RCF MYTHO-8 Users Manual

OWNER MANUAL

MYTHO 6
MYTHO 8

REFERENCE MONITORS

LANGUAGE

ENGLISH

ENGLISH

ITALIANO

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ENGLISH

SAFETY
PRECAUTIONS

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

1. All the precautions, in particular the safety ones, must be read with special attention, as

they provide important information.

2. POWER SUPPLY FROM MAINS

a. The mains voltage is sufficiently high to involve a risk of electrocution; install and

connect this product before plugging it in.

b. Before powering up, make sure that all the connections have been made correctly and

the voltage of your mains corresponds to the voltage shown on the rating plate on the
unit, if not, please contact your RCF dealer.

c. The metallic parts of the unit are earthed through the power cable. An apparatus with

CLASS I construction shall be connected to a mains socket outlet with a protective
earthing connection.

d. Protect the power cable from damage; make sure it is positioned in a way that it

cannot be stepped on or crushed by objects.

e. To prevent the risk of electric shock, never open this product: there are no parts inside

that the user needs to access.

3. Make sure that no objects or liquids can get into this product, as this may cause a short
circuit.
This apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing. No objects filled with liquid,
such as vases, shall be placed on this apparatus. No naked sources (such as lighted candles)
should be placed on this apparatus.

4. Never attempt to carry out any operations, modifications or repairs that are not expressly
described in this manual.
Contact your authorized service centre or qualified personnel should any of the following
occur:

- The product does not function (or functions in an anomalous way).

- The power cable has been damaged.

- Objects or liquids have got in the unit.

- The product has been subject to a heavy impact.

5. If this product is not used for a long period, disconnect the power cable.

6. If this product begins emitting any strange odours or smoke, switch it off immediately

and disconnect the power cable.

7. Do not connect this product to any equipment or accessories not foreseen.
For suspended installation, only use the dedicated anchoring points and do not try to hang
this product by using elements that are unsuitable or not specific for this purpose. Also
check the suitability of the support surface to which the product is anchored (wall, ceiling,
structure, etc.), and the components used for attachment (screw anchors, screws, brackets
not supplied by RCF etc.), which must guarantee the security of the system / installation
over time, also considering, for example, the mechanical vibrations normally generated by
transducers.
To prevent the risk of falling equipment, do not stack multiple units of this product unless
this possibility is specified in the user manual.

8. RCF S.p.A. strongly recommends this product is only installed by professional
qualified installers (or specialised firms) who can ensure correct installation
and certify it according to the regulations in force.
The entire audio system must comply with the current standards and regulations
regarding electrical systems.

9. Supports and trolleys

The equipment should be only used on trolleys or supports, where necessary, that are
recommended by the manufacturer. The equipment / support / trolley assembly must be

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IMPORTANT

moved with extreme caution. Sudden stops, excessive pushing force and uneven floors may
cause the assembly to overturn.

10. There are numerous mechanical and electrical factors to be considered when installing
a professional audio system (in addition to those which are strictly acoustic, such as sound
pressure, angles of coverage, frequency response, etc.).

11. Hearing loss
Exposure to high sound levels can cause permanent hearing loss. The acoustic pressure level
that leads to hearing loss is different from person to person and depends on the duration
of exposure. To prevent potentially dangerous exposure to high levels of acoustic pressure,
anyone who is exposed to these levels should use adequate protection devices. When a
transducer capable of producing high sound levels is being used, it is therefore necessary
to wear ear plugs or protective earphones. See the manual technical specifications to know
the maximum sound pressure level.

IMPORTANT NOTES

To prevent the occurrence of noise on line signal cables, use screened cables only and avoid
putting them close to:

- Equipment that produces high-intensity electromagnetic fields

- Power cables

- Loudspeaker lines.

ENGLISH

IMPORTANT NOTES

OPERATING
PRECAUTIONS

OPERATING PRECAUTIONS

- Place this product far from any heat sources and always ensure an adequate air

circulation around it.

- Do not overload this product for a long time.

- Never force the control elements (keys, knobs, etc. ).

- Do not use solvents, alcohol, benzene or other volatile substances for cleaning the

external parts of this product.

IMPORTANT NOTES

Before connecting and using this product, please read this instruction manual carefully and
keep it on hand for future reference. The manual is to be considered an integral part of
this product and must accompany it when it changes ownership as a reference for correct
installation and use as well as for the safety precautions. RCF S.p.A. will not assume any
responsibility for the incorrect installation and / or use of this product.

WARNING: To prevent the risk of fire or electric shock, never expose this product to rain
or humidity.

IMPORTANT NOTES

WARNING

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ENGLISH

‘Mytho 6’ and ‘Mytho 8’ are ‘studio monitors’ (or ‘reference monitors’): loudspeakers
specifically designed for audio production applications where an accurate reproduction
(having an extended and flat frequency response) is required, such as recording, television
and radio studios.
These studio monitors are defined ‘near-field’, as they are designed to be small enough to
be placed on a stand or a desk in proximity to the listener (1 – 2 m), so that most of the
sound that the listener hears directly comes from loudspeakers, rather than reflecting off of
walls and ceilings (minimising the ‘sound coloration’ and the reverberation of the room).

ICC TECHNOLOGY

‘Mytho’ woofers feature a unique ‘Impedance Control Coil’ technology: a secondary coil
wound on the loudspeaker yoke and driven in opposite phase to the primary coil has the
function of cancelling the primary coil inductance, increasing the speaker sensitivity and
reducing the loudspeaker distortion.
A primary effect of this technology is the improvement of the temporal behaviour of
the loudspeaker, improving the crossover transition from the woofer to the tweeter and
resulting in incredible midrange accuracy and perfect phase linearity.

PRODUCT
INFORMATIONS

ICC TECHNOLOGY

NEODYMIUM VENTED WOOFERS

Neodymium ‘Mytho’ woofers feature a large sized 51 mm voice coil. This guarantees very
high energy for tight and controlled bass reproduction and perfect thermal stability with
minimum power compression. The magnetic circuit features a special air ventilation to
reduce air compression, air noises and minimize distortion in large excursion situations.

HIGH DEFINITION TWEETER

‘Mytho’ monitors features high quality metal dome tweeter. The dome is large for the best
vocal reproduction and its design is the state of the art for high frequency definition.

ALUMINIUM CABINET

The die cast aluminium cabinet is the result of many years of experience. The cabinet
is internally braced and reinforced to improve the low frequency response and reduce
resonances. The internal volume is maximised in comparison with more traditional
wooden cabinets. The external shape of the cabinet is precisely designed to minimize edge
reflections. The front baffle integrates a ‘precision
directivity’ wave-guide designed to improve the treble dynamics and create uniform high
frequency dispersion. Special attention has been dedicated to the bass reflex air port
design. The cabinet vertical angle can be adjusted to optimise the orientation for the
listening position.

DEDICATED POWER

‘Mytho’ monitors are 2-way (bi-amplified) active loudspeakers, having a 200 watt amplifier
for the low frequencies and a 100 watt amplifier for the high frequencies; both amplifiers
are AB class.

NEODYMIUM VENTED
WOOFERS

HIGH DEFINITION TWEETER

ALUMINUM CABINET

DEDICATED POWER

DSP PROCESSING

The digital signal processing is carried out by a dedicated high quality DSP, in order to
guarantee a fine crossover tuning and an optimal frequency response, independently from
temperature and component tolerances.
Soft amplifier clipping and transducers protections are integrated in the DSP processing.

INPUT BOARD

The ‘Mytho’ input board features all the controls to set up the system in every situation:

- Balanced combo XLR – jack signal input

- Input sensitivity control (+6 dBu ÷ –6 dBu).

- Woofer and tweeter mute switches, useful to listen each single transducer (for testing)

- ‘Treble tilt’ control

- ‘Bass tilt’ control

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DSP PROCESSING

INPUT BOARD

- ‘Bass roll-off’ control with a choice among 4 settings

- ‘Equalisation’ and ‘Desktop control’ corrections

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MAIN FEATURES

- Bi-amplified: 200 W + 100 W, AB class

- Dedicated DSP

- Fully featured input board

- 6.5” (‘Mytho 6’) / 8” (‘Mytho 8’) neodymium ICC vented woofer

- 1” aluminium dome tweeter

- Constant directivity wave-guide

- Die cast aluminium cabinet

- Reflection free cabinet design

- Low distortion reflex port

FRONT PANEL

1 ON – STAND-BY SWITCH WITH LEDs

MAIN FEATURES

OPERATING
PRECAUTIONS

FRONT
PANEL

Touch to switch on / off (stand-by) the studio monitor.

STAND-BY: red LEDs are lit
ON: white LEDs are lit

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REAR
PANEL

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2 Input (with protecting fuse) for the power cable.

3 Main power switch.

4 Voltage selector (115 – 230 V).

IMPORTANT NOTES

Before powering up, ensure that the voltage selector corresponds to the mains voltage.
FUSE: use either T4A for 115 V or T2A for 230 V.

5 Audio signal balanced input with combo XLR – ¼” jack socket.

– ground
– hot
– cold

IMPORTANT NOTES

XLR PLUG

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1/4” JACK PLUG

ENGLISH

IMPORTANT NOTES

UNBALANCED CONNECTION: the audio signal can be affected by external interferences
and its level is attenuated of 6 dB (due to its half voltage). Do not use a cable longer than
5m!

6 INPUT SENSITIVITY CONTROL

The input sensitivity can be adjusted through this control (+6 dBu ÷ –6 dBu).
Turn it clockwise to increase the input sensitivity.
The central (0 dBu) and the 2 extreme (+6 dBu, –6 dBu) positions are dented.

IMPORTANT NOTES

Ensure that all studio monitors placed in the same recording studio (/ room) are all set
to the same level.

7 Dip-switches

See the following section ‘Dip-switch settings’

8 USB port reserved for RCF service only.

IMPORTANT NOTES

IMPORTANT NOTES

DIP-SWITCH
SETTINGS

BASS TILT (A, B dip-switches)

This setting is a low-shelf shaping filter that reduces frequencies below 500 Hz by the
selected amount (OFF, -1dB, -2dB, -4dB).
This filter helps to correct the progressive increase of mid-low and low frequencies due to
resonances in small rooms.
The amount of correction will depend on the size and shape of the room (a bigger correction
for smaller and regular shaped rooms). A large room shall require no correction.

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BASS ROLL-OFF (C, D dip-switches)

This filter that reduces the very low frequencies. If the switch is set in OFF position the
filtering is bypassed.
In the - 3 dB or - 6 dB position the low-shelf filter reduces frequencies below 80 Hz by
the selected amount. The low frequency attenuation is necessary when loudspeakers are
placed near the room walls or corners. The amount will depend on the specific situation
(in general -3 dB for wall placement and -6dB in case of corner placement). The 80 Hz
High Pass filter apply to the input a Butterworth high-pass filter with cut-off frequency at
80 Hz. This filter will be used for vocal monitoring purposes or when the Mytho monitors
are used in combination with a subwoofer.

WOOFER (E dip-switch)

It turns on/off the low frequency amplifier. This switch must be kept on and set to MUTE
for testing purpose only.

POWER LED (F dip-switch)

This switch in low position turns off the LEDs around the RCF logo in front of the speaker.
This option can be required when the positioning of the Mytho Monitor is close to video
sources or in residential applications.

TWEETER (H dip switch)

This switch in low position mute the high frequency amplifier. This option will help evaluating
the proper working condition of the bass channel.
This switch must be kept on and set to MUTE for testing purposes only.

TREBLE TILT (I, J dip-switches)

This setting is a high-shelf shaping filter that increase or reduce frequencies above 6 kHz by
a selected amount. A room can be very dull or very bright depending on wall materials. This
filter help to correct the behaviour in the high frequencies for a specific room.
For a normal room no correction shall be applied (0 dB position). For a dull room the treble
tilt filter shall be set at +1 dB. The filter shall be set at -1 dB or -2 dB for a bright or very
bright room.

EQUALISATION (K dip-switch)

The woofer emission is omni directional for very low and mid-low frequencies but tend to
be more directive for mid frequencies. When the room is small the amount of reflections
from the walls is bigger for the very low and mid-low frequencies that will tend to be to be
predominant compared to mid frequencies in case of same axial emission.
When this switch is set to LINEAR POWER response a dedicated filter compensates this lack
of mid frequencies from the woofer channel.
In medium to large rooms, where the wall reflections tend to be negligible, this switch must
be set in the LINEAR FREQUENCY response.

DESKTOP CONTROL (L dip-switch)

This control reduces the emission in the frequency range (centred in the 150 Hz octave) that
is usually boosted when studio monitors are directly placed on a reflective surface (e.g. the
mixing desk, a table, etc.).
If Mytho Monitors are placed in this positions set this switch ON to obtain a linear listening.

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