, the ElastoDynamic™ tweeter offers extended high frequency response without any harsh ringing or overshoot.

Video Shielding (HD•CTR)

The HD•CTR utilizes special video shielding to enable it to be installed in close proximity to a video monitor without negative effects on picture quality.

Acoustic Fine Tuning

Both the HD•CTR and HD•LRS feature baffle mounted Acoustic Fine Tuning Controls. The HD•CTR’s controls enable optimization of the high frequencies and the Dialog with 3dB of Treble Cut and 3dB of Dialog Enhancement. The HD•LRS’s controls enable optimization of both low and high frequencies with 3dB of Bass and Treble Cut.

Benefits and Features

2

Benefits and Features

DSFG Defeat (HD•CTR) Main/Surround Configuration (HD•LRS)

Both the HD•CTR and HD•LRS feature crossover mounted switches which customize the response of the speaker. In the HD•CTR, the switch controls whether the Directed Sound Field Geometry feature is On or Off. (It is useful to switch it Off when the speaker is installed at ear level, for example, behind a perforated screen). In the HD•LRS, the switch sets the speaker’s response for Main (front) or Surround. The Surround setting manipulates the response of the speaker to provide a diffuse sound field.

BumpBackWoofer Magnet(s)

Niles engineers have utilized a unique magnet construction allowing far greater “throw” or voice coil excursion. This allows a new level of deep bass performance to be achieved.

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 HD 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 installa-

tions 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 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!

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.

Low Diffraction, Paintable Aluminum Grilles

HD speakers come standard with aluminum grilles. The grille has hundreds of precisely sized perforations, creating an acoustically transparent grille. The aluminum construction is 100% rustproof.

Figure 1

Model HD•LRS Shown

Bracket

New Construction Wings

Frame

Speaker Baffle

IR Knockout

Grille

Acoustic

Fine Tuning Controls

Installation Considerations

Recommended Amplifier Power

For satisfactory performance, we recommend an amplifier with a power rating of ten to one hundred fifty watts. 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 more powerful amplifier will play at the same volume without distorting. See the section on operating the speakers for more information about clipping distortion.

Speaker Wire

Use 2-conductor speaker wire when connecting HD 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 HD speakers will accommodate up to 12 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

Considerations Installation

3

 

4

 

 

 

Considerations Installation

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 HD speakers.

An IR sensor requires that a 2-conductor shielded wire (West Penn D291 or equiva-

lent) 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 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.

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.

Speaker Placement

Placement of the Front Left and Right Speakers (HD•LRS)

In a home theater, the intelligibility of dialog and action reproduced by the front speakers is paramount! The position of the speakers plays a very important role in how clear the sound is and how a stereo image is created. Here are some guidelines to make the process of placement quick and easy.

Make sure the sound will not be blocked or reflected off of furniture or other objects. You should have a direct line of sight with the front of the speaker. To determine the best position, measure the “listening” distance between the ideal listening position (your favorite chair or couch) and the wall in which you plan to install the speakers.

Try to place the speakers so that they are equally distant from your listening spot and at least one half of the listening distance apart (this maintains a large pleasant stereo “image”). In home theater applications where there is a center channel you may choose to space the left and right main speakers farther apart for a “bigger than life” sound with Dolby® encoded movies and TV shows. However, for combined music and movie usage stay within the good placement zone for music. For example; if you are ten feet back from the wall, the speakers should be between five and ten feet apart (See Figure 2).

The front left and right speakers should be placed on either side of the picture source at a height that allows their tweeters to be not more than 24 inches above or below the tweeter in the center channel speaker (See Figure 3). Be careful that you do not place

 

Speaker

 

 

Placement

 

 

Zone

 

10’

5’

10’

 

Speaker

 

 

Placement

 

 

Zone

 

Figure 2

 

 

Placement Speaker

5

 

6

 

 

 

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