Atlantic Technology ICTS-6.3 Owners manual

ICTS-6.3

I C

T

S

and ICTS-8.3
TriMode Ceiling Speakers

™

Installation Instructions

Thank you for purchasing Atlantic Technology speaker products. These
unique, TriMode speakers solve myriad surround sound and distributed
audio installation problems. We work very hard to ensure that all of
our speakers consistently deliver ex cep tion al performance and value.
We hope you enjoy them to their fullest. Please take a moment to read
these instructions so you can get the most from your speakers.

Mounting Speci cations

These speakers are intended for mounting in a ceiling, in material rang­ ing from 0.5 inches to 1 inch thick. They require at least 4-3/8 inches
for the ICTS-6.3 and 4-7/8 inches for the ICTS-8.3 clearance behind the
front sur face of the ceiling. The mounting opening for the ICTS-6.3 is
7-7/8 inches in diameter. The mount ing opening for the ICTS-8.3 is 9-5/8
inch es in di am e ter. These speakers will work equally as well in a wall as
in a ceiling, however note that they re quire more mounting depth than
is normal in a 2x4 studded wall.

Operating Modes and Locations

M

ono Mode Use Mono mode when the speaker will play a single

chan nel of information (as either the left or right channel of a stereo pair
of speak ers). When used in Mono mode, both tweeters reproduce the same
signal. In Mono mode the speaker can be located anywhere within the
listening area. Generally however, it’s best to keep it at least 24 inches away
from any wall boundaries (ceiling/wall/corner). Placing any speak er in close
proximity to other boundary surfaces will always “col or” the sound that the
speaker produces. Even speakers that incorporate frequency ad just ments to
compensate can only make small im prove ments to the det ri men tal effects
of boundary re ections. The more di rect ly under the speak er you are, the
more high frequency information you will hear. Should you be using two
speakers in Mono mode to re pro duce stereo, consider where the majority

Figure 1

Tweeter Dispersion Pattern

When set

to Mono

When set
to Stereo

of the room’s occupants will be most
of the time. Then try to locate the
speakers where the lis ten ers will get a
reasonable balance of sound from both
speakers. When wired in Mono mode
the tweeters interact strongly, chang­ing the dis per sion pattern of the high
fre quen cies as shown in Figure 1.

Important Note: DO NOT rotate
the tweeter assembly or damage
will occur. To achieve the desired
dispersion pattern, rotate the entire
speaker assembly before mounting.

This can and should be used to your
advantage by rotating the speakers
when you install them in order to
properly align the tweeters. This way
you can exert some control over the

Model ICTS-8.3,
ICTS-6.3 is similar

spread of mid and high frequency sound throughout the room and hence
improve the sys tem’s per for mance.

Stereo Mode

the tweeters receives their own signals. The result is stereo re pro duc tion
(al be it with limited separation) from a single speaker. This is particularly
advantageous in distributed audio systems where there is a desire to have
stereo sound in many rooms, but with as few speakers as possible. Unlike
so many ceiling speakers, the ICTS-8.3 and ICTS-6.3 use very high quality
com po nent parts and sophisticated designs to deliver ex cel lent sound
quality; sound quality so good that it will surprise you. When installed
as a single point stereo speaker it’s typically best to lo cate the speaker
as centrally within the listening area as possible. Di rect ly in the center
of the room, or in the middle of the prime seating area.

TriVector™ Surround Mode

ers in each speaker out of phase with each other. The result, when you
sit cen tered on the tweeter array, is a non-localizable sound  eld that
helps re-create the surround  eld intended by the movie’s director.
Since the goal of Home Theater is to get you “lost in the mov ie,” a
diffuse surround  eld almost always works best. To that end the ideal
location for most diffuse surround speakers is directly to the sides of
the prime listening area. However, in many rooms there’s simply no
place to conveniently place speakers to the sides. Until the introduction
of At lan tic’s TriVector ceiling surrounds, the ceiling was an often used,
but generally less than ideal alternative.

When used in TriVector mode these speakers are best placed in the
ceiling to the sides of the prime listening location, with the tweeters
aimed towards the front and back of the room. You can also place the
speakers to the side and slightly forward or back of the prime listening
position, keeping the tweeter orientation as noted above. There’s a 15
degree “window” of place ment forward or back of the listening po si tion
that is ac cept able. But note that any more forward or back and you’ll lose
the diffuse effect. Also note that, due to the low midrange fre quen cies
com ing from the woofer, if you place the speakers directly over the
listening position there will be a fair amount of localizable surround
sound even when the speakers are set to TriVector mode.

In Stereo mode each of the woofer’s dual voice coils and

TriVector mode puts the two tweet-

New Construction and Retro t Installations

Note: A new construction rough-in kit and back box kit are optionally

available from Atlantic Technology. Please refer to the instructions included
in those kits for their use. If the rough in kit has been used please go directly
to Step 2 below.

Mounting Hole Speci cations:

ICTS-6.3: Diameter = 7-7/8 in., 200mm; Depth = 4-3/8 in., 112mm
ICTS-8.3: Diameter = 9-5/8 in., 245mm; Depth = 4-7/8 in., 124mm

Cut an appropriately sized opening in the ceiling material. Be sure that

1

the ceiling material can support the weight of the speak er. Also be sure
that the sides of the opening are at least 1-1/2 inches away from any
beams or studs within the cavity. If it is not, the rotating clamps will be
restricted in their move ment and may not clamp properly.

Be sure that all foreign material in the ceiling is kept out of the speaker

2

assembly, particularly the back of the woofer cone. (There is a cloth
shield on the rear of the woofer, but please use care anyway.) If the
ceiling is void of insulation it will be ben e  cial to the performance of
the speaker to install an At lan tic Tech nol o gy foam Sound Damping Kit
behind and around the as sem bly.

IMPORTANT:

3

round) you intend to use, certain settings must be made before installing
your speaker(s).

Jumper Settings

speaker. They are the same for both the ICTS-6.3 and ICTS-8.3. For Stereo
operation, install the jumper blocks as shown in Figure 2A. For Mono/
TriVector operation, install the jumper blocks as shown in Figure 2B.

Tweeter Settings

operation, set the upper selector switch located on the tweeter assembly
to NOR. For TriVector surround operation, set the selector to SUR (see
Fig. 3A). Use the high frequency level adjustment, also located on the
tweeter assembly, to increase (+) or decrease (–) the level of high
frequency sound produced by the tweeters. These settings can easily
be changed after the speaker is in stalled (see Fig. 3B).

Depending on the sound mode (mono, stereo or sur-

Find the jumper pins on the crossover board of your

To set the tweeters for Normal (mono or stereo)

Attach the previously installed audio feed wires to the ap pro pri ate speaker

4

Check to ensure that the rotating clamps are “parked” and not sticking

5

Push the speaker assembly straight up into the opening with the tweeters

6

Tighten the mounting screws one at a time. As you tighten, the rotating

7

terminals. For Mono or TriVector operation ei ther set of input terminals
may be used. For Stereo operation one set of leads is attached to each
set of input terminals. Sim ply remove 1/2 inch of insulation from the
end of each input wire. Push down on the terminal con nec tor and a
large opening will appear in the shaft of the con nec tor that is capable of
holding up to 10 gauge wire. Insert the bare wire into the opening and
release the terminal. Be sure to observe correct polarity, connecting the
positive (+) leads to the red terminals and the negative (-) leads to the
black terminals. Also be sure that no stray strands of wire touch across
any terminals. See Figure 4.

Figure 4

out over the edge of the assembly.

oriented as noted previously.

clamps on the back of the assembly will turn and lower, until they contact
the back of the ceiling and clamp the ceiling between themselves and
the trim ring. See Figure 6.

Figure 5

Figure 2A Figure 2B

Stereo

Figure 3A Figure 3B

Mono/TriVector

Speci cations

ICTS-6.3 ICTS-8.3
Frequency Response 55 – 20kHz, +/- 3dB 45 – 20kHz, +/-3dB
Sensitivity (1 watt/1 meter) 89dB 89dB
Impedance 2 x 8 Ω, Stereo; 1 x 4 Ω, Mono 2 x 8 Ω, Stereo; 1 x 4 Ω, Mono
Woofer type Dual VC, Dual VC,
Mica/Graphite loaded Polymer cone Mica/Graphite loaded Polymer cone
Tweeters 2 x 1 inch silk domes w/phase lens 2 x 1 inch silk domes w/phase lens
Weight 4.8 lbs. 5.25 lbs.

Snug all four mounting screws in this manner to make a  rm seal with

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the ceiling. Be care ful not to overtighten them.

Start the system and make sure the speakers are operating prop er ly. If

9

necessary, adjust the high frequency switch (on the tweeter assembly,
under the grille) to get the most natural balance of sound throughout
the listening area.

Install the grille by placing it into the recess and pushing it

10

in gen tly.

Atlantic Technology

343 Vanderbilt Avenue Norwood, MA 02062
[phone] www.atlantictechnology.com

01-1061