Cambridge soundworks NEWTON M50 User Manual

M50, M60 and M80 Speakers

User Manual

™

®

3

INTRODUCTION

Thanks for choosing a Newton Series speaker.

The M50, M60 and M80 all feature 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

M50

1. One pair of speakers

2. Eight rubber feet

3. Two 3/4" long 1/4" x 20 phillips head screws

M60

1. One pair of speakers

2. Eight rubber feet

M80

1. One speaker

2. Four rubber feet

3. Allen wrench

INSPECTING FOR DAMAGE

Examine each part carefully for shipping damage. If

there is any, do not install or use the speakers. 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.

Front Back

Rubber Feet

3/4" long 1/4"—20

phillips head screws

(M50 only)

+

—

8 Ohms

M50

Made in China

+

—

8 Ohms

M60

Made in China

HIGH
RANGE

LOW
RANGE

HIGH
RANGE

LOW
RANGE

+

—

—

+

FULL
RANGE
INPUT

8 Ohms

M80

Made in China

M50

Front Back

M60

Front Back

M80

Allen Wrench

4

Mounting the M50 on a wall:

There is a metal insert in the back of the M50 with

1/4-20 threads. The recommended bracket (avail-

able from Cambridge SoundWorks) is the Vogel’s

®

Satellite 5 (part number A1SAT5BL for black or

A1SAT5WH for white). For stability, the speaker

should be installed on the wall inverted, so the

bracket is above the speaker’s center (fig.1).
Attaching the bracket: Place the inverted speaker

on a flat surface. Attach the Multi-Position Adapter

and the upper half of the Speaker Bracket to the

M50’s threaded insert as shown in figure 2, using the

3/4” 1/4-20 Philips head screw that comes with the

speaker. Tighten securely. Attach the lower half of

the Speaker Bracket as described in the instructions

that come with the speaker bracket.

Attaching the M50 to the Newton Series
floor stands:

Follow the assembly and wire routing instructions

that come with the stands. Be sure to use the plastic

washer (supplied with the stands) between the stand

bracket and the back of the speaker as shown.

SPEAKER PLACEMENT

+

—

8 Ohms

M50

Made in China

Figure 1

Wall Mounting Options for M50

+

—

8 Ohms

M50

Made in ChinaMade in China

Figure 2

Speaker Bracket for M50

Stand Mounting for M50

Plastic Washer

(supplied with stands)

Mounting Knob

(supplied with stands)

Threaded Insert

Multi-Position

Adapter

Upper Half of

Speaker Bracket

1/4"—20 x 3/4" long

55

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"). 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.

Allow at least 3-4 inches of vent clearance between

the rear panel of an M60 or M80 speaker and a wall.

Allow at least 2 inches of clearance between the rear

panel of an M50 speaker and the back wall.

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

6

Placing the Speakers on a flat surface:

The M50, M60, and M80 may be positioned vertically

or horizontally on any flat, stable surface. We recom-

mend you apply the self-adhesive feet to the bottom

surface of the enclosures. The feet protect the finish of

the speakers 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 (see

diagram). The face of the speaker should be posi-

tioned near to or flush with the edge of the mounting

surface for best sound.

Near To or Flush with Shelf

Near To or Flush with Shelf

Apply Rubber Feet

Apply Rubber Feet

7

M80 Tweeter/Mid-range Position

The M80’s tweeter/mid-range mounting plate comes

factory-aligned for vertical enclosure orientation at or

below ear level (see diagram Vertical Position). Invert

the speaker when it is placed above ear level. You can

also invert and replace the grille panel to restore the

logo to a right side up position.

Should you wish to orient M80s horizontally, we

recommend repositioning the tweeter/mid-range

mounting plate as shown in the diagram Horizontal

Position below.

Mounting Plate Rotation Procedure

1. Place the speaker on its back panel, so the front
panel faces up.

2. Remove the grille panel.

3. Remove the four hex-head mounting screws from

the mounting plate using the supplied allen wrench.

4. Carefully lift the mounting plate assembly about an
inch off the cabinet.

5. Rotate the plate 90 degrees and realign the plate’s
screwholes with cabinet’s pilot holes.

6. Replace the mounting screws, being careful not to
over-tighten them.

7. The grille panel’s logo plate can be repositioned,
if desired.

8. Replace the grille.

Ear Level or Below

Mounting

Plate

Above Ear Level

Tweeter

Midrange

Woofer

Left Channel Center Channel Right Channel

Figure 3

Above

Ear Level

Figure 4

Ear Level

or

Below

Vertical Positions

Horizontal Positions

888

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" of insulation from the two individual con-

ductors 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

+

—

8 Ohms

M50

Made in China

Speaker Wire Connection

for M50 and M60

99

Using the Speakers with Powered Subwoofers:

Use the following low-pass (high filter) setting on your

powered subwoofer:

M50 - 100 Hz

M60 - 60 Hz

M80 - 50 Hz

Some powered subwoofers provide simple, passive

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

output circuits. These outputs are appropriate for use

with the M50 and M60, but avoid using this type of

output with a pair of M80s; drive M80’s with an amplifi-

er’s normal speaker output.

All Cambridge SoundWorks BassCube subwoofers have

full-range, straight pass-through speaker outputs. You

can use these outputs with the M50, M60 or M80.

The Newton Series powered subwoofers have active

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

with preamplifier/power amplifier systems. These outputs

can be used with any Newton Series bookshelf speaker

system. Use a 100Hz setting on the Newton Series

subwoofer’s Low-Pass control in this case.

Dolby Digital Decoder Speaker Size Settings:

If your Dolby Digital systems uses M50, M60 and M80

speakers and a powered subwoofer connected to the

SUB OUT jack, set the decoder’s speaker size settings

to SMALL. If there is a crossover frequency feature on

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

it allows.

Bi-Wiring

A bi-wiring hookup configuration is supported by the

M80. Bi-wiring uses one length of speaker wire to drive

the tweeter/mid-range section of the speaker and a

separate length of speaker wire to drive the woofer. Both

lengths of speaker wire are connected to the same full-

range amplifier speaker outputs.

To bi-wire an MC500, remove the jumpers and connect

the two lengths of speaker wire as shown in the diagram

We do not recommend removing the jumpers for any

other purpose.

HIGH

RANGE

LOW

RANGE

HIGH

RANGE

LOW

RANGE

+

—

—

+

FULL

RANGE

INPUT

8 Ohms

M80

Made in China

LOW

RANGE

HIGH

RANGE

JUMPER

JUMPER

HIGH

RANGE

LOW

RANGE

HIGH

RANGE

LOW

RANGE

+

+

FULL

RANGE

INPUT

8 Ohms

M80

Made in China

Speaker Wire Connection

for M80

10

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

damp, lint-free cloth. Avoid spraying any cleaner

on the grille panels.

Periodic use of cleaners specifically designed for

wood veneers is recommended for Mahogany and

Blonde Maple finishes.

Brush or vacuum the grille panels if dust accumulates

on them.

101010

M50:

Dimensions: 10" H x 6 3/4" W x 7 1 /4" D

Weight: 11 pounds each

Impedance: nominal 8 ohms

The M50 can be safely used with any receiver rated

above 10 watts per channel. There is little advantage

in using more power than 100 watts per speaker, but a

receiver above this power rating can be used so long

as the receiver is not operated at distorted levels.

M60:

Dimensions: 13 1/4" H x 8 1/4" W x 9 1/4" D

Weight: 14 pounds each

Impedance: nominal 8 ohms

The M60 can be safely used with any receiver rated

above 20 watts per channel. There is little advantage

in using more power than 100 watts per speaker, but a

receiver above this power rating can be used so long

as the receiver is not operated at distorted levels.

M80:

Dimensions: 18" H x 10" W x 10 1/4" D

Weight: 28 pounds each

Impedance: nominal 8 ohms

The M80 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 a

receiver above this power rating can be used so long

as the receiver is not operated at distorted levels.

SPECIFICATIONS

P81-1670 Rev A