ACI Sapphire 3 Owners manual

Sapphire III

Reference Monitor

Owner's Manual

Table of Contents:

Guarantee/Warranty …2
Specifications …4
Design Philosophy …4
Using your Speakers …8
Avoiding Damage …8
Hookup …10
Positioning the Sapphire IIIs ...10
Adding Subwoofers …12
Troubleshooting …13
Warranty Registration …15

Audio Concepts, Inc.

901 South 4th Street, La Crosse, WI 54601 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Website: www.audioc.com Email: [e-mail]

All Rights Reserved 2001

Sound that Satisfies…

Audio Concepts, Inc.

Our Guarantee and Warranty

Satisfaction Guaranteed:

We’re sure you’re going to love your new Audio Concepts, Inc. (ACI)
products! In the unlikely event that you are not satisfied, please contact us
within 30 days of receipt of your ACI products for a hassle-free return.

1. Return Authorization: Call us at [phone] or email [e-mail], within 30 days of

receipt of your ACI products for a return authorization number. Clearly mark the return authorization
number on the outside of the box. Include a brief note stating your name, address and daytime
telephone number, along with a short description why the products are being returned.

2. Returning: We request that you return the ACI products to us in their original packaging and

include packaging materials, manuals, etc. Ship by the most economical means (preferably UPS)
and insure the products for the invoice purchase price. The customer is responsible for return
shipping. Please note: ACI does not accept C.O.D. returns.

3. Credit: Upon receipt and inspection, we will issue a refund for the invoice purchase price and

invoiced UPS Ground service only. Please note this return policy is in effect only if the ACI products
are in new condition, in their original packaging, without drilled holes, disassembled or any other
modifications.

2

Speaker Manufacture’s Warranty:

For five years from receipt, Audio Concepts, Inc. will, at its option, repair or
replace factory defective components. This warranty does not apply to products that
have been abused, modified, or disassembled in any way. This warranty does not
apply to products, which have been damaged in shipping. Audio Concepts, Inc. liability
is limited only to the replacement of defective parts. No other liabilities or obligations
are written or implied.

Return Authorization: Call us at [phone] or email [e-mail] for a return

1.

authorization number. Clearly mark the return authorization number on the outside of the box.
Include a brief note stating your name, address and daytime telephone number, along with a short
description why the products are being returned.
Returning: Carefully repack defective ACI merchandise. Ship by the most economical means

2.

(preferably UPS) and insure the products. The customer is responsible for return shipping. Please

note: ACI does not accept C.O.D. returns.

Replacement: Audio Concepts, Inc. will inspect and determine the cause of failure and will pay

3.

return shipping on the defective goods replaced or repaired.

The above stated guarantee and warranty applies only to assembled speaker

models purchased directly from Audio Concepts, Inc. A different warranty and
guarantee applies to purchasers of parts kits and DIY components.

Please ship any returns to the following address:

Audio Concepts, Inc., 901 So. 4th Street, La Crosse, WI 54601 [phone]

IMPORTANT NOTICE

All new speakers require a minimum of 60 hours break-in-time before
they sound the way they are supposed to. A speaker's performance improves
significantly once broken in. It is critical that you have at least 60 hours on your
speakers before you evaluate them. Don't worry if your speakers do not sound perfect
the first time you play them. This is normal until they are broken in. If you are having
difficulty getting enough hours on your speakers and your 30 day return privilege is
getting near, call us. We will work with you. Please give us the courtesy of breaking
the speakers in before you determine they don't sound right.

Many of our customers break their speakers in by:

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A) Leaving them on at moderate listening levels when they are not home.
B) Leaving them on at moderate listening levels while they sleep.
C) Running pink noise through them.

These methods are not convenient for everyone and we understand this. But
please know that you are not giving yourself, your speakers or us a fair chance if you
do not break them in before critical evaluation.

THANK YOU!

The Sapphire III

Thank you for your order and congratulations on becoming the owner of an ACI
speaker system. These fine speakers will provide you with many years of listening pleasure!

ACI speakers are designed to be the most cost-effective systems available. By
purchasing directly from the factory you eliminate costly markups. You will find that your
Sapphire IIIs will compare favorably with systems costing far more!

The Sapphire III is a terrific speaker. We’ll put the Sapphire III against any speaker in
the world for overall balance and musicality. The Sapphire III has phenomenal detail and
resolution yet it does not have the somewhat harsh quality that many detailed sounding
speakers have. It is extremely coherent from top to bottom and its dynamic range is very good
for a small monitor system.

Those who wish to have a truly full-range system will want to add either the Quake,
Titan or Titan II powered subwoofer(s). These subwoofers are adjustable for a perfect match
with the Sapphire IIIs. The addition of one of these subwoofers allows for the accurate
reproduction of the lowest musical tones and increases the output capability of the system.

The Sapphire III is the result of ongoing research and development by Mike Dzurko of
Audio Concepts, Inc. and Bob Clark of Clark Specialties.

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Specifications

Frequency response: 64-20kHz ±3db, anechoic, (actual useable in-room bass response will
extend cleanly to 40-45Hz)

Nominal impedance: 6 ohms, minimum impedance: 4.7 ohms
Sensitivity: 90db 1 watt/1 meter
Bass-loading: Aperiodic Bessel alignment
Recommended RMS Power: 30 to 200 watts per channel
Tweeter: Hand-damped cloth and silk 28 mm dome with aperiodic rear chamber, cast face

plate and ferro-fluid
Bass-mid: Cast-frame 7” kevlar sandwich cone with rubber surround, vented low-distortion
motor design and dual voice coils

Cabinet: Full ¾” high-density construction and Dacron internal damping
Finishes: Clear lacquer on American oak, black oak or cherry (optional finishes available)
Inputs: Dual gold plated heavy-duty five-way binding posts to facilitate most cables and

terminations

Dimensions: 16” tall, 10” wide and 10” deep
Recommended accessories: Atlantis stands, Quake, Titan or Titan II Powered Subwoofers

Design Philosophy for the Sapphire III

Modern speaker design is a combination of science, art and sweat. A successful
design such as the Sapphire III requires thousands of hours utilizing computer modeling,
several generations of prototypes, precision testing, critical listening and many “fine tunings”.

Our design goals for the Sapphire III were to produce a compact, attractive speaker

with smooth, uncolored, wide-range response, holographic stereo imaging, good sensitivity,
high power handling, and long term enjoyability. The Sapphire III is the most advanced model
of a speaker family first produced in 1988. The Sapphire III had to be a true “monitor” that
could be optionally used with subwoofers. And, as an ACI product it had to sell for far less than
the state-of-the-art monitors it would compete with. We are pleased to have achieved and in
some areas exceeded our goals by systematically engineering and refining the Sapphire III to
optimize performance. Please note the following factors:

Frequency Response:

For a speaker to be considered “accurate” it must have a smooth frequency response
that is free of major dips, peaks, troughs or plateaus. The Sapphire IIIs exhibit exceptionally
flat response throughout the range from below 65Hz to 20kHz. The dual-voice coiled woofer
provides excellent bass performance at all but subwoofer frequencies.

Of nearly equal importance is the off-axis response of the speaker. This response from
15 to 45 degrees off the axis of the speaker determines the smoothness of the early reflections
from the wall surfaces. In most domestic listening situations this energy is nearly equal to the
on-axis response in determining the balance of the system. The off-axis response should show
a gradual decrease in output with increased frequency but should not show major dips or
peaks which will color the overall sound. Again, the Sapphire III gives an exemplary off-axis
dispersion pattern.

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Tight quality control procedures are necessary to assure that your Sapphire IIIs sound
every bit as good as our lab samples. Incoming shipments of raw parts including cabinet
materials, drivers and crossover components are subject to extensive testing to verify that they
meet our exacting standards. Precise quality control is critical for the best stereo imaging.
Drivers are selected to closely match the standard, and crossover components are hand
selected to better than 1% tolerance.

Dynamic range:

Dynamic range in a speaker requires;

• Adequate sensitivity so that it may be driven to realistic levels with available amplification.

The C-weighted sensitivity for the Sapphire III is 90db, which is three to eight db better
than many small monitors! The Sapphire III will not have to be driven as hard as less
efficient monitors.

• An easy load for the amplifier. A speaker can have a high sensitivity number but may

present a difficult load for the driving amplifier. The Sapphire III has a nominal impedance
of 6ohms. The minimum impedance is 4.6 ohms and the maximum impedance is 9.2
ohms. Some speakers have wildly varying impedance phase curves that can cause
problems for amplifiers. The phase of the Sapphire IIIs impedance helps make the
Sapphire III an easy load for any amplifier.

• Low distortion drive units are necessary to keep the music from becoming edgy or gritty as

the volume is turned up. The drive units used in the Sapphire III have very linear
suspensions, which reduce distortion components to inaudible levels and contribute to the
excellent sense of “clarity”. The crossover used keeps low frequencies out of the tweeter
and protects it from over-excursion at resonance, which would otherwise cause increased
distortion.

Good power handling is a requirement if musical peaks are to be reproduced cleanly and
without damage to the speaker. The drive units in the Sapphire III are extremely rugged and
will cleanly reproduce the dynamics of live music.