Cambridge Soundworks MicroWorks User Manual

Instructions for:

®

MicroWorks

by Henry Kloss

Contents

Safety Precautions ................................................................................. i, ii

Thank You ................................................................................................ 1

Inspecting For Damage ............................................................................. 2

Getting Started ......................................................................................... 2

Satellite Cube Connections ....................................................................... 3

Program Source Connections .................................................................... 4

Connecting Music Sources ........................................................................ 5

Mounting The Volume Control ................................................................. 5

Power Connections ................................................................................... 6

Connecting Two Program Sources ............................................................ 7

Attaching The Stands ............................................................................... 7

Important – Please Read Before Operating Your MicroWorks .................. 8

MicroWorks With A Computer .................................................................. 9

MicroWorks As A Music System .............................................................. 10

MicroWorks With A TV Set ...................................................................... 11

Mounting The Cubes ................................................................................12

Wiring Diagram ...................................................................................... 13

1-Year Limited Warranty .........................................................................14

MicroWorks Specifications ...................................................................... 14

Technical Support ................................................................................... 15

iii

IMPORTANT

The lightning flash with arrowhead, within
an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert
the user of the presence of uninsulated
“dangerous voltage” within a product’s en­closure that may be of sufficient magnitude
to constitute the risk of electric shock to
persons.

READ AND HEED IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING

WARNING

SHOCK HAZARD

DO NOT OPEN

TO PREVENT THE RISK OF ELECTRIC
SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE SUBWOOF­ER’S COVER. NO USER-SERVICEABLE
PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO
QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.

POUR EVITER TOUT RISQUE DE CHOC
ELECTRIQUE, NE PAS DEMONTER LE
COUVERCLE DU HAUT PARLEUR.
AUCUN ENTRETIEN DES PIECES
INTERIEURES N’EST REQUIS.TOUT
SERVICE D’ENTRETIEN NE DOIT ETRE
EFFECTUE QUE PAR DU PERSONNEL
D’ENTRETIEN QUALIFIE.

AVIS

RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE

NE PAS OUVRIR

ON BOTTOM OF SUBWOOFER ENCLOSURE

The exclamation point within an equilateral
triangle is intended to alert the user of the
presence of important operating and main­tenance (servicing) instructions in the lit­erature accompanying this product.

CAUTION: TO PREVENT ELECTRIC

SHOCK, MATCH WIDE BLADE OF PLUG
TO WIDE SLOT, INSERT FULLY.

ATTENTION: POUR EVITER LES CHOCS

ELECTRIQUES, INTRODUIRE LA LAME LA PLUS
LARGE DE LA FICHE DANS LA BORNE
CORRESPONDANTE DE LA PRISE ET POUSSER
JUSQU’AU FOND.

TO PREVENT FIRE OR

WARNING:

SHOCK HAZARD, DO NOT
EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE
TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

The serial number for the
on the subwoofer’s control panel. Please write
this number down and keep it in a secure area.
This is for your security.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

MicroWorks

is located

i

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

READ INSTRUCTIONS - All safety and op-

erating instructions should be read before

MicroWorks

the
ellite system is operated.

RETAIN INSTRUCTIONS - The safety and

operating instructions should be retained
for future reference.

HEED WARNINGS - All warnings on the

subwoofer and in the operating instruc­tions should be adhered to.

FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS - All operating

and use instructions should be followed.

CLEANING - Unplug the subwoofer from the

wall outlet or other power source before
cleaning. Do not use liquid cleaners or
aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for
cleaning.

ATTACHMENTS - Do not use attachments

not recommended by Cambridge
SoundWorks as they may cause hazards.

WATER AND MOISTURE - Do not use the

subwoofer near water—for example, near
a bath tub, wash bowl, kitchen sink, or
laundry tub; in a wet basement; or near a
swimming pool; and the like.

ACCESSORIES - Do not place the

MicroWorks

stand, tripod, bracket, or table. The sub­woofer or satellites may fall, causing seri­ous injury to a child or adult, and serious
damage to the product. Use only with a
cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table rec­ommended by Cambridge SoundWorks,
or sold with the product. Any mounting of
the satellites or subwoofer should follow
the manufacturer’s instructions, and
should use a mounting accessory recom­mended by Cambridge SoundWorks.

amplified subwoofer/sat-

system on an unstable cart,

VENTILATION - Slots and openings in the

cabinet are provided for ventilation and to
ensure reliable operation of the subwoofer
and to prevent it from overheating, and
these openings must not be blocked or
covered. The openings should never be
blocked by placing the product on a bed,
sofa, rug, or other similar surface. The
subwoofer should not be placed in a built­in installation such as a bookcase or rack
unless proper ventilation is provided or
Cambridge SoundWorks’ instructions
have been adhered to.

HEAT - The subwoofer should be situated

away from heat sources such as radia­tors, heat registers, stoves, and other
products (including amplifiers) that pro­duce heat.

POWER SOURCES - The subwoofer should

be operated only from the type of power
source indicated on the marking label. If
you are not sure of the type of power
supply to your home, consult your product
dealer or local power company. For prod­ucts intended to operate from battery
power, or other sources, refer to the oper­ating instructions.

POLARIZATION - The subwoofer may be

equipped with a polarized alternating-cur­rent line plug (a plug having one blade
wider than the other). This plug will fit into
the power outlet only one way. This is a
safety feature. If you are unable to insert
the plug fully into the outlet, try reversing
the plug. If the plug should still fail to fit,
contact your electrician to replace your
obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the safety
purpose of the polarized plug.

POWER-CORD PROTECTION - Power-sup-

ply 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 at plugs,
convenience receptacles, and the point
where they exit from the subwoofer.

LIGHTNING - For added protection for the

MicroWorks

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 subwoofer due to lightning and
power-line surges.

OVERLOADING - Do not overload wall out-

lets, extension cords, or integral conve­nience receptacles as this can result in a
risk of fire or electric shock.

OBJECT AND LIQUID ENTRY - Never push

objects of any kind into the subwoofer
through openings as they may touch dan­gerous voltage points or short out parts
that could result in a fire or electric shock.
Never spill liquid of any kind on the sub­woofer.

SERVICING - Do not attempt to service the

subwoofer yourself as opening or remov­ing covers may expose you to dangerous
voltage or other hazards. Refer all servic­ing to qualified service personnel.

DAMAGE REQUIRING SERVICE - Unplug

the subwoofer from the wall outlet or other
power source and refer servicing to quali­fied service personnel under the following
conditions:
a) When the power-supply cord or plug is
damaged.
b) If liquid has been spilled, or objects

system during a lightning

have fallen into the subwoofer.
c) If the subwoofer has been exposed to
rain or water.
d) If the subwoofer does not operate nor­mally by following the operating instruc­tions; or exhibits a distinct change in per­formance.
e) If the product has been dropped or
damaged in any way.

REPLACEMENT PARTS - When replace-

ment parts are required, be sure the ser­vice technician has used replacement
parts specified by Cambridge SoundWorks
or have the same characteristics as the
original part. Unauthorized substitutions
may result in fire, electric shock, or other
hazards.

SAFETY CHECK - Upon completion of any

service or repairs to the
tem, ask the service technician to perform
safety checks to determine that the

MicroWorks

condition.

WALL OR CEILING MOUNTING - The

MicroWorks

to a wall or ceiling only as recommended
by Cambridge SoundWorks.

system is in proper operating

satellites should be mounted

MicroWorks

sys-

ii

Introduction

hank you for choosing

MicroWorks by Henry Kloss

We think you’ll find its

T

sound quality astonishing,
whether you connect it to
your computer or use it as a
stand-alone music system.

To create a so-called
“multimedia” speaker, many
manufacturers just add some
magnetic shielding and a new
nameplate to an existing model.

At Cambridge SoundWorks, we

®

started with the assumption that

.

computer users care no less about
sound quality than music lovers.
We have developed a totally
new system, lavishing as much
effort on its design as on that
of our critically-acclaimed

Ensemble
MicroWorks far outstrips many

home stereo systems, let alone the
typical “multimedia” speaker.

®

speakers. Thus

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

Subwoofer/

amplifier

Satellite
Speaker

Cubes (2)

Stick-on feet

for cubes or

stands (2 sets)

Stands for cubes (2)

Volume Control with 12 ft.
audio connecting cable
and stereo mini-plugs*

12 ft. speaker wires for
connecting cubes (2)*

*Extensions available; visit your
store or call a Cambridge
SoundWorks Audio/Video
Consultant at 1-877-YES-HIFI

Power cord

Wall-mounting
hardware for cubes (2 sets)

Program

Source

Subwoofer/

Amplifier

Left Cube
Speaker

Right Cube
Speaker

Semipermanent

mounting strip

(1) for attaching

volume control

Volume Control

Threaded knobs

for stands (2)

R

–

R

+

L

+

L

–

A

U
D

I

O
I
N
P
U

T

2

B
A
S

S
L
E
V
E

L

A
U
D

I

O
I
N
P
U

T

1

Inspecting For Damage Getting Started

Examine each speaker unit carefully
for shipping damage. If there is any,
do not install or use the system. For
Advice, call the store where you made
your purchase.

All the items shown in the
illustration below should be included
with your system. If anything is
missing, notify your retailer.

Save the carton and its inserts in
case you need to ship or move your
MicroWorks system later.

Notes: The satellite amplifiers inside
the MicroWorks subwoofer are specifi­cally designed to drive the MicroWorks
cube satellites. Do not connect these left
and right amplifier outputs to any other
speakers or any kind of signal process­ing device.

To lengthen the satellite speaker
wires, you can add additional speaker
wire using wire nuts or substitute
longer lengths of 18 gauge speaker wire.

For your convenience, an overall
wiring diagram appears on page 13.

One of the first steps in setting up
MicroWorks is connecting the small
“cube” satellite speakers to the
subwoofer (see next page). Therefore,
before anything else, prepare their
connecting wires as shown.

Twist the individual strands of bared wire

2

tightly together so there are no free
strands that could short across the
speaker or amplifier terminals.

Playback System Diagram

From both ends of each speaker cable,

1

pull off and discard the precut strips of
insulation, revealing the bare wires.

Silver wire

Copper wire
Red
band

Note the red band around the lead with the

3

copper wire at each end of each speaker
cable. This will help you connect speakers
“in phase” as described on the next page.

2

Satellite Cube Connections

Connect the red (+) and black
(–) terminals on the subwoofer to
their red and black counterparts on
the cube speakers. Use the leads
with the red bands for interconnect­ing the red terminals, and the
unmarked leads for the black
terminals.

Connecting the two cubes identi­cally assures that they operate “in­phase” (their cones move in and
out together). “Out-of-phase”
connections can muddy the stereo
effect. Solo voices, which should
appear to come from a point be­tween the two cubes, will sound
“split” between them.

Left

Satellite

Cube

To connect speaker wires to cubes, push down
on the tab beneath connector, insert bared end
of wire, then release the tab.

Subwoofer

Control

Panel

Use of the Bass Level control is described in each of
the applications sections that follow; for now simply
set it at the set midway (12 o’clock) position.

AUDIO

INPUT 1

AUDIO

INPUT 2

BASS

LEVEL

Speaker wire

+

L

–

L

+

R

–

R

Red band

Right

Satellite

Cube

Red band

To connect speaker wires to subwoofer,
push on the spring-loaded tab above or
beneath each connector, insert bared end of
wire, then release tab to lock wire in place.

Notes

The satellite amplifiers inside the
subwoofer are specifically designed to drive
the

MicroWorks

connect these left and right amplifier outputs to
any other speakers or any kind of signal
processing device.

You can splice more standard speaker wire or
regular 18-gauge lamp cord onto the 12-ft.
speaker wires supplied using wire nuts; visit
your store or call a Cambridge SoundWorks
Audio/Video Consultant at 1-877-YES-HIFI to
purchase additional wire.

cube satellites. Do not

MicroWorks

3