AudioSource AS5c User Manual

AS5c

5.25” 2-Way In-Ceiling Speakers

Congratulations on your purchase of the
AudioSource AS5c In-Ceiling Speaker System.
This product is designed to reproduce the audio
portion of your home entertainment environment
with accuracy and detail that will satisfy the most
discriminating listener.

Please read this Installation Manual to ensure the
proper installation and performance of your AS5c
speakers.

Preparing for your Installation

Gather the necessary tools for your installation.

You will need the following tools:

1) A Keyhole or Drywall Saw

2) A Phillips Screwdriver

3) Masking Tape

4) A Pencil

5) A Bubble or Laser Level

6) A Tape Measure

7) A Stud Finder (recommended)

8) Your AS5c speakers

Placement

Plan your speaker placement carefully. Make certain
that electrical, plumbing and any other services will not
interfere within the ceiling where you plan to place your
speakers. The AS5c speakers can be mounted in the
walls or in the ceiling, but are typically used in ceilings.
The speakers should be located so that they provide
even coverage at your listening position. The distance
between the speakers should not be greater than the
distance from the speakers to the listening position.
(See Fig. 1) If the room’s dimensions or furniture
placement prevent adhering to this requirement, the
tweeters in the AS5c speakers can be swiveled to aim
them at the desired listening position.

AS5c

Existing Construction

In most modern buildings the ceiling joists are positioned
on 16” centers, providing a space between the joists of
approximately 143/8”. The AS5c requires a mounting
hole 61/2” in diameter. Additionally, you should allow an
extra 3/4” clearance in all directions behind the ceiling
surface to allow room for the doglegs that retain the
frame to the ceiling surface to swing into position.

Use a stud finder to locate the joists behind the ceiling
surface. Also, you should now check for obstructions like
cross bracing in front of and behind the desired speaker
location.

11’

11.5’

New Construction

If you are installing your speakers in new construction
before the finished walls go up, Phoenix Gold offers a
Pre-Construction Bracket, part NCBC5 that provides a
stable frame that can be fastened to the wall studs or
ceiling joists on 16” or 24” centers. This allows the
sheetrock or other surface covering to be installed and
cleanly leave the opening for the AS5c speakers.

20’

16’

Figure 1

After selection of the mounting location, mark the hole to
be cut out. A template is provided in the speaker box.
Locate and align the template, then mark with pencil on
the ceiling surface. If you are unsure whether there are
obstructions behind the ceiling surface where the
speakers are to be mounted cut a small hole in the
center of your marked mounting location. Holding your
drywall saw at a 45 degree angle (See Fig. 2) cut a
square hole that you can use to locate any obstructions,
should they exist.

ROOM

Figure 2

The 45 degree wedge shape of the removed surfacing
material will make replacement, if necessary, a much
easier task and yield a better finish when patching the
work.

Once it has been determined that there are no obstruc­tions cut the hole to mount the speaker using the drywall
saw at a 90 degree angle to the ceiling surface. Cover
the raw edges of the wallboard with masking tape
(See Fig. 3). This will prevent the back pressure of the
speaker from blowing loose gypsum dust out and on to
the painted ceiling surface after installation. Do not allow
the tape to extend more than 1/4” beyond the edge of
the hole into the room. The frame of the AS5c will cover
and hide the tape.

Masking T.ape

ROOM

Figure 3

the uninsulated ceiling.

It is now time to connect the speaker wire to the AS5c.
Your speaker wire is usually coded to identify each
conductor as either positive or negative. This can be by
color coding, or one conductor may have a printed
marking or at least a rib along one edge that you will not
find on the other. Identify which type of polarity coding
that your wire is using. You must carefully observe that
the positive terminal of the speaker output on your
amplifier is connected to the positive terminal of the
AS5c speaker. Likewise, the negative terminal of the
amplifier’s speaker output should be connected to the
negative terminal of the AS5c speaker.

(-) Amp

125W / 8 ohm

AS5c

5.25” Two Way In-Ceilling

(+) Amp

Next make sure that the doglegs are positioned inside
the frame of the speaker.

Correct

Next you will want to run your speaker wire to your
speaker locations. A UL rated CL3 speaker wire is
recommended when running wire inside your walls.
In many areas it may be required by code. When running
your speaker wire you should avoid having the speaker
wire run parallel to the 110V power lines to avoid picking
up hum and interference from the power service. If the
speaker wire needs to cross a 110V power line at a right
angle this is acceptable and should not create a
problem.

If you are uncomfortable with running the speaker wire
yourself in existing construction, it is recommended that
you retain a qualified custom home installation specialist
or electrician.

Installing the Speakers

Installation Tip! To further enhance the performance of
your AS5c speakers, the ceiling joist cavity where you
plan to place your speakers can be stuffed with a
generous quantity of fiberglass insulation. If uninsulated,
stuff the area in front of and behind the speaker opening
with 6” thick insulation to a depth of approximately 2 feet
beginning 1 foot in front of and 1 foot behind the speaker
opening. If the insulation is foil or paper backed, face the
backing away from the AS5c speaker. The addition of
this insulation will help to prevent the unwanted transfer
of sound into the otherwise large and resonant cavity of

AS5c

5.25” Two Way In-Ceilling
125W / 8 ohm

Incorrect

With the grill removed, place the speaker in the ceiling
opening. Make sure that the speaker wire is not hanging
against the speaker where it can vibrate and rattle as the
speaker reproduces your audio program.

Next, one at a time, turn
each of the four screws

1

that operate the doglegs
counter clockwise a few
turns until you feel the
dogleg is loose from its
resting position. Now turn
the screw clockwise until
you feel the dogleg
contact the wall surface.

3

2

2

4

Tighten all four of the mounting screws in the same
manner until the speaker is properly aligned and held
tight to the wall surface.

Caution: Do not over thighten!

Painting the Speaker

Two paint shields are included in each AS5c speaker
package. Place the paint shield inside the frame to
protect the speakers. You can now safely paint the
speakers frame to match your wall surface if you desire.

Recommended Speaker Wire Gauges

The resistance of the speaker wire in your installation
can cause your speakers to perform at less than their
optimum quality level. Excess resistance caused by
using an undersized speaker wire can result in loss of
detail and definition in the bass region of your audio
program, as well as, a loss of dynamic range. Over
extremely long wire runs you may even experience a
loss of high frequency amplitude in the audio signal.

When painting the grill caution should be taken to ensure
that paint does not clog or congest the perforated
openings in the grill. This would prevent proper operation
of the grill by restricting the airflow from the individual
drivers in the speaker.

Aiming the Tweeter

Use your fingertips, placed carefully at the plastic edges
of the tweeter housing.

Press Here

Press Here

Press Here

Press Here

To prevent this effect in your installation we have
recommended speaker wire gauges that should not
exceed 0.5 ohms resistance over the recommended
length of wire run.

For the AS5c speakers we suggest the following
minimum speaker wire gauge be used:

50’ or less - 16 Gauge 2-Cond. CL3
50’ - 150’ - 12 Gauge 2-Cond. CL3
150’ - 200’ - 10 Gauge 2-Cond. CL3

Using gentle pressure swivel the tweeter to aim the axis
of the tweeter toward the listening area. You can use a
piece of music with a solid center imaged vocalist to
assist in correctly aiming the tweeter. When the
tweeters are properly aligned for the listening area you
will hear a coherent and stable center image from your
listening position. It is usually sufficient to aim only the
tweeter as it handles the frequencies that control the
direction of individual sounds in your audio program
material.

Removing the AS5c Speaker

Should it ever become necessary to remove the AS5c
speaker from the ceiling, simply remove the grill and turn
the four mounting screws counter-clockwise until you
feel the doglegs lock out of position in their resting
flange. The speaker should easily come out of the wall
for service or replacement.

3

AS5c Specifications

Woofer
Tweeter
Frequency Response
Impedance
Sensitivity
Power Capacity
Outer Dimension
Cut Out Dimension
Mounting depth

1/4” mica filled poly cone with butyl rubber surround

5
Pivoting 19mm Ferro-Fluid cooled tweeter
70Hz to 22kHz
8 ohm
87dB
75 Watts Peak

8.0” (203mm) diameter

6.63” (168mm) diameter

2.75” (70mm)

Two Year Limited Warranty

AudioSource a division of Rodin warrants this product against defects in materials and workmanship
for a limited period of time. For a period of two (2) years from date of original purchase, we will
repair or replace the product, at our option, without charge for parts. Customer must pay for all labor charges
associated with the removal and re-installation of speakers for the limited period and all parts and labor charges
after the limited warranty period expires. The limited warranty period for factory refurbished products expires after
ninety (90) days from date of original purchase. This limited warranty applies only to purchases from authorized
AudioSource Retailers or Distributors. This limited warranty is extended only to the original purchaser and is valid
only to consumers in the United States.

Consumers are required to provide a copy of the original sales invoice from an authorized AudioSource Retailer
or Distributor when making a claim against this limited warranty. This limited warranty only covers failures due to
defects in materials or workmanship that occur during normal use. It does not cover failures resulting from
accident, fire, flood, misuse, abuse, neglect, mishandling, misapplication, alteration, faulty installation,
modification, service by anyone other than AudioSource, or damage that is attributable to Acts of God. It does
not cover costs of transportation to AudioSource or damage in transit. The customer should return their defective
product, freight prepaid and insured, to AudioSource only after receiving a Return Authorization.

Repair or replacement under the terms of this warranty does not extend the term of this warranty. Should a
product prove to be defective in workmanship or material, the consumer's sole remedies will be repair or
replacement as provided under the terms of this warranty. If the defective product is discontinued
AudioSource may replace the product with an equivalent or superior product at its option. Any cost of
re-installation or repair of wall or ceiling surface is the sole responsibility of the customer and that cost shall
not be the responsibility of AudioSource. Under no circumstances shall AudioSource be liable for loss
or damage, direct,consequential or incidental, arising out of the use of or inability to use the product.
There are no express warranties other than described above.

Phoenix Gold International, Inc. 9300 North Decatur Street Portland, Oregon 97203

Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] Tech Support: 800.950.1449

Web: www.phoenixgold.com Email: [e-mail]

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8100.0328A