Behringer CX3400 User Manual
Users Manual
Version 1.0 December 1999
ENGLISH
PRO CX3400
®
SUPER-X
www.behringer.de
1
EG-Declaration of Conformity
acc. to the Directives
89/336/EWG and 73/23/EWG
We, BEHRINGER INTERNATIONAL GmbH
Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Straße 4
D - 47877 Willich
Name and address of the manufacturer or the introducer of the product on the market who is established in the EC
herewith take the sole responsibility to confirm that the product:
SUPER-X PRO CX3400
Type designation and, if applicable, Article-N
o
Spezielle Studiotechnik GmbH
which refers to this declaration, is in accordance with the following standards or
standardized documents:
x EN 60065 x EN 61000-3-2
x EN 55020 x EN 61000-3-3
x EN 55013
The following operation conditions and installation arrangements have to be
presumed:
acc. to Operating Manual
B. Nier, President Willich, 01.12.1999
Name, address, date and legally binding signature of the person responsible
2
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
CAUTION: To reduce the risk of electrical shock, do not remove
the cover (or back). No user serviceable parts inside;
refer servicing to qualified personnel.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock, do not
expose this appliance to rain or moisture.
This symbol, wherever it appears,
alerts you to the presence of
uninsulated dangerous voltage inside
the enclosure - voltage that may be
sufficient to constitute a risk of shock.
DETAILED SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS:
All the safety and operation instructions should be read before the appliance is operated.
Retain Instructions:
The safety and operating instructions should be retained for future reference.
Heed Warnings:
All warnings on the appliance and in the operating instructions should be adhered to.
Follow instructions:
All operation and user instructions should be followed.
Water and Moisture:
The appliance should not be used near water (e.g. near a bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a
wet basement, or near a swimming pool etc.).
Ventilation:
The appliance should be situated so that its location or position does not interfere with its proper ventilation.
For example, the appliance should not be situated on a bed, sofa rug, or similar surface that may block the
ventilation openings, or placed in a built-in installation, such as a bookcase or cabinet that may impede the
flow of air through the ventilation openings.
Heat:
The appliance should be situated away from heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other
appliance (including amplifiers) that produce heat.
Power Source:
The appliance should be connected to a power supply only of the type described in the operating instructions
or as marked on the appliance.
Grounding or Polarization:
Precautions should be taken so that the grounding or polarization means of an appliance is not defeated.
Power-Cord Protection:
Power supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be walked on or pinched by items placed
upon or against them, paying particular attention to cords and plugs, convenience receptacles and the point
where they exit from the appliance.
Cleaning:
The appliance should be cleaned only as recommended by the manufacturer.
Non-use Periods:
The power cord of the appliance should be unplugged from the outlet when left unused for a long period of
time.
Object and Liquid Entry:
Care should be taken so that objects do not fall and liquids are not spilled into the enclosure through openings.
Damage Requiring Service:
The appliance should be serviced by qualified service personnel when:
- The power supply cord or the plug has been damaged; or
- Objects have fallen, or liquid has been spilled into the appliance; or
- The appliance has been exposed to rain; or
- The appliance does not appear to operate normally or exhibits a marked change in performance; or
- The appliance has been dropped, or the enclosure damaged.
Servicing:
The user should not attempt to service the appliance beyond that is described in the Operating Instructions.
All other servicing should be referred to qualified service personnel.
This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts
you to important operating and
maintenance instructions in the
accompanying literature. Read the
manual.
3
SUPERX® PRO
HIGH-PRECISION STEREO 2-WAY / 3-WAY / MONO 4-WAY CROSSOVER WITH LIMITERS MODEL CX 3400
CX3400
s Professional high-precision stereo 2-way / 3-way / mono 4-way crossover
s World-class performance 24 dB per octave Linkwitz-Riley filters
s Absolutely flat summed amplitude response, zero phase difference
s Individual output level controls for all bands
s Individual limiter on each output for optimal loudspeaker protection
s Individual output mutes for easy band adjustment
s Individual phase reverse switches for instant phase correction
s Switchable 25 Hz subsonic filter on each input for low-frequency driver protection
s Low Sum function provides low-level mono output for subwoofer operation
s Adjustable time delay for phase alignment between drivers
s CD horn equalization for constant directivity horn compensation
s Servo-balanced, gold-plated XLR connectors for all inputs and outputs
s Ultra high-precision Alps potentiometers for ultimate accuracy and repeatability
s Ultra low-noise audio operational 4580 amplifiers for outstanding sound performance
s Illuminated switches for secure operation in dark stage environments
s High-quality components and exceptionally rugged construction for long life and reliability
s Shielded toroidal mains transformer for minimal noise interference
s Manufactured under the stringent ISO9000 certified management system
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FOREWORD
Dear Customer,
Welcome to the team of SUPER-XPRO users and thank you very much for expressing your confidence in
BEHRINGER products by purchasing this crossover.
It is one of my most pleasant tasks to write this letter to you, because it is the culmination of many months of
hard work delivered by our engineering team to reach a very ambitious goal: making an outstanding device
that will become a standard tool used by P.A. companies and studios. The task to design the SUPER-X PRO
certainly meant a great deal of responsibility, which we assumed by focusing on you, the discerning user and
musician. It also meant a lot of work and night shifts to accomplish this goal. But it was fun, too. Developing a
product usually brings a lot of people together, and what a great feeling it is when everybody who participated
in such a project can be proud of what weve achieved.
It is our philosophy to share our joy with you, because you are the most important member of the BEHRINGER
family. With your highly competent suggestions for new products youve greatly contributed to shaping our
company and making it successful. In return, we guarantee you uncompromising quality (manufactured
under ISO9000 certified management system) as well as excellent technical and audio properties at an
extremely favorable price. All of this will enable you to fully unfold your creativity without being hampered by
budget constraints.
We are often asked how we can make it to produce such high-grade devices at such unbelievably low prices.
The answer is quite simple: its you, our customers! Many satisfied customers means large sales volumes
enabling us to get better conditions of purchase for components, etc. Isnt it only fair to pass this benefit back
to you? Because we know that your success is our success, too!
I would like to thank all people whose help on Project SUPER-X PRO has made it all possible. Everybody
has made very personal contributions, starting from the designers of the unit via the many staff members in
our company to you, the user of BEHRINGER products.
My friends, its been worth the trouble!
Thank you very much,
Uli Behringer
5
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 7
1.1 Multi-way speaker systems ............................................................................................................. 7
1.2 SUPER-X PRO: the high-end frequency crossover ........................................................................ 7
2. THE DESIGN CONCEPT .......................................................................................................... 7
2.1 Before you begin ............................................................................................................................ 8
2.2 Control elements ............................................................................................................................. 8
2.2.1 Stereo 2-way operation......................................................................................................... 8
2.2.2 Stereo 3-way operation....................................................................................................... 10
2.2.3 Mono 4-way operation ........................................................................................................ 12
3. APPLICATION ........................................................................................................................ 14
3.1 Tools ............................................................................................................................................. 14
3.1.1 Measuring microphone .......................................................................................................14
3.1.2 Generator/Analyzer ............................................................................................................ 14
3.1.3 Your ears............................................................................................................................ 14
3.2 Setting the input levels .................................................................................................................. 14
3.3 Setting the output levels ................................................................................................................. 14
3.3.1 Finding drop-outs in the frequency response ................................................................... 15
3.4 Setting the crossover frequencies ................................................................................................. 15
3.5 Runtime Correction ....................................................................................................................... 15
3.5.1 Background ........................................................................................................................ 15
3.5.2 Basics of electronic runtime correction .............................................................................. 16
3.5.3 Runtime correction in a P.A. system using the SUPER-X PRO ........................................... 16
3.6 The limiters of the SUPER-X PRO ................................................................................................ 17
3.6.1 Limiter setup ....................................................................................................................... 18
3.7 LOW SUM function ....................................................................................................................... 18
3.8 CD HORN function ........................................................................................................................ 18
4. INSTALLATION ...................................................................................................................... 18
4.1 Rack mounting .............................................................................................................................. 18
4.2 Mains connection.......................................................................................................................... 19
4.3 Audio connections ........................................................................................................................ 19
5. SPECIFICATIONS .................................................................................................................. 20
6. WARRANTY ........................................................................................................................... 22
6
1. INTRODUCTION
Thank you very much for expressing your confidence in BEHRINGER products by purchasing the
SUPER-X PRO CX3400.
+ This manual first describes the terminology used, so that you can fully understand the CX3400
and its functions. Please read the manual carefully and keep it for future reference.
1.1 Multi-way speaker systems
Multi-way speaker systems can be found almost everywhere todaynot only in stereo systems, cinemas,
discotheques and concert halls. As customers become more and more demanding, even such simple
products as TV sets have them installed. Why?
With the same sound pressure level, low-frequency sound waves have a much greater amplitude than highfrequency signals. When a single loudspeaker is to produce both bass and treble frequencies, so-called
intermodulation distortion will occur.
Dont worry about unfamiliar terminology! Everybody knows the effect that the sound of a fire engines siren
seems to become lower in frequency, once it has passed you. So, the perceived frequency is affected by the
motion of the sound source or the listener. This phenomenon is called Doppler effect (thanks to Mr. Doppler
who discovered it) and can also be found in loudspeakers: as the speaker diaphragm is displaced by low
frequencies, the treble frequencies seem to be raised in loudness, or lowered when the diaphragm reverses
its direction. Quite similar in sound to a vibrato, it is precisely this effect that we call intermodulation distortion.
As a consequence, we cannot expect a single loudspeaker to reproduce signals with the same quality over
the entire audio spectrum. Therefore, 2, 3 or 4-way systems have become the standard today. Speakers that
need to reproduce only a limited range of the audio spectrum can accomplish this task with much greater
accuracy, i.e. they produce a more regular frequency response and dispersion pattern.
To operate a speaker system that consists of several loudspeakers for the various frequency ranges, you
have to provide a variety of input signals for the single speakers. For this purpose, crossover networks split up
the input signal into several frequency bands. You can use passive crossovers wired between amplifier and
speaker, or active systems placed before the amplifier in the signal chain. Passive crossovers are usually
employed in hi-fi speaker boxes.
1.2 SUPER-X PRO: the high-end frequency crossover
The BEHRINGER SUPER-X PRO CX3400 is a high-quality active crossover network that can be used for 2,
3 or even 4-way sound reinforcement systems.
Whether you need to set up a system for small clubs or large halls, improve an on-stage monitoring system or
enhance your studio monitors with an additional sub-woofer: your SUPER-X PRO is the ideal choice for all of
these applications.
2. THE DESIGN CONCEPT
The philosophy behind BEHRINGER products guarantees a no-compromise circuit design and employs the
best choice of components. The operational amplifiers NJM4580 which are used in the SUPER-X PRO, are
exceptional. They boast extreme linearity and very low distortion characteristics. To complement this design
the choice of components includes low-tolerance resistors and capacitors, high-quality potentiometers and
several other stringently selected elements.
The CX3400 uses SMD technology (Surface Mounted Device). These subminiature components adapted
from aerospace technology allow for an extreme packing density to further improve the overall reliability.
Additionally, the unit is manufactured in compliance with the ISO9000 certified management system.
1. INTRODUCTION
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