Niles Audio OS6 User Manual

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

OS6

Indoor/Outdoor Loudspeaker.

®

B L E N D I N GH I G HF I D E L I T Y

A N D A R C H I T E C T U R E®

CONGRATULATIONS

Thank you for choosing the OS6 Indoor/Outdoor Loudspeaker from Niles. With proper installation and operation, you'll enjoy years oftrouble-freeuse.

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

TABLEOFCONTENTS

INTRODUCTION	2
FEATURES & BENEFITS	3
PARTS GUIDE	6
INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS	7
PAINTING THE OS6	12
INSTALLATION	15
OPERATION	18
SPECIFICATIONS	19
WARRANTY REGISTRATION CARD	21
LIMITED WARRANTY	22

INTRODUCTION

The OS6 marries unparalleled listening satisfaction with the freedom to listen to music anywhere! You can use them indoors and outdoors (even on a boat). The extraordinary sonic performance of theOS6 was achieved by harmonizing unique and proprietary technology with the most advanced manufacturing methods and materials available.

The OS6 is atwo-wayspeaker in an acoustic suspension enclosure. The cabinet is shaped to fit neatly into corners or eaves. It is supplied with a swiveling mounting bracket for easy installation anywhere. In addition, our engineers constructed theOS6's to withstand the stresses and strains of the world outside! For the first time, serious listeners can enjoy a concert on the green in their own back yard.

INTRODUCTION

2

BENEFITS & FEATURES

FEATURES&BENEFITS

LONG THROW POLYPROPYLENE WOOFER

The unusually stiff and light polypropylene cone, the butyl rubber surround, the substantial magnet, and the rigid steel basket are all optimized for large excursions of the woofer. In this way, the five inch cone can create the same deep bass output of a much larger speaker moving small distances in and out. The end result is rich satisfying bass from a compact, weather resistant loudspeaker.

ELASTODYNAMIC™ HYBRID DOME TWEETER

In the past, every weather resistant speaker has disappointed listeners with a fatiguing and harsh treble sound caused by tweeter ringing. In the course of developing our weather resistant tweeter, we determined that tweeter ringing can be damped out by a microscopically thin elastomeric coating on a natural fiber dome substrate. The result is a transparently clear, sweet, natural sounding tweeter which still maintains extended frequency response.

TAPERING SHAPE

The cabinet of the OS6 is shaped so that the speaker will tuck discretely away into corners or under eaves.

RIGID, ACOUSTICALLY INERT ENCLOSURE

The cabinet of the OS6 is composed of mineral filled polypropylene. This material is extremelynon-resonant.All you hear is the music.

LOW DIFFRACTION GRILLE AND FRONT BAFFLE

The grille of the OS6 has hundreds of precisely sized perforations, resulting in acoustical transparency. The front baffle is gently curved in a radius optimized for the best sound. Sound waves emanating from the woofer and the tweeter are not reflected by the surrounding parts of the speaker.

3

PRECISION CROSSOVER

An electronic dividing network inside the cabinet precisely distributes the music to the woofer and the tweeter. The two-waydesign of theOS6’s crossover provides excellent stereo imaging and low distortion.

SWIVELING BRACKET

The U-shapedbracket and bracket knobs allow theOS6 to be pointed at the optimum listening position and locked into place quickly and easily.

EASY THREE-WAYMOUNTING SYSTEM

1.The OS6 can be hung from a nail using the nail hole on the bracket.

2.The bracket can be screwed into the mounting surface using your hardware.

3.The OS6 is equipped with1/4-20threaded inserts for OmniMount® (53RST-UMK)or custom brackets.

STABLE SHELF PLACEMENT

The bracket knobs serve as one of the speaker's feet when the OS6 is placed directly on a shelf or desktop without the bracket. In addition, two feet are molded into the base of the cabinet to give added stability.

PREMIUM GOLD-PLATEDFIVE-WAYBINDING POSTS

Gold plating gives you a corrosion-freehigh quality speaker wire connection. The connectors'five-waydesign allows you to use any of the most popular wire terminating methods.

EASY FINGER-SIZEDACCESS

The binding posts are mounted upside down in a molded recess on the back of the OS6 to prevent moisture from pooling at the connection. The recess is large enough for your fingers— you can easily loosen or tighten the speakerconnections.

WEATHER RESISTANT CONSTRUCTION

The hardware is made of stainless steel or brass, and the binding posts are plated with gold. The bracket and grille are made of aluminum for the ultimate rust-proofconstruction.

BENEFITS & FEATURES

4

BENEFITS & FEATURES

The enclosure itself is shatterproof. The OS6’s components are weather resistant,UV-resistant,saltwatercorrosion-resistant,and immune to damage from temperature extremes(-50to over 200 degrees Fahrenheit).

5

PARTSGUIDE

a

e

b

d

d

f

g

				e
i
	Figure 1 OS6 Parts Guide
j				Grille
				Cabinet
	c.	Wire Hole	h.	Baffle
	d.	Screw Hole	i.	Binding Posts
	e.	Bracket Knob	j.	Threaded Inserts

GUIDE PARTS

6

CONSIDERATIONS INSTALLATION

INSTALLATIONCONSIDERATIONS

TOOLS AND MATERIALS REQUIRED

•A wire stripper

•A pencil

•A level (optional)

•Three screws or bolts suitable for the mounting surface

•The proper screwdriver for your mounting hardware

•A drill bit of the right size and type

•An electric drill

WIRING

The OS6 connects to your receiver or amplifier using2-conductorspeaker wire(See Figure 2). For most applications, we recommend using 16 or 18 gauge wire. For wiring runs longer than 80 feet, we recommend 14 gauge wire. The binding posts of theOS6 will accommodate up to 12 gauge wire directly. Larger sizes can be accommodated using spade, banana, or pin connectors.

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 you run wire inside walls, outdoors or in marine installations, special jacketing or conduit is required for a trouble-freeinstallation and conformation to the local and national building codes. If you are not sure of the correct wire jacket or type of conduit to use, consult a professional audio/video installer, building contractor, or the local building and inspection department.

7

CONSIDERATIONS INSTALLATION

Figure 2	Figure 3
Wiring directly from a receiver or	Incorporating a volume control
amplifier

INCORPORATING A VOLUME CONTROL

It’s possible to control the volume of the sound at the speaker location. Plan to wire the system so that each pair of speakers has its own volume control. Niles makes a wide range of indoor and outdoor volume controls. Consult your local Niles dealer for more information. 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 (See Figure 3).

RECOMMENDED AMPLIFIER POWER

We recommend an amplifier with a power rating of five to seventy-fivewatts per channel for optimum performance (Niles makes a line ofhigh-performanceamplifiers. See your local Niles dealer for more information). Ironically, most speakers are not damaged by large amplifiers but by small amplifiers. If you are playing at high volume, 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 "Operation" for more information about clipping distortion.

8

CONSIDERATIONS INSTALLATION

PLACING THE OS6 FOR THE BEST SOUND QUALITY

The OS6’s dispersion pattern is very broad. The speaker is very sensitive and will handle a lot of amplifier power. This allows good sound quality over an extremely large listening area. However, if a single pair is positioned to provide coverage of a very large room or patio, you will have “hot spots” of loud sound when you are near the speakers. The best way to avoid hot spots for a large space is to use several pairs. A good rule of thumb is a pair of speakers for every 200 to 400 square feet of listening area. Your local Niles dealer is a good source for advice on speaker placement for your particular installation.

When using more than one pair, it is usually best to alternate a left channel and then a right channel, so that you never have a "left next to a left".

The position of the speakers and the surroundings around them play a very important role in how a stereo image is created. You should experiment to find the very best position for your speakers. Here are some guidelines to make the process quick and easy.

Figure 4

Illustration depicts the optimum placement zone for a listening distance of ten feet.

Speaker

Placement

Zone

10'

5' 10'

Speaker

Placement

Zone

9