JBL SCS500.5 User Manual

SPECIFICATIONS

SCS500.5

SCS500.5 SYSTEM

Frequency Response

30Hz – 20kHz (–6dB)

SATELLITES

Maximum Recommended Amplifier Power

100 Watts

Nominal Impedance 8 Ohms
Sensitivity 88dB @ 1 Watt/1 meter
Frequency Response 100Hz – 20kHz (–6dB)
Tweeter

1/2" (13mm) Titanium-laminate dome,
video-shielded

Midrange

Dual 3" (75mm) drivers, video-shielded

Dimensions (H x W x D)

(not including shelf stand)

11-1/2" x 4" x 3-1/2" (292mm x 102mm x 89mm)

Weight 3 lb (1.4kg)

CENTER

Maximum Recommended Amplifier Power

100 Watts

Nominal Impedance 8 Ohms
Sensitivity 88dB @ 1 Watt/1 meter
Frequency Response 100Hz – 20kHz (–6dB)
Tweeter

1/2" (13mm) Titanium-laminate dome,
video-shielded

Midrange

Dual 3" (75mm) drivers, video-shielded

Dimensions (H x W x D)

4" x 11-1/2" x 3-1/2" (102mm x 292mm x 89mm)

Weight 3 lb (1.4kg)

(not including shelf stand)

SUBWOOFER

Amplifier 150 Watts RMS
Frequency Response 30Hz – 120Hz (–6dB)
Woofer 10" (250mm)
Enclosure Bass-reflex
Dimensions (H x W x D)

20" x 13-3/4" x 15-3/4"
(508mm x 349mm x 400mm)
Weight 35 lb (15.9kg)

All features and specifications are subject to change
w

ithout notice.

Dolby and Pro Logic are registered trademarks of
Dolby Laboratories.

DTS is a registered trademark of DTS, Inc.

(including feet)

OWNER’S GUIDE

PRODUCT

SURROUND CINEMA
SPEAKERS

MODEL:

DESIGN GOAL: Bring the thrill of live performance and movie sound

to

the home environment bycalling on JBL’s professional engineering leadership.

SATELLITE TYPE:

sealed enclosure

SUBWOOFER

PORT DESIGN: FreeFlow

12

PROFESSIONAL REFERENCE:Cinema Loudspeaker Series

LINE:

SCS500.5

TYPE:

Titanium-laminate-dome tweeter,

Bass-reflex enclosure

™

flared

PRO SOUND
COMES HOME

Harman Consumer Group, Inc.
250 Crossways Park Drive, W
8500 Balboa Boulevard, Northridge, CA 91329

516.255.4JBL

www.jbl.com

© 2007 Harman International Industries, Incorporated.
All rights reserved.

JBL is a trademark of Harman International Industries,
Incorporated, registered in the United States and/or
other countries.

406-000-05677-E

Part No.

(4525) (USA

only)

oodbury

, NY

11797

™

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING JBL

1. Read these instructions.

2. Keep these instructions.

3. Heed all warnings.

4. Follow all instructions.

5. Do not use this apparatus near water.

6. Clean only with a dry cloth.

7. Do not block any ventilation openings.

Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions.

8. Do not install near any heat sources such
as radiators, heat registers, stoves or other
apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce
heat.

9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the
polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized
plug has two blades with one wider than the
other. A grounding-type plug has two blades
and a third grounding prong. The wide blade
or the third prong is provided for your safety.
If the provided plug does not fit into your out­let, consult an electrician for replacement of
the obsolete outlet.

10. Protect the power cord from being
walked on or pinched, particularly at plugs,
convenience receptacles and the point
where they exit from the apparatus.

11. Only use attachments/accessories speci­fied by the manufacturer.

12. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod,
bracket or table specified by the manufac­turer or sold with the apparatus. When a cart
is used, use caution when moving
the cart/apparatus combination
to avoid injury from tip-over.

13. Unplug this apparatus dur­ing lightning storms or when unused
for long periods of time.

14. Refer all servicing to qualified service
personnel. Servicing is required when the
apparatus has been damaged in any way

,

such as power supply cord or plug is dam­aged, liquid has been spilled or objects have
fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has
been exposed to rain or moisture, does not
operate normally, or has been dropped.

15. Do not expose this apparatus to dripping
or splashing and ensure that no objects filled
with liquids, such as vases, are placed on
the apparatus.

16. To completely disconnect this apparatus
from the AC Mains, disconnect the power
supply cord plug from the AC receptacle.

17. The mains plug of the power supply cord
shall remain readily operable.

18. Do not expose batteries to excessive heat
such as sunshine, fire or the like.

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 product.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or elec­tric shock, do not expose this apparatus to
rain or moisture.

For more than 60 years, JBL
has been involved in every
aspect of music and film
recording and reproduction,
from live performances to
the recordings you play in
your home, car or office.

We’re confident that the JBL
system you have chosen will

INCLUDED

Four satellites for left, right and
surrounds. Wall-mount brackets.
Shelf stands. Floor stand adapters.

provide every note of enjoy­ment that you expected –
and that when you think
about purchasing additional
audio equipment for your
home, car or office, you will
once again choose JBL.

Please take a moment to
register your product on our

One center channel speaker with shelf
stand and wall-mount bracket.

Three 20' (6m) speaker cables for connection
to front, left, center and right speakers.

Two 40' (12m) speaker cables for connection
from receiver to rear satellites.

One 15' (4.6m) RCA interconnect cable for
connection from receiver to subwoofer’s
LFE input.

In addition, there are two hardware bags
included. Hardware Bag A contains screws
for the shelf stands. Hardware Bag B con­tains screws for the floor stand adapters and
parts for the wall-mount brackets, including
the metal tightening bar.

Web site at www.jbl.com.
It enables us to keep you
posted on our latest advance­ments, and helps us to better
understand our customers
and build products that
meet their needs and
expectations.

JBL, Incorporated

Powered subwoofer.

32

SPEAKER PLACEMENT

5

–6 ft

(1.5–1.8m)

0–2 ft

(0–0.6m)

+

–

+

–

+

–

+

–

+

–

MOUNTING OPTIONS

FRONT
SPEAKERS

SURROUND SPEAKERS

The front speakers should be
placed the same distance
from each other as they are
from the listening position.
They should be placed at
about the same height from
the floor as the listeners’
ears will be, or they may be
angled toward the listeners.

The center channel speaker
should be placed directly
above or below the televi­sion, and no more than two
feet above or below the
tweeters of the left and right
speakers. It is often con­venient to set the center
speaker on top of the tele­vision set, as shown in the
drawing.

The surround speakers
should be placed slightly
behind the listening position
and, ideally, should face
each other and be at a

level
higher than the listeners’
If that is not possible, they
may be placed on a wall

4

CENTER CHANNEL
SPEAKER

behind the listening position,
facing forward. Additional
satellites may be purchased
separately for use in 6.1- or

7.1-channel systems.

Generally, it is best to aim
all of the speakers (except
the subwoofer) toward the
listening position at about
ear

The low-frequency material
reproduced by the subwoofer
is mostly omnidirectional,
and this speaker may be
placed in a convenient loca­tion in the room. However,
bass reproduction will be
maximized when the sub­woofer is placed in a corner
along the same wall as the
front speakers. Experiment
with subwoofer placement
by temporarily placing the
subwoofer in the listening
position and moving around
the room until the bass

ears.

reproduction is best. Place the
subwoofer in that location.

-level height.

SUBWOOFER

SATELLITES AND SURROUNDS

On shelves.

On the wall. Wall

On optional stands.

brackets are included.

ATTACHING THE SHELF STAND TO THE SPEAKER

Prepare the speaker wire as
described on page 7. Thread
the two conductors through
the two holes in the stand
bracket. Make sure to pre­serve the proper polarity
(+ and – connections) by
threading the positive con­ductor through the hole on

the left, and the negative
conductor through the hole
on the right, looking at the
front of the stand. Push down
on the red speaker terminal
and insert the bare end of the
positive wire into the hole
under the red cap. Release
the cap, and tug gently on the

stand onto the back of the
speaker in two places, as
shown. The shelf stand
screws may be found in
Hardware Bag A. Use the
larger screw in the upper
screw hole, and the smaller
screw in the lower screw hole.

wire to make sure that the
connection is snug. Follow
the same procedure to con­nect the negative wire to its
terminal.

Gently pull the slack out of
the wire and screw the shelf

MOUNTING THE SATELLITES ON OPTIONAL FLOOR STANDS

Important Safety Note: The
supplied floor stand adapters
facilitate installation with a
variety of general-purpose
floor stands available from
many manufacturers. Since
different stands will have
different weight capacities
and stability characteristics, it
is the customer’s responsibility
to check with the stand
manufacturer or dealer to
determine whether that spe
cific stand is capable of han­dling the weight and propor
tions of these loudspeakers in
a safe and stable manner. JBL
disclaims any liability for the
selection of suitable floor
stands and/or correct compat-

ibility between the selected
stand and these satellite loud­speakers.

The floor stand adapters are
compatible with floor stands
equipped with a 1/4"-20
threaded insert.

Prepare the speaker wire as
described on page 7. Thread
the two conductors through
the two holes in the floor stand

-

-

adapter. Make sure to
preserve the proper polarity
(+ and – connections) by
threading the positive
conductor through the hole
on the left, and the negative
conductor through the hole on
the right, looking at the front of
the adapter. Push down on the
red speaker terminal and
insert the bare end of the
positive wire into the hole
under the red cap. Release
the cap, and tug gently on
the wire to make sure that
the connection is snug.
Follow the same procedure
to connect the negative wire
to its terminal.

5

1

2

3

4

8

5

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Gently pull the slack out of the

+

–

wire and screw the adapter
onto the back of the speaker

n two places, as shown.

i

The floor stand adapter
screws may be found in
Hardware Bag B. Use the
larger screw in the upper
screw hole, and the smaller

WALL-MOUNTING

Important Safety Note: The
customer is solely responsi­ble for proper selection of
mounting hardware not
included with the speakers,
and for proper assembly
and installation of the wall
brackets, including but not
limited to the selection of
appropriate weight-bearing
supports and proper use of
the bracket. JBL disclaims
any liability for the selection
of mounting hardware
and/or bracket installation.
Be sure to follow these
bracket assembly and instal­lation instructions carefully.
If you have any questions or
doubts about your ability to
correctly wall-mount the
speakers, consult with your
authorized JBL dealer or
custom installer.

Step 1: Unscrew and remove
the large

necessary, use the supplied
Metal Bar ∞ as a lever by

6

Molded Nut ™. If

screw in the lower screw hole.

Screw the floor stand adapter
into the floor stand’s threaded

nsert until the speaker is

i
firmly attached to the stand.
Back off slightly from the fully
tightened position until the
speaker is oriented as desired,
then rotate the thumbwheel at

inserting it into one of the
holes in the outer edge of

Molded Nut ™.

the
Step 2: Firmly grasp the Ball

and Shaft

£ and pull it

straight out of the
ment Plate ¢. Avoid leaning

it to the side for leverage, as
this may break off a tab.

Step 3: Slide the Molded Nut

™ onto the Ball and Shaft
£ with the threaded open-

ing facing the ball. Thread
the Metal Nut ¡ all the way

Ball and Shaft £,

onto the
with the star washer side
away from the ball. Refer
to the exploded drawing
for the proper orientation
of these parts.

Step 4: Screw the

Shaft £ to the 1/4"-20 Insert

§ on the back of the

Satellite ¶ (do not use the
bottom insert). Back out 1/2
of a turn and tighten the nut
against the speaker. If the
ball and shaft assembly is

Attach-

Ball and

the bottom of the floor stand
adapter to secure the speaker
to the stand.

not backed out before tight­ening the nut, performing
Step 7 may dislodge the
threaded insert in the
speaker housing and perma­nently damage the speaker.

Step 5: Tighten the

Metal Nut

¡ with the star washer side
between the Metal Nut ¡
and the back of the Satellite
¶, using large needle-nose
pliers, until it’s firmly seated
against the back of the

Satellite ¶ and has locked

Ball and Shaft £ and

the

Satellite ¶ together.

the
Note: Once the

Metal Nut ¡

is fully tightened, it may
embed some marks on the
back of the

Satellite ¶.

However, these marks will be
covered by the

Metal Nut ¡.

Step 6: Mount the

Attachment

Plate

¢ into

a wood stud on the wall,
using four #10 pan-head
wood screws at least 1"
long (not supplied)

•.

Make sure that all four
screws are driven into the
stud and not into drywall.

If the bracket needs to be
mounted in drywall, the
customer is responsible
for selecting and using
appropriate wall anchors
and screws.

Important Note: The Metal
Nut

¡ must be fully tight-

ened against the

Speaker

Satellite

¶ as described in

Step 5 before beginning Step
7, in order to avoid damage

Threaded Insert §.

to the
Such damage would not be
covered under the warranty.

Step 7: Holding the

Speaker

¶ with both hands,

Satellite

reinsert the ball portion of

Ball and Shaft £ into

the

Attachment Plate ¢.

the

Step 8: Hand-tighten the
Molded Nut ™ while posi-

tioning the speaker for the
desired orientation. If the
Molded Nut ™ is difficult to
tighten by hand, insert the
Metal Bar ∞ into one of the
holes in the outer edge of

Molded Nut ™ and use

the
the bar as a lever. Be careful
not to cross-thread. The
swiveling ball enables you to
aim the speaker to one side
or the other, or to tilt it up or
down. Stereo imaging may
be improved by aiming the
front speakers toward the
listening position, especially
for music selections.

In Dolby

®

Digital and DTS

®

systems, it is best to aim all
of the speakers (except the
subwoofer) toward the

SPEAKER CONNECTIONS

CONNECTION TIPS

including JBL, use red to
denote the (+) terminal and
black to denote the (–)
terminal.

The (+) lead of the speaker
wire is noted with a stripe. It
is important to connect both

Separate and strip the
ends of the speaker wire,
as shown. The wires sup­plied with the system may
already be stripped and
tinned for easy insertion into
the speaker terminals. You
may need to separate the
two conductors further in
order to thread them through
the shelf stand or floor stand
adapter. Speakers and elec­tronics terminals have corre­sponding (+) and (–) termi­nals. Most manufacturers of
speakers and electronics,

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.

With the advent of multi­channel surround sound
systems, connecting all of
the speakers in your system
with the correct polarity
remains equally important in
order to preserve the proper
ambience and directionality
of the program material.

listening position at about
ear-level height. In systems
where only analog surround
processing (such as Dolby
Pro Logic

®

) is available, it
may be preferable to aim
the speakers straight out
from the wall to obtain a
more diffuse sound.

Step 9: Once the speaker’s
orientation has been final­ized, insert the

Metal Bar

∞ into one of the holes
in the outer edge of the

Molded Nut ™ and
tighten the

Nut

the

Molded

™ securely. Keep

Metal Bar ∞ in a

safe place, in the event
that you decide to adjust
the speaker’s orientation
in the future.

To connect the supplied
speaker wires to the satellite
and center speaker termi­nals, press the red or black
plastic cap for the desired
terminal, insert the bare end
of the wire into the hole
below the cap and release
the cap. Gently tug on the
wire to make sure that it is
fully inserted.

To use the binding-post
speaker terminals on the
subwoofer, unscrew the
colored collar until the pass­through hole in the center
post is visible under the
collar. Insert the bare end of
the wire through this hole;
then screw the collar down
until the connection

is tight.

7

DOLBY®DIGITAL OR DTS

L

INE

LEVEL

IN

LFE

L

R

LFE OUT

S

UBWOOFER

RECEIVER

(OR OTHER DIGITAL SURROUND MODE) CONNECTION

Use this installation method
for Dolby Digital, DTS or
other digital surround
processors:

Use the line-level input jack
marked “LFE” for the Low-

DOLBY PRO LOGIC

®

Use this installation method
for Dolby Pro Logic applica­tions (not Dolby Digital, DTS
or other digital processing),
where the receiver/proces­sor is equipped with a sub­woofer output, or a volume­controlled preamp (line-)
level output:

®

Frequency Effects channel.
Connect this jack to the LFE
output or subwoofer output
on your receiver or amplifier.
Connect each speaker to the
corresponding speaker
terminals on your receiver
or amplifier.

Make sure that you have
configured your surround
sound processor for “Sub-

your receiver for 5.1-channel
operation, as appropriate.
The front left, front right,
center and surround speakers
should all be set to “Small.”
If your receiver allows you to
set the crossover frequency
between the subwoofer and
the main speakers, select
100Hz or the setting that is the
closest frequency below it.

woofer On.” Also configure

(NON-DIGITAL) –LINE LEVEL

Use RCA-type interconnects
to connect the line-level
subwoofer outputs on your
receiver or amplifier to the
line-level inputs on the sub­woofer. IMPORTANT: Do not
use the LFE input on the sub­woofer with Dolby Pro Logic
processors.

NOTE: If your receiver or
amplifier only has one sub­woofer output jack, then you
will need to use a Y-connector
(not included). Plug the male
end of the Y-connector into
your receiver or amplifier’s
subwoofer output jack, and
connect each of the two
female ends to separate
RCA-type interconnects.

, plug the RCA-type

Finally
interconnects into the line­level inputs on the sub­woofer.

Connect each speaker to
the corresponding speaker
terminals on your receiver
or amplifier.

Make sure your receiver or
processor is correctly con­figured to indicate that the
subwoofer is “On.”

Note for advanced users: If
your receiver/processor has
a built-in low-pass crossover
filter for the subwoofer out­put, you may use the LFE
input to bypass the sub-

s internal crossover

woofer’

DOLBY PRO LOGIC (NON-DIGITAL) –SPEAKER LEVEL

Use this installation method
for Dolby Pro Logic applica­tions (not Dolby Digital, DTS
or other digital processing),
where the receiver/processor
does not have a subwoofer
output, or a volume-controlled
preamp (line-) level output:

Connect your receiver or
amplifier’s front left and right
speaker terminals to the left
and right terminals on the
subwoofer that are marked
“Speaker Level In.” Connect
the left and right terminals
on the subwoofer that are
marked “Speaker Level Out”
to the corresponding termi­nals on the back of your front
left and right speakers.

Connect your receiver or
amplifier’s center, surround
and surround back speaker
terminals to the correspon­ding terminals on the back of
your center and surround
speakers.

.

8

9

TROUBLESHOOTINGOPERATION

R

ISK OF ELECTR IC SHO C K

DO NOT OPEN

CAUTION

R

ISK OF ELECTR IC SHO C K

DO NOT OPEN

CAUTION

R

ISK OF ELECTR IC SHO C K

DO NOT OPEN

∫

ç

å

Move the Master Power switch
(marked “Power” å) to the “
(On) position to use the sub­woofer. The SUB500 subwoofer
will automatically turn on or go
into standby (sleep) mode
when left in the auto mode
(“Auto/On” switch

ç in the

“Auto” position). When your
receiver or amplifier is off, or is
not sending program material
to the subwoofer, the sub­woofer will be in standby mode
(LED will be red). When the
sub

woofer senses an audio sig-

nal,

it will automatically turn on
(LED will be green). If the sub­woofer does not sense a signal
after

approximately 20 minutes,
it will automatically go into
standby mode.

When the “Auto/On” switch

ç

is switched to the “On” posi­tion, the subwoofer will remain
on, whether or not program
material is playing.

VOLUME

10

If you will be away from home

”

for an extended period of time,

•
or if the subwoofer will not be
used, switch the Master Power

å to the Off position.

switch

Volume may be adjusted
using the Subwoofer Level
control

∫ as shown.

If there is no sound from any
of the speakers:

• Check that receiver/ampli­fier is on and a source is
playing.

• Check that the powered
subwoofer is plugged in,

Power switch å is

and its
switched on (“•” 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, or
touching each other.

• Review proper operation of
your receiver/amplifier.

If there is no sound coming
from one speaker:

• 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, or
touching each other.

• In Dolby Digital or DTS
modes, make sure that the
receiver/processor is config­ured so that the speaker in
question is enabled.

• Turn off all electronics
and switch the speaker in
question with one of the
other speakers that are
working correctly. Turn
everything back on, and
determine whether the
problem has followed the

, or has remained

speaker
in the same channel. If the
problem is in the same
channel, the source of the
problem is most likely with
your receiver or amplifier,
and you should consult the

owner’s manual for that
product for further informa­tion. If the problem has fol­lowed the speaker, consult
your dealer for further assis­tance or, if that is not possi­ble, visit www.jbl.com.

If there is no sound from the
center speaker:

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

• If your receiver/processor
is set in Dolby Pro Logic mode,
make sure the center speaker
is not in phantom mode.

• If your receiver/processor
is set in one of the Dolby
Digital or DTS
sure the receiver/

modes, make

processor
is configured so that the
center speaker is enabled.

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

• 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, or
touching each other.

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

If there is low (or no) bass
output:

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

• Make sure the subwoofer
is plugged into an active

electrical outlet

, and is

turned on (Power switch

å in the “

” position).

•

• In Dolby Digital or DTS
modes, make sure your
receiver/processor is config­ured so that the subwoofer
and LFE output are enabled.

If there is no sound from
the surround speakers:

• 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, or
touching each other.

• 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 a surround
sound mode. If it is not,
check to see whether your
receiver/amplifier has other
surround modes you may use.

•

In Dolby Digital or DTS
modes, make sure your
receiver/processor is config­ured so that the surround
speakers are enabled.

• Review the operation of
your DVD player and the
jacket of your DVD to make
sure that the DVD features
the desired Dolby Digital or
DTS mode, and that you
have properly selected that
mode using both the DVD
player’s menu and the DVD
disc’s menu.

11