Niles VCS100R, VCS100 Owner's Manual

INSTALLATION & OPERATION GUIDE

Niles Audio Corporation

www.nilesaudio.com

12331 S.W. 130 Street

Miami, Florida 33186

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

©2003 Niles Audio Corporation. All rights reserved. Niles, the Niles logo, and Blending Technology and Architecture are regis­tered trademarks of Niles Audio Corporation. Decora is a registered trademark of Leviton Manufacturing. All other trademarks
are the property of their respective owners. Some of Niles products (or components thereof) are manufactured under one or more
U.S. Patents, foreign equivalents and/or pending patents (see product for details). Because we constantly strive to improve our
products, Niles reserves the right to change product specifications, descriptions, and prices without notice. The technical and
other specifications of information contained herein is not intended to set forth all technical and other specifications of Niles
products. Additional information can be obtained at www.nilesaudio.com or by calling Niles at 1-800-289-4434. Printed in
China 7/03 DS00310BCN

VCS 100

VCS 100

VCS 100R

VCS 100R

High-Power Stereo Volume Controls

B LENDING H IGH F IDELITY AND A RCHITECTURE

®

H IGH-PO WER S TEREO V OLUME C ONTROLS

H IGH-PO WER S TEREO V OLUME C ONTROLS

VCS 10 0

VCS 100R

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 1

Features and
Benefits 1

Installation
Considerations 3

Installation 6

Operation 8

Specifications 9

Contents 9

INTRODUCTION

The VCS 100 is a wall mount, stereo speaker volume control. It connects between the speak­er-level output of an amplifier, speaker selector, or distribution hub and a pair of speakers.

A perfect application for the VCS 100 is adjusting the volume of remotely located speakers. The
VCS 100 adjusts the volume of speakers connected to it by attenuating the amplifier signal. To
assure minimal dissipation of internal power with virtually no power wasted as heat, Niles
volume controls use autoformers instead of L-pads as the volume-controlling element.

The VCS 100 is an impedance-magnifying (IM) volume control. Unlike other brands, it has
additional autoformer windings that magnify the impedance of connected speakers,
while allowing all 12 steps to adjust the volume of the sound. Switches on the PC board select
these windings.

With the volume control providing impedance protection for your amplifier, you can create
systems with no additional impedance-matching devices between the volume control and
the amplifier.

In a typical application of IM controls, a system has eight pairs of 8-ohm speakers throughout
the house and in adjacent outdoor locations. Connect each pair of speakers to an IM volume
control with its switch in the 8x position, eliminating the need for an external impedance­matching device to protect the amplifier. Even when playing all eight speaker pairs at once, the
amplifier runs at normal operating temperatures.

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

The VCS 100 offers a number of improvements over other
volume controls:

• Interchangeable Decora-style inserts for fast, easy color
change. Inserts and knobs (sold separately) are available in a
variety of colors.

• A universal impedance-magnifying design enables the VCS
100 to act as both a stereo and an impedance magnifying
volume control. You can magnify the speakers’ impedance
by a factor of two, four, or eight.

• Unlike other impedance-matching volume-control products,
Niles IM volume controls maintain a 12-position adjustment
regardless of how much impedance magnification you use,
with total attenuation >48dB.

• Pop-free switching between all steps.

• Redesigned autoformers provide superior sonic performance,
exceeding the audio quality of non-impedance magnifying
volume controls.

• Isolated left and right-channel grounds ensure safety with
any amplifier.

• May be used with 4-, 6-, or 8-ohm speaker systems.

• Ideal for home and commercial sound installations.

• UL rated to comply with all local building codes.

• Available colors: almond, black, bone, brown, and white.

• Installation requires only a screwdriver and wire stripper.

• Mounting depth of only 2-9/16". Fits into standard 18-cubic­inch one-gang junction boxes.

• Power handling: 100W/channel RMS.

• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz ±2dB.

• Ten years parts and labor warranty.

Some speakers have selectable impedance.
Before you proceed, please confirm that any
selectable-impedance speakers in your system
are properly set for the system you are installing.

TECH TIP

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