Audio Source AS8s Owner's Manual

AS8s

8” 3-Way In-Wall Speakers

Congratulations on your purchase of the
AudioSource AS8s In-Wall 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 AS8s
speakers.

Preparing for your Installation

Gather the necessary tools for you 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 AS8s speakers

Placement

Plan your speaker placement carefully. Make certain
that electrical, plumbing and any other services will not
interfere within the walls where you plan to place your
speakers. The AS8s speakers can be mounted in the
walls or in the ceiling, but are typically used in walls.
The speakers should be located so that they provide
even coverage at you 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 AS8s speakers can be swiveled to aim
them at the desired listening position. Speaker height
should be maintained at ear level or just above. Again,
the tweeters may be aimed into the listening area.

New Construction

AS8s

Existing Construction

In most modern buildings the wall studs are positioned
on 16” centers, providing a space between the studs of
approximately 143/8”. The AS8s requires a mounting
hole 83/4” wide and 123/4” high. Additionally, you should
allow an extra 3/4” in all directions behind the wall
surface to allow room for the doglegs that retain the
frame to the wall surface to swing into position.

Use a stud finder to locate the vertical studs behind the
wall surface. Also, you should now check for
obstructions like cross bracing above and below the
desired speaker location.

11’

12.5’

20’

If you are installing your speakers in new construction
before the finished walls go up, AudioSource offers a
Pre-Construction Bracket, Part #NCi8 that provides a
stable frame that can be fastened to the wall studs on
16” or 24” centers. This allows the sheetrock or other
wall covering to be installed and clearly leave the
opening for the AS8s speakers. The NCi8 are sold in
pairs

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 level the template, then mark with pencil on
the wall surface. If you are unsure whether there are
obstructions behind the wall surface where the speakers
are to be mounted cut a small hole in the center of your
marked mounting location. Holding you drywall saw at a
45 degree angle (see Fig. 2) cut a square hole that you
can use to find any obstructions, should they exist.

ROOM

Figure 2

It is now time to connect the speaker wire to the AS8s.
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
AS8s speaker. Likewise, the negative terminal of the
amplifier’s speaker output should be connected to the
negative terminal of the AS8s speaker.

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 wall 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 wall 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 AS8s will cover
and hide the tape.

Masking T.ape

ROOM

Figure 3

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.

(+) Amp

(-) Amp

AS8s

8” 3-Way In-Wall

100W / 8 ohm

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

Incorrect

Correct

AS8s

8” 3-Way In-Wall

100W / 8 ohm

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 AS8s speakers, the wall stud cavity where you plan
to place your speakers can be stuffed with a generous
quantity of fiberglass insulation. If uninsulated, stuff the
area above and under the speaker opening with 6” thick
insulation to a depth of approximately 2 feet beginning 1
foot above of and 1 foot below the speaker opening. If
the insulation is foil or paper backed, face the backing
away from the AS8s speaker. The addition of this
insulation will help to prevent the unwanted transfer of
sound into the otherwise large and resonant cavity of the
uninsulated wall.

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

Next, one at a time, turn

1

each of the six screws that
operate the doglegs
counter clockwise a few
turns until you feel the

34

dogleg is loose from its
resting position. Now turn
the screw clockwise until
you feel the dogleg contact

5

the wall surface.

2

2

6

Tighten all six 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 tighten!

Painting the Speaker

Two paint shields are included in each AS8s 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 you fingertips, placed carefully at the plastic edges
of the tweeter housing.

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 AS8s 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

Press Here

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. Usually, it is sufficient to aim the
tweeter only as it handles the frequencies that control
the direction of individual sounds in your audio program
material.

Removing the AS8s Speaker

Should it ever become necessary to remove the AS8s
speaker from the wall, simply remove the grill and turn
the six mounting screws counter-clockwise until the
doglegs lock out of position in their resting flange. The
speaker should easily come out of the wall for service or
replacement.

3

AS8s Specifications

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

Two Year Limited Warranty

8” Poly Cone with Butyl Rubber Surround
2“ Coaxially Mounted Midrange
Pivoting 25mm Ferro-Fluid Cooled Tweeter
40Hz to 20kHz +/- 3dB
8 ohm
90dB, 2.83v @ 1m
100 Watts Peak
10” x 14.13“ (254mm x 359mm)

8.75” x 12.75“ (222mm x 324mm)

3.6” (91.5mm)

AudioSource a division of Phoenix Gold International, Inc. 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 Phoenix Gold 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 Phoenix Gold
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 Phoenix Gold, or damage that is attributable to Acts
of God. It does not cover costs of transportation to Phoenix Gold or damage in transit. The customer should
return their defective product, freight prepaid and insured, to Phoenix Gold International, Inc. 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 Phoenix
Gold International, Inc. 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 Phoenix Gold International, Inc. Under no circumstances shall Phoenix Gold 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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8100.0332A