MartinLogan Fresco User Manual
TM
F RESCO
TM
user’s manual
M ARTIN L OGAN
the loudspeaker technology company
®
2 Contents & Introduction
CONTENTS &INTRODUCTION
Contents & Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Contents
Introduction
Installation in Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Signal Connection
On Wall/Off Wall Switch
Break-In
Mounting the Fresco On A Wall or Ceiling . . . . . .5
Which Way Should It Rotate?
Preparing For Vertical Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Preparing For Horizontal Installation
Changing the Direction of Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Installing the Bracket Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Installing the Fresco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Home Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
ATF (Advanced Thin Film) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Frequently Asked Questions and Troubleshooting .16
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Specifications
Warranty and Registration
Service
Glossary of Audio Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Congratulations! You have invested in a new world of
home cinema!
The MartinLogan Fresco represents the culmination of an
intensive, dedicated group research program directed toward
establishing a world class reference monitor utilizing leadingedge technology, without compromising durability, reliability,
craftsmanship or aesthetic design.
The advantages of MartinLogan ATF (advanced thin film)
technology will present themselves to you from the moment
the movie begins. The box effect (a phenomenon similar
to cupping your hand around your mouth when speaking)
produced by dynamic midrange drivers is absent and the
natural openness of the human voice comes through. Sounds
float around the screen clearly defining the area from
where they were created, not the area of the speaker that
created them.
The materials in your new Fresco speaker are of the highest
quality and will provide years of enduring enjoyment and
deepening respect. The cabinetry is constructed from the
highest quality HIPP (high-impact polypropylene) to create
an acoustically inert, high-density enclosure.
This User’s Manual will explain in detail the operation of
your Fresco speaker and the philosophy applied to their
design. A clear understanding of your speakers will insure
that you obtain maximum performance and pleasure from
this most exacting transducer. It has been designed and constructed to give you years of trouble-free listening enjoyment.
Contents Introduction
Installation in Brief 3
INSTALLATION IN BRIEF
We know you are eager to hear your new Fresco loudspeaker, so this section is provided to allow fast and easy
set up. Once you have it operational, please take the time to
read, in depth, the rest of the information in this manual. It
will give you perspective on how to attain the greatest possible performance from this most exacting transducer.
If you should experience any difficulties in the setup or
operation of your Fresco speaker, please refer to the
Operation or Mounting sections of this manual.
Should you encounter a persistent problem that cannot be
resolved, please contact your authorized MartinLogan dealer.
They will provide you with the appropriate technical analysis
to alleviate the situation.
WARNING!
•Refer servicing to a qualified technician.
•To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not
expose this module to moisture.
•Turn amplifier off should any abnormal
conditions occur.
•Do not drive speaker beyond its rated power.
Step 1: Unpacking
Remove your new Fresco speaker from the packing.
Step 2: Placement
Place the Fresco near the desired location. Please see the
‘Mounting the Fresco On a Wall or Ceiling’ section (page
5–12) for more placement details.
Step 3: Signal Connection
Use the best speaker cables you can. Higher quality cables,
available from your specialty dealer, are recommended
and will give you superior performance. Spade connectors
are suggested for optimum contact and ease of installation.
Attach your speaker cables to the signal input section on
the rear panel. Be consistent when connecting speaker leads
to the terminals on the back of the Fresco. Take great care
to assign the same color to the (+) terminal on both the
speaker and the amplifier. Please see the ‘Operation’ section (page 4) for more details.
Step 4: Listen and Enjoy
Now, you may turn on your system and enjoy!
The lightning bolt 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.
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.
Use the best speaker cables you can. The length and type
of speaker cable used in your system will have an audible
effect. Under no circumstance should a wire of gauge
higher (thinner) than #16 be used. In general, the longer
the length used, the greater the necessity of a lower
gauge, and the lower the gauge, the better the sound,
with diminishing returns setting in around #8 to #12.
A variety of speaker cables are now available whose
manufacturers claim better performance than standard heavy
gauge wire. We have verified this in many cases, and the
improvements available are often more noticeable than the
differences between wires of different gauge. The effects of
cables may be masked if the equipment is not of the highest quality.
We also recommend, if possible, that short runs of speaker
cable connect the power amplifier and speaker and that
high quality long interconnect cables be used to connect
the preamplifier and power amplifier. This results in the
power amplifiers being close to the speakers, which may
be practically or cosmetically difficult, but if the length of
the speaker cables can be reduced to a few meters, sonic
advantages may be obtained.
Connections are done at the signal input section on the
rear electronics panel of the Fresco (see figure 1). Use
spade connectors for optimum contact. Make certain that
all of your connections are tight.
Be consistent when connecting speaker leads to the terminals
on the back of the Fresco. Take great care to assign the
same color to the (+) terminal on both the speaker and
the amplifier.
WARNING! Turn your amplifier off before making or breaking any signal connections!
Fresco features a unique 'on-wall/off-wall' switch that tailors
Fresco's acoustic equalization to either installation option.
Simply set this switch to On Wall if the Fresco is mounted to
a wall or ceiling. Set the switch to Off Wall if the Fresco is more
than four inches from a wall (see figure 1).
Break-In
When you first begin to play your Fresco speaker, it will
sound a bit bass shy. This is due to the high-quality, longlife components used in our woofer. Our custom made
woofers require at least 30 hours of break-in at 90 dB
(moderate listening levels) before any critical listening. The
break-in requirements of the crossover components (and,
to a lesser degree, the ATF transducer) are equal.
Signal Connection On Wall/Off Wall Switch
OPERATION
4 Operation
Figure 1. Single wire connection. One channel shown.
NOTE: MartinLogan recommends using 5 wall anchors to
secure each Fresco to a wall. During the installation, if any
of the screw/wall anchor positions are over a stud, it is
recommended to screw directly into the stud.
NOTE: To assure that your Fresco is safely wall mounted,
these instructions must be carefully followed. Study them
thoroughly before installing your Fresco's.
NOTE: The following instructions assume the mounting
surface is of standard wood frame and standard sheet rock
construction. If you wish to mount the Fresco to another
type of material, you should consult a bonded contractor.
WARNING! Installing the Fresco on a wall requires
only 1 person, but an assistant will be helpful.
The bracket assembly shipped with the Fresco
loudspeaker is designed for use only with the
Fresco. Use with other appliances may result in
instability causing possible injury. To prevent injury,
this apparatus must be securely attached to the
wall in accordance with the installation instructions.
Which Way Should It Rotate?
The bracket assembly supplied with the Fresco allows the
speaker to mount flat against a wall and pivot up to 90°.
Depending on the installation locations, the Fresco on-wall
bracket will need to be modified to allow either right/up or
left/down rotation (see figure 3 and 4). The configuration of
Fresco’s bracket assembly is identical for right and up
rotation and is identical for left and down rotation.
Mounting the Fresco On A Wall or Ceiling 5
MOUNTING THE FRESCO ON A WALL OR CEILING
Figure 3. Vertical Installation. Rotation direction for various installtion locations.
Figure 2. The parts of the Fresco bracket assembly.
Figure 4. Horizontal Installation. Rotation direction for various installation locations.
6 Mounting the Fresco On A Wall or Ceiling
NOTE: Fresco’s bracket assembly consists of two main
parts: the wall bracket (attaches to the wall) and the cabinet
bracket (attaches to the Fresco). When correctly configured
the wall and cabinet brackets should each have one pin
installed—the wall bracket with an upward pointing pin in
the upper hinge, and the cabinet bracket with a downward
pointing pin in the lower hinge (see figures 5 and 6).
NOTE: When correctly installed in a vertical orientation, the
Fresco’s cabinet bracket (installed on the cabinet) should
slide down, onto the wall bracket (installed on the wall).
Each Fresco should be installed so that it can rotate to
point towards your listening position (see figure 3). Hold
each Fresco near it's desired location and try pivoting it to
assure that each speaker is correctly configured.
Preparing for Horizontal Installation
NOTE: Fresco’s bracket assembly consists of two main
parts: the wall bracket (attaches to the wall) and the cabinet
bracket (attaches to the Fresco). When correctly configured
each bracket should have one pin installed—the wall
bracket with a pin installed in the left hinge, pointing to
the left and the cabinet bracket with a pin installed in the
right hinge, pointing to the right (see figures 5 and 6).
NOTE: When the Fresco is correcty installed in a horizontal
orientation, gravity will pull on the speaker trying to rotate
down. The Fresco bracket assembly is designed in such a
way that the force of gravity will tighten the left cap nut and
prevent the speaker from rotating.
Each Fresco should be installed so that it can rotate to
point towards your listening position (see figure 4). Hold
each Fresco near it's desired location and try pivoting it to
assure that each speaker is correctly configured.
Preparing For Vertical Installation
INSTALLATION
Figure 5. Fresco’s bracket assembly configured for right/up rotation
Figure 6. Fresco’s bracket assembly configured for left/down rotation
Horizontal
(Up Rotation)
Vertical
(Right Rotation)
Horizontal
(Down Rotation)
Vertical
(Left Rotation)
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