JBL SCS120 User Manual

TM

SCS120

simple
set-up guide

thank you for choosing JBL. For over 50 years, JBL

™

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and reproduction, from live performances to monitoring the

recordings you play in your home, car, or office.

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provide every note of enjoyment that you expected – and that

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read first! Important Safety Precautions!

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.

1. Read Instructions. All the safety

and operating instructions should be
read before the product is operated.

2. Retain Instructions. The safety

and operating instructions should be
retained for future reference.

3. Heed Warnings. All warnings on

the product and in the operating
instructions should be adhered to.

4. Follow Instructions. All operat-

ing and use instructions should be
followed.

5. Water and Moisture. The product

should not be used near water – for
example, near a bathtub, washbowl,
kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a wet
basement, or near a swimming pool,
and the like.

6. Accessories. Do not place this

product on an unstable cart, stand,
tripod, bracket, or table. The product
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 the
manufacturer, or sold with the
product. Any mounting of the prod­uct should follow the manufacturer’s
instructions, and should use a
mounting accessory recommended by
the manufacturer.

7. Wall or Ceiling Mounting. The

product should be mounted on a
wall or ceiling only when and as
recommended by the manufacturer.

8. Ventilation. Slots and openings

in the cabinet are provided for
ventilation and to ensure reliable
operation of the product and to
protect 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. This product should
not be placed in a built-in installa­tion such as a bookcase or rack
unless proper ventilation is provided
or the manufacturer’s instructions
have been adhered to.

9. Heat. The product should be situ-

ated away from heat sources such as
radiators, heat registers, stoves, or
other products that produce heat. If
placed near an amplifier, check with
the manufacturer for applicability.

10. Power Sources. This product

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.

11. Grounding or Polarization. This

product 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.

12. Power-Cord Protection. Power-

supply 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
product.

13. Cleaning. Unplug this product

from the wall outlet before clean­ing. Do not use liquid cleaners or
aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth
for cleaning.

14. Nonuse Periods. The power cord

of the product should be unplugged
from the outlet when left unused for
long periods of time.

15. Lightning. For added protection

for this product during a lightning
storm, or when it is left unattended
and unused for long periods of time,
unplug it from the wall outlet and
disconnect the antenna or cable
system. This will prevent damage to
the product due to lightning and
power-line surges.

16. Overloading. Do not overload

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

17. Object and Liquid Entry. Never

push objects of any kind into this
product 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 product.

18. Damage Requiring Service.

Unplug this product from the wall
outlet and refer servicing to
qualified service personnel under the
following conditions:

a. The power-supply cord or the

plug has been damaged; or

b. Objects have fallen onto, or

liquid has been spilled into, the
product; or

c. The product has been exposed to

rain or water; or

d. The product does not operate

normally when following the operat­ing instructions. Adjust only those
controls that are covered by
the operating instructions, as an
improper adjustment of other con­trols may result in damage and will
often require extensive work by a
qualified technician to restore the
product to its normal operation; or

e. The product has been dropped, or

the enclosure damaged; or

f. The product does not appear to

operate normally or exhibits a
marked change in performance.

19. Attachments. Do not use

attachments not recommended by
the product manufacturer, as they
may cause hazards.

20. Replacement Parts. When

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

21. Safety Check. Upon completion

of any service or repairs to this
product, ask the service technician
to perform safety checks to deter­mine that the product is in proper
operating condition.

22. Servicing. Do not attempt to

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

Part No. JBLULA 6/96

included

Two satellite speakers.

One pair of sat20 surround
speakers with removable
wall-mounting brackets.

features

• Dolby* Digital Ready

• 2-way satellite and surround
speakers with 3/4" titanium
composite dome high­frequency drivers

• 150-watt powered bass reflex
with dual 8" drivers

One 150-watt powered
subwoofer.

• Adjustable, removable wall­mounting brackets (for use
with surround speakers)

• Video-shielded satellites

One sat20 center speaker with
removable wall-mounting
bracket.

• Recessed wire channels on
satellites and surrounds

• Diffraction-limiting foam
satellite baffles

5

– 6 ft.

one. Speaker Placement

0-2 ft.

Satellites

Surround Speakers

Mounting Options

Satellites

Center

Subwoofer

On shelves.

Surrounds

On shelves.

On the wall. Optional bracket.
Part No. SFX20BKT, or
SFX20BKTWHT (white).

Wall-mounted. Brackets and
hardware included.

On optional stands.
Part No. FS10/20.
FS10/20WHT (white).

On optional stands.

+ –

+ –

+ –

– ++ –

– +

– +

– +

+ –

Receiver

Subwoofer

Left

Surround

Right

Surround

Left Front 

sat20

Right Front

sat20

Center

Left

Front

Left

Surround

Right
Front

Right

Surround

Left Right

Output to Satellite

Input from Amplifier

Left Right

+ –

Center 

Speaker

+

–

+

–

+

–

+

–

two. Speaker Connections

Connection Tips

For satellites, thread speaker
wire through the hole in the
bottom of the speaker, then
feed it through the recessed
wire channel.

Speaker level

Separate and strip the ends of
the speaker wire as shown.
Speakers and electronics ter­minals have corresponding (+)
and (–) terminals. It is impor­tant to connect both speakers

identically: (+) on the speaker
to (+) on the amplifier and (–)
on the speaker to (–) on the
amplifier. Wiring “out of phase”
results in thin sound, weak
bass and a poor stereo image.

ON
AUTO
OFF

POWER

Typical Receiver

ON

AUTO

OFF

ON
AUTO
OFF

Level

Level

+ –

+ –

+ –

– +

– +

Receiver

Subwoofer 

Out

Front

Left

Rear

Left

Front
Right

Rear

Right

Subwoofer

Left

Surround

Right

Surround

Left Front 

sat20

Right Front

sat20

+ –

Center 

Speaker

+
–

+
–



+
–

+
–

R L

R L

Center

Input

Line level

three. Operation

Power

Note: Some receivers/
amplifiers have a single
(mono) subwoofer output. In
this case, it is recommended
that you use a “Y”-connector
(not included) to maximize
the subwoofer’s performance.

Volume

Troubleshooting

If there is no sound from
any of the speakers, check
the following:

• Receiver/amplifier is on and
a source is playing.

• Powered subwoofer is
plugged in and is either in
the “On” or “Auto” position.

• Check all wires and con­nections between receiver/
amplifier and speakers. Make
sure all wires are connected.
Make sure none of the speaker
wires are frayed, cut, or
punctured.

• Review proper operation of
your receiver/amplifier.

If there is no sound coming
from one speaker, check the
following:

• Check the “Balance” control
on your receiver/amplifier.

• Check all wires and con­nections between receiver/
amplifier and speakers. Make
sure all wires are connected.

Make sure none of the
speaker wires are frayed, cut,
or punctured.

If the system plays at low
volumes but shuts off as
volume is increased, check
the following:

• Check all wires and con­nections between receiver/
amplifier and speakers. Make
sure all wires are connected.
Make sure none of the
speaker wires are frayed, cut,
or punctured.

• If more than one pair of
main speakers is being used,
check the minimum imped­ance requirements of your
receiver/amplifier.

If there is low bass output,
check the following:

• Make sure the connections
to the left and right “Speaker
Inputs” have the correct
polarity (+ and –).

• Make sure that the sub­woofer is plugged into an
active electrical outlet.

• Powered subwoofer is
plugged in and is either in
the “On” or “Auto” position.

If there is no sound from
the surround speakers,
check the following:

• Check all wires and con­nections between receiver/
amplifier and speakers. Make
sure all wires are connected.
Make sure none of the
speaker wires are frayed, cut,
or punctured.

• Review proper operation of
your receiver/amplifier and its
surround sound features.

• Make sure the movie or TV
show, you are watching is
recorded in Dolby surround. If
it is not, check to see if your
receiver/amplifier has other
surround modes you may use.

Specifications

SCS120 System

Frequency Response

40Hz – 20kHz (±3dB)

Refinements may be made on
occasion to existing products
without notice, but will always
meet or exceed original speci­fications unless otherwise
stated.

sat20

Recommended Power

10 – 120 watts

Frequency Response

120Hz – 20kHz (±3dB)

Impedance

8 ohms nominal

Sensitivity

90dB @ 1 watt/1 meter

Crossover Frequency

3.5kHz (midrange to tweeter)

Tweeter

One 3/4" titanium composite
dome, video-shielded

Midrange

Two 3-1/2" neodymium
drivers, video-shielded

Dimensions (HxWxD)

14 x 4-3/8 x 6 inches
356 x 111 x 152mm

Weight

3.5 lbs/1.6 kg

bass20

Amplifier

150 watts RMS

Frequency Response

40Hz – 120Hz (±3dB)

Crossover Frequency

120Hz (subwoofer to satellite)

Bass

Dual 8" woofers, bass reflex
enclosure

Dimensions (HxWxD)

17-3/4 x 10 x 24 inches
451 x 254 x 610mm

Weight

42 lbs/19.1 kg

JBL Consumer Products

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A Harman International Company

80 Crossways Park West, Woodbury, NY 11797
8500 Balboa Boulevard, Northridge, CA 91329
1-800-336-4JBL (4525) (USA only)

1997 JBL, Incorporated. JBL and Simply Cinema

©

are registered trademarks of JBL, Incorporated.
*Trademark of Dolby Laboratories.
Printed in USA 2/97 Part No. SCS1200M