Blue sky SUB 212 User Manual

SUB 212

400-Watt | Push-Pull

active subwoofer

Blue Sky International

70 Sea Lane, Farmingdale, New York, 11735 USA • T: [phone] • F [phone]

www.abluesky.com

SUB 212

USER MANUAL • CONTENTS

Important Safety Instructions __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Page 3
1 SUB 212 Introduction __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Page 4
2 Important Notes About the SUB 212 & This Manual Page 4
3 SUB 212 - What is included?
4 Quick 2.1 System Setup Instructions __ __ __ __ Page 5
5 System Signal Flow & Connections __ __ __ __ __
6 Expanded Calibration Guide__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Page 7
7 A Tour of the SUB 212 Amplifier & Electronics _Page 8 & 9
8 Subwoofer Placement Guide _ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Page 10
9 Technical Specifications __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Page 11
10 SUB 212 Cabinet Dimensions __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Page 12
11 Factory Service Instructions _ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Page 13
12 General Contact Information _ __ __ __ __ __ __ __Page 13
13 Recycling Information __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __Page 13

_ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Page 4

Page 6

Page 2 • User Manual - Contents

SUB 212

USER MANUAL • SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

1 READ INSTRUCTIONS - Read all safety and operating instructions

before operating this product.

2. RETAIN INSTRUCTIONS - Retain these safety and operating
instructions for future reference.

3. HEED WARNINGS - Follow all warnings on this product and in the
operating instructions.

4. FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS - Follow all operating and use
instructions.

5. ATTACHMENTS - Do not use attachments not recommended by
the product manufacturer as they may cause hazards.

6. WATER AND MOISTURE - Do not use this product near water - for
example, near a bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, or laundry tub;
in a wet basement; or near a swimming pool; and the like.

7. ACCESSORIES - Do not place this product on an unstable cart,
stand, tripod, bracket, or table. The product may fall, causing
serious injury to a child or adult, and serious damage to the
product. Use only with accessories recommended by the
manufacturer, or sold with the product. Any mounting of the
product should follow the manufacturer’s instructions and should
use a mounting accessory recommended by the manufacturer.

8. POWER SOURCE - This product should be operated only from the
type of power source indicated on the marking label on the back
of the product. It is IMPORTANT to confirm that the voltage
selector switch on the back of the SUB 212 is set to the proper
voltage setting. If you are unsure of the type of power that is
supplied to your home, consult your product dealer or local
power company.

9. LIGHTNING- For added protection for this product during a
lightning storm, or when it is left unattended and unused for long
periods of time, unplug it from the wall outlet. This will prevent
damage to the product due to lightning and power-line surges.

10. OVERLOADING - Do not overload wall outlets or extension cords
as this can result in a risk of fire or electric shock.

11. LIQUID ENTRY - Never spill any liquid of any kind on the product.

12. SERVICING - Do not attempt to service this product yourself.
Opening or removing covers, including any over bottom or side
speaker drivers, may expose you to dangerous voltage or other
hazards. Refer all service to qualified service personnel.

13. DAMAGE REQUIRING SERVICE - Unplug this product from the
wall outlet and refer servicing to qualified personnel under the
following conditions:

a. When the power-supply cord or plug is damaged.
b. If liquid has been spilled, or objects have fallen into this

product.

c. If the product does not operate normally by following

the operating instructions. Adjust only controls that are
covered by the operating instructions as an improper
adjustment of other controls may result in damage and will
often require extensive work by a qualified technician to

restore the product to its normal operation.
d. If the product has been dropped or damaged in any way.
e. When the product exhibits a distinct change in perfor-

mance - this indicates a need for service.

14. REPLACEMENT PARTS - When replacement parts are required be
sure the service technician has used replacement parts specified
by the manufacturer or have the same characteristics as the
original part. Unauthorized substitutions may result in risk of fire,
electric shock, or other hazard.

15. SAFETY CHECK - Upon completion of any service or repairs to
this product, ask the service technician to perform safety checks
to determine that the product is in proper operating condition.

16. HEAT - This product should be situated away from heat sources
such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other products that
produce heat.

17. MOUNTING: Unsafe mounting or overhead suspension of any
heavy load can result in serious injury and equipment damage.
Mounting a speaker should be done by qualified persons in
accordance with all applicable local safety and construction
standards. Be certain to follow the instructions provided by the
manufacture the mounting bracket, be certain that is capable
supporting the weight of the speakers to be mounted.

User Manual - Safety Instructions • Page 3

-18

-15

-24

-12

-9

-6

-3

OFF

0

180

PHASE

MUTE

AU

T

O

OFF

Replace Only With Same

Rating and Type

REF

ON

115/230 50/60 Hz 800W

T 4AL 250V FOR 230V INPUT
T 8AL 250V FOR 115V INPUT

VOLTAGE

SELECTOR

WARNING:

SET VOLTAGE

SWITCH BEFORE

TURNING ON

LEFT

OUT

SUB

IN

SUB
OUT

SUB

GAIN

SUB 212

USER MANUAL • 1 - 3 • INTRODUCTION & IMPORTANT NOTES

1. SUB 212 Introduction

World-renowned for their accurate, full-range sound, Blue Sky studio
monitoring systems are used in critical listening applications by audio
professionals in a wide variety of industry sectors. Emmy Award-winning
sound editor Eric Lalicata, Grammy Award-winning engineer/remixer Roger
Sanchez and legendary Talking Heads keyboard/guitarist Jerry Harrison all
rely on Blue Sky speakers to check the accuracy of their work before it
goes public. And it’s the same story at film sound facility Skywalker Sound
and broadcaster ESPN, where Blue Sky speakers once again provide an
important link in the production chain.

Blue Sky’s fresh approach to studio monitor design delivers the highest
possible ratio of performance to cost, in turn providing the highest value
to our customers.

Making the subwoofer (SUB) an integral part of the monitor system design
enables a studio monitor, such as the SAT 8, to be positioned for the best
imaging, and the SUB to be positioned for the best bass response. Relieving
the studio monitor of the requirement to reproduce the low frequencies means
that the uncompromising sealed-box design, can combine with sophisticated
bass management electronics, to provide a seamless transition between the
SAT and SUB.

It all adds up to accurate, full range sound.

To that end we are proud to introduce the SUB 212. Blue Sky’s SUB 212
is a sealed box, dual 12”, push-pull, 400-Watt subwoofer. It features an
anechoic frequency response of 25Hz to 200Hz, +/-3dB. In addition, the
SUB 212 also has built-in 2.1 bass management electronics with both a 4th
order 80Hz Linkwitz-Riley low-pass filter and a 2nd order 80Hz high-pass
filter that is perfectly matched to the response of the SAT 8 (the SUB 212 is
also compatible with the SAT 12, SAT 6.5 and SAT 5).

2. Important notes about the
SUB 212 and this manual.

Voltage Selector Switch:

Prior to powering this unit, please confirm that the voltage selector switch,
located on the back of the SUB 212, has been set to the correct voltage
setting. If you are unsure of the type of power that is supplied to your home,
consult your product dealer or local power company.

Voltage

Selector Switch

This Owner’s Manual:

This manual addresses SUB 212 stereo / 2.1 applications. For information
about 5.1 (or beyond) setup, please consult the manual that comes with the
BMC MK II or visit the Blue Sky web site (address listed below).

Please read this owner’s manual carefully and contact Blue Sky International
if you have any comments or questions. Contact information can be found
on page 13 or you can visit: www.abluesky.com

More about the Push-Pull Design:

In the SUB 212 “push-pull” subwoofer, one 12” woofer is mounted
conventionally on the front baffle of the cabinet and the second is mounted
inverted, out of the bottom of the cabinet. The front of the woofer, which
is mounted on the bottom of the cabinet, has its cone facing the inside of
the cabinet, with the back side of the cone, frame and motor / magnet
structure facing the outside. Although both woofers operate acoustically
in-phase, one with the front side of its cone and the other with the back
side, they operate mechanically out-of-phase, relative to each others magnet
structures. Therefore, when a signal is being reproduced by the subwoofer,
each cone is always in the exact opposite position from the other, relative
to its own magnet. Because the even-order harmonic distortion components
of each woofer are both virtually equal and exactly opposite in time / phase
to each other, these even-order harmonic distortion components for each
woofer are cancelled acoustically. These even-order harmonic distortion
components are typically caused by non-linearity in the cone’s motion, such
as when the voice coil is moving deep into the gap and towards the magnet,
as compared with when it is moving partially out of the gap and away from
the magnet.

As an additional benefit, in comparison to a SUB 12, the SUB 212 also has
6dB more output, thanks the doubling in both power and cone area.

When combined, the SAT 8 and SUB 212 provide a stunningly accurate and
engaging, full-range monitoring system. We know you will agree...

Thank you for choosing Blue Sky!

3. The SUB 212, what is
included?

Each SUB 212 includes the items listed below. Please carefully unpack each
item and inspect the components for damage. If any part of the system has
been damaged, please contact the dealer that supplied the product or Blue
Sky directly.

SUB 212 Inventory:

1 SUB 212
1 Power Cable
1 Owner’s Manual
1 Warranty Card
4 Subwoofer Isolation Feet

Page 4 • User Manual • Introduction & Important Notes

SUB 212

USER MANUAL • 4 • QUICK SETUP

1. If you haven’t already done so, carefully remove all items from the
packaging and confirm that everything that is listed on page 4 is
included [SUB 212 - What is included?].

2. The SUB 212, is compatible with balanced XLR connectors /
cables. The total number of XLR cables needed will depend on
the system configuration. However for a basic 2.1 system, with
one sub, you need a minimum of four XLR Cables. For more
information on connecting your system, please see page 6
[System Signal Flow & Connections].

3. The first step in the installation process is to position the active
subwoofer. Although you have great flexibility with regard to
where an active subwoofer can be placed, a good starting point
is centered between the left and right satellite speakers. This
could be under a console / desk, behind the console / desk,
etc. If you are using multiple subwoofers, you have even more
flexibility. For an expanded subwoofer placement guide, please
see page 10 [Subwoofer Placement Guide].

4. Once the subwoofer is in position, connect the two input cables
from the left and right analog outputs from the mixing console,
digital workstation or other source, to the left and right inputs
on the subwoofer. For more information on connecting your
system, please see page 6 [System Signal Flow & Connections].

5. Next, place the SATs into position. The recommended position
for the monitors is based on an ITU standard and sets the
speakers at 60 degrees from the listener, forming an equilateral
triangle (a triangle with equal sides) - See Figure 1. Fortunately,
this setup eliminates most of the math and is easily simplified
to the following guidelines: If you want to sit 2 meters from the
speakers, place the speakers 2 meters apart. If you want to sit 9
ft. from the speakers, place the speakers 9 ft. apart Etc. Ideally
the SATs should be at seated ear height. If this is not possible,
tilting the cabinet at the listening area can improve high-frequency
coverage.

6. Once all the SATs are properly placed, connect the XLR cables
from the left output on the back of the sub, to the 80Hz input on
the left SAT. Now do the same for the right channel, connecting
the right output to the right SAT. Lastly, please plug the power
cords into the IEC connectors on the SATs and the subwoofer(s).
Prior to proceeding confirm that the system is wired correctly, as
shown on page 6 [System Signal Flow & Connections].

8. At this point the Blue Sky monitoring system is correctly
configured, and ready for the final step in the installation. Prior
to plugging the system into the wall outlet, and powering up
the system, do a final quick check of all connections and level
settings.

9. If everything is correct, plug the power cords into an appropriate
outlet / circuit. Do not turn on the power switches, yet! Some
mixers and out-board equipment such as D-to-A converters and
equalizers generate loud rail-to-rail pops when they initially turn­on. Depending on the level and the gain setting of the monitoring
system, these pops could damage the monitors. To avoid this,
always turn on equipment in the following sequence: All sources

FIGURE 1

and mixer first, and then the monitoring system. Reverse this
procedure when shutting down your equipment.

10. At this point the Blue Sky monitoring system is fully operational,
and ready for use. Begin by playing familiar pieces of music
(preferably reference quality recordings, with dynamic and full­range sound) which can assist you in the fine-tuning and exact
positioning of both the SATs and the active subwoofer. It is
important to remember that the positioning of the subwoofer
in the room will impact the subwoofer level. You may find it
necessary to increase or decrease the level from the reference
position. This is OK, and is anticipated.

11. If a more exacting setup is required, using test signals and a SPL
meter, please see Page 7 [Expanded Calibration Guide].

12. Just remember - Use your ears, they are the best audio tool you
have and you will be amazed how accurate the setup can be if
you use familiar, high quality audio material during the setup of
the system.

13. Congratulations! You have now completed the setup of one of the
world’s finest monitoring systems. If you have any questions,
please do not hesitate to contact us directly with your questions:
Call [phone] (9:00am to 5:30pm EST), e-mail at support@
abluesky.com or visit the Blue Sky Forum at www.abluesky.com.

User Manual • Quick Setup • Page 5