MK Sound LCR-55 Mkii, LCR-45, Bookshelf-75, Center-55 MkII Operation Manual

Miller & Kreisel Sound Corporation
10391 Jefferson Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232 USA
[phone] FAX [phone]
www.mksound.com

© 1999 MILLER & KREISEL SOUND CORP.

operation manual

Bookshelf-75
LCR-55 MkII
Center-55 MkII
LCR-45

Bookshelf-75/Center-75/LCR-75/LCR-55

Bookshelf-75/LCR-55MkII/Center-55MkII/LCR-45

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................3

2. PLACEMENT OF YOUR SPEAKERS..................................................................3

3. SPEAKER HOOK-UP..........................................................................................................3

4. BOOKSHELF-75 FRONT BAFFLE FOAM PLUG...........................................................4

5. HIGH-FREQUENCY PRISM SYSTEM (LCR-55MkII, Center-55MkII).......................................4

6. OPTIMIZING SPEAKER PLACEMENT..............................................................................5

7. HOME THEATRE USAGE..................................................................................................6

CENTER CHANNEL..................................................................................................................7

SURROUND CHANNEL.............................................................................................................7

8. SATELLITE/SUBWOOFER PHASING TEST....................................................................8

9. SPEAKER DAMAGE & HOW TO AVOID IT....................................................................9

10. BI - AMPLIFYING YOUR SPEAKERS WITH M&K HIGH-PASS FILTERS....................9

11. M&K 5.1 MULTICHANNEL & PRO-LOGIC SYSTEM SETUP GUIDE......................................10

12. IF YOU NEED SERVICE OR SET-UP ASSISTANCE......................................................12

13. CABINET MAINTENANCE................................................................................................12

14. USE WITH M&K STANDS & BRACKETS..................................................................12

15. SPECIFICATIONS.......................................................................................................12

DIAGRAMS

FIGURE 1 SPEAKER WIRING..................................................................................4

FIGURE 2 SEPARATION BETWEEN LEFT & RIGHT SPEAKERS............................6

BOOKSHELF-75 OWNERS:

IF YOU ARE USING A SUBWOOFER

DO NOT REMOVE THE SPECIAL FOAM PLUG

ON THE FRONT BAFFLE OF YOUR SPEAKERS.

This special foam plug tunes the perfomance of your loudspeaker system. If you are using
your Bookshelf-75 speaker with a separate subwoofer, leave the plug in place. If you do not
have a subwoofer, you may want to remove the plug, because its removal will produce more
bass output from the Bookshelf-75. See Section 4 on page 4 for more information.

DO NOT DISCARD THE FOAM PLUG

Bookshelf-75/LCR-55MkII/Center-55MkII/LCR-45

Bookshelf-75/Center-75/LCR-75/LCR-55

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1. INTRODUCTION

Congratulations! Your new M&K speaker system will give you years of unmatched enjoyment and excitement

while listening to your favorite musical and audio/video sources.

We encourage you to read this owner’s manual, as there is a great deal of information provided here to help you

achieve the best possible performance.

If you have any questions about your speaker system, please contact your M&K dealer or call the M&K factory
directly at [phone], from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday through Friday. We will be happy to help
you with any question, no matter how simple or complex it may be. Additional information may also be obtained on
our web site: www.mksound.com or you may send us an e-mail at [e-mail].

This manual gives you basic hook-up instructions first, followed by more detailed technical, installation, and
service information.

2. PLACEMENT OF YOUR SPEAKERS

Your M&K speakers can be installed in a wide variety of locations. Their compact size gives you great flexibility
in installation. They can be placed on stands, shelves, or bookcases, or more permanently mounted using brackets,
through direct attachment to a wall, or with a ceiling suspension system.

If you want to mount your speakers permanently using wood screws, their cabinet thickness is 3/4". Do not use
longer screws, as you may damage the internally mounted crossover.

You can place the left and right speakers virtually anywhere in the room, but certain locations are better than
others. In general, locate them away from obstructions that would interfere with the direct path from the speakers to
your ears (such as walls, furniture, lighting, plants, etc.). Center channel speakers should be located close to the
television screen (see Home Theater Usage on page 6). Your speakers will sound better when they are around ear
height, or when angled towards your listening location. They sound better when they are not sitting on the floor.

®

Your speakers can be used with OmniMount
cabinets have integral threaded hardware in patterns for OmniMount brackets. These brackets offer tremendous

flexibility for installation in a wide variety of environments. For more information, see Section 13 (page 10), or contact
OmniMount at [phone].

For more detailed information on placement of your speakers, see Section 6 (page 5).

SPECIAL NOTE - THE Bookshelf-75, LCR-55MkII, Center-55MkII and LCR-45 ARE TV SHIELDED

Your speakers are magnetically shielded. This means that you can locate them close to a television set or even
directly on top of the set.

In some rare instances, a small amount of residual magnetism at a specific angle to your TV set may cause a
slight geometric or color distortion of the picture on your television set. If you do get this distortion, try moving the
speaker slightly until the distortion is reduced or disappears. Then turn the set off and wait 10 minutes before turning
it back on to trigger the set's degaussing circuitry. If you cannot solve any magnetic problems, contact the M&K factory.

Systems brackets, without the use of wood screws, because their

Please follow these instructions carefully, to avoid any possible damage to the speakers or your amplifier, and
to get the best possible sound.

The sound quality of your speakers can be affected by the type of speaker wire that you use to connect them.
While it is possible to use speaker wire as thin as 22 gauge to hook your speakers up, we recommend using the largest
diameter wire that you can. This means a minimum of 18 gauge wire. Over 10 feet, you should use 16 gauge, and
for more than 30 feet, we recommend using 14 gauge or heavier. The smaller the number, the thicker the wire.

There are a very wide variety of premium speaker cables available from a number of specialist manufacturers.
We do not endorse any specific brand of premium cable, but we do recommend using as high quality a cable as fits
your budget. Using better quality cables will improve the sound of your Satellites.

Your M&K Speakers are not designed for bi-wiring. If you wish to bi-amplify your speakers in combination with
an M&K Powered Subwoofer, see Section 10 (page 9) for more details.

For each speaker, connect the Positive (+) lead from your amplifier or receiver to the RED (+) INPUT terminal

3. SPEAKER HOOK-UP

HOOKUP

Bookshelf-75/Center-75/LCR-75/LCR-55

FIGURE 1

SPEAKER WIRING

Bookshelf-75/LCR-55MkII/Center-55MkII/LCR-45

page 4

and connect the Negative (-) lead from your amplifier or receiver to the BLACK (-) INPUT terminal. See Figure 1.

4. CABINET ALIGNMENT TUNING PLUG (BOOKSHELF-75 ONLY)

On the front baffle of the Bookshelf-75 speaker is a large (2" diameter) plug that can be easily removed or inserted.
DO NOT THROW THIS PLUG AWAY. This plug can be used to adjust the performance of the speaker to fit your system
needs or personal preferences.

When the plug is inserted into the speaker cabinet, the plug seals the speaker port, making the Bookshelf-75 a
SEALED BOX speaker. When the plug is removed from the speaker cabinet, the port is open, making it a VENTED
BOX speaker. When you use the Bookshelf-75 as a vented box speaker, the port adds a couple of dB extra midbass
output around 80 Hz. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of each mode, with recommended applications.
Feel free to experiment with both configurations to see which one you prefer.

SEALED BOX (Plug inserted in port):

If you are using a subwoofer with your Bookshelf-75s, operate the Bookshelf-75 as a sealed box. This will give
you the best transition of sound between the Bookshelf-75 and the subwoofer. If you are using a high-pass filter (M&K
HP-80 or VF-80), you must operate the Bookshelf-75 as a sealed box in order for the filter to operate optimally.

The sealed box configuration gives you the best transient response, the tightest mid-bass, and the flattest
frequency response. If you are using the Bookshelf-75 as a full-range speaker (without a subwoofer), we recommend
that you use the Bookshelf-75 as a vented box speaker. Again, we encourage experimentation.

VENTED BOX (Plug removed from port):

Removing the plug increases the mid-bass output of the Bookshelf-75 by a couple of decibels in the 80 Hz region,
which increases the perceived bass. This is recommended when the system has no subwoofer. The vented box
configuration generally gives the most satisfying bass when the Bookshelf-75 is being used as a full-range speaker.

5. THE M&K HIGH-FREQUENCY PRISM SYSTEM

Your LCR-55MkII and Center-55MkII speakers utilize M&K's exclusive High-Frequency Prism System to
optimize imaging and coverage of sound throughout the listening area. This system is designed to take into account