Polk audio MM100, MM120 User Manual

MM100 10" Subwoofer
MM120 12" Subwoofer
P O L K A U D I O / M O M O D E S I G N
A M E R I C A N P O W E R , I T A L I A N F I N E S S E
The Story of Dynamic Balance
®
Your new Polk speakers employ Dynamic Balance, a technology which came out of a joint research project between Polk Audio and Johns Hopkins University. This laser imaging research enables us to view the entire vibrating surface of a driver or tweeter, allowing us to observe the resonances which develop on speaker cones as they move. These resonances are the root cause of frequency response distortions.
As an x-ray enables a physician to discover the root cause of a symptom and thereby pre­scribe the right treatment for a cure, this laser imaging technique allows Polk engineers to find the right combination of high-tech materials, geometry and construction techniques to tune out the offending resonances. The benefit of Dynamic Balance is the dramatic improvement in the sound quality of our speakers, which every listener can appreciate. You no longer have to choose between excellent bass and smooth, clear midrange and highs. Now you can have it all, thanks to Dynamic Balance technology.
A Wo rd From Matthew Polk
Dear Music Lover,
You have just entered a new realm of car audio! I am extremely excited about these Polk Audio/MOMO high performance speakers; this is the first time that the exclusive MOMO Design house of Italy has co-branded a product. We’ve partnered with them to produce the best sounding, best looking car speakers ever. They are going to make your car look and sound great.
They may not look like any other Polk Audio speaker, but make no mistake: They contain the latest loudspeaker technology and many of our exclusive sound innovations, like Dynamic Balance®for clean sound and low distortion. You can be assured of outstanding performance and unmatched quality, as well as an exciting new look.
Please take a moment to read through this manual. It will help you get the greatest possible enjoyment from these fine instruments. If you have questions, or would like more information on building the car audio system of your dreams, don’t hesitate to call our Customer Service Department at (800) 377-7655 from 9am to 6pm Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday.
Gratzie!
Matthew Polk
Polk Audio—A History of Excellence
Like the way these great new speakers sound in your car? You’ll love the way Polk Audio speakers sound in your living room! Polk Audio has been making world-class loudspeakers since 1972. Polk’s dedication to fundamental research has resulted in over 25 patents. Polk loudspeakers have earned the praise of audio experts the world over, garnering dozens of awards for innovative, high-quality design. Whether you desire audiophile­quality sound for your home, car or even your multimedia computer, Polk loudspeakers deliver unmatched performance and value.
See the full line of Polk Audio loudspeakers at your Polk Audio dealer, or at www.polkaudio.com
Concentric breakup of cone
produces distortion
Laser Interferometry tests produced holographic “photos” of drivers
in motion. The “bad” drivers are experiencing modal breakup that
results in performance-robbing resonances. A “perfect” driver would
look like a cake (flat on top), more, like the photo on the right.
Radial breakup of cone
produces distortion
Polk “Dynamic Balance”
design results in
low distortion
P O L K A U D I O / M O M O D E S I G N
A M E R I C A N P O W E R , I T A L I A N F I N E S S E
Acoustic Suspension Enclosure s
As the Polk/MOMO subwoofers are optimized for acoustic suspension enclosures, we suggest you use this type of design. The acoustic suspension cabinet is a sealed airtight box, and is the easiest box to build. It also is a very predictable enclosure with easily calcu­lated parameters, and it has a smooth natural sound. Properly built acoustic suspension cabinets have a flat frequency response that begins rolling off at 12 dB per octave at the frequencies below its cabinet resonance. This works very well inside a car because of a natural phenomenon called “room gain” or “transfer function” that gives you a 12 dB per octave increase in bass frequencies. You can roughly calculate at what frequency this gain begins by using the equation F= 565/L. F is the frequency at which bass gain begins, and L is the longest dimension of your “room.” If, for example, you measured the longest dimension of your car as 5.65 ft., the room gain begins at 565/5.65 or 100 Hz. If your goal was perfectly flat frequency response you would design your cabinet for this par­ticular car to have a resonance frequency of 100 Hz. Since most people want more bass than a flat frequency response yields, tuning the cabinet at a lower frequency, say 50 Hz, would give you a gain of 12 dB per octave between 100 and 50 Hz and flat response from 50 Hz down. The larger the cabinet, the lower the resonant frequency, and the lower the efficiency. Two identical systems will sound very different in a Honda vs. a Cadillac. The bigger the car the lower the frequency at which room gain begins.
Tools You Will Need To Build Your Enclosure
If you have decided to build your own enclosure for your Polk Polk/MOMO subwoofers, here is a list of the tools you should have available to you.
Calculator
Assorted Drill bits
Screwdriver bit for drill or manual screwdriver
Circular saw
Tape measure
Drill — electric or cordless
J i g s a w
All Polk Audio/MOMO Loudspeakers Feature :
Futuristic cast aluminum baskets that mimic MOMO Wheel designs
Elegant matching Motor Cup conceals a beefy magnet structure
Rugged, highly conductive pro-grade nickel-plated binding posts
Polymer/mica composite cones
Aramid fiber spiders for better sonic imaging and more dynamic range
Who Is Going To Build Your Subwoofer Enclosure?
Since the subwoofer enclosure is so critical to getting the best performance from your Polk/MOMO subs, you should ask yourself the following questions:
1 . Do I really enjoy working with my hands?
2 . Do I have good woodworking and mechanical skills?
3 . Do I have, or have access to, woodworking and electrical tools?
4 . Do I have a solid understanding about musical reproduction in an automobile?
3 If you answered NO to any of the above questions, we recommend you choose one of
these two possible alternatives: First, there are pre-built subwoofer enclosures on the market from manufacturers like Q-Logic and R/T, or enclosure kits from BassLine and others. The second alternative is to have your authorized Polk Audio dealer design and build a woofer box for you.
3 If you answered YES to all of the above, let’s review some basics before you begin.
Building Your Own Enclosure
The Polk/MOMO subwoofers have been optimized to give you flat bass response in small sealed enclosures. Some listeners may want response other than “flat,” or may want to trade-off depth of response for greater efficiency by using a vented enclosure. There is no way we could provide all the information for all of the options here. This manual will give you enough information to build a great sounding, small sealed enclosure. If you are inter­ested in a greater choice of enclosure designs, your Polk Polk/MOMO Series dealer has extensive experience designing woofer boxes and will be more than happy to work with you. If you prefer, you can call our Customer Service Department from 9AM to 6PM, Monday through Friday, Eastern Time at (800)377-7655, or visit http://www.polkaudio.com.
P O L K A U D I O / M O M O D E S I G N
A M E R I C A N P O W E R , I T A L I A N F I N E S S E
Maximum dimensions Usable dimensions
Height:__________ inches (Minus 1.5 inches)=______inches Width:___________inches (Minus 1.5 inches)=______inches Depth:___________inches (Minus 1.5 inches)=______inches
Usable volume=________cubic inches Usable volume=________cubic feet
1" = 25.4 mm
Multiply your usable Width x Height x Depth. The product will be the usable (internal) volume of your enclosure in cubic inches. Divide this number by 1728 (the number of cubic inches in a cubic foot). This will give you the internal volume in cubic feet. Divide your internal cubic feet by 2 (only if you are using a pair of Polk/MOMO subwoofers). Compare this number to the chart at the bottom of the technical sheet. Choose the recommended enclosure which is closest in size or that fits your desired type of enclosure. Now that you have all of your needed dimensions, you can begin cutting your wood. From the above chart you can tell how big each piece of wood should be. Here’s a sample enclosure:
Maximum dimensions Usable dimensions Height:__________ inches (Minus 1.5 inches)=______inches Width:___________inches (Minus 1.5 inches)=______inches Depth:___________inches (Minus 1.5 inches)=______inches
Usable volume=________cubic inches Usable volume=________cubic feet
Parts You Will Need To Build Your Enclosure
When building a subwoofer enclosure you will find that there are numerous materials recommended for construction.
1. Medium density fiberboard (MDF)
2. Marine grade plywood
3. Particle board (the smaller the particles the better)
These materials range in price as well as availability. Particle board is the most common, least costly, and can be purchased at most hardware stores. MDF and marine grade plywood, although preferable, are usually much harder to find, and much more costly. Whichever you choose, we recommend that its minimum thickness be 3/4". This will provide the rigidity necessary for optimum performance.
If you’ve never built an enclosure before we are going to try to make this as easy and painless as possible. If you’ve built enclosures before you can skip this section and go right to the technical sheet to get your parameters.
Complete Parts List:
1. Wood (particle board, MDF, or marine grade plywood) 4' x 8' x 3/4" sheet
2. Wood glue (one 12-16 oz. bottle)
3. 1 1/4"x #8 wood screws (one lb. box)
4. Caulk gun and silicon caulk (two tubes)
5. Terminal cup (one per speaker) available at electronic parts stores
6. Speaker wire (2-4 ft.)
7. Carpet (optional)
8. Grills to protect your subwoofers (optional)
9. Solderless speaker connectors (available at electronic parts stores)
1 0 . Fill material (Dacron pillow stuffing)
Hole diameter MM100 = 9.30 MM120 = 11.16
1/2
14"
15
"
Designing Your Polk Polk/MOMO Subwoofer Enclosure Step By Step
When designing your subwoofer enclosure, the first thing you need to figure out is, just how large an enclosure will fit in your vehicle. When an enclosure is going in the trunk of a car, you first need to measure your trunk to find the maximum height, width, and depth you can use. Pay attention to trunk hinges and tension bars. If your enclosure is going in an area other than a trunk, make sure you check for similar obstructions. After measuring, subtract 1.5" from each dimension. This compensates for the thickness of the material you use (simply double the thickness, i.e.: if you’re using 3/4" material, subtract 1 1/2"; 1" material, subtract 2", etc), and will give you your usable (internal) dimensions. Record these dimensions here for future reference.
28"
1/2
29
"
15.5
29.5
10.5
14 28 9
3528
2.042
P O L K A U D I O / M O M O D E S I G N
A M E R I C A N P O W E R , I T A L I A N F I N E S S E
wood glue in combination with wood screws for the strongest joint. We also suggest that you use one screw about every three inches along the seams of your enclosure. Assemble the enclosure as shown in the above diagram but leave one side off. We suggest that you leave off the baffle board, this will allow you to seal your enclosure more easily, and an air-tight seal is crucial! The best way to insure an air tight seal is to seal the inside of your enclosure with quality silicone caulk. This also includes sealing around your input terminal cup, and if you are using a ported enclosure, around your port. It is not advised to use silicone around your subwoofer when mounting it to the baffle. Instead, we recommend using the foam gasket weather stripping supplied with your Polk/MOMO subwoofer. When mounting your subwoofer to the baffle board, pre-drill your mounting holes. This will make the mounting of your subwoofer easier and will help prevent damage to your subwoofer from a slip of the drill. When securing your subwoofer to the enclosure we recommend using the wood screws provided. (Whatever you use, make sure they are at least 1.25" long. This will insure a good grip into the wood.)
One last thing you could do to your enclosure before installing it, is stuff it. The primary reason for stuffing an enclosure is to “trick” the woofer into thinking that the enclosure is larger than it actually is. You would want to do this if you build your box smaller than the recommended size. By stuffing the box you can build the box as much as 10% smaller than recommended, and achieve the same net result as the full size unstuffed box. The easiest way to do this is to use dacron pillow stuffing. It can be bought from craft stores fairly inexpensive­ly. The rule of thumb for “stuffing” your enclosure is 1 pound of dacron per cubic foot. When putting the Dacron into your enclosure, do not pack it in, rather place it evenly around the inside the enclosure. When stuffing a ported enclosure it is important not to obstruct the port or the vent on the back of the sub with Dacron.
Although your new Polk/MOMO subwoofers were designed to work in a wide variety of enclo­sures and configurations, we have included only the most popular ones. For more enclosures and configurations, please contact your local authorized Polk Audio dealer. We hope that this manual has helped to take the mystery out of designing an enclosure for your new Polk Audio Polk/MOMO Subwoofers.
What If I Need Help?
If you need assistance or have any questions, call 1-800-377-7655 between 9am and 6pm, Monday through Friday Eastern Standard Time or visit http://www.polkaudio.com.
By looking at the chart at the end of the technical sheet, you find that this usable volume is slightly more than double the recommended volume for a single MM100, in either a sealed or vented enclosure. Assuming that you will be using a pair of woofers, this will work out well.
If you are using a single subwoofer, you can cut your width in half. Since we will be using a pair of MM100 subwoofers, for our sample enclosure, we now need to determine the center divider displacement. This can be figured out by multiplying the height x depth x thickness of the divider (in our enclosure the thickness of the divider will be the same as the rest of our enclosure, 3/4") and subtracting that number from the total usable cubic inches.
After you have cut all of the wood, it’s time to start assembling your enclosure. Before you assemble your enclosure there are a few things we recommend doing. You will need to cut out the hole for your Dynamic Balance®subwoofer and your terminal cup, and pre-drill the holes for your screws. The terminal cup is a connector that allows you to plug and unplug the wires from your amplifier into the enclosure. You may want to have a buddy help you with assembly, since it’s hard to hold the pieces together and assemble them at the same time. When building your subwoofer enclosure we suggest that you use
Recommended sealed enclosure sizes
MM100 .66cu ft.3(18.7L) MM120 .88cu ft.3(24.9L)
Affix foam gasket sections the back of the basket rim as shown.
Gasket must be applied if install requires a top-mount
P O L K A U D I O / M O M O D E S I G N
1110
A M E R I C A N P O W E R , I T A L I A N F I N E S S E
Polk Audio, Inc. warrants the original purchaser only that this Polk Audio Polk/MOMO Product (the Product) will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of (3) three years from the date of original retail purchase from a Polk Audio Authorized Dealer. However, this warranty will auto­matically terminate prior to the expiration of the (3) three year period if the original retail purchaser sells or otherwise transfers the Product to any other party. The original retail purchaser shall herein after be referred to as “you.” To allow Polk Audio to offer the best possible warranty service, please fill out the Product Registration Card(s) and send them to the Factory at the address provided in the Registration Card within (10) ten days of the date of purchase.
Defective Products must be shipped, together with a proof of purchase, prepaid insured to the Authorized Polk Audio Dealer from whom you purchased the Product, or to Polk Audio, 2550 Britannia Blvd., Suite D, San Diego,CA 92154. Products must be shipped in the original shipping container or its equivalent; in any case the risk of loss or damage in transit is to be borne by you. If, upon examination at the Factory or Polk Audio Authorized Dealer it is determined that the unit was defective in materials or workmanship at any time during the Warranty period, Polk Audio or the Polk Audio Dealer will, at its option, repair or replace this Product at no additional charge, except as set forth below. All replaced parts and Products become property of Polk Audio. Products replaced or repaired under this Warranty will be returned to you, within a reasonable time, freight prepaid.
This Warranty does not include service or parts to repair damage caused by accident, disaster, misuse, abuse, negligence, inadequate packing or shipping procedures, commercial use, voltage inputs in excess of the rated maximum of the unit, cosmetic appear­ance of the cabinetry not directly attributable to defects in materials or workmanship, or service, repair, or modifications of the Product which has not been authorized or approved by Polk Audio.
This Warranty is in lieu of all other expressed Warranties. If this Product is defective in materials and workmanship as warranted above, your sole rem­edy shall be repair or replacement as provided above. In no event will Polk Audio, Inc. be liable to you for any incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use the Product, even if Polk Audio, Inc. or a Polk Audio Dealer has been advised of the possibility of such damages, or any other claim by any other party. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of consequential damages, so the above limitation and exclusion may not apply to you. This Warranty gives you specific legal rights which may vary from state to state.
This warranty applies only to Products purchased in the United States of America, its possessions, and U.S. and NATO armed forces exchanges and audio clubs. The Warranty terms and conditions applicable to Products purchased in other countries are available from the Polk Audio Authorized Distributors in such countries.
Polk/MOMO Series 3 Year Wa r r a n t y
Attach your receipt
here and file for future
reference. It may
be required for
warranty service.
X
Polk/MOMO Subwoofer Technical Sheet THIELE / SMALL PARAMETERS
M M 1 0 0 - 4 M M 1 2 0 - 4
Freq. Response 20 - 300 Hz 20 - 200 Hz
Sensitivity 85 dB 87 dB Impedance (Nominal) 4 4 Impedance (Actual) 3.7 3.7
Max. Power (RMS) 400 W 500 W
Max. Power (Peak) 800 W 1000 W
Resonant Freq. (Fo, Fs) 35 Hz 30 Hz
Qms 8 . 4 1 8 . 0 6
Qes 0 . 4 9 0 . 5 0
Qts 0 . 4 6 0 . 4 7
Vas 22.1 L 61 L
.78 ft
3
2.15 ft
3
Cms 144 µm/N 164 µm/N
BL 15.5 TM 15.5 TM
Sd .0330 m
2
.0514 m
2
.355 ft
2
.553 ft
2
Winding Width 25.4 mm 25.4 mm
1.00 in. 1.00 in.
Xmax (Linear) 8.70 mm 8.70 mm
.343 in. .343 in.
Xmax (Mechanical) 25.4 mm 25.4 mm
1.0 in. 1.0 in.
L e 1.3 mH 1.3 mH
Mms 145.4 g 173.9 g
Driver Weight 6.6 kg 6.8 kg
14 lb. 8 oz. 15 lb. 2 oz.
Magnet Weight 1.9 kg 1.9 kg
4 lb. 2 oz. 4 lb. 2 oz.
Vd (Volume of Driver) .042 ft.
3
.062 ft.
3
Diameter Driver Cut Out 9.220 in. 11.125 in.
23.4 cm 28.2 cm
5601 Metro Drive
Baltimore, Maryland 21215
(800) 377-7655
http://www.polkaudio.com
http://www.polkmomo.com
“Polk,” “Polk Audio,” “The Speaker Specialists” and “Dynamic Balance” are registered
trademarks of Polk Investment Corporation used under license by Polk Audio Incorporated.
“MOMO” is a registered trademark of MOMO Design, Italy.
Loading...