Niles Audio AT8000, AT8200 User Manual
MODELS
AT8000
AT8200
B LENDING H IGH F IDELITY AND A RCHITECTURE
®
INSTALLATION & OPERATION GUIDE
MODELS
AT8000
AT8200
ADVANCED
TECHNOLOGY
®
IN-WALL LOUDSPEAKERS
Congratulations!
Thank you for choosing Advanced Technology In-Wall Loudspeakers from Niles.
With proper installation and operation, you'll enjoy years of trouble-free use.
Niles manufactures the industry's most complete line of custom installation
components and accessories for audio/video systems. For a free full line catalog
write: Niles, Catalog Request, P. O. Box 160818, Miami, Florida 33116-0818
©1999 Niles Audio Corporation. Because Niles strives to continuously improve its products, Niles reserves the right to
change product specifications without notice. Niles and the Niles logo are registered trademarks of Niles Audio
Corporation. Blending High Fidelity and Architecture, BumpBack, X-Matrix and MicroSensor are trademarks of Niles
Audio Corporation. Dolby is a registered trademark of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation. Decora is a registered
trademark of Leviton Manufacturing Co.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 1
FEATURES AND BENEFITS 1
INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS 3
SPEAKER PLACEMENT 5
INSTALLATION FUNDAMENTALS 7
INSTALLATION OF BRACKETS, FRAMES AND GRILLES IN NEW CONSTRUCTION 12
INSTALLATION OF BRACKETS, FRAMES AND GRILLES IN EXISTING WALLS 14
INSTALLATION OF THE SPEAKER AND GRILLE INNEWOR EXISTING CONSTRUCTION 15
OPERATION 17
SPECIFICATIONS 18
WARRANTY REGISTRATION CARD 20
LIMITED WARRANTY 21
Introduction
The AT or Advanced Technology group of
In-Wall Loudspeakers are designed to
deliver truly stunning performance with
optimum installation flexibility. All models
in the AT series are constructed using the
highest quality components and utilize
advanced materials technology to create
speakers capable of reproducing both
music and movie soundtracks with stunning realism and sonic impact. They are
perfect anywhere that quality of sound is
the most important consideration.
An AT8000 Series Speaker Kit;
AT8000 Series Bracket Kit; and an
AT8000 Series Frame/Grille Kit are
required to install one AT8000 Series
In-Wall Loudspeaker in either new
or existing construction.
Features and Benefits
High Performance Woofer and
Tweeter Designs
Both the AT8000 and A T8200 incorporate
woofer designs which feature inverted
dust caps, butyl rubber surrounds, and
Niles exclusive BumpBack™ magnet
structure to provide powerful and accurate bass response. Additionally, both
models feature tweeters housed in a zerodiffraction swiveling enclosure which can
be positioned up to 15 degrees off axis to
deliver optimum clarity regardless of
speaker placement or listening position.
AT8000
Interlaced Carbon/Glass Fiber Woofer
The AT8000’s 8” woofer is constructed of
carbon and glass fibers which are not only
lighter and more rigid than polypropylene, but are interlaced in a pattern that
reduces cone breakup and effectively
lowers distortion.
Hyperbolic Tri-Laminate Dome
Midrange and Zero-Diffraction
Swiveling Tweeter*
The AT8000’s 1-1/2” midrange driver and
1” tweeter both share a tri-laminate design
consisting of an inner textile layer which
forms the dome, a high damping layer to
kill unwanted resonances, and an outside
layer of urethane to add stiffness and prevent breakup modes.
AT8200
Aluminum/Urethane Composite Woofer
The A T8200’s 8” woofer is constructed of a
composite of aluminum and urethane
which is extremely light, highly efficient,
and offers superior damping characteristics.
Hyperbolic Aluminum/Urethane Dome
Midrange and Zero-Diffraction
Swiveling Tweeter*
The AT8200’s 1-1/2” midrange and 1”
tweeter incorporate the same aluminum/
urethane composite used in the construction of the A T8200’s woofer. The result is a
very natural sounding speaker capable of
reproducing mids and highs with superb
detail and accuracy.
Computer Optimized Crossover with
Acoustical Configuration Controls
The second order Linkwitz-Riley crossover
is computer optimized and constructed of
premium components for unparalleled
sonic performance. The baffle-mounted
Tone Controls provide installers with Bass,
Midrange and Treble adjustment in four
increments (-2dB, Flat, +2dB, +4dB). These
controls can be used to fine tune the speakers performance or to compensate for less
than ideal room acoustics. (For more information, see Setting the Tone on page 15.)
BumpBack™ Woofer Magnet
Niles engineers have utilized a unique magnet construction allowing far greater “throw”
or voice coil excursion. This enables Niles
AT loudspeakers to play louder without
mechanical distortion or “bottoming”.
Features and Benefits
1
Patent Pending
X-Matrix™ Reinforced Baffle
The X-Matrix baffle design uses specially
molded ribs to add rigidity to the baffle
assembly. The end result is better bass and
improved midrange detail.
Weather Resistant Construction
The A T8000 and A T8200 loudspeakers feature drivers which are impervious to moisture; the grille (sold separately as part of the
AT8000 Series Frame and Grille kit) is
made of aluminum, and all exposed hardware is constructed of stainless steel.
Absolutely Flush to the Wall
Appearance
The unique mounting system of the AT
loudspeakers powerfully clamps the frame
to the bracket, sandwiching the wall material between them. Because the clamping
action is totally uniform around the frame,
there are no shadows or gaps between the
wall and the frame. Additionally, the Niles
mounting system is carefully optimized to
stiffen the surrounding drywall and prevent
it from resonating. You hear only the
music, not the drywall.
Easy Retrofit Installation in your
Existing Home
Designed for ease of installation, the Niles
mounting system makes retrofit installations simple and fast. A supplied template
assures fast and accurate hole cutting. The
bracket slips behind the drywall and the
screws secure the bracket to the frame,
sandwiching the drywall between them.
The speaker baffle attaches to the frame,
and the grille mounts over the speaker.
Three Stage Installation System for
Remodels or New Construction
You install only the parts you need for a
particular stage of construction. When the
framing and wiring are finished, you install
the bracket. After the drywall is up, but
before the painter begins to paint, you
install the frame and provide the painter
with the aluminum grilles so that they can
be painted to match the surroundings.
Only when construction is completely finished do you put the valuable speaker in
the wall. You don’t have to mask or prep
the speaker for painting, and worries about
theft during the final phases of construction
are never an issue!
Eight Ohm Impedance
The AT8000 and AT8200 speakers are
designed to be compatible with most
amplifiers. Their eight ohm impedance is
an easy electrical load for most amplifiers
to drive.
Low Diffraction, Paintable
Aluminum Grilles
AT speakers are available with aluminum
grilles. The powder-coated aluminum grille
has hundreds of precisely sized perforations,
creating an acoustically transparent grille.
Infrared Sensor Mount
The speaker baffle has a locator designed for
the Niles MS-1 MicroSensor,™ a miniature
infrared sensor. The MS-1 installs discretely
behind the aluminum grille and therefore
minimizes wall clutter in your home. When
you want to control your equipment, you
simply point your remote control at the
speaker from up to 15 feet away.
Features and Benefits
2
New Construction Wings
Bracket
Frame
Speaker Baffle
Grille
Recommended Amplifier Power
For satisfactory performance, we recommend an amplifier with a power rating of
twenty to two hundred watts for the
AT8000 and AT8200 speakers. Curiously,
most speakers are not damaged by large
amplifiers but by small amplifiers. If your
system is playing loudly, a small amplifier
will run out of power very quickly. When
an amplifier runs out of power it creates
damaging “clipping” distortion. A large
amplifier will play at the same volume
without distorting. (For more information
about clipping distortion, see the section
on Operation, on page 17.)
Incorporating a Local Volume Control
In a multi-room system there is one indis-
pensible control for true convenience—a
local volume control. It allows you to
adjust the volume of the speakers without
leaving the room.
Plan to wire the system so that each pair of
speakers has its own volume control built
into the wall (think of a volume control as
a dimmer switch for sound).
Niles makes a wide range of high performance indoor and outdoor volume controls. They are available in Standard or
Decora
®
style faceplates (just like your light
switches and dimmers). Volume controls
are connected in line with the speaker, so
you must connect the wire from the amplifier to the volume control and then from
the volume control to the speaker.
Installation Considerations
3
Figure 1
Model AT8000 Shown
Installation Considerations
Speaker Wire
Use 2-conductor speaker wire when connecting AT speakers to your receiver or
amplifier. For most applications, we recommend you use a minimum of 16 or 18
gauge wire. For wiring runs longer than 80
feet we recommend a minimum of 14
gauge wire. The spring loaded binding post
terminals of the AT speakers will accommodate up to 8 gauge wire directly.
Banana jack or pin connectors may also be
used to allow the connection of larger size
wires if necessary.
When wire is to be run inside walls, special jacketing (CL-2 or CL-3) is required to
both protect the wire and for fire prevention. In some areas conduit is required. For
a trouble-free installation, low voltage wire
such as speaker wire must be run in accordance with the National Electrical Code
and any applicable provisions of the local
building code. If you are unsure of the correct installation techniques, wire jacket or
type of conduit to use, consult a professional audio/video installer, your building
contractor, or the local building and
inspection department.
Incorporating a Remote Control
If you are planning to use a stereo system
with a hand held IR remote control, consider the advantages of installing a Niles IR
Repeater system. Y ou are able to control all
of the functions of your system from the
room with the remote pair of speakers.
Niles makes a number of IR sensors which
install in the wall, in the ceiling, in cabinetry, on tabletops, or even behind the
grille of your Niles AT speakers.
An IR sensor requires that a 2-conductor
shielded wire (West Penn D291 or equivalent) be home run from each sensor location to the main equipment location. This
wire is normally run beside the speaker
wire at the same time. Typically, the sensor
is placed in a location that faces your listening position. Most remote controls will
have an effective line of sight range of 18
to 30 feet with any Niles sensor placed in
a wall, ceiling, on a cabinet or tabletop.
However, when you place a Niles MS-1
MicroSensor behind the perforated alu-
minum grille of a speaker, the sensor’s
effective range is reduced to 9 to 15 feet.
Acoustical Treatment Options
For the best performance from your AT
speakers, acoustically treating the surrounding drywall is suggested. In new construction installations, the most practical
option is to block off the wall cavity both
above and below the area where the
speaker will be installed. This will create a
“backbox” containing a specific volume of
air in which the performance of the
AT8000 and AT8200 speakers will be optimized. When installing the AT speakers in
a standard wall (16” stud spacing with 2x4
studs) the suggested air volume would be
2540 cubic inches or 52” of space
between the top and bottom walls of the
“backbox”. If the speakers are to be
installed in a 2x6 wall, a true backbox may
be constructed using 1/2” or 5/8” thick
Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF). The
dimensions of the enclosure may be varied
in terms of height, width, and depth, as
long as the interior volume of the enclosure
remains approximately 2540 cubic inches.
Installation Considerations
4
TECH TIP
Wire size is expressed by its AWG (American Wire
Gauge) number. The lower the number, the larger
the wire, i.e. twelve AWG is physically larger than
fourteen AWG.
Although the A T speakers utilize an infinite
baffle design which does not require the
use of a backbox, critical listeners may
appreciate the tighter bass and extended
frequency response into the lower octaves
that the use of a backbox (or blocking off
the wall cavity) will provide. Ahole cutting
template is provided with the AT8000
Series Bracket Kit. The cutout for the speaker must measure 9-3/4” x 17-1/4”.
Insulating the Wall Cavity
When it is not possible to use a backbox,
good results can be achieved by treating
the interior of the drywall cavity with
Dynamat™ or a similar cabinet damping
material. At least two linear feet of damping material should be adhered to the rear
wall and to the front wall (one foot above
and one foot below the cutout) of the wall
cavity. Additionally, insulating the wall
cavity behind the speaker with fiberglass
insulation (e.g., R-19 unbatted insulation)
will improve performance. Try to keep the
amount of insulation used for each speaker equal, as bass output will be more consistent. Further improvement can be made
by wedging a brace of 1x1 stock between
the front and rear walls, both above and
below the cutout. Use care when inserting
the brace, as too much pressure will create
a bulge in the wall.
Speaker Placement
Placement for Critical Listening
If you like to imagine that the band or
orchestra is playing in front of you as you listen to music, or you are very conscious of
clarity, detail and the textures of the individual instruments, you are a critical listener.
In a home theater, the intelligibility of dialog and action reproduced by the front
speakers is paramount! The position of the
speakers plays a very important role in
how clear the sound is and how a stereo
Speaker Placement
5
Speaker
Placement
Zone
Speaker
Placement
Zone
10’
5’
10’
Figure 2
image is created. Here are some guidelines
to make the process of placement quick
and easy.
Make sure the sound will not be blocked or
reflected off of furniture or other objects.
You should have a direct line of sight with
the front of the speaker. To determine the
best position, measure the “listening” distance between the ideal listening position
(your favorite chair or couch) and the wall
in which you plan to install the speakers.
Try to place the speakers so that they are
equally distant from your listening spot and
at least one half of the listening distance
apart (this maintains a large pleasant stereo
“image”). In home theater applications
where there is a center channel you may
choose to space the left and right main
speakers farther apart for a “bigger than
life” sound with Dolby
®
encoded movies
and TV shows. However, for combined
music and movie usage stay within the
good placement zone for music. For example; if you are ten feet back from the wall,
the speakers should be between five and
ten feet apart (See Figure 2).
The Boundary Effect
Corners can affect the bass response of the
speaker powerfully! This is called the
boundary effect. You will emphasize particular bass frequencies and cancel out
other bass frequencies when you place
speakers close to the wall/ceiling boundary
or a corner wall boundary. This can make
the speaker sound excessively boomy and
inaccurate to some listeners, while to others it just seems like more bass sound. A
good rule of thumb is if you always listen
to your current pair of speakers with the
bass turned up, you’ll enjoy corner placement. If you keep your preamp or receiver’s tone controls at neutral, try to keep the
speakers at least one or two feet from the
boundaries of the room. The baffle-mounted Acoustical Configuration Controls may
be used to help reduce the affect of corner
placement (or the room’s own acoustics)
on the speakers performance. (For more
information, see Setting the Tone Controls
on page 15).
Placement for Varying Listening
Positions
If you want the freedom to sit anywhere in
a room facing any direction, and/or find
that you prefer the “all around you” sound
of some car stereos to a conventional
“sound stage” facing you, consider the
speaker placement techniques professional
installers use in restaurants and bars. They
place speakers in an array around the listening area, so that the music is always surrounding you, regardless of the direction
you face.
The rule of thumb is to add one pair of
speakers for every 100 to 200 square feet
of listening area. Curiously, this is not so
that you can play the music louder, but so
that you can play it softer! When you have
only one pair of speakers in a large room
you will notice that when the sound is perfect in one part of the room, it is too loud
near the speakers. By placing more than
one pair in the room you will avoid these
“hot spots” of loud sound and create more
sonic ambiance while maintaining clarity
and rich sound everywhere.
You can make listener position even less
critical by using mono rather than stereo.
This can be difficult to achieve with normal
stereo amplifiers. However, Niles manufactures Systems Integration Amplifiers
which enable one room to be wired in
stereo while other rooms are wired in
mono! Consult your local Niles dealer for
more information.
In smaller rooms or rooms that are infrequently used, you typically can’t justify the
expense of more than two speakers. Try to
bracket the room with the two speakers.
Diagonal placement is a very effective way
to stretch the coverage pattern of two
speakers. You can also compromise
between direct sound (for detail and clarity) and reflected sound (the ambient or “all
Speaker Placement
6
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