SI-1230
INSTALLATION & OPERATION GUIDE
B LENDING H IGH F IDELITY AND A RCHITECTURE
®
Systems Integration Amplifier
™
®
CONGRATULATIONS!
Thank you for purchasing the award winning Niles SI-1230, one of the most
versatile and powerful multi-channel amplifiers ever offered. Like all Niles
products, the SI-1230 is built to the highest standards of quality and reliability.
With proper installation and operation, you'll enjoy years of trouble-free use.
Niles manufactures the industry's most complete line of custom installation compo-
nents and accessories for audio/video systems. For a free full-line catalog write:
Niles, Catalog Request, P.O. Box 160818, Miami, Florida 33116-0818
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 2
FEATURES AND BENEFITS 3
APPLICATIONS AND SYSTEM DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS 5
CONFIGURING YOUR SYSTEM 12
INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS 13
FRONT AND REAR PANELDETAILS 15
INSTALLA TION 1 9
OPERATION 25
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 27
CONFIGURATION WORKSHEET 29
SPECIFICATIONS 30
1
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INTRODUCTION
We call the SI-1230 a Systems Integration Amplifier because, for the first time, a power
amplifier has been specifically designed to solve the problems of interfacing with dif-
ferent brands and models of equipment, different acoustic environments in different
rooms, and different kinds of applications: home theater, stereo, and background
music. As you read this manual and become more familiar with the capabilities of the
SI-1230 you’ll understand why its predeccesor, the SI-1200, was selected Best New
Product 1994 by Sound & Video Contractor Magazine and CEDIA(Custom Electronic
Design and Installation Association). In addition, the SI-1200 also won the Consumer
Electronics Show’s Innovations ‘95 Design and Engineering Award.
INTRODUCTION
CEDIA
CUSTOM
ELECTRONIC
DESIGN&
INSTALLATION
ASSOCIATION
BEST
NEW
PRODUCT
1994
CEDIA and Sound & Video Contractor
Magazine Best New Product 1994 Award
2
SI-1230
Systems Integration Amplifier
FEATURES AND BENEFITS
Real World Power
The SI-1230 is a 12-channel amplifier that delivers a solid 30 watts per channel
RMS into 8 ohms and 37 watts per channel RMS into 4 ohms. The massive Multi-
T ap Toroid power transformer features six independent secondary transformers for
each of the six amplifier modules. As a result, the SI-1230 delivers twenty percent
more power than its predecessor, the SI-1200. This extraordinary power supply
design provides the energy necessary to deliver solid, deep, controlled bass
response to a house full of speakers.
Twelve to Six Channel Configurable Power
Each of the SI-1230's six adjacent output pairs are bridgeable. You can create up
to six 80 watt channels by sliding the bridging switches located between each
pair to the "bridged" position. This enables you to allocate more power to specif-
ic locations, such as large rooms or outdoor applications.
Freedom from Noise and Cross-Talk
The SI-1230’s Input/BusMatrix
™
PC board incorporates advanced construction
ensuring extremely high channel to channel isolation. Signal to noise ratios and
cross-talk are equivalent to a professional mixing board found in a recording studio.
With the SI-1230 the music playing in the living room cannot interfere with the
music in the den.
Transparent Sound
The audio circuitry of the SI-1230 is constructed with the finest parts available,
including 1% metal film resistors, high quality capacitors and oversized heat sinks.
All this attention to technical detail results in a sound that is clear and uncolored.
BusMatrix™ Selector
Our unique BusMatrix selector gives you the flexibility to assign each channel to
a common Left, Right, or Mono signal bus, or to a dedicated signal input. With
BusMatrix, routing surround sound to the master bedroom, stereo to the den and
mono to the powder room is as simple as flicking a switch. BusMatrix makes the
SI-1230 an ideal multi-room or multi-zone amplifier and offers exciting new
features and system design possibilities to the professional installer.
FEATURES AND BENEFITS
3
Independent Level Controls
Each channel has its own independent level control enabling you to adjust the
volume settings for twelve different speaker locations. Each speaker can be
adjusted for its location and who uses it!
Turn-On Modes
The SI-1230 features three turn-on modes: 1. Manual turn-on via the front panel
switch, 2. Audio Sense and 3. External Voltage trigger. Audio Sense and External
Voltage trigger modes enable allow you to configure the SI-1230 to interface with
any kind of system and turn on automatically.
Automatic Protection
Each channel has independent thermal and short circuit protection. In the unlike-
ly event that a problem occurs on one channel, the other channels will continue
to play. When conditions return to normal, regular operation resumes.
Status Display for Troubleshooting
LED's on the front panel indicate Power, Active andProtection Status. With a glance
at the front panel a troubleshooter is quickly provided with key information!
Made in the USA.
Limited two year parts and labor Warranty.
FEATURES AND BENEFITS
4
System Design Basics –Assigning Rooms to Zones
You define a multi-room music system by how many listening zones it has.
Within a listening zone you can only listen to one source (CD, radio, tape, etc.)
at a time. A zone can consist of just one room or a group of rooms. To achieve
different volumes and greater convenience in different rooms within a zone, indi-
vidual volume controls can be used. Niles makes volume controls in various
styles and colors. Consult your local Niles dealer for more information.
When designing your system, take into account who will use the system and when
they will use it. For example, a family might wire their family room for surround
sound and their living room for background music.
APPLICATIONS AND SYSTEM DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
5
5 System Design Basics —Assigning Rooms
to Zones.
6 Advantages of using the SI-1230 in a Single
Zone System
7 Using Level Controls as Limiters
7 Bridging Channels for Areas That Require
More Volume and Power
8 Using Mono for Smoother Coverage
8 Adding More Than Two Surround
Sound Speakers
9 Creating a Low-Cost Second Zone Using
a Dedicated Source
10 Adding Preamps to Create More Listening
Zones
11 Surround Sound in Two Rooms
CD PLAYER
RECEIVER
TAPE PLAYER
VCR
RECEIVER
FAMILY ROOM
LIVING ROOM
LISTENING ZONE 1
LISTENING ZONE 2
TV
A Multi-Zone System
allows different sources
to be heard in each of
the zones, simultane-
ously.
APPLICATIONS AND SYSTEM DESIGN
CONSIDERATIONS
A Single-Zone System allows only one source to be heard throughout the house at a
given time. However, if the system is configured to be a Multi zone system it would
offer the household more flexibility. In a two-zone system, the children could watch
TV in surround sound while Mom and Dad read the paper and listen to music in
the living room.
Advantages of using the SI-1230 in a Single Zone System
In order to connect multiple pairs of speakers to a single stereo amplifier, they must
connect in parallel to offer the best sound quality and to allow the convenience of
an individual room volume control. Because parallel connections of multiple speak-
er pairs lower the overall impedance presented to an amplifier, damage may occur.
An impedance matching device will allow amplifiers to safely play multiple pairs of
speakers. However, the amount of power actually delivered to the speakers when all
of the speakers are playing simultaneously is very low. Typically a 100 watt stereo
amplifier with an impedance matching device will deliver about 5 watts to each
speaker in a system comprised of six pairs of eight ohm speakers. By connecting an
SI-1230 to the preamplifier outputs of your stereo receiver (or preamp) you dedicate
a robust 30 watts to each speaker in your multi-room system. Since each channel
has its own level control, you can compensate for architectural differences that cre-
ate sonic imbalances. In addition, you can fine tune the system so that when all of
the room volume controls are set to the loudest level, the large rooms and the small
rooms play at the same volume.
APPLICATIONS AND SYSTEM DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
6
CD PLAYER
RECEIVER
TAPE PLAYER
VCR
TV
FAMILY ROOM LIVING ROOM
LISTENING ZONE 1
A Single-Zone System
allows only one source to
be heard throughout the
house at a given time.
7
Using Level Controls as Limiters
If your system is remote controlled, or if you think that some of the users like to
play the stereo too loudly, you can choose to calibrate the system so that it is lim-
ited to a volume level you assign. The SI-1230 allows you to set different volume
levels for different rooms.
Calibrate your system volume levels with the steps outlined below:
1. Lower all of the SI-1 230 level controls to the minimum volume position. If there
are any other amplifiers in the system, lower their level controls to the mini-
mum (all of the amplifiers in your system must have level controls).
2. Raise all of the individual in-wall volume controls to the loudest setting.
3. Play a loud radio station with the tuner set to Mono.
4. Raise the volume of your preamplifier or receiver slowly – if you hear any
sound, lower the volume again and recheck all of your amplifier levels, they
must be at minimum. If no sound is heard, proceed to step five.
5. Have someone step into each room and listen as you adjust each level control
to the desired maximum level for that room. Adjust the balance between
speakers for the most common listening position in each room.
Bridging Channels for Areas That Require More Volume
and Power
There are several situations where bridging is an excellent way to improve the
sound. Likewise, there are some applications that would seem to be appropriate
but are not recommended. Plan to bridge channels to increase the power to 80
watts per channel when required. Here are some of the most common DO'S and
DON’TS:
Surround Sound Systems (DO)– The dynamic demands for the center channel
are much higher than the left, right or surround channels. This is an excellent
application for two channels to be bridged into one 80 watt channel.
Outdoors (DO)– Sound dissipates faster outside than within a room where the
walls enclose the sound and reflect it back to the listener. A pair of speakers play-
ing into a large patio or yard will greatly benefit from bridging four channels into
two 80 watt channels.
More than Two Speakers (DON’T)– In a large room or a long hallway, you will
often find that the best way to get good background music is to install multiple
pairs of speakers. You will actually deliver more power to four eight ohm speak-
ers by using two unbridged channels than you would if you bridged four chan-
nels into two. An unbridged channel is stable down to four ohms (two pair of
eight ohm speakers), but a bridged channel is only useful with an eight ohm load.
APPLICATIONS AND SYSTEM DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
8
Using Mono For Smoother Coverage
In a large or irregularly shaped room you will often discover that in a particular
chair, all you can hear is one speaker. If the room’s speakers are connected to a
stereo amplifier you hear only half the music. The solution would be to connect
that room’s speakers to a monophonic amplifier. However, if you make one room
mono with conventional systems, all of the other rooms in the system are mono
as well. For the first time, the SI-1230's BusMatrix enables you to route mono to
one speaker without affecting the quality of the stereo in the rest of the system.
You can configure each room to stereo or mono with no ill effects. Some of the
most popular areas where mono will greatly enhance the quality of the sound
would be:
1. Large rooms with many seating areas and/or many pairs of speakers
2. Irregularly shaped rooms
3. Bathrooms with one speaker over the tub and one speaker over the sink(s)
4. Hallways or passageways (even those with multiple speakers)
5. Small rooms where only one speaker will physically fit
Adding More than Two Surround Sound Speakers
In a home theater, we try to reproduce the experience of a great movie theater in
our homes. The biggest difference between a commercial theater and your home
is the rear or surround speaker array. In a home with a single pair of speakers it
is easy for the surround effects to sound like they are "in the middle of your head",
just like headphones!
The best way to create a strong "surround" effect is to use multiple speakers. In
large or unusually shaped rooms this might be the only way to achieve good
sound. However, the built-in surround amplifier channels of a typical receiver will
not successfully power more than one
pair of speakers. If your surround proces-
sor or receiver has rear pre-outputs you
can easily improve the surround effect
with additional speakers and one or two
channels of an SI-1230. The individual
level controls of the SI-1230 allow six
decibels of gain over the main and center
amplifiers for easy calibration of a mix of
brands/models of speakers.
APPLICATIONS AND SYSTEM DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Additional surround speakers fed by the
SI-1230 greatly enhance the effectiveness of
your surround sound system.
9
APPLICATIONS AND SYSTEM DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Creating a Low-Cost Second Zone
Using A Dedicated Source
The biggest problem in a single zone system is that when the TV is in use in one
room, you cannot listen to music in another room. For a listener who only listens
to CD’s it is possible to create a low-cost second zone, allowing simultaneous CD
listening while the rest of the system plays the TV (or any source). This is possible
with the advent of CD players which have two audio outputs; one variable and
controlled via remote control and one which is fixed. You connect the variable
output of the CD player to the SI-1230 channels for a particular room where you
are willing to listen only to CD’s. The fixed outputs remain connected to the main
preamp or receiver so that you can listen to CD’s in the rest of the house. The
crowning touch is a Niles remote control repeater system so that you can raise and
lower the CD player’s volume from your CD listening room.
AM/FM TUNER
TAPE PLAYER CD PLAYER
AMPLIFIER
OR RECEIVER
ZONE 1 ZONE 2
AUDIO
SPLITTER
SI-1230
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