Niles Audio SI-1230 User Manual 2
AMPLIFIERS
INSTALLATION GUIDE
SI
-
SERIES 2
CONGRATULATIONS!
Thank you for purchasing the award winning Niles SI-1230 Series 2, one of the
most versatile and powerful multi-channel ampliers 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.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 4
FEATURES AND BENEFITS 5
SYSTEM DESIGN BASICS 7
SYSTEM DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS 9
APPLICATIONS 11
CONFIGURING YOUR SYSTEM 15
INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS 16
FRONT AND REAR PANEL DETAILS 18
INSTALLATION 20
OPERATION 25
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 27
SPECIFICATIONS 29
CONFIGURATION WORKSHEET 30
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2 Channel, BridgaBle Power amPlifiers
ImpORTANT SAFETy INSTRUCTIONS
1. Read these instructions.
2. Keep these instructions.
3. Heed all warnings.
4. Follow all instructions .
5. Do not use this apparatus near water.
6. Clean o nly with a dry cloth.
7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Ins tall in
accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
8. Do not install ne ar any heat sources such as
radiato rs, hea t registers, stoves or other apparatus
(including ampliers) that produce heat.
9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polar ized
or groun ding-t ype plug. A polar ized plug has two
blades with one wider than the other. A groundingtype pl ug has two blades a nd a third g rounding
prong. T he wide bl ade or the third prong is provi ded
for your safety. If the provided p lug does not t into
your outl et, consult an electrician for replace ment of
the obsolete outlet.
10. Protect the power cord from be ing walked on
or pinch ed, par ticularly at plugs, convenience
receptacles a nd the point where they exit fr om the
apparatus.
11. Only us e attachments/accessories specied by
the manufacturer.
12. Use only with the car t, stan d,
tripod, bracket or table specied
by the manu factur er or sold with
the appa ratus. W hen a car t is
used, use caution when moving
the cart/apparatus combination to
avoid inju ry from tip-over.
13. Unplug this appar atus dur ing lightning storms or
when unu sed for long periods of tim e.
14. Refer all se rvicing to qualied service perso nnel.
Servicing is require d when the appara tus has been
damaged in any way, such a s power supply cord or
plug is da maged, liquid ha s been spilled or object s
have falle n into the apparatus, the apparatus has
been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate
normally, or has been dropped.
15. Do not expose this apparatus to drippi ng or
splashing and ensure that no objects lle d with
liquids, such as vases, are place d on the apparatus.
16. To completely disconnect this apparatus from
the AC Mains, disco nnect the power supply cord
plug fro m the AC receptacle.
17. The power supply co rd (sometimes referred
to as the “Mains Plug”) is used as the disconnect
device and shall remain ac cessible and operable at
all times.
18. Do not expose batte ries to excessive heat such
as sunshine, re or the like.
19. Open ame source s, such as lighted candle s,
should N OT be placed on the ap paratus.
WARNIN G: To redu ce the risk of fi re or elect ric
shock, do not expos e this apparatu s to rai n or
moisture.
The lightning ash with arrowhead
symbol, w ithin an e quilate ral triangle, is
intende d to aler t the user to the
presence of uninsulated “dangerous
voltage” within the produc t’s enclosure
that may be of sufcient magnitude to consti tute a
risk of electric shock to person s.
The exclamation point within an
equilateral triangle is intended to aler t
the user to the presence of im port ant
operating and maintenance (servicing)
instructions in the literature accompanying the
product.
FCC Required Text:
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found
to comply with the limits for a Class B digital
device, p ursua nt to par t 15 of the FCC Rule s.
These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates,
uses, and can radiate, radio frequency energy
and, if not installed and used in accordan ce with
the instructions, may cause harmful interference
to radio communications. However, there is no
guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular install ation. If this equipment do es caus e
harmful inter ference to radio o r televis ion reception,
which ca n be determined by turning the equipment
off and o n, the use r is encouraged to try to co rrect
the inter ference by one or more of the following
measures:
—Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
—Increa se the separation betwe en the equipment
and receiver.
—Connect the equipment into an outlet on a
circuit different fro m that to which the rec eiver is
connected.
—Consult the dealer or an experie nced radio/TV
technician for help.
Changes or modications not expressly approved
by the par ty res ponsible for compliance could void
the user’s authori ty to operate the equipment.
NILES AUDIO CORPORATION – 1-800-BUY-HIFI – 1-760-710-0992
3
INTROdUCTION
We call the SI-1230 a Systems Integration Amplier because it is a power
amplier specically designed to solve the problems of interfacing with
different 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 predecessor, 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.
BRIdGABLE pOwER AmpLIFIERS
4
SI
-
12 30
SERIES 2
WWW.NILESAUDIO.COM
2 Channel, BridgaBle Power amPlifiers
FEATURES ANd BENEFITS
REAL wORLd pOwER
The SI-1230 is a 12-channel amplier that delivers a solid 30 watts per channel
RMS into 8 ohms and 40 watts per channel RMS into 4 ohms. A new digital
power transformer design provides the energy necessary to efciently 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 speaker 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 specic locations, such as large rooms or outdoor applications.
FREEdOm FROm NOISE ANd CROSS-TALk
The SI-1230’s BusMatrix™ incorporates advanced PCB 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 nest parts available,
including 1% metal lm 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 exibility 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 icking a switch.
BusMatrix™ makes the SI-1230 an ideal multi-room or multi-zone amplier and
offers exciting new features and system design possibilities to the professional
installer.
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5
FEATURES ANd BENEFITS CONTINUEd...
INdEpENdENT LEvEL CONTROLS
Each amplier channel has an independent level control enabling you to adjust
the volume settings for twelve different speaker locations individually. Each
speaker can now be adjusted specically for its location and for who will be
listening!
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 you to congure 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
unlikely 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 and Protection Status. With
a glance at the frontpanel a troubleshooter is quickly provided with key
information!
dESIGNEd ANd ENGINEEREd IN ThE USA
Limited two-year parts and labor warranty.
6
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2 Channel, BridgaBle Power amPlifiers
SySTEm dESIGN BASICS
As shown in Figure 1, a distributed audio/video system is dened by the number
of listening zones it has. Within a listening zone you can listen to only one
source (e.g. CD, Radio, iPod, etc.) at any one time. A listening zone can consist
of a single room or a group of rooms. To achieve different volumes and greater
convenience in different rooms within a zone, individual volume controls can be
used. Niles makes volume controls in various styles and colors. When designing
your system, take into account who will use the system and when they will use
it. Consult your local Niles dealer for more information.
Figure 1
Plasma/
Blu-ray
Player
CD
Player
Cable
Box
LCD
RECEIVER
Family Room Living Room
Listening Zone 1
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7
SySTEm dESIGN BASICS CONTINUEd...
A MultiZone system as shown in Figure 2, offers the house hold more exibility.
For instance, a family might have their family room wired for surround sound
and their living room wired for background music. In a two zone system, the
children can watch TV in surround sound while Mom and Dad are reading the
paper and enjoying background music in the living room.
Figure 2
Plasma/
Blu-ray
Player
CD
Player
RECEIVER RECEIVER
Cable
Box
LCD
8
Family Room
Listening Zone 1 Listening Zone 2
Living Room
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2 Channel, BridgaBle Power amPlifiers
SySTEm dESIGN CONSIdERATIONS
SpEAkER COmpATIBILITy
A single channel (not bridged) of the SI-1230 is capable of driving a 4 ohm
impedance speaker load. No more than two 8 ohm speakers or no more than
one 4-6 ohm speaker can be safely connected to a single channel. Proper
ventilation of the SI-1230 is critical when driving lower impedance loads. If the
SI-1230 is not properly ventilated, the protection circuits may activate and shut
off the channel at higher volume levels (for more information on proper amplier
placement, see Installation Considerations on page 15).
A channel pair that has been BRIDGED is capable of driving an impedance load
of 8 ohms. Proper ventilation of the SI-1230 is critical when driving a 8 ohm load
with bridged channels. If the SI-1230 is not properly ventilated, the protection
circuits may activate and shut off the channel at higher volume levels (for more
information on proper amplier placement, see Installation Considerations on
page 15).
When designing your system, try to specify 6-8 ohm speakers (Niles offers a
complete line of inwall, in-ceiling, outdoor and home theater loudspeakers with
all models rated from 6-8 ohms).
CABLE ANd wIRE
Because the SI-1230 has many connections on the rear panel (see Figure
12), it is important that you correctly label all of the input cables and speaker
wires. Label the cables and wires with their destination or source, rather than
the SI-1230 terminal to which they are connected. This will make it easier to
recongure your system in the future.
The SI-1230 connects to your sources via shielded line level audio cables with
RCA connectors. Use high quality cables with your Niles amplier for the lowest
possible noise and best overall performance. Your Niles dealer can recommend
the proper cable.
The SI-1230 connects to your speakers using two conductor speaker wire.
For most applications, we recommend you use 16 or 18 gauge wire. For
wiring runs longer than 80 feet, we recommend 14 gauge wire. The SI-1230’s
high-quality, gold-plated 5-way binding posts will accommodate up to 12-gauge
wire. Attaching banana plugs to the wire will enable the connection of larger
wire sizes.
NILES AUDIO CORPORATION – 1-800-BUY-HIFI – 1-760-710-0992
9
SySTEm dESIGN CONSIdERATIONS CONTINUEd...
USING mONO FOR SmOOThER COvERAGE
In large or irregularly shaped rooms, you may nd that the main listening area
may be closer to one of the speakers. If the speakers in the room are connected
to a stereo amplier you will only hear half the music. The SI-1230’s BusMatrix™
enables you to create mono sound from one speaker without impacting the
stereo quality in the rest of the system. You can congure each room to either
stereo or mono as needed with no ill effects. Some of the most popular areas
where mono will greatly enhance the sound quality would be:
• Large rooms with many seating areas and/or many pairs of speakers.
• Irregularly shaped rooms.
• Bathrooms with one speaker over the tub and one speaker over the sink(s).
• Hallways or passageways (including those with multiple speakers).
• Small rooms, such as walk-in closets where more than a single speaker is not
required.
BRIdGING ChANNELS FOR AREAS
ThAT REqUIRE mORE vOLUmE ANd pOwER
There are several situations where bridging is an excellent way to improve the
sound. There are also applications where bridging would seem to be appropriate
but is not recommended. Bridging channels increases the power output to 80
watts per channel at 8 ohms.
These are some of the most common DOs and DON’Ts:
1. Outdoors (DO) — Sound dissipates faster outside than it does in a room
where the walls enclose the sound and reect it back to the listener. A pair of
speakers playing into a large patio or yard will greatly benet from bridging
four channels into two 80 watt channels.
2. Surround Sound Systems (DO) — The dynamic demands for the center
channel are much greater than the left, right or surround channels. This is an
excellent application for two channels to be bridged into one 80 watt channel.
3. More than one pair of 8 ohm speakers (DON’T) — In a large room or a
long hallway, often the best way to get good background music is to install
multiple pairs of speakers. You will actually deliver more power to two pairs of
8 ohm speakers by using two unbridged amplier channels than you would if
you bridged four amplier channels into two and connected the two pairs of
speakers in parallel.
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