Owners Manual For The
Xtreme HD
Subwoofer System
Table of Contents
Registration
Page
Owners Record 3
The Cabinetry / Our Commitment 4
Warranty 5
Setup
Unpacking Your Speakers 6
Speaker Placement 7-8
Hooking Up Cables 9-10
Speaker Connections 11-14
Fine Tuning 15-17
Technology
Designer’s Notes 18
Specifications 19
2
Owners Record
The serial number is located on the rear of the unit. Record this
number in the space provided below. Refer to this when calling your
dealer regarding this product.
Model: Xtreme HD
Serial No: _________________________
Date of purchase: ___________________
Thank you for selecting a Legacy Loudspeaker System. These handcrafted instruments will provide you with many years of listening enjoyment.
3
The Cabinetry / Our Commitment
Handcrafted
Beneath the surface of Xtreme HD’s elegant exterior lies rigid MDF
construction. Interlocking joinery maximizes the strength of the cabinet
parts. Polyester fiberfill is selected for internal damping. A sharp rap on
the enclosure will leave you with little more than bruised knuckles.
Each cabinet is impeccably finished on all exposed surfaces with select
veneers. The exquisite finish is hand-rubbed several times to assure a
patina at home with the most elegant decor.
Our Commitment
A great deal of forethought, love and satisfaction is instilled in each piece
of Legacy workmanship. We take pride in getting to know many of our
customers on a first name basis.
Your purchase of this product is backed by the renowned “Legacy
Satisfaction Guarantee”.
4
Warranty
Legacy Audio supports its customers and products with pride. We cheerfully warrant our loudspeaker products we manufacture from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of seven
(7) years. Electronic components such as internal amplifiers and digital processors are covered for
three (3)years. Please register your product with Legacy Audio. Should you require service Legacy
will require a proof of purchase in order to honor the warranty - so please keep your receipt.
• The warranty applies to the original owner and is not transferable.
• The warranty applies to products purchased from an “Authorized Legacy Dealer”.
• The warranty on active components such as digital processors or internal amplifiers is limited to three
(3) years of coverage.
• The warranty on dealer stock will extend for a maximum of two years from invoice.
The warranty does not cover transportation costs of product to or from the customer, distributor or
dealer, or related shipping damage.
Exclusions from Warranty
The following situations or conditions are not covered by the Legacy Audio warranty:
• Accidental damage, electrical abuse or associated equipment failure.
• Use inconsistent with recommended operating instructions and specifications
• Damage caused by modification or unauthorized service
• Costs associated with the removal and reinstallation of defective products. Consequential damage to
other products.
• Normal wear such as fading of finishes due to sunlight.
5
Unpacking Your Speakers
Your new speaker system has been very carefully packaged to insure
that it travels to you safely. Each speaker is protected by a doublewall outer carton with heavy V-board corner protectors. Molded foam
end caps are used to protect the elegant cabinetry, and a plastic liner
is provided as waterproofing. Please save this packing for future
transportation. If cartons become damaged or misplaced, new ones
can be purchased from Legacy Audio.
6
Speaker Placement
Since the human ear is rather poor at localizing radiation frequencies
below 125 Hz, good results may be obtained in a variety of room
placements. Careful adjustment of the convenient front panel controls will
lead to seamless transition.
Low frequency reinforcement occurs whenever woofers are placed near
room boundaries. The distance from the walls, floor and ceiling
correspond to the wavelengths of the frequencies, which will reflect in
phase and thus reinforce bass output. Therefore, the actual dimensions of
your listening room play a definite role in what ultimately arrives at your
ear. In fact, rooms tend to have their own set of favored frequencies.
We can calculate what the most strongly reinforced frequencies in a room
will be by the formula shown below:
Resonant Frequency = (1130 ft/sec) / (ft. between boundaries x 2)
For example, a room with an 8 ft. ceiling height has a strong resonance at:
(1130 ft/sec.) / (8 ft. x 2) = 71 Hz.
7
Speaker Placement
Now, while such reinforcement might actually be beneficial at very low
frequencies, excessive excitation can cause “overhang” or a droning effect
at mid-bass frequencies. A way to minimize excitation of these
resonances is to place your subwoofer asymmetrically relative to room
boundaries. For instance, if the subwoofer is 2 ft from one corner wall,
then place it 1.5 ft to 3 ft from the other.
Placing the subwoofer in a corner will reduce the radiation angle and thus
increase efficiency. It will also excite the maximum number of room modes
and decrease distortion.
A best case scenario is to actually use two subwoofers, one to each side
of the listener. The subs should be placed 90° out of phase with each
other. This improves spaciousness and bass uniformity, with a reduction in
room level peaks.
8
Hooking Up Cables
The ideal conductor would have negligible resistance, inductance
and capacitance. The table below shows how a few actual speaker
cables measure up.
Cable Ωs/ft pF/ft µH/ft
12 ga. 0.0033 24 0.21
14 ga. 0.0048 17 0.13
16 ga. 0.0079 16 0.18
18 ga. 0.0128 28 0.21
Capacitance is considered insignificant in each cable because its effect is well out of the audio bandwidth; inductance can be decreased (at the expense of increased capacitance) by keeping the
conductor pair closely spaced.
How long would a cable have to be before inductance effects would
impinge on the audio spectrum? Approximately 300 feet of 12 gauge
would be required to establish a corner frequency of 20 kHz with an
8 Ohm loudspeaker. As you see, inductance is not a problem for
most of us.
9
Hooking Up Cables
What about phase shift due to frequency dependent travel times down the speaker
cable? Measurements show that 100 Hz waves will be delayed about 20 billionths of a
second behind 10 kHz waves when traveling to the end of a 10 foot speaker cable.
Since the cilia of the ear requires 25,000 times longer than this just to transmit phase
information, phase shifting is obviously not the primary concern when considering
speaker cables.
What about resistance? Finally we are getting somewhere. Resistance is the controlling factor of the amplifier/loudspeaker interface. Excessive resistance can cause major shifts of speaker crossover frequencies. The lower the impedance of the loudspeaker, the greater the effects of series resistance. A 20 foot run of 18 gauge cable
can cause up to 10% deviations of crossover center frequencies. That same 20 feet
can un-damp your damping factor and reduce your systems’ output by one half decibel.
In summary, there are no perfect cables. The best way to approximate the ideal
would be to keep loudspeaker leads as short as is practical.
10
Speaker Connections
Once you’ve found a place in your room, the next step is connecting the
Xtreme HD to your existing system. Listed below you will find 5 options.
Option 1: Connecting the Xtreme HD using the LFE input.
If your preamplifier/digital processor/receiver has a subwoofer output, it
can be connected (via RCA cable) directly to the LFE (Low Frequency
Effects) input (fig. 1).The LFE input bypasses the subwoofers internal
crossover and allows you to control your low frequency settings
(Frequency, Level) from your preamp.
NOTE: When using the LFE input, the freq. control on
the front panel of the Xtreme HD will be bypassed. The
level control will then function as a sensitivity control,
allowing the preamp/processor to control volume.
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Speaker Connections
Option 2: Connecting the Xtreme HD using the stereo Low Level
preamp/processor inputs.
NOTE: if using the low-level inputs, we suggest using cables that are no
longer than 5 meters. Longer lengths of RCA cable can result in greater
noise and attenuation of the signal.
If using Left/Right output jacks from the preamp, the internal circuit module
of the Xtreme HD will sum the two channels together. When using the left
and right low level inputs on the subwoofer, the internal crossover of the
subwoofer is being used. The crossover frequency and level will be
controlled by the appropriately labeled controls on the front panel of the
sub.
Option 3: Connecting single sub out
Connect the preamp/processor’s “sub out” to the left channel RCA input
(mono).
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Speaker Connections
Option 4: Connecting the Xtreme HD using a Wavelaunch
Digital Signal Processor
If you are using a Legacy Audio Wavelaunch Digital Signal Processor
in your system, connect the LFE (or Subwoofer Out) output from the
Surround Processor to Input 4 of the Wavelaunch processor.
Output 7 of the Wavelaunch feed into the balanced input of the subwoofer.
Option 5: Connecting the Xtreme HD using the High Level Inputs
(from amplifier)
If using the high level inputs it is highly recommended that you connect
them in parallel with your main left and right loudspeakers.
NOTE: DO NOT use the output from a differential Monobloc amplifier as a
high level input to the subwoofer. When using high level inputs from a
stereo amplifier be sure that they are polarized correctly with the power
amplifier, (positive output to positive input, negative output to negative
input.) Failure to do so may result in damage to your subwoofer, power
amplifier and any associated equipment connected to it. Terminating your
wire leads with banana plugs or gold spade lugs is recommended.
13
Speaker Connections
Powering Up Xtreme HD
1. Power Cable: The supplied power cable will plug into the socket on the back terminal
plate of the unit.
NOTE: Try to plug into the same AC circuit as the rest of your audio system, as this will avoid
hum from ground loops.
2. Power Up: In the rear of the subwoofer to the immediate left of the power cable input is
the power switch. This switch controls current flow to the entire unit as follows:
I = on
0 = off
Off/Auto On switch: This switch starts or stops signal flow to the unit. In
Standby the preamp unit stays active but the amplifier shuts down.
Auto On: Once bass signal is received, Xtreme HD will turn on automatically. If the unit has
not received a bass signal after 30 minutes, Xtreme HD will mute.
Off: Will manually set unit to mute (standby)
NOTE: Be sure the front panel switch is in the OFF position before flipping the rear panel
power switch. This will avoid unnecessary transients through the subwoofer. In either Auto
On or Off position the LED display will remain lit. Only when the rear power switch is in the
off position, will the LED go off.
14
Fine Tuning
Adjusting Xtreme HD
On the front panel of the Xtreme HD you’ll notice four controls: Level, Freq.,
Blend, and Phase. These allow an extraordinary amount of control over
your subwoofer. These controls will allow you to tailor the sound of the sub
to your room and integrate with your main speakers.
Level: This will allow you to adjust
the volume level played by the
subwoofer. It only controls the
subwoofer level, not the level of
any of the other loudspeakers in
the system, even if they’re hooked
up in parallel. When using the LFE
15
input, the level can be controlled
from your preamp/processor menu
while the subwoofer level control
can be left at the 12.
Fine Tuning
Freq.: This control will allow you to adjust low frequency information. The
crossover frequency range of the Xtreme HD is 45 - 150 Hz.
Blend: The graph on the back panel of the Xtreme HD illustrates the
effects of the Blend control. Turning the knob counter-clockwise reduces
energy from the subwoofer in the range of 35-50 Hz. Turning the knob
clockwise will increase gain in this area. This can reduce excessive
energy or give more low frequency impact in this range depending on the
setting. This control is very similar to that of a graphic EQ. The 12 O’clock
position is neutral. The center frequency of this control has been carefully
chosen to match the first cancellation node of most rooms.
Phase: This control is essential in the proper setup of your subwoofer. If
not set up properly, your main speakers and subwoofer can actually work
against each other. If operating out-of- phase the subwoofer and mains
will cancel, creating nulls at some frequencies (primarily upper bass).What
is desirable is to have the subwoofer and the mains operating in phase,
relative to the primary listening position. Here is an effective method of
accomplishing this:
16
Fine Tuning
While seated at your listening position, have someone sweep the phase
control slowly from one extreme to the other.
Using pink noise or a 50-60 Hz test tone, listen for the strongest output.
Now take note of that setting. Next, play music program material and
optimize the level and phase settings further; adjusting for the smoothest
output.
NOTE: Because the LFE input bypasses the subwoofers internal
crossover in favor of the preamp/processors crossover, the Freq. control
will be inactive when using the LFE connection.
17
Designer’s Notes
Xtreme HD is a carefully engineered subwoofer, capable of integrating with the finest speakers.
• Unlike many woofers that suffer from overshoot, Xtreme HD applies a special EMF
countering circuit, which increases power handling and radically reduces low frequency distortion.
• An enormous stacked magnet structure is custom fabricated to provide excellent
sensitivity. This unit is bolted in compression to secure nearly 40 lbs. of motor structure.
• A high current 750 watt amplifier maintains control of Xtreme HD’s 15” sub-bass
piston.
(From Bill Dudleston)
• Xtreme HD features automatic turn on/off when presented with an audio signal.
• The high pass filter alleviates the deep bass demands from compact satellite
speakers, thus preventing low frequency strain due to long excursion.
• Level, Crossover Frequency and Phase controls allow Xtreme HD to integrate precisely into your system.
18
Specifications
System Type: Subwoofer mass loaded,
pneumatically coupled
Drivers: 1 X 15” Active, 1 X 15” Passive
Low Frequency Alignment:
Internal Amplification: 1000 watts, ICE Power
Frequency Response: 16 Hz – 100 Hz
Input Impedance: 10K Ohms minimum
Phase Adjustment: Cont. +/- 180
Blend EQ: +/- 12 dB @ 45 Hz
6th Order/Back EMF Canceling Circuit
Max SPL: 120 dB @ 1m
Low Pass Filter Slope: 18 dB per octave
Crossover: 40 Hz - 100 Hz
Dimensions (H x W x D): 28” X 18” X 18”
Weight: 115 pounds
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CE Declaration of Conformity
Legacy Audio
3023 E. Sangamon Ave.
Springfield, IL 62702 USA
800-283-4644
States that this product is in conformity with the
with the essential requirements and other relevant
provisions of:
Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC
EMC Directive 2004/108/EC
WEEE Compliance
Product Disposal—
Certain international, national
and/or local laws and/or
regulations may apply regarding
the disposal of this product. For
further detailed information,
please contact the retailer where
you purchased this product or
the Legacy Audio Distributor in
your country. A listing of Legacy
Audio Distributors can be found
on the Legacy Audio website
www.legacyaudio.com
or by contacting Legacy Audio
at: 3023 E. Sangamon Ave.,
Springfield, IL 62702,
USA—Phone: +1 217 544-3178.
20
Notes:
21
©2012 Legacy Audio
3023 E Sangamon Ave.
Springfield, IL 62702
Phone: 800-283-4644
Fax: 217-544-1483
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