Cambridge Soundworks MC400 User Manual

MC400 Speaker

User Manual

™

®

3

INTRODUCTION

Thanks for choosing a Newton Series speaker. The

MC400 features the finest drivers, precision internal

crossover circuitry, and an elegant enclosure design.

The Design Team at Cambridge SoundWorks believes

there is no better combination of audiophile-level

attention to detail and reasonable cost.

AFTER UNPACKING

Store the shipping carton and packing material for

future use and transport.

CONTENTS

1. One Speaker

2. Four rubber feet

INSPECTING FOR DAMAGE

Examine each part carefully for shipping damage. If

there is any, do not install or use the speaker. Return

the speaker to the store or merchant where you made

the purchase or call Cambridge SoundWorks at

1-800 FOR-HIFI (1-800-367-4434) for assistance.

MC400

Rubber Feet

1.

2.

4

Placing the Speaker on a flat surface:

The MC400 may be positioned vertically or horizontally

on any flat, stable surface. We recommend you apply

the self-adhesive feet to the bottom surface of the

enclosure. The feet protect the finish of the enclosure

and the supporting surface, and improve stability if the

surface is not perfectly flat. Apply the feet close to the

outside corners of the enclosure. The face of the

speaker should be positioned near to or flush with the

edge of the mounting surface for best sound.

SPEAKER PLACEMENT

Near To or Flush with Shelf

Apply Rubber Feet

5

Using the MC400 as a Center Channel

The MC400 iutilizes an offset tweeter. The tweeter

should be placed toward the top of the speaker when

the MC400 is used horizontally.

Using the MC400 as Left and Right Speakers

The offset tweeter of the MC400 should be towards

the inside when you are using the MC400s vertically.

The pair should be mirror-imaged.

Logo installation

The logo is shipped uninstalled in order to facilitate

horizontal and vertical placement. To install the logo,

first remove the grille so that you can easily identify

the locations of the logo mounting holes.

Very carefully poke the logo pins through the grille

cloth and seat them in the holes. Be very gentle! The

pins are necessarily small so they do not rip the cloth,

but this makes them easy to break if the pressure is

uneven during installation.

Left Channel Right Channel

Center Channel Orientation

6

The following suggestions assume you have some

flexibility regarding where you place your speakers.

Don’t be too concerned if your situation and listening

environment dictate the speakers’ position. The

speakers will still provide convincing, lifelike sound.

• Avoid facing a speaker parallel to a nearby wall

(within 12-14 inches). The reflected sound from the

wall degrades the sound coming directly from

the speaker.

• For stereo systems, position the speakers so they

are approximately at your ear level while sitting or

slightly higher.

Good stereo recordings will “fill” the space between

the speakers with sound – so long as your speakers

aren’t too far apart. Ensure the two speakers form at

least a 20 degree angle with your listening position.

An angle greater than 55 degrees apart sounds more

like two separate speakers, rather than forming a

continuous image of sound between the two speakers.

• For surround systems, position the speakers so they

are approximately the level of the television monitor

or slightly higher.

The Left Front and Right Front channels of a surround

system reproduce sound that corresponds to action

onscreen. Placing the speakers relatively close to the

television monitor (forming no more than a 45 degree

angle with your listening position) helps to “integrate”

the sound with the image onscreen.

POSITIONING YOUR SPEAKERS

SURROUND

SPEAKER

RECOMMENDED DISTANCE

APART FOR STEREO

20 - 55

ANGLE

MAXIMUM RECOMMENDED DISTANCE

APART FOR HOME THEATER

MAIN SPEAKERS

CENTER CHANNEL

LEVEL

WITH
CENTER
SPEAKER

45 ANGLE

EAR LEVEL

OR

SLIGHTLY

HIGHER

POWERED

SUBWOOFER

SURROUND

SPEAKER

77

Use at least 18 gauge speaker cable for short runs

(under 15 feet). Use 16 gauge or heavier speaker

cable for longer runs.

1. Determine how long the speaker cable should be

for each speaker. Cut the speaker cable into the

appropriate lengths.

2. Strip 1/2 inch of insulation from the two individual

conductors in the speaker cable. Twist the exposed

strands of bare wire together.

3. Attach any connector plugs (like banana plugs) at

this time.

4. Determine which conductor you will use to connect

the positive terminals of the amplifier and speaker

together. Printing or a ridge on the insulation can

usually distinguish one of the two conductors of

a speaker cable. Sometimes the metal of the

conductors has two different colors.

PREPARE THE SPEAKER WIRE

Strip off 1/2"

Twist Bare Wire

CONNECTION DIAGRAMS

Make The Connections:

1. Unscrew the speaker’s red and black connector

knobs to expose the holes in their threaded shafts.

2. Insert the stripped end of one cable’s “indicated”

conductor into the speaker’s red (+) connector.

Hand-tighten the knob to secure the connection.

Make sure no stray strands of wire are exposed.

If you are using cable connector plugs, connect them

according to their instructions

3. Repeat the procedure for the cable’s other

conductor and the speaker’s black (–) connector.

4. Connect the other speaker cable’s conductors to the

other speaker.

5. Connect the opposite end of the speaker cable to the

speaker outputs of your receiver. Remember to

observe channel and polarity (Left Positive, Left

Negative, Right Positive, Right Negative).

8

—

8 Ohms

MC400

Made in China

+

99

Using One or More MC400s with
A Powered Subwoofer:

Use a 80 Hz low-pass (high filter) setting on your

powered subwoofer.

Some powered subwoofers provide simple, passive

“high-pass” networks in series with their main speaker

output circuits. Avoid using this type of pass-through

speaker output with a pair of MC400s; drive them with

an amplifier’s normal speaker output. All Cambridge

SoundWorks BassCube

™

subwoofers have full-range,

straight pass-through speaker outputs. You can use

these speaker outputs if it is convenient.

Some Newton Series powered subwoofers have active

100 Hz “high-pass” main speaker outputs for use only

with preamplifier/power amplifier speakers. These

outputs can be used with a pair of MC400s.

Dolby Digital®Decoder Speaker Size Settings:

If your Dolby Digital system combines MC400s and a

powered subwoofer connected to the Dolby Digital

SUB OUT jack, set the decoder's speaker size setting

to SMALL. If there is a crossover frequency feature on

your Dolby Digital decoder, set it as close to 80Hz

as it allows. Set the powered subwoofer crossover to the

highest frequency provided, or to “bypass”. The Dolby

Digital decoder will provide the crossover function.

® Dolby Digital is a registered trademark of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation.

1010

MC500:

Dimensions: 7" H x 19 3/4" W x 8" D

Weight: 16.5 pounds each

Impedance: nominal 8 ohms

The M400 can be safely used with any receiver rated

above 30 watts per channel. There is little advantage in

using more power than 150 watts per speaker, but

receivers above this power rating can be used so long

as the reciever is not operated at distorted levels.

Warning About Excessive Amplifier Distortion

Operating a receiver (of any power rating) beyond its

maximum undistorted output level creates distortion –

added high frequency sound not part of the musical

program. Distortion dramatically increases the internal

operating temperature of a speaker and will eventually

cause the speaker’s failure due to burned or melted

internal parts. While Cambridge SoundWorks includes

the most heat-tolerant parts commensurate with good

acoustic design, the speaker’s Limited Warranty against

defects in materials or workmanship does not apply to

parts that fail from long-term operation at very high

temperatures.

Enclosure Cleaning

The speaker enclosures can be cleaned with a soft,

damp cloth.

Brush or vacuum the grille panels if dust accumulates

on them.

SPECIFICATIONS

P81-1970 Rev A