FOCAL IC 105 User Manual

Custom 100 user manual

Thank you for choosing the
Custom 100 In Wall/In Ceiling
loudspeakers. We are pleased to
share with you our philosophy :
“the Spirit of Sound”. In order to
(make the most of these speakers)
enjoy the maximum of their
performance, we advise you to
read this user’s manual and to
keep it carefully so that you can
consult it later.
To ensure optimal performance
from your loudspeakers, we highly
recommend that installation is
carried out by a professional.
They will be able to advise on
the best placement within your
listening environment and adjust
your system to achive the highest
possible sound quality.

Included inside:

• 1 x In wall or in ceiling loudspeaker

• 1 x removable aluminum grille

• 1 x wall cut-out template

• 1 x protective mask for use when
painting the grille

• 1 x hook

The Focal-JMlab guarantee
only applies if the enclosed
guarantee card is returned to
us within 10 days of purchase.

Features:
High power handling

Easy integration

Aluminum inverted dome tweeter

Fiberglass cone woofer

Adjustable level and swivel tweeter

(except IC 105)

Design to work in wet environment

®

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Focal-JMlab® - BP 374 - 108, rue de l'Avenir - 42353 La Talaudière cedex - France - www.focal-fr.com

Due to constant technological advances, Focal reserves its right to modify specifications without notice. Images may not conform exactly to specific product.

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A

B

D

C

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E

Installation

The input sockets ensure reliable
multipurpose connections for stripped
cables as well as for plugs. It is
imperative to respect the connector
polarity of both the loudspeaker
and amplifier. The positive terminal
“+” must be connected to the
corresponding (matching) amplifier’s
terminal and the negative terminal
“ “ to the negative terminal (fig. A).
Stereo image, soundstaging and
bass perception would be seriously
compromised if these conditions were
not respected. Don’t underestimate
the importance of the cable: make
sure you chose the appropriate
section and length. Let your retailer
advise you.

Mounting

This should be carried out after all
of the cables have been fitted. We
recommend that you use a marked
cable in order to conserve the polarity
of the speakers (+/-).

• Cut the dry wall using the template
supplied (fig. B). Be sure to check
that this is perfectly vertical using a
spirit level before you begin cutting.

• Check construction plans of your
room to make sure that you are
not drilling into a pipe, an electrical
cable or any other specialised
installations behind the wall.

Fixing

The loudspeaker is firmly fixed into
the wall using a system of clamps.To
achieve this, place the speaker into
the cut-out and tighten the fixing
screws in a clockwise direction using a
cross-head screwdriver (fig. C, D, E).

Paint

If you wish, you can paint your
speaker to match your room. We
advise that you paint the grille and the
housing of the speaker separately. For
the frame: remove the grille and place
the paint mask in position to protect
the drivers.

Speakers placement

The Custom line loudspeakers have
been engineered to deliver the most
faithful sound reproduction, whether
they are used for music or home
cinema. In order to enhance their
performance, to guarantee a high
quality of listening, sound image
and tone balance, it is important to
note the following basic rules. The
listening area must be located at
the summit of an equilateral triangle
whose two other points of insertion
are determined by the position of
each speaker. Nevertheless it is
possible to modify these distances to
find an ideal compromise according
to the particular disposition of the
room (fig. F).
Each loudspeaker must be placed
at the same height and on the same
floor plan. The tweeter should be
at the same height as the listener’s
ear, when the listener is in his usual
listening area (fig. G).

Surround and center speakers
placement

The soundtrack mix for a film or music
encoded in multichannel format is
very complex and allows the listener
to benefit from a wide range of special
sound effects, which require the use of
effect channel speakers. In order to
obtain a realistic 3D soundstage,
the placement of the speakers is
decisive, even when confronted with
a restrictive disposition of the listening
room. For enhanced performances,
the following elements should be
noted. Central channel speakers
should be placed close to the TV­screen to obtain a proper placement
and a realistic reproduction of the
dialog (fig. Ha). They could be
placed below or above the TV-screen
if your TV-unit permits. If a standart
projection screen is used, the central
channel speaker must be placed
under the screen. If an acoustically
transparent projection screen is used,
the central channel speaker can be
placed behind and at the bottom of
the screen. Avoid placing the effect
speakers too far from the listening
area otherwise the sound perception
will be altered. In order to obtain
surround effects, with great sound
density we advise you to place the
speakers against the sidewalls on
each side of the listening room (fig.
Hb, Hd). You can use an in-ceilling
surround speakers (fig. Hc) or for
back center surround channel for 6.1
or 7.1 configuration.

Tweeter adjustment

To carry out adjustments, use the
switch level located on the front baffle
of the speaker as follows (fig. I).
Adjust the tweeter facing the listening
area (except IC 105) (fig.J).

03

F G

H

Tweeter level setting

“-” Position “0” Position “+” Position

-3dB 0dB +3dB

I J

04

Cautions

Precautions

As the loudspeaker’s covering
materials are strong, scratch and
stain-resistant, maintenance is easy
and consists only in cleaning the
covering with a dry cloth. If the
enclosure is stained, we simply
recommend the use of a damp cloth.
Never use any solvents, detergents,
alcohol or corrosive products,
scrappers or scouring powder to clean
the surface of the loudspeaker. Avoid
placing the loudspeakers near a heat
source.

Running-in period

The drivers used in the Custom line
loudspeaker are complex mechanical
devices and require a run-in period
before they deliver their best perfor­mance. They must get adapted to
the temperature and humidity condi­tions of their environment.
This breaking-in period depends on
the encountered conditions and can
last several weeks. In order to shorten
this period, we advise you to let your
loudspeakers operate for about
twenty hours at medium level, playing
standard musical programmes, but
with a large amount of bass. Once
the components of the loudspeakers
are completely stabilized, it is possible
to enjoy the real performance of your
Custom line loudspeakers.

Magnetic disturbance

In home theater systems, the magnetic
radiation of the loudspeakers must
be taken into consideration. These
loudspeakers generate a magnetic
leak that can interfere with household
appliances, some of which are
sensitive to this phenomenon. It is
strongly advised not to place front
loudspeakers closer than 50cm to your
TV screen. Frame geometry as well as
colours can be severely distorted by a
magnetic field if the loudspeaker is
placed to close to the TV.

Grille removal

Remove very carefully the grille with
the hook included.

Conditions of guarantee

All Focal loudspeakers are covered
by guarantee drawn up by the official
Focal-JMlab distributor in your
country. Your distributor can provide
all details concerning the conditions
of guarantee. Guarantee cover
extends at least to that granted by the
legal guarantee in force in the country
where the original purchase invoice
was issued.

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