Niles Audio HDLCR User Manual

I N S T A L L A T I O N G U I D E

FOR USE IN MULTI- CHA NNE L M USI C O R HOME THEATE R S YST EMS

HIGH DEFINITION, LEFT/CENTER/RIGHT CHANNEL, IN-WALL LOUDSPEAKER

HDLCR

CONGRATULATIONS!

Thank you for choosing the HDLCR High-Deﬁnition, Left/Center/Right Channel In-Wall Loudspeaker from Niles. With proper installation and operation, you should enjoy years of

trouble-free use.

Niles manufactures the industry’s most complete line of custom installation components and accessories for audio/video systems. To see the complete Niles product assortment, visit us on the Internet at: www.nilesaudio.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 1

Features and Benefits 1

Installation Considerations 3

Speaker Placement 6

Installation Fundamentals 9

New Construction: Installing A Bracket 14

Existing Construction: Installing A Bracket 16

Finishing the Installation 17

Operation 22

Removing the Grille and Speaker 22

Specifications 23

Limited Warranty 24

Warranty Registration Card 25

INTRODUCTION

The Niles HDLCR High-Deﬁnition, Left/Center/Right Channel, In-Wall Loudspeaker is expressly designed for superior sonic quality in front-, center-, or rear-channel applications. It employs advanced technology components that extract the subtle nuances in recorded music or the thun derous action sound in a movie. The HDLCR is the perfect choice wherever quality of sound is the most important consideration.

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

INJECTION-MOLDED TCC WOOFERS WITH BUTYLRUBBER SURROUND, LONG-THROW VOICE COIL/ MAGNET STRUCTURE, AND VENTED POLE PIECE

The HDLCR features newly-developed woofer-cone material that combines injection-molded polypropylene with talc, carbon, and ceramic (TCC) stiffening agents. As a result, the cone offers extreme stiffness and light weight for accurate, dynamic response. A long-throw voice coil/magnet structure ensures increased cone excursion to enhance low frequency response and dynamic impact. Additionally, each woofer employs a vented pole piece for increased bass linearity and a butyl-rubber surround for improved midrange damping and clarity as well as moisture resistance.

1-INCH TETERON TRI-LAMINATE TWEETER HOUSED IN A PRECISION ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM

The HDLCR’s Teteron Tweeter employs 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. The result is a transparently clear, sweet, natural-sounding tweeter, which still maintains extended frequency response. This advanced tweeter is housed in a precision adjustment mechanism, which permits the tweeter to be ac curately positioned after installation for optimum performance and without the diffraction distortion typical of traditional pivoting tweeters.

DIRECTED SOUND FIELD GEOMETRY™ (DSFG) DELIVERS OPTIMUM PHASE RESPONSE TO LISTENERS AND COM PENSATES FOR HIGH SPEAKER PLACEMENT

The HDLCR employs Niles’ Directed Sound Field Geometry (DSFG). With DSFG, the tweeter is offset from the center of the dual woofers. The resulting acoustic interaction between the woofers and the offset tweeter results in the ﬂattest frequency and phase response, approximately 15-degrees off-axis from the tweeter. This gives optimum performance to a seated listener, even if the loud speaker is mounted above a built-in TV.

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INSTALLER-SELECTABLE ACOUSTIC FINE TUNING

Using the bafﬂe-mounted TREBLE and BASS CUT controls, the installer can de-emphasize the bass and/ or treble response by 3 dB after installing the HDLCR to precisely tone match the sound in any room.

CTR L/R MODE SWITCH

The HDLCR includes a bafﬂe-mounted CTR L/R mode switch to optimize performance in applications as either a center channel or left/right loudspeaker for front-channel use.

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

Only the parts needed are installed during a particular stage of construction. After framing and wiring are ﬁnished, the bracket is installed. After the drywall is up, but before the painter begins to paint, the frame is installed, and the rustproof aluminum grille is left for the painter to match to the surround ings. The speaker is installed only when construction is completely ﬁnished. Masking or prepping the speaker for painting and worries about speaker theft during ﬁnal construction are never an issue!

MICROPERF™ ALUMINUM GRILLES

Niles’ exclusive MicroPerf™ grille construction provides an exceptionally tight hole pattern for acoustic transparency at all audio frequencies and enables the speaker elements to remain invisible. MicroPerf aluminum grilles can also be painted to blend seamlessly with the surrounding decor. Additionally, the aluminum grille material will never rust or discolor over time.

INFRARED SENSOR MOUNT

The speaker bafﬂe has a locator designed for the Niles MS-100 MicroSensor®, a miniature infrared sensor. The MS-100 installs discreetly behind the aluminum grille to minimize wall clutter in the home. To control the equipment, the listener simply points the remote control at the speaker from up to 15 feet away.

NILES’ HD HIGH-DEFINITION VOICE MATCHING

Ensures compatibility with other Niles HD High-Deﬁnition in-wall, on-wall, and ceiling-mount models to accommodate a wide range of system designs.

DOLBY® DIGITAL READY

The HDLCR is speciﬁcally designed for Home Theater Sound. This model exceeds the speciﬁcations set forth by Dolby Laboratories for the accurate reproduction of Dolby Digital-Encoded Sources.

INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS

Figure 1. Mounting an HDLCR

loudspeaker into an wall.

Bracket

New Construction Wings

Frame

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Speaker Bafﬂe

IR Sensor Knockout

Grille

Acoustic Fine Tuning Controls

TOOLS AND PRECAUTIONS

We recommend using the following tools to install a HDLCR loudspeaker:

Electric drill with 1/4- and 1/2-inch drill bits, and a 1-inch flat drill bit

• (for drilling through studs)

Keyhole or drywall saw

•

Stiff wire, fish tape, or glow rods (for routing cables)

•

Phillips screwdriver set

•

Cable ties

•

Pencil

•

Level

•

Rubber gloves and protective eyewear

•

Before starting the installation, please observe the following precautions:

• Turn off all system power before making any connections.

• Always wear protective eyewear when using tools.

Make sure hands are clean before installation.

•

• Wear gloves when working with fiberglass insulation.

RECOMMENDED AMPLIFIER POWER

For satisfactory performance, we recommend using a surround ampliﬁer with a power rating of 10 to 125 watts. Curiously, most loudspeakers are not damaged by large ampliﬁers, but rather by small ampliﬁers. If your system is playing loud music, a small ampliﬁer will run out of power very quickly and can create damaging “clipping” distortions. A more powerful ampliﬁer will play at the same volume without distorting. See OPERATION on page 22 for more information about ampliﬁer clipping distortion.

LOUDSPEAKER WIRE

Use 2-conductor loudspeaker wire when connecting loudspeakers to your receiver or ampliﬁer. For most applications, we recommend using 16- or 18-gauge wire. For wiring runs longer than 80 feet, we recommend 14-gauge wire. The spring-loaded terminals of the HDLCR will accommodate up to 12-gauge wire directly. Larger sizes can be accommodated via pin connectors.

When running wire inside walls or ceilings, use special jacketed cable (CL-2 or CL-3) to protect the wire and for ﬁre prevention. In some areas, conduit is also 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 installa tion techniques, wire jacket, or type of conduit to use, consult a professional audio/video installer, 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 having a Niles IR Repeater system installed. It will allow you 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 HDLCR speaker. An IR sensor requires that a CAT5 cable 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 the listening position.

Most remote controls will have an effective line-of-sight range of 18 to 30 feet when used with any Niles sensor placed in a wall, ceiling, on a cabinet or tabletop. However, when a Niles MS-100 MicroSensor is reduced to 9 to 15 feet.

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is used behind the HDLCR’s perforated aluminum grille, the effective range

INSULATING THE WALL CAVITY

For best performance from your speakers, ﬁll the wall cavity behind the speaker with ﬁberglass insulation (e.g., R-19 un-batted insulation). Try to keep the same amount of insulation for each speaker, particularly in the same room, for consistent bass response.

TECH TIP

Wire size is expressed by its AWG (American Wire Gauge) number – the lower the number, the larger the wire. For example, 12 AWG is physically larger than 14 AWG.

SPEAKER PLACEMENT

NOTE: THE NILES HDLCR LOUDSPEAKER IS DESIGNED FOR USE IN FRONT LEFT-, CENTER-, OR FRONT RIGHT-CHANNEL APPLICATIONS ONLY. FOR REAR-CHANNEL APPLICATIONS, WE RECOMMEND USING A NILES HDFX OR CM6HDFX LOUDSPEAKER.

PLACING THE HDLCR AS THE FRONT LEFT AND RIGHT SPEAKERS

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 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 furniture or other objects. The listener 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 (e.g., favorite chair or couch) and the wall in which you plan to install the speakers.

• For stereo music applications, try to place the speakers so that they are equally distant from the listening spot and at least one half of the listening distance apart to maintain 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

encoded movies and TV shows. However, for combined music and movie usage,

Dolby we recommend using the placement zone for stereo music. Ideally, if the listening position is 10 feet back from the wall, place the speakers between 5 and 10 feet apart, as shown in

Figure 2.

Speaker

Placement

Zone

10'

Speaker

Placement

Zone

10'

Figure 2. Recommended HDLCR loudspeaker placement for front left and right channels.

As for placement height, place front left and right speakers on either side of the picture source so that their tweeters are not more than 24 inches above or below the center-channel speaker’s tweeter (see Figure 3 on page 8).

NOTE: DO NOT PLACE AN HDLCR SPEAKER TOO CLOSE TO A DIRECT-VIEW TV MONITOR, AS IT MAY CAUSE PICTURE DISCOLORATION. IN GENERAL, TRY TO KEEP IT AT LEAST 24 INCHES AWAY FROM THE TV. WITH LARGER CRT SCREEN SIZES, TEST THE PLACEMENT DISTANCE FOR PICTURE DEGRADATION BEFORE INSTALLATION.

THE BOUNDARY EFFECT

Placing a speaker in a corner can powerfully affect the way a listener perceives bass response. Known as the boundary effect, placing speakers close to a wall/ceiling boundary or near a cornerwall boundary will emphasize certain bass frequencies, while canceling others. This effect can make the speaker sound excessively boomy and inaccurate to some listeners, while to others it just seems like more bass sound.

As a good rule-of-thumb, if you like listening to your current pair of speakers with the bass turned up, you’ll enjoy corner placement. However, if you listen with the tone controls at neutral, try keep ing the speakers at least 2 or 3 feet from the boundaries of the room.

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