JBL SYN 3 User Manual
JBL Consumer Products,
Incorporated
240 Crossways Park West
Woodbury, NY 11797
8500 Balboa Boulevard
Northridge, CA 91329
800-645-7484
P/N 301227-001
A Harman International Company
SYNTHESIS
THREE
SPEAKERS
OWNER’S
MANUAL
®
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................2
SPEAKER PLACEMENT.................................................................................................3
CONNECTING THE SPEAKERS TO THE REST OF YOUR SYSTEM..............................7
FINE TUNING YOUR AUDIO SYSTEM...........................................................................8
TROUBLESHOOTING..................................................................................................16
SPECIFICATIONS.........................................................................................................17
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on purchasing this JBL Synthesis Three home theater speaker. This
product represents the synthesis of everything that JBL has learned about the emotional power of audio and video in over fifty years of preeminence in the field. It sets
new benchmarks in the use of “high technology” and provides you with the experience
of being in some of the world’s greatest movie-houses and concert halls, right at
home! JBL’s Synthesis Three speaker systems feature the following:
THX ® LICENSED HOME AUDIO SYSTEM: When used with a Home THX controller
and amplifiers, your speaker system will deliver state-of-the-art THX home theater
experience to your home. You will hear in your home, exactly what the director and
sound engineer heard in the recording studio. The system will reproduce the audio
flawlessly and without distortion.
CINEMA/MUSIC SWITCHING: The Synthesis Three main speakers (S3M) utilize different combinations of transducers that are specifically chosen for playing cinema or
music. Via an electronic relay, the speaker mode can be switched, depending on
whether the surround processor is in the music or cinema mode. The result is a
speaker that reproduces all sources incredibly!
HIGH POWER COMPRESSION HORN: Horns are commonplace in movie theaters
across the world, because of their high power handling and well-defined high frequency output. The horns employed in Synthesis Three have very low distortion, and a
well controlled directivity, to put the dialogue at the center of the screen and the effects
all around you.
ACCURATE MID-BASS DRIVERS AND SUBWOOFERS: The 6-1/2 inch mid-bass
drivers incorporate fiberglass reinforced cones along with microcell laminate domes
and surrounds to provide tight and smooth midrange sounds without harshness, stridency, or listener fatigue. The pair of twelve inch high power subwoofers completes
the experience with earth shattering, deep bass.
PURE TITANIUM TWEETER: This tweeter provides well-defined high frequency output with low distortion, flat and smooth high frequency response, and no break-up in
the audio range.
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COMMON VOICING: Synthesis Three uses common voicing across the front three
channels. Since identical drivers are used, each speaker has the same tonal qualities,
thus as a sound is panned from one side to the other, there will be no change in timbre.
MAGNETIC SHIELDING: All front speakers are magnetically shielded, allowing you to
place them near video monitors without generating interference or distorting the picture.
SPEAKER PLACEMENT
Positioning your speakers properly is critical in order to achieve the sonic performance of
a home theater. Please read the following sections to guide you in correct placement.
LEFT AND RIGHT SPEAKERS - If you have purchased the Synthesis Three Home
Media System, then the main speakers (model S3M) will serve as your left and right
speakers. If you have purchased the Synthesis Three Cinema Only System, or Cinema
Only Speaker Package, then the vertical center speakers (model S3VC) will serve as
your left and right speakers.
Since the left and right speakers have been
designed for maximum localization of sound, they
should be placed as close to the screen or television as possible, with the center of the horns at
about the same height on the screen as actors
would be, to aid in maintaining the illusion that the
actors’ voices are coming directly from their
mouths. Ideally, you want to have the speakers
about 45 degrees apart from each other, viewed
from the listening position.
“Toeing in” or turning in the speakers towards the
listening area is optional, and its effects can
depend on the room, so it is advisable to experiment with the speakers to see which orientation,
facing straight out or facing the center of the viewing area, yields the best results.
3
L RC
VIEWING
POSITION
FLOOR PLAN
The speakers have been designed to integrate well with rear projection 35” and 45” tele-
vision sets. The subwoofers can be placed on both sides of the television set, with the
left and right speakers stacked on top. This arrangement lends itself nicely because it
places the center of the horns at approximately the desired height with the screen.
CENTER CHANNEL SPEAKERS
S3VC
If you have purchased the vertical center channel speaker (model S3VC), position it vertically in order to take advantage of its sound dispersion qualities. If you mount it horizontally, the S3VC will not work properly. If the speaker is being used with a perforated projection screen, then it should be mounted behind the center of the screen, in the same
plane as the left and right front speakers. In cases where the S3VC is being used with a
non-perforated screen, the speaker should be positioned above or below the screen. In
use with a rear projection television set, the vertical center channel could be placed
above or below based on mounting and visual constraints. If the center of the horn is
either above or below the center of the screen, the speaker should be tilted so that a line
from the center of the horn, perpendicular to the front surface extends to ear height in the
viewing position.
S3HC
If you have purchased the horizontal center channel speaker (model S3HC), then the suggested
location for it is on top of a television set. If the
center of the horn on top of the television set is
higher than where your ears would be while in the
viewing position, it is advisable to tilt the speaker
forward using the adjustable foot assembly in the
back. Tilt the speaker forward so that a line from
the center of the horn, perpendicular to the front
surface extends to ear height in the viewing position. Be careful while adjusting the height,
because large adjustments could make the speaker unstable on top of the television.
It is extremely important to maintain the vertical
distance between the horns in the center, left, and
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SPEAKER PLACEMENT OPTIONS
HC
L
SCREEN
SUB SUB
R
OR
L
SCREEN
VC
R
SUBSUB
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