ATC Home Theatre Series user manual

H ome T heatre S eries

ACOUSTIC

ENGINEERS

®

user manual

In selecting ATC you have chosen an example of the finest audio engineering available.

Since its very beginning ATC has kept steadfastly to its founders’ aim of building, mostly by hand,

loudspeakers which employ the most effective of modern engineering principles.

That has meant striving to make loudspeakers as near perfection as it is possible to make them.

In order to get the very best from ATC equipment careful and thoughtful installation is essential,

so please read the manual fully to understand your ATC monitor

and realize the very best performance it has to offer.

Please contact ATC with any questions or issues that arise during installation or use

and we will do our very best to help.

ATC (Acoustic Transducer Company) was founded in London in 1974 by Australian Billy Woodman who still heads

the company today. An enthusiastic jazz pianist and engineer he was naturally drawn to loudspeaker design.

After working for ROLA in Melbourne Billy, in 1970, travelled to England and worked in R&D at Goodmans in

Wembley (the training ground of many well-known British loudspeaker engineers) before starting ATC.

The philosophy upon which ATC began the development of its studio products is a simple one: that at their best,

hi-fi loudspeakers are detailed and accurate but limited by dynamic range,

H ome T hea tre S eries

whilst professional monitor loudspeakers have plenty of dynamic range but lack the clarity and accuracy.

ATC bridged this gap by developing, in house, unique drive units of exceptionally low coloration performance and

large dynamic range. There is therefore no differentiation technically between an ATC hi-fi product and professional

monitor other than the way it is packaged. A high fidelity loudspeaker is a high fidelity loudspeaker whether it is

for home or work.

The Home Theatre Series (HTS) from ATC offers unrivalled levels of performance from an install loudspeaker and

unlike many alternatives is capable of delivering both low distortion and high dynamic range in a discrete, easily

installed package. The range is suitable for both full surround systems as well as stereo listening.

In order to obtain the best performance from the Home Theatre Series they can be partnered with ATC’s

own range of electronics.

From modest beginnings ATC has grown to become one of the very few manufacturers successful across both

domestic and professional audio. By selecting ATC you join a group of music lovers, professional audio engineers,

educators, studios and musicians across the world that understand the value of the engineering that goes into every

ATC product.

1:Safety Warnings

1. Read instructions – all the safety and operating instructions
should be read before the appliance is operated.

2. Retain these instructions – the safety and operating
instructions should be retained for future reference.

3. Follow instructions – all operating and other instructions
should be followed.

4. Water and moisture - the appliance should not be exposed
to dripping or splashing and no objects such as vases,
should be placed on the appliance.

5. Heat – the appliance should be situated away from heat
sources such as radiators, stoves or other appliances that
produce heat.

6. Cleaning – the appliance should be cleaned only as
recommended by the manufacturer.

7. Servicing – the user should not attempt to service the
appliance beyond those measures described in the operating
instructions. All other servicing should be referred to
qualified service personnel.

2:Unpacking & Handling

1. All loudspeakers in the HTS range are heavy items and
should be handled with care. Unpacking should be carried
out by two people either on the floor or a large low table,
with adequate open space around the carton, preferably
close to their final position.

2. Open the carton and remove all loose items, leaving the
packing foam in place.

3. Up-end the carton so the open end is facing down.

4. Lift the carton off the contents (speaker & foam ‘end-caps’).

5. Lift the upper foam end cap off.

6. Lift each loudspeaker out of the foam end cap.

3:Monitor Placement

The subjective performance of any loudspeaker will be
influenced by the acoustic character of the room in which it is
used and its position within the room. A mixture of carpets,
curtains and soft furnishings will help ensure that the middle and
high frequencies are reasonably well controlled.

When a loudspeaker is wall mounted a proportion of the low
frequency energy which is normally radiated towards the rear is
sent forward, resulting in a boost to lower frequencies. In most
cases the additional bass energy can overwhelm the system and
degrade performance. The HTS range of loudspeakers address
this issue through carefully optimised crossovers designed to
compensate for the wall loading effect.

For the best performance the loudspeakers should be mounted
directly on to the wall allowing at least 1.5m between the loud­speaker and any side walls.

Stereo Speaker Placement

For stereo listening, loudspeakers should be positioned so
they form an equilateral triangle with the listening position
(See Fig. 1). The loudspeaker height requirements are explained
later in this section.

Centre Speaker Placement

The positioning constraints on a centre channel loudspeaker
are always influenced by the type and location of the associated
screen. However, the basic parameters that influence the
subjective performance of any loudspeaker in a listening room
as described above, should be taken in to account.

The HTS7C, HTS11C and HTS40 (horizontal configuration) are
intended to be positioned either just below or just above the
screen.

While every ATC centre channel speaker is effectively magneti­cally shielded, the extreme sensitivity of some CRT tubes to
residual levels of magnetic flux may mean that, in rare cases,
ATC centre channel speakers are not appropriate.Adjusting the
relative position of the centre speaker and the CRT can reduce
magnetic interference but should your screen suffer intractable
picture distortion caused by the proximity of a centre speaker
contact your dealer or installer for advice.

Fig. 1

Loudspeaker Positioning - Stereo

distance z

3

30°

distance x

distance x = distance y = distance z

0°

distance y

3:Monitor Placement (contd.)

Surround Speaker Placement

While each loudspeaker in an AV system should be located
appropriately in its immediate acoustic environment, correct
positioning will offer the best chance of programme material
being heard as intended. The basic guidelines for positioning the
full bandwidth speakers of a 5.1 or 7.1 system are illustrated in
Fig 2. The elements of an AV system should follow this
positioning guide as closely as possible although there is some
latitude for compromise in the speaker to listener distance of a
domestic installation as AV coders/processors provide facilities
to adjust the delay time of all or some speaker channels.

Acoustic Axis and Height Positioning

The loudspeakers should be mounted with the acoustic axis
at or slightly above ear height. The acoustic axis of each
loudspeaker is shown opposite:

4:Connection

Each HTS loudspeaker is equipped with a “single pair”
connection panel. The terminals can accommodate either
stripped bare cable ends, 4mm banana plugs or spade terminals.
Always use a good quality speaker cable with minimum cross
sectional area per conductor (minimum 79 strand). For cable
runs longer than 5 metres use a significantly heavier gauge cable.
Consult your dealer or consultant for specific cable
recommendations.

Ensure that the positive and negative terminals on each
connection panel are connected to the corresponding positive
and negative terminals on the amplifier. A lack of bass output
and very wide unstable stereo image is most likely caused by the
left and right loudspeakers being connected out of phase. If the
system displays these characteristics, please check the polarity
of the wiring.

Fig. 2

Ideal Full Bandwidth Speaker Positioning of 5.1 and 7.1 systems

All loudspeakers should be equidistant

from the listening position: distance L=C=R=LS=LR=RR=RS.

For 5.1 systems, position the surround speakers between 110°and 150° (ITU spec. is 110°).

The LR and RR speakers shown are applicable to 7.1 systems only.

If ideal positioning isn’t possible, position loudspeakers as close as possible to ideal.

HTS7 & HTS7C

HTS11 & HTS11C

HTS40

centre

distan

distance R

R

ce

R

right

distance RS

110°

1
5

0
°

right

side

left

sub

nce L

distance C

110°

°

0
5
1

distance LS

left

side

dista

30°

°

0

3

R

L

ce

distan

left

rea

r

• All loudspeakers should be equi-distant from the listening position:

• For 5.1 systems, position the ‘surround’ speakers between 110 and 150 degrees

• If ideal positioning is not possible, position loudspeakers as close as possible

distance L = distance C = distance R = distance LS = distance LR = distance RR

t

righ

rear

5:Wall Mounting

Each HTS loudspeaker is equipped with “keyhole” fixing plates as
shown in Fig 3. A soft/compressible 90 degree gasket is posi-
tioned on each corner to ensure positive, vibration free contact
with the wall.

Use the template provided to mark the appropriate fixing
locations on the wall. All HTS loudspeakers are heavy, therefore
it is imperative that the wall construction is appropriate and
suitable fixings capable of holding the weight of the loudspeaker
plus a safety factor of no less than 10:1 are used.

The weights of each loudspeaker are as follows:

HTS7 8kgs (17.6lbs)
HTS7C 8kgs (17.6lbs)
HTS11 11kgs (24.3lbs)
HTS11C 11kgs (24.3lbs)
HTS40 23kgs (50.7lbs)

Fig. 3

“Keyhole” fixing for wall mounting

6:Amplification

The choice of partnering amplifier for the monitors will have
significant influence on the performance of the system.
Consider the following when selecting the amplifier:

n With any passive loudspeaker there is a trade off between low

frequency extension and sensitivity. These monitor’s extended
low frequency response means the sensitivity is relatively low.
It is therefore advisable to select a power amplifier of relatively
high power output capabilities.Typically, best performance comes
with use of amplifiers capable of >150W continuous into 8
ohms.

n Use of an underpowered amplifier will result in the premature

distortion of the system and increased risk of damage due to
voice coil overheating

n Valve or solid state amplifiers with high output impedances

should be auditioned carefully, to establish that their
characteristic reduced damping factor at low frequencies
is acceptable.

7:Listening

The ear and brain tend to interpret distorted sound as loudness
and thus underestimate the actual level of undistorted sound.
The HTS range of loudspeakers, like all ATC monitors,
demonstrate very much lower levels of distortion than
conventional systems of a similar size. It is therefore advisable
to begin listening at an artificially low level and carefully increase
the volume. It is also possible for the loudspeakers to produce
sufficient sound pressure levels for your ears themselves to
become a source of distortion and make the sound appear
harsh. Any audible distortion indicates that either the system
or your ears are being overloaded and that volumes should
be reduced.

8:Care & Maintenance

High technology material finishes are used in this product.
The surfaces are durable and with a little care can be kept as
good as new even under conditions of heavy use. Normally, a
dry duster will be all that is required to keep the finishes clean.
Heavy soiling can be cleaned using a cloth slightly moistened
with a non-abrasive household cleaner.

There are no components within the speakers that can be
considered expendable, or that would benefit from regular main­tenance. There is no requirement for any kind of routine service
work and there is no schedule for preventative maintenance.

There are no user-replaceable parts within the speaker and, in
the unfortunate event of any malfunction, repair should be
referred to either the supplying dealer or consultant, the relevant
importer, or ATC.

ATC has every confidence in the quality of each product that
it manufactures.

0.20in

5.00mm

0.47in

12.00mm

9:Specifications

Drivers : HF ATC 25mm Neo Soft Dome, Mid/LF ATC 125mm SC
Matched Response : +/- 0.5dB
Frequency Response (half space radiation -6dB) : 44Hz–22kHz
Dispersion : ±80° Coherent Horizontal, ±10° Coherent Vertical
Sensitivity : 84dB @ 1W @ 1metre Max SPL : 103dB
Recommended Power Amplifier : 75 to 300 Watts
Nominal Impedance : 8 Ohm Crossover Frequency : 2.5kHz
Connectors : Binding Posts/4mm Plugs

Cabinet Dimensions (HxWxD):
HTS7 390x245x125mm, HTS7C 245x390x125mm. Grill adds 12mm to depth
Weight : 8kg

Drivers : HF ATC 25mm Neo Soft Dome, Mid/LF ATC 150mm SC
Matched Response : +/- 0.5dB
Frequency Response (half space radiation -6dB) : 40Hz–22kHz
Dispersion : ±80° Coherent Horizontal, ±10° Coherent Vertical
Sensitivity : 85dB @ 1W @ 1metre Max SPL : 108dB
Recommended Power Amplifier : 75 to 300 Watts
Nominal Impedance : 8 Ohm Crossover Frequency : 2.2kHz
Connectors : Binding Posts/4mm Plugs

Cabinet Dimensions (HxWxD):

HTS11

490x305x125mm, HTS11C 305x490x125mm. Grill adds 12mm to depth

Weight : 11kg

Drivers : HF ATC 25mm Neo Soft Dome, Mid ATC 75mm Soft Dome, LF ATC 164mm SC
Matched Response : +/- 0.5dB
Frequency Response (half space radiation -6dB) : 32Hz–22kHz
Dispersion : ±80° Coherent Horizontal, ±10° Coherent Vertical
Sensitivity : 85dB @ 1W @ 1metre Max SPL : 112dB
Recommended Power Amplifier : 75 to 300 Watts
Nominal Impedance : 8 Ohm Crossover Frequencies : 380Hz & 3.5kHz
Connectors : Binding Posts/4mm Plugs

Cabinet Dimensions (HxWxD):
HTS40 740x380x154mm, HTS40C 380x740x154mm. Grill adds 12mm to depth
Weight : 23kg

* 'Left/Right' and 'Centre' versions each have equal performance and are freely interchangeable.
Choice of speaker orientation/configuration should be based on fit and visual appearance alone.

HTS7 / HTS7C

*

HTS40 / HTS40C

*

HTS11 / HTS11C

*

10:Warranty & Contact

All ATC products are guaranteed against any defect in materials or workmanship

for a period of two years from the date of purchase.

Within this period we will supply replacement parts free of charge

provided that the failure was not caused by misuse, accident or negligence.

Purchasers who complete and return the Warranty Card

will have their warranty period extended up to a period of six years

from the date of purchase.

This guarantee does not limit statutory rights.

ACOUSTIC

ENGINEERS

Acoustic Transducer Company is the trading name and is the registered trade mark of Loudspeaker Technology Ltd.

Loudspeaker Technology Ltd Gypsy Lane, Aston Down, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 8HR United Kingdom

Telephone [phone] Fax [phone]

Email: [e-mail] Website: www.atcloudspeakers.co.uk

®