JBL PSW 1200 User Manual

PSW SERIES

POWERED SUBWOOFERS

OWNER’S

MANUAL

PSW1000 PSW1200

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CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

CAUTION: To prevent electric shock, do not remove the grounding plug on the power cord, or use any plug or extension cord that does not have a grounding plug provided. Make certain that the

AC outlet is properly grounded. Do not use an adapter plug with this product.

The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s

enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.

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

literature accompanying the appliance.

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GENERAL

INSTRUCTIONS

USE THE CORRECT AC VOLTAGE

Connecting the unit to an outlet supplying a higher voltage may create a fire hazard.

HANDLE THE POWER CORD

Do not disconnect the plug from the AC outlet by pulling the cord; always pull the plug itself. Pulling the cord may damage it.

If you do not intend to use your unit for any considerable length of time, disconnect the plug from the AC outlet. Do not place furniture or other heavy objects on the cord, and try to avoid dropping heavy objects upon it. Also, do not make a knot in the power cord. Not only may the cord be damaged, it can also cause a short circuit with a consequent fire hazard.

PLACE OF INSTALLATION

Place the unit on a firm and level surface. Avoid installing your unit under the following conditions:

•Moist or humid places.

•Places exposed to direct sunlight or close to heating equipment.

•Extremely cold locations.

•Places subject to excessive vibration or dust.

•Poorly ventilated places.

Do not obstruct the ventilation slots on the amplifier by placing objects over them, otherwise, the temperature inside the unit may rise, possibly affecting its longterm reliability.

MOVING THE UNIT

Before moving the unit, be sure to pull out the power cord from the AC outlet and disconnect the interconnection cords with other units.

DO NOT OPEN THE CABINET

To prevent shock hazard, do not tamper with internal components for inspection or maintenance.

JBL does not guarantee against performance degradation resulting from any modification. If water,

a hairpin, or wire, accidentally enters the unit, immediately extract the plug from the AC outlet to prevent shock and consult an authorized JBL service station. If you use the unit under this condition, it may cause a fire or shock hazard.

CLEANING

If the unit gets dirty, wipe it with a soft, dry cloth. If necessary, wipe it with a soft cloth dampened with mild soapy water and then with a dry cloth. Never use benzene, thinner, alcohol or other volatile agent, and avoid spraying an insecticide near the unit.

For Customers in the UK

Your unit is supplied with the flex which will have either two or three wires, so the following items should be observed to guarantee safety:

TWO CORE FLEX

IMPORTANT. The wires in this mains lead are colored in accordance with the following code:

Blue – Neutral

Brown – Live

As the colors of the wires in the mains lead of this apparatus may not correspond with the colored markings identifying the terminals in your plug, proceed as follows:

The wire which is colored blue must be connected to the terminal which is marked with the letter N or colored black.

The wire which is colored brown must be connected to the terminal which is marked with the letter L or colored red.

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INTRODUCTION

Congratulations on choosing JBL loudspeakers. Their highly

accurate, uncolored and balanced sound character will greatly increase your enjoyment of recorded music. We build JBL speakers with careful attention to detail, using only the highest quality materials. They will provide many years of excellent performance.

Our PSW Series rivals the performance of more expensive powered subwoofers. It gives you remarkably accurate and pleasing sound reproduction.

•Amplified Subwoofer:

Your PSW Series subwoofer has both line-level and speaker-level stereo inputs for versatility and ease of use. We've also provided speaker output to let you hook-up satellite speakers. Adjustable level and crossover points let you balance the subwoofer with your main speakers.

•High Polymer Laminate Woofers: Provide tight bass and well-defined sound reproduction without harshness, stridency, or listener fatigue.

•High Quality Active Equalization Amplifier Circuitry: Integrating the acoustic and electronic systems into a single enclosure enable JBL engineers to employ an equalizer circuit that extends the bass response beyond the limitations of a small enclosure.

•Acoustically Optimized Enclosure: Optimized to produce an extended and level bass response.

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CONNECTIONS

CAUTION: Before making any connections to your subwoofer, make sure the power to your entire system is OFF.

AC POWER

First make sure the Volume Control on the rear panel of your PSW Subwoofer is in the minimum position. Make all connections, then plug the AC cord into a wall socket.

INPUTS

Your PSW subwoofer has both line-level and speaker-level input connections. Review your receiver/T.V./source amplifier instruction manual to see which outputs your equipment provides, then follow the appropriate instructions below.

"Line Input" - Use the RCA (phono) input jacks labeled "Line Input" when connecting from a line-level device, such as a preamp, crossover, signal processor, or when using any of the line-level outputs on the rear of your receiver/T.V./source amplifier.

If your receiver has a single RCA output for sending the signal to the subwoofer, connect it to both R & L input jacks by using a "y" adapter (not included).

Many stereo/ large screen T.V.s have stereo (R & L) RCA jacks for sending the signal to external audio equipment. Your subwoofer connects to these using both the R & L input jacks. (See Fig. 1)

"Speaker Level Input (from amplifier)" – Use these inputs when connecting to the speaker out (speaker mains) of your receiver/T.V./source amplifier. Run speaker wires from the speaker output terminals (usually coded red and black) on the rear of your receiver/T.V./source amplifier to the red and black input terminals labeled "Speaker Level Input (from amplifier)" on the PSW subwoofer. (See Fig. 2)

Preparing the speaker level hookup wire

Your JBL dealer can recommend suitable cables, or you can buy wire at most hardware stores. High quality connectors and cable offer consistent performance that does not deteriorate over time. We recommend #16 AWG twoconductor insulated wire as a minimum size. If your PSW subwoofer is more than 30 feet (10 m) from your receiver/T.V./ source amplifier, use larger diameter wire.

Making the speaker level hookup

1.First measure the distance from your receiver/T.V./source amplifier to your PSW subwoofer.

2.Next make two hookup wires this length.

3.Strip off 3/8" of insulation from both ends of each conductor wire.

4.Twist each set of thin wires into a tightly-bunched spiral.

5.Now find a visual difference between the two conductors of each molded pair of speaker wire.

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+ R – – L +

R L

Receiver, TV, or Amplifier

	Figure 1:	PSW-1200
	Line Level
		Discrete Output, High Current Powered Subwoofer

Input					-180°
					0°
					Phase
Connection	90	150 Hz	1	10
	Frequency		Volume
	Crossover
				R	L Low
					Level
					Input
	CAUTION				High
					Level
	RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK				Input
	DO NOT OPEN		+	R -
	AVIS! RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE NE PAS OUVRIR				- L +
					High
	120VAC
					Level
	60Hz				Output
	2A
	LR 104580

+ R – – L	R L
	+

Receiver, TV, or Amplifier

PSW-1200

Discrete Output, High Current Powered Subwoofer

Figure 2:

Speaker

Level Input

Connection

				-180°
				Phase
90	150 Hz	1	10	0°
Crossover		Volume
Frequency
			R	L	Low
					Level
					Input
CAUTION					High
					Level
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK					Input
DO NOT OPEN		+	R -	- L +
AVIS! RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE NE PAS OUVRIR
					High
120VAC
					Level
60Hz					Output
2A
LR 104580

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These differences can be a different color wire (copper or "silver"); a strand of yarn in one conductor; thin, raised ribs on one part of the outer insulation; or a printed "+" marking on one of the insulators. It doesn't matter which of the two strands of wire go to (+) and (–) on your receiver/T.V./ source amplifier and PSW subwoofer, just be sure to connect both left and right hookup wires identically. Push down on the button below the terminal and insert the wire through the hole. For each channel, connect the red terminal on the receiver/T.V./ source amplifier to the red or (+) loudspeaker connection terminal on the PSW subwoofer, and

the black to the black or (–). Connecting the PSW subwoofer this way ensures that both channels will be in phase; that is, working together, not in opposition.

CAUTION: Never attach inputs to both line level and speaker level inputs of the same channel at the same time.

OUTPUTS

Your subwoofer has a speaker output terminal block to enable the signal to be sent to your main speakers or satellites. Your PSW subwoofer can use the signal from your receiver/T.V./source amplifier to produce the low bass while passing the unaltered signal source to the external speakers.

"Speaker Level Output (to external speakers)" – Hook up the external speakers using twoconductor insulated wire following

the same procedure described under Speaker Level Input. Connect the red (+) terminal of the PSW subwoofer to the red (+) terminal of the external speaker, and the black (–) to black. Connecting the external speakers this way ensures that they will be in phase; that is, working together, not in opposition. Connecting the speakers out of phase won't damage them, but will result in less bass and poor imaging.

(See Fig. 3)

NOTE: Connecting your satellite speakers through your PSW subwoofer won't change their impedance.

LEVEL

NOTE: When first setting up your PSW subwoofer, set the Volume control counter-

clockwise to "Min" (minimum) before plugging in the power cord.

Use the "Volume" knob to add the appropriate amount of bass to your main speaker output.

Increase the subwoofer level by turning volume knob clockwise until you find a setting that is pleasing to you.

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Figure 3: Speaker Level

Output Connection

+ R – – L	R L
	+

Receiver, TV, or Amplifier

PSW-1200

Discrete Output, High Current Powered Subwoofer

				-180°
				Phase
90	150 Hz	1	10	0°

Crossover	Volume
Frequency
	R	L	Low
			Level
			Input
CAUTION			High
			Level
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK			Input
DO NOT OPEN	+ R -	- L +
AVIS! RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE NE PAS OUVRIR
			High
120VAC
			Level
60Hz			Output
2A
LR 104580

+	–	–	+
		Satellite Speakers
	R		L

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CROSSOVER FREQUENCY

Use the crossover frequency knob to adjust the upper end of the subwoofer's frequency response. The crossover control determines the highest frequency your subwoofer will reproduce. It allows a seamless transition from subwoofer to satellite speakers. When using small satellite speakers (without much low end), you want the crossover frequency more toward the upper end

(150 Hz) to fill in the sound your satellites can't reproduce. When using larger main speakers, a setting more towards the 90 Hz end gives a smoother transition from your PSW subwoofer to your main speakers. Experiment until you find a setting that meets your satisfaction.

Your PSW subwoofer turns itself off internally. For extended periods of non-use (i.e., vacations, etc.) you may wish to unplug the PSW subwoofer.

PLACEMENT – CAUTION: Do not place your PSW subwoofer next to heaters, furnaces, or any other heat sources. Be sure not to pinch or compress the power cord.

Since the low frequencies produced by your PSW subwoofer are non-directional, the placement of your subwoofer is not critical. You may place it under an end table, next to the wall, next to T.V., anywhere you would like. However, the closer the subwoofer is to walls, the more bass will be realized. Corner placement will result in maximum bass output.

Use the POLARITY switch to maintain proper acoustic summation with the main speakers. Listen to your PSW subwoofer and main speakers with the switch on "0˚", then listen to the same material with the switch on "180˚". Decide which way sounds better and leave the switch in this position. You should repeat this procedure if you move your PSW subwoofer to another part of the room.

ALC PROTECTION CIRCUITRY

Your PSW series amplifier has a built-in Automatic Level Control circuitry that comes on automatically when subjected to high input signal levels. It helps to protect the subwoofer driver from being damaged by accidental misuse, assuring you of many years of excellent performance.

GENERAL CARE

Use a damp cloth for cleaning your PSW subwoofer cabinet. Do not use detergents or other cleaners.

TROUBLESHOOTING / SERVICE

Your PSW subwoofers should only be serviced by an authorized JBL repair station. Woofers are replaceable by repair station only. Do not remove the amplifier from the cabinet. There are no userserviceable parts inside.

Before seeking service for your PSW subwoofer, please recheck all connections as outlined in this manual. Verify that your AC wall power source is working properly by checking with another appliance.

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Specifications	PSW1000	PSW1200
Amplifier Power (RMS)*	100 Watts	120 Watts
Low Frequency	10"	12"
Voice Coil Diameter	2"	2"
Cone Material	High	High
	Polymer	Polymer
	Laminate	Laminate
Inputs	Line Level	Line Level
	& Speaker	& Speaker
	Level	Level
Outputs	_______Full Range Speaker______
Crossover Frequency	90 -150 Hz	90 -150 Hz
(Continuously Variable)
Frequency	30 Hz to	23 Hz to
Response (–6 dB)	(90 -150 Hz)**	(90 -150 Hz)**
External Dimensions (Inches)
Height	11-1/2"	13 -1/2"
Width	18"	21-1/4"
Depth	16-3/4"	16-3/4"
External Dimensions (mms)
Height	292 mm	342 mm
Width	457 mm	540 mm
Depth	426 mm	426 mm
Weight (each)	36 lbs	43 lbs
	16.4 kg	19.5 kg
Shipping Weight	42 lbs	49 lbs
	19 kg	22.3 kg

*ALC circuit defeated.

**Determined by crossover setting.

JBL continually strives to improve its products. New materials, production methods and design refinements are introduced into existing models without notice as a routine expression of our design philosophy. For this reason, PSW Series loudspeakers may differ in some respect from their published specifications and descriptions, but will always equal or exceed the original specifications unless otherwise stated.

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JBL Consumer Products, Inc.

80 Crossways Park West

Woodbury, NY 11797

8500 Balboa Blvd.

Northridge, CA 91329

800.336.4JBL (4525)

A Harman International Company

Part No. PSWOM