Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble II User Manual

Instructions for:

®

New Ensemble

II

By Henry Kloss

Contents

Important—Please Read First ................................................................... 1

Unpacking The System ............................................................................. 2

Overview .................................................................................................. 3

Speaker Placement ................................................................................... 3

Hookup Options ....................................................................................... 5

Preparing Speaker Wires .......................................................................... 6

Making Connections ................................................................................. 7

Optimizing The Sound Of Your System .................................................... 8

About Amplifier Power ............................................................................. 9

Finalizing Your Installation ................................................................... 10

10-Year Limited Warranty ...................................................................... 11

Cleaning The Cabinets ............................................................................ 11

Difficulty? ............................................................................................... 12

Important – Please Read First

hank you for choosing
New Ensemble II. Like all
speaker systems, its sound is

T

very much influenced by its
placement in the listening room.
Unlike conventional systems, how­ever, it consists of three compact
units that can be placed where they
sound best without intruding on
your living space. There is no need
to sacrifice sound quality to decor,
or vice-versa.

If you place New Ensemble II in
your listening room casually, it will
sound at least as good as conven­tional speakers. However, to achieve
even better sound, we urge you to
experiment with placement at some
length, a process aided by the
instructions that follow.

If you have any questions or
problems, please consult the store
where you purchased the system, or
call a Cambridge SoundWorks
Audio/Video Consultant toll-free.

Cambridge SoundWorks

1-877-YES-HIFI

(1-877-937-4434)

24 hours a day,

every day

In Canada: 1-800-987-9104

Outside US or Canada:

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

www.cambridgesoundworks.com

E-mail:

[e-mail]

1

Unpacking The System

As you unpack your New Ensemble II
system, please examine each speaker
unit carefully for signs of shipping
damage. If there is any damage, do
not install or use the system. Consult
the store where you purchased the
system or call Cambridge Sound­Works at 1-877-YES-HIFI for assis­tance.

It’s a good idea to save the ship­ping carton and its inserts in case
you have to ship your system later.

All the items shown to the right
should be included; inform the store
or Cambridge SoundWorks if any­thing is missing.

Subwoofer

Satellites (2)

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Satellite feet
(2 strips of 4)

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2

Overview

Read through the guidelines that
follow before starting to install your
speakers.

First, decide where to place the
New Ensemble II speaker units in
your listening room. Consider
locations where conventional
speakers would not fit. New
Ensemble II satellites can be located
on bookshelves, hung from a wall
with No. 10 screws or wall-mounted

B

A

Cambridge

Cambridge

SoundWorks

SoundWorks

with a variety of swivel adapters
available from Cambridge
SoundWorks. Floor stands are also
available. See page 10, “Finalizing
Your Installation.”

Next, consult page 5 and decide
which of the different hookup
options is best. Prepare the speaker
wire and make the connections.
Listen to the system and be sure you
are satisfied with the placement
before concealing the wires.

Cambridge

Cambridge

SoundWorks

SoundWorks

45°

Speaker Placement

The satellites

• For music listening, place the
satellites to form an equal-sided
triangle with your favorite listen­ing position (A, below). Perfectly
symmetrical placement is not
necessary.

• In a home theater installation,
place the satellites so that they

form a 45° angle with your pre-

ferred seat (B), which is how
movie soundtracks are mixed. The
subwoofer and satellites are not
magnetically shielded, and must
be at least 18 inches from the TV
to prevent picture distortion.

• Have a clear line of sight to the
satellites, so that higher frequen­cies are not blocked.

• The satellites can be placed either
vertically or horizontally.

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• If the satellites are across the room
from the listening area, their
height is usually not critical; they
can go down on the floor, up near
the ceiling, or most anywhere in
between. If they are close to the
listening area, however, it is best
to have them at or near ear level.

• If you put the satellites in book­shelves or a wall system, place
them with their front surfaces
flush with the front of the shelves;
you can then surround them with
books, CDs, etc., as shown below.

• Take advantage of the satellites’
small size and consider locations
where regular speakers wouldn’t
fit, such as window sills or a
mantelpiece.

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SHAKESPEARE

SHAKESPEARE

SHAKESPEARE

1

2

The Sun Also Rises

3

Flush

3