McIntosh MSS650
Owner's Manual

MSS650 Loudspeaker System

Owners
Manual

McIntosh Laboratory, Inc. 2 Chambers Street Binghamton, New York 13903-2699 Phone: [phone] FAX: [phone]

MSS650

Thank You

Table of Contents

Your decision to own this McIntosh MSS650 Loudspeaker
System ranks you at the very top among discriminating
music listeners. You now have The Best. The McIntosh
dedication to Quality, is assurance that you will receive
many years of musical enjoyment from this unit.

Please take a short time to read the information in this
manual. We want you to be as familiar as possible with all
the features and functions of your new McIntosh.

Please Take A Moment

The serial number, purchase date and McIntosh dealer
name are important to you for possible insurance claim or
future service. The spaces below have been provided for
you to record that information:

Serial Number:

Purchase Date:

Dealer Name:

Technical Assistance

If at any time you have questions about your McIntosh
product, contact your McIntosh dealer who is familiar with
your McIntosh equipment and any other brands that may
be part of your system. If you or your dealer wish addi­tional help concerning a suspected problem, you can re­ceive technical assistance for all McIntosh products at:

McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.
2 Chambers Street
Binghamton, New York 13903
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Thank You.......................................................................... 2

Please Take a Moment ....................................................... 2

Technical Assistance .......................................................... 2

Customer Service ............................................................... 2

Table of Contents ............................................................... 2

Safety Instructions ............................................................. 3

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

Performance Features ........................................................ 4

Overall Dimensions ........................................................... 4

Installation ......................................................................... 6

How to Connect a Two Way System ................................. 8

How to Connect a Bi-Amp Three Way System ................. 9

Specifications .................................................................. 10

Packing Instructions ........................................................ 11

General Notes

1. A McIntosh MSS650 Loudspeaker System consists of a pair
of MS650 Woofer/Midranges, a pair of MS10 Tweeters and a
pair of MN650 Crossover Networks.

2. Do not exceed the power handling capacity of the MSS650
Loudspeaker System.

3. For additional connection information, refer to the owner s
manual(s) for any component(s) connected to the MSS650
Loudspeaker Drivers and Crossover Networks.

4. The Two and Three Way Speaker System Connection
Illustrations in this Owners Manual are only two examples
of the many different possible combinations. It is
recommended that a qualified professional assist you in the
choice and installation of a McIntosh Sound System for your
vehicle.

Customer Service

If it is determined that your McIntosh product is in need of
repair, you can return it to your dealer. You can also return
it to the McIntosh Laboratory Service Repair Department.
For assistance on factory repair return procedure, contact
the McIntosh Repair Department at:

McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.
2 Chambers Street
Binghamton, New York 13903
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Copyright 2000 ã by McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.

2

IMPORTANT SAFETY

INSTRUCTIONS!

PLEASE READ THEM BEFORE

OPERATING THIS EQUIPMENT.

Safety Instructions

General:

1. Read all the safety and operating instructions, con­tained in this owners manual, before operating this
equipment.

2. Retain this owners manual for future reference about
safety and operating instructions.

3. Adhere to all warnings and operating instructions.

4. Follow all operating and use instructions.

5. Warning: To reduce risk of fire or electrical shock,
do not expose this equipment to rain or moisture.
This unit is capable of producing high sound
pressure levels. Continued exposure to high sound
pressure levels can cause permanent hearing
impairment or loss. User caution is advised and
ear protection is recommended when playing at
high volumes.

Installation:

6. Do not attempt to install the unit yourself. Please
have an authorized dealer install the unit for you.

7. Locate the equipment away from heat sources such as
heater ducts.

8. Mount the equipment only as described in this
owners manual.

Repair of Equipment:

13. Refer servicing to a qualified service personnel under
the following conditions:

A. The cords or the connectors have been damaged.
B. Objects have fallen onto, or liquid has been

spilled into the equipment.
C. The equipment has been exposed to rain or water.
D. The equipment does not operate normally by

following the operating instructions contained

within this owners manual.
E. The equipment has been dropped or damaged in

any way.
F. The equipment exhibits a distinct change in

performance - this indicates a need for service.

14. When replacement parts are required, be sure the
service technician has used replacement parts speci­fied by McIntosh or have the same characteristics as
the original part. Unauthorized substitutions may
result in fire, electric shock, or other hazards.

15. Upon completion of any service or repairs to this
product, ask the service technician to perform safety
checks to determine that the product is in proper
operating condition.

Connection:

9. Connect this equipment only to the type of power
amplifier as described in this owners manual.

10. Route cords so that they are not likely to be pinched
by items placed upon or against them, paying particu­lar attention to the point where they exit from the
instrument.

Care of Equipment:

11. Clean the instrument by dusting with a dry cloth.

12. Do not permit objects of any kind to be pushed into
and/or fall into the equipment through enclosure
openings. Never spill liquids into the equipment
through enclosure openings.

3

Introduction

The McIntosh woofer/midrange and tweeter drivers offer
extremely smooth frequency response, low distortion, high
sensitivity and high power handling capability. When these
drivers are combined with other McIntosh Automotive
components, you will enjoy sonically accurate music re­production in your vehicle which meets McIntosh tradi­tional standards of excellence.

Performance Features

· Patented Technology

®

The widely acclaimed McIntosh LD/HP
High Performance) Magnetic Circuit Design1 dramatically
reduces harmonic distortion.

(Low Distortion/

· Die Cast Aluminum Frames

Die cast aluminum frames ensure excellent rigidity, dimen­sional integrity and lasting value.

Side View of the MS10 Tweeter Driver
with Angle Mounting Bracket

· Fifteen Ounce Strontium Ferrite Magnet

The Strontium V Magnet ensures high loudspeaker effi­ciency, a high heat tolerance and reliable operation at high
power levels.

· Low Distortion Crossover

The crossover utilizes Polypropylene capacitors and low
distortion Drum inductors. Options include a 6dB tweeter
attenuator and Bi-Amp capability.

· Eleven Gram Neodymium Magnet

The Tweeter Magnet has the highest flux energy that is cur­rently available.

· Specially Treated Fabric Dome

The Tweeter Dome Material is constructed from a treated
fabric which offers excellent internal damping with struc­tural rigidity.

· Magnetic Fluid Cooling

Fluid suspended in the Tweeter Voice Coil Gap helps to re­duce volume compression and smooth the response.

Side View of the MS10 Tweeter Driver
with Flush Mounting Bracket

Side View of the MS10 Tweeter Driver
with Surface Mounting Bracket

1

Patent Number 5,151,943

4

Introduction, Performance Features and Overall Dimensions

Front View of the MS650 Woofer/Midrange Driver

Side View of the MN650 Crossover Network

Side View of the MS650 Woofer/Midrange Driver

Top View of the MN650 Crossover Network

5

Installation

It is recommended that a qualified professional install all
McIntosh Automotive Products. McIntosh Woofer/
Midrange Drivers, Tweeters and Crossover Networks
should be used in conjunction with McIntosh Subwoofers
and McIntosh Automotive electronics to achieve the best
possible performance. McIntosh Subwoofers are designed
to operate in the bass frequency range below 120Hz and
need not be physically close to midrange and tweeter
speakers in order to maintain good imaging and system fre­quency balance.

Mounting the Woofer/Midrange

1. Using the enclosed template as a guide, mark and drill

the four pilot holes
for the mounting
screws. Drill the
mounting holes with
an appropriate size
drill bit.

2. Cut out the marked

circle in the tem­plate, and using it as
a guide, mark and
cutout the circular
hole for the loud­speaker in the ve­hicle panel or suit­able enclosure.

3. Slide four spring

clips, with their flat
sides facing the
driver, onto the edge
of the cutout and
centered over each
of the four mounting
holes. Refer to fig­ure 1.

4. Place the narrow

foam ring gasket in
the matching groove
of the plastic mount­ing ring.

5. Carefully lower the

driver into the plas­tic mounting ring,
with the foam ring
side facing the driver
and making sure the driver mounting holes are aligned
with the matching holes in the mounting ring.

Mounting
Surface

Figure 1

6. Place the wide foam ring gasket on the back side of the
plastic mounting ring that will contact the vehicle
panel or enclosure.

7. Carefully insert the driver/mounting ring assembly into
the cutout. Secure the assembly by inserting four of the
#8 x 1 inch supplied screws, through the driver holes,
the plastic mounting ring holes and into the spring clip
fasteners previously installed over the mounting holes.

8. Press the metal grille cover into the speaker mounting
ring.

Mounting the Crossover

The crossovers are supplied with a removable cover that is
hinged at the rear and is secured to the base at the front
with two machine screws. When selecting a crossover
mounting location, make sure that there is adequate room
for the top to be raised and removed.

1. Remove the crossover cover machine screws, lift up
and unhinge the cover. Refer to figure 2.

2. Using the base
of the cross­over as a tem­plate, mark the
four locations
to drill holes in
the mounting
surface for the
crossover
mounting screws. Drill four holes with an appropriate
size drill bit. Refer to figure 3.

3.Secure the

Mounting Screw Locations

crossover to
the mounting
surface with
the four #6 x 1
inch supplied
screws.

4. Reinstall the
crossover
cover and se­cure it with the
two machine
screws.

5. Follow in­structions for
connecting the crossover to the loudspeakers.

Figure 2

Figure 3

6

Mounting the Tweeter Dual Angle Bracket

9

9

9

9

9

9

Two different tweeter mounting angles are possible with
the bracket supplied. Choose the one which best fits the ve­hicle. Refer to figures 4 and 6.

1. Drill holes with an appropriate size drill bit in the
mounting surface for the two tweeter wires and the two
bracket mounting screws. Also drill corresponding
holes in the mounting surface.

2. Secure the bracket with two of the screws supplied.

3. Install the wires to the tweeters by pressing the push-on
connectors onto the tweeter connecting lugs. Observe
polarity with Red cables to the Positive (+) lugs and
Black cables to the negative (-) lugs.

4. Carefully bend the push-on connectors inward to allow
the wiring to fit in the bracket. Do not bend the tweeter
connecting lugs. Refer to figure 5.

5. Align the tweeter with the bracket and snap in place.

Mounting the Tweeter Surface Bracket

1. Drill holes in the mounting surface with an appropriate
size drill bit for the two tweeter wires and the two
bracket mounting screws using the round and rectangu­lar holes in the mounting bracket as a guide. Refer to
figure 7.

2. Secure the bracket with two of the supplied mounting
screws.

3. Feed the tweeter wires from behind the mounting
panel, through the mounting bracket, and install to the
tweeter by pressing the push-on connectors onto the
tweeter connecting lugs. Observe polarity with the red
wire connected to the positive (+) lug and the black
wire connected to the negative (-) lug.

4. Align the tweeter with the bracket and snap in place.

Installation

Dual Angle Mounting
Bracket inside view

Tweeter

Tweeter
Lug

2345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678

2345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678

Figure 6

Tweeter

Tweeter
Lugs

2345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678

2345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678

Figure 7

Figure 4

Dual Angle
Mounting
Bracket

Drill bit
guides for
hookup
cable and
mounting
screws

Bent push on
connector

Figure 5

Mounting
Surface

Surface
Mounting
Bracket

Mounting
Surface

Mounting the Tweeter Flush Bracket

1. Cut a hole, using the supplied template. Insert the flush
mounting spring clips into the slots in the cup and
thread the supplied screw into the inside center of the
mounting cup. Insert the cup into the hole and tighten
the screw until the spring clips are secured. Refer to
figure 8.

2. Snap the tweeter into the surface mounting bracket.

3. Feed the tweeter wires from behind the mounting
panel, through the cup, and install to the tweeter by
pressing the push-on connectors onto the tweeter con­necting lugs. Observe polarity with the red wire con­nected to the positive (+) lug and the black wire con­nected to the negative (-) lug.

4.Insert the assembly into the cup and rotate clockwise
until it locks in position.

Tweeter

Tweeter
Lugs

Flush
Mount Cup

2345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678

2345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678

Spring Clips

Figure 8

Surface
Mounting
Bracket

Mounting
Surface

7

How to Connect a Two Way System

How to Connect a Two Way System

1. Press the connector ends of the supplied Woofer/
Midrange Red/Black cables onto the matching Woofer/
Midrange connecting lugs. Connect the Tweeters in a
similar manner.

2. Attach the tinned ends of the two Red/Black Woofer/
Midrange cables to the Crossover Network WOOFER
OUTPUT terminals. The Black wire connects to a MI­NUS (-) terminal and the Red wire to a PLUS (+) ter­minal.

3. Attach the tinned ends of the two Red/Black Tweeter
cables to the Crossover Network TWEETER terminals.
The Black wire connects to a MINUS (-) terminal and
the Red wire to a PLUS (+) terminal.

4. Connect the MINUS (-) OUTPUTS of a McIntosh
Power Amplifier to the MINUS SINGLE AMP
WOOFER INPUT Crossover Network terminals and
the PLUS (+) OUTPUTS to the PLUS (+) SINGLE
AMP TWEETER Crossover Network terminals.

+

5. An optional modification to the Crossover Network
produces a 6dB reduction in Tweeter level. When fac­ing the ter-

BiAmp Jumpers - 6 dB Jumper

minal side
of the
crossover,
cut the
wire loop
located on
the right
side of the
crossover.
Refer to
figure 9.

Figure 9

Right TweeterLeft Tweeter

+

Left Crossover
Network

-

Left Woofer/Midrange Right Woofer/Midrange

-

Right Crossover
Network

McIntosh Stereo
Power Amplifier

8

How to Connect a Bi-Amp Three Way System

How to Connect a Bi-AmpThree Way System

Configure the Crossover Networks for Bi-Amp operation
by performing the following modification. When facing the
terminal side of the Crossover Network, cut the two wire
loops located on the left side. Refer to figure 9.

1. Press the connector ends of the supplied Woofer/
Midrange Red/Black cables onto the matching Woofer/
Midrange connecting lugs. Connect the Tweeters in a
similar manner.

2. Attach the tinned ends of the two Red/Black Woofer/
Midrange cables to the Crossover Network WOOFER
OUTPUT terminals. The Black wire connects to a MI­NUS (-) terminal and the Red wire to a PLUS (+) ter­minal.

3. Attach the tinned ends of the two Red/Black Tweeter
cables to the Crossover Network TWEETER terminals.
The Black wire connects to a MINUS (-) terminal and
the Red wire to a PLUS (+) terminal.

+

-

4. Connect cables from the Outputs of a McIntosh Six
Channel Power Amplifier to the Crossover Networks,
and to a pair of McIntosh Subwoofers as indicated in
the drawing below.

5. An optional modification to the Crossover Network
produces a 6dB reduction in Tweeter level. When fac­ing the terminal side of the crossover, cut the wire loop
located on the right side of the crossover. Refer to fig­ure 9.

Right TweeterLeft Tweeter

+

-

Left Crossover
Network

-

Left Woofer/Midrange Right Woofer/Midrange

McIntosh
Subwoofer

McIntosh Six Channel Power Amplifier

Right Crossover
Network

+

McIntosh
Subwoofer

+

-

9

Specifications

MS650 Woofer/Midrange Specifications

Frequency Response 80 Hz - 8kHz
Reference Sensitivity (SPLo) 89 dB
Nominal Impedance (Znom) 4 Ohms
Free Air Resonance (Fo) 47 Hz
Total Q (Qts) 0.46
Equivalent Acoustic Volume (Vas) 23.5 Litr
Voice Coil Resistance (Revc) 3.3 Ohms
Piston Area (Sd) 0.0127 sq m
Flux Density x Wire Length (BL) 4.7 TM
Impedance Maximum (Zmax) 37 Ohms
Reference Efficiency (ho) 0.5 %
Mechanical Q (Qms) 5.2
Electrical Q (Qes) 0.5
Mechanical Compliance (Cms) 1026 uM/N
Moving Mass + Air Load (Mms) 11 grams
Voice Coil Winding Height (Hvc) 9.5 mm

MS10 Tweeter Specifications

Frequency Response 2.2 kHz - 20kHz
Reference Sensitivity (SPLo) 88.5 dB
Nominal Impedance (Znom) 6 Ohms

MSS650 General Specifications

Power Handling (max) 120 watts
Continuous Power (EIA) 60 watts
System Sensitivity 85 dB

Note: The System Sensitivity includes the Woofer/Midrange

Driver, Tweeter and Crossover Network

Weight

MS650 Net 2.5 lbs. (1.13 kg)
MS10 Net 0.2 lbs. (0.07 kg)
MN650 Net 1.7 lbs. (0.75 kg)
MSS650 Net 8.8 lbs. (3.99 kg)
MSS650 in Shipping Carton 12.4 lbs. (5.62 kg)

MN650 Crossover Network Specifications

Crossover Frequency 2400 Hz
Low Pass Slope 18 db/oct
High Pass Slope 18 db/oct

Mounting Dimensions

MS650 Woofer/Midrange

Grille Overall (Diameter) 7-5/8 (194mm)
Speaker + Grille Overall Depth 3-15/16 (100mm)
Speaker Mounting Depth 3 (76mm)
Speaker + Grille Mounting Depth 2-3/4(69.8mm)
Mounting Hole Diameter 5-7/8(149mm)

MS10 Tweeter

Diameter 1-3/4 (45mm)
Total Height 1-1/16 (267mm)

MN650 Crossover Network

Clearance Height 5 (127mm)

10

Packing Instructions

Packing Instructions

In the event it is necessary to repack the equipment for
shipment, the equipment must be packed exactly as shown
below. Use the original shipping carton and interior parts
only if they are all in good serviceable condition. If a ship­ping carton or any of the interior part(s) are needed, please
call or write Customer Service Repair Department of McIn­tosh Laboratory. Please see the Parts List for the correct
part numbers.

Quantity Part Number Description

1 034080 Shipping Carton complete
1 040608 Woofer/Midrange Template
1 040598 Tweeter Template
1 048273 Woofer/Midrange Hardware

Package
1 052087 Tweeter Hardware Package
1 049271 Crossover Network Hardware

Package
1 052049 Cable Package
2 052092 Speaker Grille Kit

MS650

MS650

MS10

MN650

11

McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.

2 Chambers Street

Binghamton, NY 13903

McIntosh Part No. 040721