Bowers & Wilkins DS7 Owner's Manual

DS7

Owner’s Manual

and Warranty

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 4

Figure 6

SPEAKERS OUT

Amplifier

Processor

12V TRIG

OUT

Figure 5

Figure 7

Figure 10

Figure 8

60°

60°

60cm
(2 ft)

60°

60°

+

−

+

−

+ −

+−

Figure 3

Figure 9

English

Limited Warranty

Dear customer,

Welcome to B&W.

This product has been designed and
manufactured to the highest quality
standards. However, if something does go
wrong with this product, B&W
Loudspeakers and its national distributors
warrant free of charge labour (exclusion
may apply) and replacement parts in any
country served by an official B&W
distributor.

This limited warranty is valid for a period of
five years from the date of purchase or two
years for electronics including amplified
loudspeakers.

Terms and Conditions

1 The warranty is limited to the repair of

the equipment. Neither transportation,
nor any other costs, nor any risk for
removal, transportation and installation
of products is covered by this warranty.

2 This warranty is only valid for the

original owner. It is not transferable.

3 This warranty will not be applicable in

cases other than defects in materials
and/or workmanship at the time of
purchase and will not be applicable:

a. for damages caused by incorrect

installation, connection or packing,

b. for damages caused by any use other

than correct use described in the user
manual, negligence, modifications, or
use of parts that are not made or
authorised by B&W,

c. for damages caused by faulty or

unsuitable ancillary equipment,

d. for damages caused by accidents,

lightning, water, fire heat, war, public
disturbances or any other cause
beyond the reasonable control of B&W
and its appointed distributors,

e. for products whose serial number has

been altered, deleted, removed or
made illegible,

f. if repairs or modifications have been

executed by an unauthorised person.

4 This guarantee complements any

national/regional law obligations of
dealers or national distributors and
does not affect your statutory rights as
a customer.

How to claim repairs under
warranty

Should service be required, please follow
the following procedure:

1 If the equipment is being used in the

country of purchase, you should
contact the B&W authorised dealer
from whom the equipment was
purchased.

2 If the equipment is being used outside

the country of purchase, you should
contact the B&W national distributor in
the country of residence who will

advise where the equipment can be
serviced. You can call B&W in the UK
or visit our web site to get the contact
details of your local distributor.

To validate your warranty, you will need to
produce this warranty booklet completed
and stamped by your dealer on the date of
purchase. Alternatively, you will need the
original sales invoice or other proof of
ownership and date of purchase.

Owner’s manual

Introduction

Thank you for choosing Bowers & Wilkins.

We are confident that you will enjoy many
years of listening pleasure from your
speakers, but please read this manual fully
before installing them. It will help you
optimise their performance.

B&W maintains a network of dedicated
distributors in over 60 countries who will be
able to help you should you have any
problems your dealer cannot resolve.

Unpacking (figure 1)

• Fold the carton flaps right back and
invert the carton and contents.

• Lift the carton clear of the contents and
remove the inner packaging from the
speakers.

We suggest you retain the packing for
future use.

Operation

The DS7 is specifically designed as an on­wall surround speaker for multi-channel
audio and home theatre installations.

Surround speakers generally fall into two
main types – those that one might describe
as 'normal' speakers – so-called
monopoles, where the sound comes from a
set of drive units mounted on the front of
the enclosure – and those that give a more
diffuse sound field, such as dipoles. Each
type has its advantages.

Most multi-channel music is recorded with
home entertainment in mind and is
monitored using monopole surround
speakers, whatever the multi-channel
recording format. This enables better
location of side and rear images, although
the formation of such images is never quite
as precise as it is between the front
speakers.

Most films are originally balanced for
cinemas, where a large number of speakers
spread around the auditorium are used to
create the surround sound field. In that
case there are more surround speakers
than there are discrete channels of
information and a less precise image is
created that gives an all-enveloping effect.
Dipoles and similar diffuse speakers are
better at recreating this type of sound field
in the home, but using fewer speakers to
do it. Image positioning with these types of
speaker is never as precise as it can be
with monopoles. However, they do have the

advantage of making it easier to balance
the system for a larger listening area.

You may well receive conflicting advice
from different sources on the best type of
surround speaker to use. The truth is that
there is no one perfect solution for all
situations and the final choice for any given
application will be influenced by several
criteria, some of which may have a degree
of conflict. The DS7 has the advantage of
offering a choice of both monopole and
dipole operation, either via a switch located
on the front baffle, behind the removable
grille, or remotely, using a 12V trigger from
the surround processor. You may therefore
choose whichever type of operation best
suits the conditions of the listening room,
the size of audience and the type of
programme being played. Indeed, you may
even change the characteristic for different
types of programme and, as the total
energy into the room is the same in both
modes, no recalibration of the installation is
necessary when switching between them.

In monopole mode, only the two drive units
on the front face operate. In dipole mode,
the front tweeter is disconnected; the two
side firing drivers are brought into operation
and the crossover frequency to the bass
unit is lowered. The side units are
connected out of phase with one another,
which creates a wedge-shaped null zone at
right angles to the wall. If the listeners sit
within this zone, they become less aware of
the location of the speakers and hear more
reflected sound; hence the diffuse nature of
the sound field.

Positioning

Ascertain the optimum position for the
speakers before permanently fixing them in
place.

In order to successfully enable both modes
of operation, the speakers should be
placed so that the listeners sit within the
null zone of dipole operation.

5.1 format (figure 2)

Place each of the speakers to the side and
slightly behind the centre of the listening
area.

6.1 and 7.1 formats (figure 3)

We recommend the use of 4 surround
speakers, even when using a 6.1 format.

Place the side speakers in line with the
centre of the listening area.

Place the rear speakers behind the listening
area within the angle limits shown in the
diagram.

All formats

The surround speakers will normally be
placed approximately 60cm (2 ft) above ear
height. (figure 4) Higher positions may be
used if necessary.

Although the speaker can theoretically be
fitted to the ceiling, it is not recommended
unless precautions are taken to prevent the
speaker sliding off its mounting. B&W
cannot accept any responsibility should the
speaker fall from a ceiling mount.

1

You can choose which way the positive and
negative dipole lobes point using the centre
toggle switch marked t8 on the front
baffle. The stem of the switch points in the
direction of the positive lobe.

To optimise the smoothness of sounds
panning from the front of the room to the
back and vice versa when speakers are
used in dipole mode, we recommend that
the side speakers have their positive lobes
pointing towards the front of the room and
the rear speakers have their positive lobes
pointing towards the centre of the rear wall.
(figure 5)

Stray magnetic fields

The speaker drive units create stray
magnetic fields that extend beyond the
boundaries of the cabinet. We recommend
you keep magnetically sensitive articles
(television and computer screens, computer
discs, audio and video tapes, swipe cards
and the like) at least 0.5m (20 in) from the
speaker.

Connections (figure 6)

All connections should be made with the
equipment switched off.

Ensure the positive terminal on the speaker
(marked + and coloured red) is connected
to the positive output terminal of the
amplifier and negative (marked – and
coloured black) to negative. Incorrect
connection can result in poor imaging and
loss of bass.

The terminals accept 6mm (1/4 in) spades,
bared wire ends or round pins up to 6mm
diameter and 4mm banana plugs.

Important safety notice:

In certain countries, notably those in
Europe, the use of 4mm banana plugs is
considered a potential safety hazard,
because they may be inserted into the
holes of unshuttered mains supply sockets.
In order to comply with European
CENELEC safety regulations, the 4mm
holes in the ends of the terminals are
blocked by plastic pins. Do not remove the
pins if you are using the product where
these conditions apply.

Always screw the terminal caps down
tightly to optimise the connection and
prevent rattles.

Ask your dealer for advice when choosing
cable. Keep the total impedance below the
maximum recommended in the
specification and use a low inductance
cable to avoid attenuation of the highest
frequencies.

Below the speaker input terminals are two
screw terminals for the 12V trigger signal.
Strip insulation from the ends of twin cable
and connect to the trigger output of your
processor, if available. To avoid damage,

ensure that you observe the correct
polarity of the connection.

Fixing the speaker in place

The speakers may be fixed to a wall using
screws in the range 5mm to 6mm diameter
(No.10 to No.12). On the back of the
cabinet are three wall plates. The screw
head should be inserted into the round part

of the aperture and slid fully along one of
the slots. (figure 7)

Ensure, especially when fixing to
drywall panels, that the screw length
and wall plug security are sufficient to
hold the weight of the speaker. B&W
can accept no liability for any failure of
wall or ceiling fixings.

Use the template provided to mark the
screw positions. The outside dimensions of
the template correspond to the rear of the
cabinet.

Stick 4 of the clear self-adhesive rubber
pads to the rear panel of each speaker, one
close to each corner. These stop the
speaker vibrating against the surface and
help keep it in position. (figure 8)

Adjust the protrusion of the screws such
that the rubber pads are a friction slide on
the surface when the wall plates are
hooked over the screw heads. (figure 9)

Always check and ensure that:

• All the screws slide right to the ends
of the slots in the wall plates.

• Screw protrusion is adjusted so that
the rubber pads provide enough
friction to prevent the speakers
sliding out of position.

Mode selection (figure 10)

Use the bottom switch on the front baffle
when selecting between monopole and
dipole modes. In the ● position, the
speaker defaults to monopole mode.
However, if a 12V signal is applied to the
trigger input, internal relays switch to dipole
mode. In the ●● position the speaker is
always in dipole mode, whatever the trigger
signal.

Some processors feature programmable
triggering and may be set up to change the
mode of the speakers depending on the
type of material being played. Ask your
dealer for advice on choosing a suitable
processor if you wish to use this facility and
refer to the processor manual on how to
carry out the programming.

Experiment to find the settings best suited
to your requirements. Typical combinations
are:

• All surround speakers monopole

• Side speakers dipole, rear speakers
monopole

• All surround speakers dipole

It would be unusual, but not impossible, to
set side speakers to monopole and rear
speakers to dipole.

Fine tuning

In monopole mode, the high frequency
output level may be adjusted using the top
toggle switch on the front baffle. In the
centre 0 position, the system response is
nominally flat. The + position gives more
output, which may be required, for
example, if the acoustic of the room is dull,
if circumstances dictate that the speakers
have to be placed more off line than
recommended or if the speaker is built into
custom furniture and placed behind fabric
that is more absorbent than that on the

grilles supplied. Conversely, the – position
reduces the level for when the room
acoustic is too bright or if you want to
reduce your awareness of the speakers'
location.

Running-in period

The performance of the speaker will change
subtly during the initial listening period. If
the speaker has been stored in a cold
environment, the damping compounds and
suspension materials of the drive units will
take some time to recover their correct
mechanical properties. The drive unit
suspensions will also loosen up during the
first hours of use. The time taken for the
speaker to achieve its intended
performance will vary depending on
previous storage conditions and how it is
used. As a guide, allow up to a week for
the temperature effects to stabilise and 15
hours of average use for the mechanical
parts to attain their intended design
characteristics.

Aftercare

The cabinets normally only require dusting.
If you wish to use an aerosol cleaner,
remove the grilles first by gently pulling
them away from the cabinet. Spray onto
the cleaning cloth, not directly the cabinet.
With the grilles detached from the cabinet,
clean the fabric with a normal clothes brush
or vacuum cleaner with appropriate
accessory.

Avoid touching the drive units, especially
the tweeter, as damage may result.

2

40

Technical Features

Description

Drive units

Frequency range

Frequency response

Dispersion

Sensitivity

Harmonic distortion

Nominal impedance

Crossover frequencies

Power handling

Max. recommended cable impedance

Dimensions

Net Weight

Nautilus™ tweeter
Kevlar® brand fibre cone bass/midrange

2-way closed-box selectable dipole/monopole surround system

1x ø25mm (1 in) alloy dome high-frequency
2x ø100mm (4 in) midrange/highfrequency
1x ø165mm (6.5 in) woven Kevlar® cone bass/midrange

-6dB at 60Hz and 42kHz (monopole mode)

-6dB at 60Hz and 15kHz (dipole mode)

80Hz – 22kHz ±3dB on reference axis (monopole mode)
80Hz – 10kHz ±3dB power averaged over front hemisphere (dipole mode)

Monopole mode: Within 2dB of reference response
Horizontal: over 40˚ arc
Vertical: over 10˚ arc
Dipole mode: horizontal figure of eight
Effective null zone ±30˚ (250Hz-15kHz)

89dB spl (2.83V, 1m)

2nd and 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m)
<1% 110Hz – 20kHz

8Ω (minimum 3.0Ω)

4kHz (monopole mode)
250Hz (dipole mode)

25W – 120W into 8Ω on unclipped programme

0.1Ω

Height: 302mm (11.9 in)
Width: 383mm (15.1 in)
Depth: 200mm (7.9 in)

8.5 kg (19 lb)

DS7

Kevlar is a registered trademark of DuPont.
Nautilus is a trademark of B&W Loudspeakers Ltd.
Copyright © B&W Loudspeakers Ltd. E&OE
Printed in Spain.

UK Sales Enquiries and Service
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B&W Loudspeakers of America
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B&W Loudspeakers (Asia) Ltd
T [phone]
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B&W Loudspeakers Ltd
Dale Road
Worthing West Sussex
BN11 2BH England

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F [phone]
[e-mail]
www.bwspeakers.com

II09518 Issue 1