Niles Audio DS8.5, DS8.3 User Manual
INSTALLATION & OPERATION GUIDE
MODELS
DS8.3
DIRECTED SOUNDFIELD
DS8.5
DIRECTED SOUNDFIELD
B LENDING H IGH F IDELITY
AND A RCHITECTURE
®
®
Congratulations!
Thank you for choosing a Directed Soundfield Ceiling Mount Loudspeaker 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
Niles, Catalog Request, P.O. Box 160818, Miami, Florida 33116-0818
write:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 2
FEATURES AND BENEFITS 2
INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS 4
SPEAKER PLACEMENT 6
INSTALLATION FUNDAMENTALS 9
INSTALLATION IN NEW CONSTRUCTION 13
INSTALLATION IN EXISTING CONSTRUCTION 14
FINAL INSTALLATION IN NEW OR EXISTING CONSTRUCTION 15
OPERATION 17
SPECIFICATIONS 18
LIMITED WARRANTY 19
WARRANTY REGISTRATION CARD 21
Introduction
Niles DS Directed Soundfield loudspeakers feature a fully patented, adjustable,
independently pivoting, woofer and
tweeter that enables the loudspeakers to
accurately recreate high fidelity sound
Features and Benefits
Fully pivoting woofer and tweeter
A pivoting woofer assembly can adjust up
to 15° focusing bass and midrange tones
directly at the listening area for superb
imaging and unparalleled clarity. Within
the woofer assembly, the tweeter is housed
in its own low-diffraction pivoting assembly
that can adjust up to 17° in any direction to
create direct or diffused sound fields. The
independently pivoting woofer’s and tweeter’s superior design is patented, (U.S. patent
number 6,683,963).
12 AWG Push Terminal
The DS8.3 and DS8.5 loudspeakers
are manufactured with high quality gold
plated push terminals that insure that the
connection to the speaker cable is of the
highest quality available.
Moisture and UV Resistant
Construction
The DS8.3 and DS8.5 loudspeakers are
suitable for use in high moisture environments. The drivers are resistant to moisture
and UV exposure; the grille is made of
powder-coated aluminum. However, the
speakers are not waterproof and direct
contact with water should be avoided.
Engineered for Ceiling Placement
The increased popularity of cathedral
and vaulted ceilings pose a distinct sonic
challenge for conventional ceiling loudspeakers. That is because conventional
ceilingloudspeakers radiate sound perpen
dicular to their mounting surface, which
Features and Benefits
regardless of where they are located in
the ceiling — preserving interior design
integrity and delivering life-like sonic
quality that is not available from conventional ceiling loudspeakers.
usually is not where the listening area is.
DS Directed Soundfield Loudspeakers
patented, independent pivoting woofer
and tweeter overcome this challenge and
allow sound to be directed into the listening area regardless of ceiling angle.
Installer Selectable Acoustic
Fine Tuning
Installers can select to fine tune the bass or
treble to accommodate reflective surfaces
and corner loading. This selection is
accomplished via the baffle-mounted
treble control (-1.5dB, flat and +1.5dB)
and PC board mounted bass jumper
(flat, -1dB, and -2dB).
4 or 8 ohm Selectable Impedance
The DS8.3 and DS8.5 give the installer
flexibility to select the speaker’s impedance — 4 ohms for systems where
maximum current transfer and output
level is desired; 8 ohms for systems
utilizing multiple speaker pairs where
amplifier loading is a consideration.
MicroPerf™Grilles
The DS8.3 and DS8.5 employ Niles
exclusive MicroPerf grille construction.
The exceptionally tight hole pattern
provides acoustic transparency at all audio
frequencies and enables the speaker
elements to remain invisible. MicroPerf
grilles can also be painted to blend
seemlessly with the surrounding decor.
-
2
Features and Benefits
Easy Installation
The DS8.3 and DS8.5 employ a bracketless mounting system in existing ceilings.
Simply cut a hole in the mounting surface,
install the frame by tightening the four
mounting “dogs” via the front panel
screws. The dogs first swivel 90°, then
clamp the loudspeakers frame to the drywall as you tighten the screws.
Twist & LockTMBaffle
Patented, (U.S. patent number 6,683,963).
two-piece twist and lock baffle frame
mechanism facilitates quick installations.
Moreover, it allows trouble-free upgrades
or repairs.
Hole Saving Bracket
Available as an optional accessory, DS8
Series New Construction Brackets can be
installed as a “hole-saver” before the drywall goes up. The drywall contractor cuts
the holes as the drywall is installed, reducing installation time and minimizing the
chance for lost wires.
3
Installation Considerations
Recommended Amplifier Power
For satisfactory performance, we recommend an amplifier with a power rating of
10 to 150 watts for the DS8.3; 10 to 175
watts for the DS8.5. Curiously, most
speakers are not damaged by large
amplifiers but by small amplifiers. If your
Figure 1
The illustration shows how a
typical DS loudspeaker mounts
into a ceiling.
New Construction Bracket serves as a
“hole saver” when drywall has not
been applied. It is not necessary when
retrofitting to existing ceilings.
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. See the section
on operating the loudspeakers for more
information about clipping distortion.
Knockout wire tie allows the wire to be
secured to the bracket throughout the
new construction process. It knocks
out cleanly when the loudspeaker is
installed.
New construction wings
instantly snap into the
bracket without screws.
Installation Considerations
Dogs swivel 90°, then
clamp the loudspeaker
frame to the drywall.
Frames are molded with a
slight texture to assure
good paint adhesion.
Mounting screws tighten the
“dogs”, clamping the loudspeaker to the drywall.
Rust-proof aluminum grilles make the DS
series perfect for moist environments.
Brackets and wings
attach to the ceiling joists
with nails or screws.
Figure 2 Connect the wires and place the loudspeaker in the frame, twist and lock.
Wings are scored for
easy size trimming.
4
Installation Considerations
Incorporating a Local Volume Control
In a multiroom system there is one indispensible device for true convenience—a
local volume control. It enables you to
adjust the volume of the loudspeakers
without leaving the room.
Plan to wire the system so that each pair
of loudspeakers 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 cover plates (just like your
light switches and dimmers). Volume controls are connected in line with the loudspeaker, so you must connect the wire
from the amplifier to the volume control
and then from the volume control to the
loudspeaker.
Speaker Wire
Use 2-conductor speaker wire when
connecting DS8.3 and DS8.5 speakers to
your receiver or amplifier. For most applications, we recommend you use 16 or 18
gauge stranded wire. For wiring runs
longer than 80 feet we recommend 14
gauge stranded wire. The terminals of the
DS speakers will accommodate 12 to 18
gauge wire.
When you run wire 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
TIP
H
TEC
ize is expressed by
s
e
r
i
W
its AWG (American Wire
Gauge) number. The lower
the number, the larger the
re, i.e. 12 AWG is physi-
i
w
cally larger than 14 AWG.
jacket or type of conduit to use, consult a
professional audio/video installer, your
building contractor, or the local building
and inspection department.
Incorporating Remote Control
If your stereo system operates with a wireless Infrared (IR) remote control, consider
the advantages of installing a Niles Infrared
Extender System. Niles manufactures a
number of concealable IR sensors and wall
mounted keypads which send a copy of
your hand-held remote command via a
wire to your main equipment location,
where it is repeated to your stereo system.
The wire is typically installed with the
speaker wire, since the speaker signal and
the IR signal will not interfere with each
other. This makes almost no difference to
the installation time, and the cost of the
recommended IR control cable is reasonable.
The correct routing for IR control cable is to
home run an IR control cable from the
main equipment location beside the
speaker wire to the planned volume control
location; and then on to the proposed
sensor location. The combination of IR
control cable and speaker wire enables a
programmable Niles IntelliPad
®
to be
installed at a later date (the IntelliPad has a
convenient speaker mute feature in addition to automating and controlling your
stereo system). An IR sensor is best placed
where it is convenient for you to point the
hand-held remote. Both an IntelliPad and
an IR sensor can be connected in one room
with one home run IR control cable.
Insulation Behind The Speaker
For best performance from your speakers
lay a batten of fiberglass insulation
(example: R-19 un-batted insulation) on
top of the speaker. Try to keep the same
amount of insulation for each speaker,
particularly in the same room, for consistent bass response.
5
more “surround sound” effect. However,
as you move the loudspeaker farther away
from the listener, both the reflected and
the direct sound will dissipate, requiring
more power from your surround sound
amplifier channels. If the surround sound
system you are using has a small five or
ten watt amplifier for the rear loudspeakers, stay within five to eight feet of the listening location. If you are using a 25 to 50
watt amplifier you can mount the loudspeakers 10 to 15 feet away from the listening location and still achieve reasonably high volume levels.
In large or unusually shaped rooms this
might be the only way to achieve a good
effect. If you like to listen to music
surround modes which emulate concert
hall acoustics, more than two surround
loudspeakers will prove extraordinarily
effective
DS8.3 and DS8.5 loudspeakers it is easy
to add another pair without affecting the
decor of the room. However, you will
need to use a much more powerful amplifier than that which is built into a typical
surround sound receiver or amplifier.
(See Figure 6). With Niles
Niles makes a number of Systems
Integration Amplifiers with proprietary features that make them uniquely suited to
enhance a good
surround sound system. Consult your local
Niles dealer for more information.
The Boundary Effect
Corners can affect the bass response of the
loudspeaker powerfully! This is called the
boundary effect. You will emphasize
particular bass frequencies and cancel out
other bass frequencies when you place
loudspeakers close to the wall/ceiling
boundary or a corner wall boundary. This
can make the loudspeaker 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
loudspeakers with the bass turned up,
you’ll enjoy corner placement. If you keep
your tone controls at neutral, try to keep
the loudspeakers at least two or three feet
from the boundaries of the room.
Speaker Placement
Figure 5
Varying Listening Position
Figure 6
Surround Sound
8
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