Cambridge SoundWorks Speaker System User Manual

Instructions for:

The SoundWorks

Multimedia

Speaker System

by Henry Kloss

®

Contents

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

Introduction .............................................................................................. 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 Connection ...................................................................................... 6

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

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

SoundWorks With A Computer ................................................................... 9

SoundWorks As A Music System .............................................................. 10

SoundWorks With A TV Set ...................................................................... 11

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

1-Year Limited Warranty ......................................................................... 13

Technical Support .................................................................................... 13

Specifications .......................................................................................... 15

Wiring Diagram ....................................................................................... 15

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.

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.

AVIS

RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE

NE PAS OUVRIR

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.

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.

This product conforms to the following

Compliance

Council Directive:
❑ Directive 89/ 336/ EEC, 92/ 31/ EEC

(EMC), 73/23/EEC (LVD)

Any changes or modifications not
expressly approved by the grantee of this
device could void the user’s authority to
operate the device.

The serial number for the

is located on the subwoofer. Please
write this number down and keep it in a
secure area. This is for your security.

Modifications

WARNING: To prevent

fire or shock hazard, do
not expose this appliance
to rain or moisture.

Important Notice

SoundWorks

READ AND HEED IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING

ON BOTTOM OF SUBWOOFER ENCLOSURE

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.

i

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

READ INSTRUCTIONS - All safety and op-

erating instructions should be read before
the

SoundWorks

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

SoundWorks

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

SoundWorks

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.

system during a lightning

b) If liquid has been spilled, or objects
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

SoundWorks

ing condition.

WALL OR CEILING MOUNTING - The

SoundWorks

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

system is in proper operat-

satellites should be mounted

SoundWorks

sys-

ii

Introduction

hank you for choosing

SoundWorks

Kloss. We think you’ll find

T

its 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
costliest Ensemble
Thus SoundWorks far outstrips
most boom boxes and “rack”
audio systems, let alone the
typical “multimedia” speaker.

®

by Henry

®

speakers.

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

S

OUNDWORKS

BY HENRY KLOSS

©CAMBRIDGE SOUNDWORKS

1-800-FOR-HIFI

12680

Inspecting For Damage

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, contact the retailer where it
was purchased.

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

Getting Started

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

From both ends of each speaker cable,

1

pull off and discard the pre-cut strips of
insulation, revealing the bare wires.

ON/OFF

L

–

SPEAKERS

C

AMBRIDGE

C

AMBRIDGE

C

AMBRIDGE

S

OUNDWORKS

S

OUNDWORKS

S

OUNDWORKS

R

–

+

+

BASS
LEVEL

12-14V 1.5A

AUDIO

POWER

INPUT

DC IN

Subwoofer/Amplifier

C

AMBRIDGE

S

OUNDWORKS

C

AMBRIDGE

S

OUNDWORKS

Satellite Speaker Cubes (2)

TO

FROM

TO

FROM

SUB

SOURCE

SUB

SOURCE

S

OUNDWORKS

S

OUNDWORKS

MIN

MIN

MAX

MAX

12 Ft. Audio Connecting

Cable with Volume Control

and Mini-Plugs

Stands for Cubes (2)

12 Ft. Speaker Wires for

Connecting Cubes (2)

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.

-

Semipermanent Mounting Strip

(1) for Attaching Volume Control

“Hook & Loop” Strip for Attaching

Cubes to Computer Monitor (4)

Wall-Mounting

Stands (2 Sets)

2

Hardware for

Cubes (2)

Stick-On Feet

for Cubes or

Red
band

Note the red band around one wire at each

3

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

12-14 VDC External Power Supply

(12v Version Only)

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.

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

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 midway (12 o’clock) position.

POWER
ON/OFF

120V 60HZ 30W

12V DC IN

AUDIO
INPUT

BASS

LEVEL

+

L

–

SPEAKERS

Satellite

Cube

+

Red
band

R

–

Satellite

Left

Right

Cube

CAMBRIDGE
SoundWorks

–+

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.

CAMBRIDGE
SoundWorks

–+

To connect speaker wires to cubes, push tab
beneath connector back, insert bared end of wire,
then return the tab to its original position.

Notes

The satellite amplifiers inside the

SoundWorks

designed to drive the
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.

subwoofer are specifically

SoundWorks

cube

3