SubSonic 6 i,
SubSonic 5 i,
SubZero i,
Powered Subwoofers
OWNER’S GUIDE
I.IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS II. INTRODUCTION
III. QUICKSTART
IV. FEATURES, CONTROLS, AC POWER
A.Sub Volume Control (Figure 1)
B.On Indicator Light (Figure 1)
C.AC Power Connection
D.Sub Cut-Off Frequency Control (Figure 1)
E.High/Speaker Level Terminals (Figure 2)
F.AC Power Socket (Figure 2)
G.External Fuse (Figure 2)
H.Low/Line Level Jacks (Figure 2)
I.Phase Switch (Figure 2)
J.LFE Input/Crossover Bypass Switch (Figure 2)
K.Power Switch (Figure 2)
L.Amplifier Panel (Figure 2)
V.ROOM ACOUSTICS, SUBWOOFER PLACEMENT, MULTIPLE SUBWOOFERS & SETTING THE CONTROLS
VI. CONNECTING THE SUBWOOFER TO YOUR AUDIO SYSTEM
A.The SubZero i
B.The SubSonic 5i
C.The SubSonic 6i
D.Using Multiple Subwoofers
VII. SET-UP CALIBRATION
VIII. SPECIFICATIONS
www.psbspeakers.com • Phone: (888) 772-0000 or (905) 831-6555
I.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 only with dry cloth.
7.Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
8.Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.
9.Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.
10.Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.
11.Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.
12.Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.
13.Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
14.Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.
15.WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, this apparatus should not be exposed to rain or moisture and objects filled with liquids, such as vases, should not be placed on this apparatus.
16.To completely disconnect this equipment from the mains, disconnect the power supply cord plug from the receptacle.
17.The mains plug of the power supply cord shall remain readily operable.
The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the product.
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II.INTRODUCTION
PSB subwoofers are designed to provide the flattest possible frequency response, full bass extension, low distortion and high output. Frankly, these are characteristics that most manufacturers would strive for. Our years of experience and our sophisticated design and measurement tools allow us to achieve ideal subwoofer performance. Beyond these characteristics there are a few other parameters that we uniquely feel are very important in the design of a subwoofer. First and foremost it is important to us that a PSB subwoofer be musical. In this era of home theater this might at first seem out of step, but we believe that a musical subwoofer will also sound the most natural when playing movie soundtracks. Furthermore, an ideal subwoofer should have the ability to play musically even under conditions of overload or stress. No subwoofer is so large with its limits so great that it can never be overloaded, especially with modern movie soundtracks. For this reason PSB subwoofers incorporate very intelligently applied proprietary limiting circuitry to prevent audible overload.
The limiting circuitry of all PSB subwoofers is a combination of peak limiting circuits that hold amplifier signal swing to the point just short of the amplifiers clipping, and compression circuitry that will come in under conditions of long term overload and reduce the amplifiers gain. The trick is to apply these circuits in such a way that they don’t squeeze the life out of the music or movie soundtrack, to allow the dynamics to get through while preventing gross distortion. We do this by being mindful of the dynamics of music and carefully tailoring the time constants of the circuits to that of music. For example, it is known that most music is performed with a beat of 80 to 140 beats per minute. Our test signals are configured to follow this timing and allow maximum transient effect without distortion on sustained tones.
We go to great lengths to reduce any mechanical noises our subwoofers may make. Woofers are designed never to bottom harshly. Ports have large radius end flares to reduce noise from turbulence. Cabinets and amplifiers are designed so that no air leaks (which can contribute minute amounts of noise) are possible. All of our designs are exhaustively tested. A subwoofers design isn’t complete until the sub’s amp and woofer can survive a 15 hour test of being driven continuously to maximum output.
SubZero i
The SubZero i has a few unique features worth mentioning. We have mounted Volume and Crossover controls on the front of the cabinet. Most subwoofers are tucked away in a dark corner and once in place it can be very inconvenient to access the controls. Placing volume and crossover knobs on the front of the cabinet will allow you to adjust these most important functions more conveniently. Despite its modest price the SubZero i contains a simplified version of our two part limiting circuit and a 100 watt class AB amplifier.
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SubSonic 5i
The SubSonic 5i has more power and a larger bass unit than the SubZero i. It also has a very different Class H design for its power amplification. Class H is a special high efficiency amplifier design. Briefly, audio amplifiers are inherently inefficient because they are designed to have the capability of delivering great output power yet spend most of their life delivering fairly low power. Their output devices must deliver current while withstanding the high power supply “rail” voltages needed for peak outputs. With a Class H design the rail voltages are not constant. They swing high when the music demands it and stay low during quiet passages. This is achieved by a sophisticated high frequency switching power supply. Power dissipated as heat is greatly reduced and more power is available per dollar of cost. A second benefit is that they tend to have high peak power relative to their steady state power. The SubSonic 5i, for example, has 150 watts continuous but is capable of 450 watt peaks. The result is a subwoofer capable of the great transients required by dynamic music and explosive sound effects.
SubSonic 6i
The SubSonic 6i has a design much like the 5i but with larger drive units and greater power for even more awesome output. In the words of our engineering staff it “Cranks pretty good.”
Additional features of the 6i are its high and low level passive and active filtering circuits that allow greater flexibility in installation.
Whichever PSB subwoofer you have chosen, we hope that you appreciate the attention to detail that has gone into its design and, of course, that you enjoy using it. Please take the time to read the following sections about the placement of your subwoofer, and its connections and adjustments.
We suggest you save the original carton and packing materials, at least for an initial period. Should you ever need to ship or store your PSB subwoofer, it is the best packaging in which to do so.
III.QUICKSTART
If you cannot wait to hear your new PSB subwoofer: Turn off all other components, and follow one of the connection diagrams. Connect the supplied power cord to the AC power socket. Set the PSB subwoofer volume control to its minimum position (counterclockwise), then plug the subwoofer into an active AC outlet. The same receptacle as the rest of your audio/video system or another on the same electrical circuit should be used to avoid ground hum. Set the subwoofer’s Sub Cut-Off Frequency control to its midpoint, and the phase switch to 0°. Flip the Power Switch to the on position. Play a bass-rich program source, and slowly bring up the Sub Volume control (clockwise) until the subwoofer contributes a natural level of low frequency sound. Now please read the rest of this guide and fine-tune your installation accordingly—it will be time well spent!
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