Arcam 882 User Manual

Arcam Model 882, 884, 886, 888 Loudspeakers

Instructions for use

Introduction

Thank you for buying Arcani loudspeakers. These loudspeakers have been
designed to produce a high standard of sound reproduction at an attordable price.
Although suitable for use with any good quality hi-d equipment, the speakers are an
e.xceUent sonic and physical match for the rest of the Arcana range of hi-fi electronics.

Installation Instructions

Positioning

For optimum results these speakers should be positioned 15 to 40cms from a
rear wall and at least 60cms (2 feet) from any side wall.

The final sound will of course depend on the acoustics of the listening room,
and e.xperimentation with speaker positioning and furnishings is definitely worthwlaile.
As a starting point we suggest that the speakers should be placed 2.4-3m (8-10 feet) apart
with their backs lOcms (4 inches) from the rear wall. The bass output may then be raised
or lowered by moving the speaken closer to or further away from the wall. Toeing-in
the speakers, so that their axes cross just in front of the listener may also be beneficial to
treble balance and stereo imagers'.

The more rigidly a speaker is held, the better it wiU sound. On floor standing
models (886, 888) we reconunend fitting the threaded spikes provided into the
loudspeaker base. For best performance, the smaller 882, 884 models should be used on
stands wherever possible. Use rigid metal stands of30-60cms (12-24 inches) height.
Properly damped types that do not "ring" when tapped with a pencil, either by virme of
construction, or by filling with dry silver sand, wiU bring out the best in the loudspeaker.

It is also possible to obtain a good sound balance when shelf mounting. The
rear of the loudspeakers should be no less than 5cm fi-om the wall to allow free flow of air
firom the reflex port and it should be mounted at least 4cm from a comer and 60cm from
the floor (these distances may be interchanged if more convenient).

Speaker Cables

The speaken should be connected to the amplifier using good qualit%% high
purity copper cables \sath a cross sectional area of at least Inim^ per conductor. Solid
core cables or those \sath surface only conductors are particularly suitable. Bell wire and
ver\- cheap or giveawav speaker cables should be avoided - they are a false economy and
can badly degrade the sound quahw. Neither do we recommend the use of fat, heavily
stranded cables, as these often impart a harsh and hashy sound to the system.

The cable mns to the two speakers should be of roughly equal length and yet as
short as practicable ( a long run of speaker cable always sounds worse than a short one).
The usual care should be taken over speaker phasing. Both loudspeaken should be
connected to the amplifier with the same phase (black to black and red to red). AH
speaker cables will be colour coded or have some physical identification (such as a small
"rib" along one wire) to aid correct phasing.

You must remove the links on the rear of the loudspeakers for bi­amping, otherwise you will damage your amplifiers. Care must also be taken to
ensure that aU individual loudspeaker umn are connected in the same phase (i.e. connect
temiinals FkED to P^D and BLACK to BLACK). If this is not done serious frequency
response deviations will result.

Power Handling

Arcam loudspeaken are designed to reproduce recorded music under normal
domestic conditions. We do not reconmiend nor w'arrant them for use in any form of
sound reinforcement appUcarion or at discothèques, parties or other fomis of speaker
demohtion contest.

Bearing this in mind the loudspeaker will perfomi well and safely with hi-fi
amphfien rated at between approximately 40 and 150 watts per charmel. How>-ever care
must always be taken to avoid amphfier overload or "chpping". If you hear distortion
from the loudspeaken, then reduce the volume level at once, as this is a clear sign of
overload. Apart from possible damage to the amphfier this can and does damage
loudspeaken. In this respect, an overdriven low- powered amphfier is much more hkely
to cause damage than a properly used high powdered one.

SPECIFICATION

Bi-wiring

Bi-wiring loudspeaken is a cost effective way of improving the sound quality of
lii-fi system. The bi-wdring principle involves electrically isolating the treble and bass
sections of the loudspeaker's crossover network and bringing out the connections to the
four terminals on the loudspeaker. The use of separate cables to each half of the crossover
then enables the complete isolation of the signals fed from the amplifier to the treble and
bass speaker units. A reduction in low level intemrodulation and crosstalk effects is
acliieved, resulting in a cleaner sound ^^^th improved imaging and separation of
instruments.

To bi-wire a loudspeaker you must remove the two hnks between the pairs of
red and black terminals on the rear of the speaker and then connect two separate cable
runs to the bass and treble inputs. These cables should then be connected together at the
amphfier's output temunals. This may be done by connecting both cables into a single
pair of 4nmi plugs or by making common bare wire or spade connections to the tenninals.

Bi-amping

Bi-amping is a similar principle to bi-wiring, except that two stereo amphfiers
are used to drive the loudspeaken instead of one. To bi-amp, connect the treble units to
one of the amplifier's outputs, and the bass units to the other amphfier. Both amplifien
must be fed from a common stereo signal and must be of equal gain. Arcani models such
as the Delta 290 and Delta 290P are ideal for tliis application. Bi-amping offen a further
improvement over bi-wiring, as separate amplifien are dedicated to treble and bass
frequency bands, with less internal intemiodulation effects occurring in each amphfier.

Model No.
Frequency range
Drive unit system
Sensitivity IW at Im
Nominal Impedance
Compatible amplifier
Weight each
Height (nun)

Width (nun)
Depth (nun)

882

884 886

888
50Hz-22kHz 45Hz-22kHz 40Hz-22kHz 40Hz-22kHz
2 way 3 way 2 w'ay
88dB 85dB

88dB 88dB
6 ohms 6ohms 6ohms
40-120W 4C-150W 40-150W

5.9kg 8kg 11.2kg
381

216 216
247 247

557

841

216

267

3 way

6ohms
40-200W

13.7kg
966

216
299