MartinLogan Speaker 22, Speaker 12 User Manual

Helos™ 12 Helos™ 22

user’s manual

®

Lawrence, Kansas, USA tel [phone] fax [phone] www.martinlogan.com

P.N. 9500089

Rev. #112612©2012 MartinLogan Ltd. All rights reserved.

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.

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 equilat-

eral triangle is intended to alert the user
to the presence of important operating and
maintenance (servicing) instructions in the litera­ture accompanying the appliance.

The fire within an equilateral triangle is

intended to alert the user to the potential
of creating a fire hazard if they do not follow
the instructions.

The dollar sign within an equilateral tri-

angle is intended to alert the user that
they run the risk of causing damage that could
be potentially expensive to repair if they don’t
follow the instructions.

Content Check List ....................... 3

Connection ............................ 4

Protect Your Investment .................. 4

Break-In ............................5

Speaker Placement ....................5

Achieving Superior Imaging ............5

Balancing Hard vs. Soft Surfaces Improves

High- and Mid-Frequency Performance .....5

Choosing a Mounting Location ..........5

Balancing Bass Output................ 5

Helos 12 Placement ....................5

Helos 22 Placement ....................6

Painting the Speaker Grill ................. 8

Installation ............................. 8

Frequently Asked Questions .............. 10

Troubleshooting .......................10

Contacting Customer Service ............10

General Information .................... 11

Warranty Information ................11

Serial Number .....................11

Service .........................11

Specifications .........................12

Serial Number:_____________________________

Record your serial number here for easy reference.
You will need this information when filling out your
warranty registration. The serial number is located
near the binding posts and on the product carton.

In accordance with the European Union
WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic

Equipment) directive effective August 13,
2005, we would like to notify you that this prod­uct may contain regulated materials which upon
disposal, according to the WEEE directive, require
special reuse and recycling processing. For this rea­son Martin Logan has arranged with our distributors
in European Union member nations to collect and
recycle this product at no cost to you.

2

To find your local distributor please contact the
dealer from whom you purchased this product,
email [e-mail] or visit the distributor
locator at www.martinlogan.com.

Please note, only this product itself falls under
the WEEE directive. When disposing of pack­aging and other related shipping materials we
encourage you to recycle these items through the
normal channels.

Content CheCk List

You will find the following items enclosed for your new MartinLogan loudspeaker. Should you require
assistance please call our service department at [phone].

______ Install Template ______ Grill Cover

Helos 12 Helos 22

3

ConneCtion

WARNING! Turn your amplifier
off before making or breaking any
signal connections!

These speakers are designed with easy-to-use push­style binding posts that accept bare wire.

Helos 12: Assign the same color to the (+) and
(–) terminals on both the speaker and the amplifier.
Make certain that all connections are tight (figure 1).

Helos 22 Stereo: Connect two sets of speaker
cables from the left and right channels of your
amplifier (figure 2).

Helos 22 Mono: Connect one sets of speaker
cables to one set of binding posts on the Helos 22
and use matching cable to bridge the second set
of binding posts (figure 3).

Figure 1. Connecting the Helos 12.

ProteCt Your investment

• Use an amp that approximately matches the
speaker’s specified power handling.

• To avoid damage, turn down the volume if
the speaker is distorting, sounds harsh, or the
bass begins to break up.

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Figure 3. Helos 22 bridged for mono use.Figure 2. Connecting the Helos 22 for stereo use.

• Tone controls and equalizers may increase
the likelihood of distortion, especially at high
volumes. Use these setting sparingly.

Break-in

When you first begin to play your speakers, they
will sound a bit bass shy. This is due to the high
quality, long-life components used in the drivers.

sPeaker PLaCement

Achieving Superior Imaging

These MartinLogan in-ceiling speakers offer superb
imaging and flexible placement in nearly any loca­tion. However, for best performance and imaging
place speakers equidistant from one another and
avoid physical obstructions between the speaker
and primary listening position.

Balancing Hard vs. Soft Surfaces Improves High­and Mid-Frequency Performance

Rooms that are “over damped” with carpeting,
drapes, and other sound absorbers can cause
your system to sound dull and lifeless. On the other
hand, rooms can have so many hard surfaces that
the system sounds like a gymnasium. Experiment
by adding or removing soft surfaces until you find
a mix that sounds good to you.

Allow approximately 72 hours of break-in at 90
dB (moderate listening levels) before any critical
listening.

Choosing a Mounting Location

Install the Helos 12 and Helos 22 between ceiling
joists. Be careful to avoid electrical wires behind the
wall and ceiling surfaces.

Balancing Bass Output

Corner placement of these speakers will reinforce
their bass output. If you require balanced output
across the entire audio spectrum avoid mounting
these speakers in a corner.

When choosing placement follow these simple tips:

• Place a minimum of 12” (30cm) from any
wall corner.

• Place front and center channels equidistant
between 10–14 feet (3–4.3m) from the lis­tening position.

•

Orient the tweeter towards the listening position.

heLos 12 PLaCement

Figure 5. Helos 12: Adding a center channel.Figure 4. Helos 12: 2-channel installation.

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create a 5- or 7-channel installation.

heLos 22 PLaCement

Figure 7. Helos 12: Distributed audio.Figure 6. Helos 12: Adding surround channels to

Figure 8. Helos 22: Stereo mode reproducing both

the left and right surround channels.

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Figure 9. Helos 22: Wide dispersion. Mono mode
reproducing the rear center surround channel.

Figure 10. Helos 22: Stereo mode reproducing left
and right side and rear surround channels.

Figure 11. Helos 22: Wide dispersion. Mono mode
reproducing the left and right side surround channels.

Figure 12. Helos 22: Stereo mode used for distrib­uted audio.

Figure 14. Helos 22: Stereo mode in a 2-channel system.

Figure 13. Helos 22: Wide dispersion. Mono mode

used for distributed audio.

Figure 15. Helos 22: Stereo mode in a small space.

7

Painting the sPeaker griLL

IMPORTANT! Before painting remove grill from
speakers. Also remove the cloth scrim attached
inside the grill.

1. Remove the grill from the speaker. A protec­tive cloth scrim is attached to the back of
the grill with low-tack adhesive. Remove this
scrim by gently pulling it away from the grill.

2. Paint the grill, being careful not to plug the
holes. Allow the paint to completely dry before
proceeding. IMPORTANT! For best results
use a spray rather than a brush or roller.

instaLLation

NOTE: These instructions assume the mounting sur­face is of standard wood frame and standard sheet
rock construction. If you wish to mount the speakers
to another type of material you should contact a
bonded contractor.

NOTE: See your local dealer for new construction
pre-install brackets (sold separately).

WARNING! Before installing check
local building codes to verify compli­ance with local regulations WARN-
ING! Before installing check for
obstructions behind drywall. To do
this make a small hole, cutting at a
45° angle (this will make the hole
easier to patch if obstructions are
found. Only cut out the mounting
hole after you have verified there are
no obstructions behind the dry wall.
WARNING! Use only speaker cable
that is rated for in-wall use. The UL
standard is CL2, CL3, and CM. The
CSA standard is FT4. WARNING!

3. Gently press the scrim back into place before
reinstalling the speaker grill.

Fig. 16

Turn your amplifier off before making
or breaking any signal connections.

Recommended tools:

• Stud finder

• Sharp pencil or pen

• Pushpin

• Dry wall knife/saw

• Wire strippers

• Phillips screwdriver or electric drill and bit

• Tape measure

• Low-tack tape

1. Using a stud finder, position the template
completely between ceiling joists.

2. Hold or pin the template in place and mark
cutout with a pencil.

3. Remove the template and cut out the opening
with a drywall knife/saw.

4. Place fiberglass insulation 12” (30cm) or thicker
between the joists directly above the speaker.

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