McIntosh XCS200 User Manual

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

XCS200

Loudspeaker System

Owner’s Manual

WARNING - TO REDUCE RISK OF FIRE OR

ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE

THIS EQUIPMENT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

IMPORTANT SAFETY

INSTRUCTIONS!

PLEASE READ THEM BEFORE
OPERATING THIS EQUIPMENT.

NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. RE-

FER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.

To prevent the risk of electric shock, do not remove cover or back.

No user-serviceable parts inside.

1. Read these instructions.

2. Keep these instructions.

3. Heed all warnings.

4. Follow all instructions.

5. Do not use this apparatus near water.

6. Clean only with a non-abrasive dry soft cloth.

7. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions.

8. This Loudspeaker is capable of producing
extremely high sound pressure levels, even
when connected to amplifiers of moderate
power output. User caution is advised. Ear
protection is recommended when playing at
high volumes as continued exposure to high
sound pressure levels can cause permanent
hearing impairment or loss. The use of a
Sound Level Pressure Meter will greatly
aid in determining when high volume levels
are occurring.

9. Do not install near any heat sources such as
radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other

apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce
heat.

10. Only use attachments/accessories specified by
the manufacturer.

11. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket,
or table specified by the manufacturer, or
sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used,
use caution when moving the cart/apparatus
combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

12. Refer all ser vicing to qualified ser vice
personnel. Servicing is required when the
apparatus has been damaged in any way,
liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen
into the apparatus, the apparatus has been
exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate
normally, or has been dropped.

13. Do not expose this equipment
to dripping or splashing and
ensure that no objects f illed
with liquids, such as vases, are
placed on the equipment.

14. WARNING: When this Loudspeaker is
connected to an amplifier that is Powered
On, the connection terminals may have
hazardous live voltages present with a risk
of electric shock.

2

Thank You

Your decision to own this McIntosh XCS200 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 listening
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]

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
Department. For assistance on factory repair return
procedure, contact the McIntosh Service Department
at:

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

Table of Contents

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

Thank You and Please Take a Moment ......................3

Technical Assistance and Customer Service ............. 3

Table of Contents and General Information .............. 3

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

Performance Features ................................................5

Dimensions ................................................................6

Unpacking the Loudspeaker and

Installing the XCS20 using Stablilizer Bar ................7

Installing the XCS200 on the Wall .........................8-9

Room Acoustics and Loudspeaker Placement ......... 10

How to Connect using a single Amplifier ............... 11

How to Connect using two Amplifiers ............... 12-13

How to Connect using three Amplifiers ............. 14-15

Photos .................................................................. 16 -17

Specifications ........................................................... 18

Packing Instruction .................................................. 19

General Information

1. For additional connection information, refer to the
owner’s manual(s) for any component(s) connected
to the XCS200 Loudspeaker.

2. The XCS200’s built-in speaker protection incorpo­rates three automatic resetting solid-state devices
in the crossover networks. One protects the tweet­ers, one for the midranges and one for the woofers.
The protection allows a certain amount of over­drive but extended periods will trigger protection.
If an obvious lack of high, mid or low frequencies
is noticed, the Protection Device may have acti­vated. These devices will automatically reset when
the volume level is reduced significantly and kept
low until the output of the affected Loudspeaker
Element returns to normal.

3. When the XCS200 Loudspeaker System is driven
by more than one amplifier, the output levels of the
different amplifiers connected to the Loudspeaker
System must be adjusted to achieve a proper bal­ance between the low, midrange and high frequen­cies reproduced. This adjustment is best achieved
through the use of audio test equipment operated
by a qualified installer.

4. When discarding the unit, comply with local rules
or regulations. Batteries should never be
thrown away or incinerated but disposed
of in accordance with the local regula­tions concerning battery disposal.

5. For additional information on the
XCS200 and other McIntosh Products
please visit the McIntosh Web Site at
www.mcintoshlabs.com.

Copyright 2010 © by McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.

3

Introduction

McIntosh Acoustic Engineers have achieved in the
design of the XCS200 Loudspeaker System a level
of high performance. The XCS200 provides supe­rior spaciousness sound reproduction with unusual
sound stage depth in a full range system. It uses a
new acoustic design technology known as Progressive
Inductance ControlTM (PIC). PICTM permits the use of
multiple Midrange and Tweeter Loudspeaker Drivers
to increase the Dynamic Range of the Loudspeaker
System, without the otherwise negative Acoustic
Combing Effects present in such a quasi point source
Loudspeaker design.

The XCS200 utilizes multiple three-quarter inch
Titanium Dome Tweeters and two
inch Titanium Inverted Dome
Midrange Drivers. Refer to figures
1 and 2. Since the audio power
is distributed among all the driv­ers, each driver does not have to
work as hard, resulting in greater
power handling capabil­ity, dramatic reduction
in distortion and greater
dynamic range.

The Low Frequency
Section of the System
consists of two newly
designed eight inch
Woofers. They have a
large magnet assembly
and long cone excursions
with very low levels of harmonic distortion and fre­quency response down to 80Hz. Refer to figure 3.

The Woofers incorporate McIntosh’s Patented
LD/HP® 1 Magnetic Circuit Design. Finite Element
Analysis and testing resulted in a design concept

1

LD/HP Pat. No 5,151,943

4

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

which utilizes a pair of aluminum shorting sleeves in
the magnetic circuit. Refer

LD/HP

to figure 4. The sleeves
greatly reduce the negative

Conventional

influence of the fluctuating
voice coil field on the per­manent magnet field. This
results in lower distortion
due to more linear mag­netic flux in the voice coil

Figure 4

gap. Refer to figure 5. Ad­ditional benefits
are less volume
compression due
to improved heat
transfer through
the sleeves and a
cooler operating
voice coil. Both
measurements,
as well as critical

Figure 5

listening, reveal ten times less distortion than previ-

ous designs. A good example of this low distortion is
incredible smoothness and clarity in the reproduction
of the human voice.

The Crossover Network used in the XCS200
Loudspeaker System is designed to ensure an even
frequency response over the entire audible range. The
Second and Third Order Designed Network utilizes
Capacitors and Inductors with high current capacity.
Refer to figure 6. There are two different types of low
loss (DCR) Inductors in the network, each one chosen
not to exhibit any core saturation even at high power

Figure 6

levels. This prevents the addition of distortion to the
music at any frequency. The Capacitors used are the
low loss (ESR) types. The Network also utilizes self
resetting high current PTC Fuses to provide an extra
measure of protection.

The enclosure is an important part of the XCS200
Loudspeaker System. The Loudspeaker System uti­lizes a trapezoidal shaped, rigid extruded aluminum
enclosure that houses the Loudspeaker Drivers. Refer
to figure 7. The Column’s small footprint allows for a
variety of different placements in a room.

Figure 7

Performance Features

• Patented LD/HP® Technology

The McIntosh Low Frequency Loudspeaker Elements
feature the patented LD/HP Magnetic Circuit Design.
This design, when compared to conventional Loud­speaker Elements, reduces distortion significantly. It
also increases power handling and efficiency.

Introduction and Performance Features

• Stabilizer Bar and Wall Mounting Brackets

The built-in Stabilizer Bar allows changing the
vertical angle up to ± 5.5 degrees. On Wall Mount­ing Brackets are supplied for both Flush and Angled
mounting of the XCS200.

• Neodymium-Iron-Boron Alloy Magnets

The 8 two inch Midranges and 5 three-quarter inch
Dome Tweeters all use this Alloy. The Neodymium­Iron-Boron Alloy has the highest flux density per
unit of volume. This allows for a smaller physical size
driver and thus closer driver to driver placement for
improved dispersion.

• Low Harmonic and Intermodulation Distortion

The XCS200 Loudspeaker System is capable of repro­ducing the full dynamic range of a symphony orches­tra with very low audible distortion of any kind.

• High Power Handling

The Loudspeaker Elements and Crossover Compo­nents of the XCS200 are all chosen for use with ampli­fiers up to 600 watts.

• Superior Imaging

Locating the Tweeters between the two rows of
Midranges generates a symmetrical horizontal polar
response for superior imaging.

• Optional In-Wall Mounting Kit

The optional In-Wall Mounting Kit is supplied with a
paintable Metal Grille for both horizontal and vertical
In-Wall Mounting Positions. Contact your McIntosh
Dealer for additional information.

• Multiple Connections

In addition to the regular connections, the XCS200
Loudspeaker System provides separate connections
for Bi-Amplification and Tri-Amplification hookups,
as well as Bi-Wiring and Tri-Wiring.

• Extruded Enclosure

The Loudspeaker Enclosure is extruded thick alumi­num construction with non-parallel internal sides to
reduce internal standing waves. The enclosure has a
durable textured black finish.

• Gold Plated Input Connectors

The XCS200 Input Connectors are gold plated for
superior corrosion resistance and high electrical con­duct iv ity.

• Versatile Operation and Placement

The XCS200 Loudspeaker System is designed for use
in a multichannel system including the Front Channels
(Left, Center and Right) or Surround Channels (Side
and Back).

5

Dimensions

End View

of the

XCS200

32

-1/2

"

82.55cm

10

-5/8

"

27.0cm

11

-1/8

"

28.3cm

12

-7/8

"

32.8cm

9

-3/8

"

23.8cm

1

-15/16

"

4.9cm

5

-5/16

"

13.5cm

8

-11/16

22.1cm

Front View

of the

XCS200

Rear View

of the

XCS200

Front View

of the

XCS200

(without Grille)

7

-3/16

"

18.3cm

5

-5/16

"

13.5cm

5

-5/16

"

13.5cm

27

-3/16

"

69.0cm

13"

33.0cm

12

-3/4

"

32.4cm

2

-1/4

"

5.7cm

1

-3/4

"

4.4cm

3

-7/16

"

8.7cm

3/4

"

1.9cm

7

-1/8

"

18.1cm

7

-1/4

"

18.4cm

4

-1/2

"

11.4cm

1"

2.54cm

7

-1/4

"

18.4cm

8

-5/8

"

21.9cm

5

-5/16

"

13.5cm

The following dimensions can assist in
determining the best location for your
XCS20 0.

6