Mackie SW-10 Owner's Manual

active studio subwoofer

CAUTION AVIS

pag

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE

NE PAS OUVRIR

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK) NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE

REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL

ATTENTION: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES DE CHOC

ELECTRIQUE, NE PAS ENLEVER LE COUVERCLE. AUCUN

ENTRETIEN DE PIECES INTERIEURES PAR L'USAGER. CONFIER

L'ENTRETIEN AU PERSONNEL QUALIFIE.

AVIS: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES D'INCENDIE OU

D'ELECTROCUTION, N'EXPOSEZ PAS CET ARTICLE

A LA PLUIE OU A L'HUMIDITE

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. Le symbole éclair avec point de flèche à l'intérieur d'un triangle équilatéral est utilisé pour alerter l'utilisateur de la présence à l'intérieur du coffret de “voltage dangereux” non isolé d'ampleur suffisante pour constituer un risque d'éléctrocution.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user of the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance. Le point d'exclamation à l'intérieur d'un triangle équilatéral est employé pour alerter les utilisateurs de la présence d'instructions importantes pour le fonctionnement et l'entretien (service) dans le livret d'instruction accom

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

1. Read Instructions — All the safety and operation instructions

should be read before this product is operated.

2. Retain Instructions — The safety and operating instructions

should be kept for future reference.

3. Heed Warnings — All warnings on this product and in these

operating instructions should be followed.

4. Follow Instructions — All operating and other instructions

should be followed.

5. Water and Moisture — This product should not be used near

water – for example, near a bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a wet basement, near a swimming pool, etc.

6. Cleaning — Clean only with a dry cloth.

7. Ventilation — This product should be situated so that its location

or position does not interfere with its proper ventilation. For example, the Component should not be situated on a bed, sofa, rug, or similar surface that may block any ventilation openings, or placed in a built-in installation such as a bookcase or cabinet that may impede the ﬂ ow of air through ventilation openings.

8. Heat — This product should be situated away from heat

sources such as radiators, or other devices which produce heat.

9. Power Sources — This product should be connected to a

power supply only of the type described in these operation instructions or as marked on this product.

10. Power Cord Protection — Power supply cords should be routed

so that they are not likely to be walked upon or pinched by items placed upon or against them, paying particular attention to cords at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit this product.

11. Object and Liquid Entry — Care should be taken so that

objects do not fall on, and liquids are not spilled into, this product.

nant l'appareil.

12. Damage Requiring Service — This product should be serviced

only by qualiﬁ ed service personnel when:

A. The power-supply cord or the plug has been damaged; or B. Objects have fallen, or liquid has spilled into this product; or C. This product has been exposed to rain; or D. This product does not appear to operate normally or

exhibits a marked change in performance; or

E. This product has been dropped, or its chassis damaged.

13. Servicing — The user should not attempt to service this

product beyond those means described in this operating manual. All other servicing should be referred to the Tapco Service Department.

14. To prevent electric shock, do not use this polarized plug with

an extension cord, receptacle or other outlet unless the blades can be fully inserted to prevent blade exposure.

Pour préevenir les chocs électriques ne pas utiliser cette ﬁ che polariseé avec un prolongateur, un prise de courant ou une autre sortie de courant, sauf si les lames peuvent être insérées à fond sans laisser aucune pariie à découvert.

15. Grounding or Polarization — Precautions should be taken so

that the grounding or polarization means of this product is not defeated.

16. Power Precaution — Unplug this product during lightning

storms or when unused for long periods of time.

17. This apparatus does not exceed the Class A/Class B

(whichever is applicable) limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus as set out in the radio interference regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

ATTENTION —Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant las limites applicables aux appareils numériques de class A/de class B (selon le cas) prescrites dans le règlement sur le brouillage radioélectrique édicté par les ministere des communications du Canada.

18. Exposure to extremely high noise levels may cause permanent

hearing loss. Individuals vary considerably in susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss, but nearly everyone will lose some hearing if exposed to sufﬁ ciently intense noise for a period of time. The U.S. Government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has speciﬁ ed the permissible noise level exposures shown in the following chart.

According to OSHA, any exposure in excess of these permissible limits could result in some hearing loss. To ensure against potentially dangerous exposure to high sound pressure levels, it is recommended that all persons exposed to equipment capable of producing high sound pressure levels use hearing protectors while the equipment is in operation. Ear plugs or protectors in the ear canals or over the ears must be worn when operating the equipment in order to prevent permanent hearing loss if exposure is in excess of the limits set forth here.

Duration Per Day Sound Level dBA, Typical In Hours Slow Response Example

8 90 Packed garage concert

6 92

4 95 VW Bus Peace Train

3 97

2 100 Cranked psychedelic tunes

1.5 102

1 105 High speed chase on C.H.I.P.s

0.5 110

0.25 or less 115 Loudest parts at a Heavy Metal concert

WARNING — To reduce the risk of ﬁ re or electric shock,

do not expose this appliance to rain or moisture.

Contents

Safety Instructions.....................................................2

Introduction...............................................................4

Getting Started .........................................................5

Placement.................................................................5

Hookup Diagram ......................................................8

TAPCO SW•10 Features............................................9

Rear Panel Description .......................................9

1. INPUT SENSITVITY ...........................................9

2. CROSSOVER..................................................9

3. POLARITY .......................................................9

4. LEFT and RIGHT INPUTS .................................9

5. LEFT and RIGHT OUTPUTS..............................9

6. AC SELECT .....................................................9

7. POWER.........................................................10

8. Line Cord Socket and Fuse .......................10

9. Heatsink .......................................................10

Protection Circuits ..................................................10

Input Signal Wiring ..................................................10

Appendix A: Service Information..........................11

Appendix B: Connections......................................13

Appendix C: Speciﬁ cations...................................14

TAPCO LIMITED WARRANTY....................................15

Don’t forget to visit our website at www.tapcogear.com

for more information about this and other TAPCO products.

What me, read a manual?

Before you begin, please make sure you read the Safety Instructions on page 2 and

Getting Started on page 5.

Your new TAPCO operate easily. We know it’s often seen as a sign of weakness to read a manual, along with asking for directions when lost, but we hope you will read the rest of the manual, at least while nobody is looking.

It is important to keep your receipt in a safe place, and not a bad idea to write your product information here for future reference (i.e., insurance claims, tech support, return authorization, etc.).

Product Serial #:

Purchased at:

SW•10 active studio subwoofer is designed to set up quickly and

Date of purchase:

Introduction

Thank you for choosing a TAPCO SW•10 Active Studio Subwoofer. The TAPCO product line hails back to the days of TAPCO Corporation, Greg Mackie’s ﬁ rst company. TAPCO revolutionized the audio industry back in 1969 with the very ﬁ rst 6-channel mixer speciﬁ cally designed for keyboards and rock ‘n’ roll.

In essence, TAPCO redeﬁ ned the price/performance ratio and made high-quality professional audio equipment accessible to virtually anyone. Today, TAPCO is reborn with the same ideals and is backed by the world-class engineering and manufacturing horsepower of Mackie and LOUD Technologies.

The TAPCO SW•10 joins the S•5 and S•8 of the active studio monitor line in the TAPCO by Mackie® family. These versatile compact “mini-monitors” and “mini-subs” can be used in a variety of applications, including small project studios, surround sound editing, home theater playback, and desktop audio workstations (DAWs).

The SW•10 active studio subwoofer is an acoustic suspension design for tight, articulate bass that provides an amazingly ﬂ at and linear low-frequency response down to 34 Hz. The active crossover is a Linkwitz-Riley design that provides a range of 55 Hz to 110 Hz at 24 dB/octave. additional ﬂ exibility in surround sound applications with a subwoofer output and bass management (LFE).

The individual crossover controls for the left and right channels provide

Here’s a quick look at all the features packed into the SW•10 Active Studio Subwoofers:

• Flat frequency response (±3 dB, 34 Hz to 110 Hz)

• 10” paper cone woofer with dual-voice coil design

Convenient compact design

•

• Horn-loaded design for high efﬁ ciency

• 120 watt power ampliﬁ er

• High-strength cabinet constructed of 5/8” MDF

composite

• High-density adiabatic ﬁ berﬁ ll absorbs internal

reﬂ ections

• Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA input

connectors

• Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA high-pass output connectors

• Individual left and right 24 dB/octave Linkwitz-Riley crossovers, adjustable from 55 Hz to 110 Hz

• Adjustable sensitivity control

• Polarity switch

• Rear panel power switch and AC voltage select

switch

TAPCO van (a.k.a. micro bus)

Getting Started

The following steps will help you set up your subwoofer quickly.

INITIAL SETTINGS:

1. Turn the INPUT SENSITIVITY control on the rear panel

all the way down (MIN).

2. Set the left and right CROSSOVER controls to the

center position (80 Hz).

3. Set the POLARITY switch out (0º).

4. Turn the POWER switch OFF.

5. Set the AC SELECT switch to the correct position for

your country (115 VAC or 230 VAC).

CONNECTIONS:

1. Connect the left and right line-level signal from

your mixer (or other signal source) to the LEFT and RIGHT INPUT jacks on the SW•10 (XLR or RCA).

2. Connect the LEFT and RIGHT OUTPUT jacks on the

SW•10 (XLR or RCA) to the inputs of the left and right main powered speakers (or to the inputs of the ampliﬁ ers powering the left and right main speakers).

3. Connect the supplied AC power cord to the IEC

socket on the back of the subwoofer. Plug the other end into an AC outlet properly conﬁ gured with the correct voltage for the AC SELECT switch setting you have selected.

TURN IT ON:

1. Turn on the power to the other components in the

system. Generally, it is best to turn on powered speakers and ampliﬁ ers last to avoid thumps and pops from getting to the speakers.

Turn on the POWER switch on the back of the SW•10.

3. Start your signal source (tape deck, CD, DAW, or

whatever), but leave the master level control on your mixer down.

4. Adjust the master volume on your mixer to a

comfortably loud listening level.

5. Slowly turn up the INPUT SENSITVITY control on

the SW•10 to MAX (fully clockwise), or until you achieve a balance between the subwoofer and the other speakers in the system.

6. Enjoy the authoritative, commanding lows of the

SW•10.

LOOK

Now that you have your subwoofer working, it’s time to hunker down and read the rest of this manual…especially

CLOSER

the following:

Placement

An Extremely Important Note on SW•10 Bass Response and Your Control Room or Listening Room

You’ve heard it before. “Low-frequencies are non-directional, so it doesn’t matter where you place the subwoofer.” Although it is true that frequencies below about 100 Hz are non-directional, it is also true that factors can conspire to thwart the SW•10’s extended low frequency — including room shape, room volume, and acoustical treatment.

This is not a cop-out or an apology. It’s plain old physics in action. Here are some tips to help you ﬁ nd the best placement for your SW•10 and optimize the low-frequency response in your particular room. Consider the following:

Room acoustics and bass-handling ability

Nobody likes to buy a subwoofer and a new set of speakers and then be told that they should spend extra bucks on bass traps or a remodeling job. But the simple fact is, “standard” rooms, i.e., rectangular rooms in conventional business or residential structures, are rarely if ever conducive to optimal low-bass reproduction without some modiﬁ cations.

However, understanding what can cause degradation of the low-frequency response in a room can help in choosing a location that can minimize the problems associated with poor bass response—most notably interference and resonance.

Interference is caused when the reﬂ ected wave from the surrounding walls arrive out-

a lot of

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