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Application Note IC-1
Flush mounting the Iconyx Series
Abstract: Flush mounting any loudspeaker requires special design consideration and self-powered
loudspeakers require extra planning for adequate cooling. This application note discusses those
design considerations and makes recommendations for flush mounting the Iconyx series of steerable line arrays.
Even though the Iconyx series of steerable column
arrays are very low-profile and can be installed in
many applications where conventional loudspeakers
would be visually unacceptable, there are still some
venues where even the very slender Iconyx arrays
need to be hidden. Renkus-Heinz engineering has
developed this application note as a guideline for
mounting Iconyx arrays in a recess or niche in a
wall.
General Recommendations
It's always best when mounting any loudspeaker in
a recess or niche to make the front baffle of the
loudspeaker flush with the wall in which you are
mounting the loudspeaker. Having the loudspeaker
protrude a bit from the wall is also okay, acoustically. You or your customer may not find it okay visually. You do want to avoid having the loudspeaker behind the surface of the wall any more than 1/4 inch,
as the edges of the recess will have a very negative
effect on the sound quality of the loudspeaker and if
it's deep enough, the recess will also affect the dispersion.
The interior of the recess should be treated with
acoustically absorptive material. Any sound that is in
the recess will be highly colored and you want as little of it as possible to radiate back out into the room.
You must not completely stuff the recess with fiberglass, as this will result in the amplifier overheating.
See the drawing for our recommended treatment.
Amplifier Cooling
The Iconyx series are self-powered loudspeakers so
cooling for the internal amplifiers must be addressed. The amplifiers used in the Iconyx are all
Class D, Class D amplifiers run very efficiently and
thus relatively cool, but you must provide for some
cooling airflow. The hinge kit mounting brackets will
space the loudspeaker far enough off the mounting
surface to allow airflow, you must allow enough
space around the loudspeaker for the cooling air to
circulate. In addition you must allow the hot air to
exit the recess and cool air to enter. It is best to do
this by extending the opening for the loudspeaker
several inches or centimeters above and below the
array. Please see the drawing for minimum recommended sizes of these openings.
Revision 1.0 February, 2008
These guidelines assume the loudspeaker and its
recess are exposed to temperatures not exceeding
normal indoor temperatures. Indoor installations
should avoid sources of heat such as heating ducts
and radiators, lighting fixtures, etc. If the loudspeaker is installed outdoors, you need to allow more airflow around the loudspeaker, substantially more if
the installation will be exposed to full sunlight.
The cooling provided by the ventilation suggested
should be sufficient for any normal operation of the
loudspeakers. If, however, the loudspeakers are
continuously run very close to or even into their protection limiting, the power amplifiers may eventually
"thermal off." If this happens, you'll need to install
fans or some other method of positive cooling, or reduce the level of the loudspeakers.
Grill Material
For the grill material, Renkus-Heinz recommends
acoustically transparent fabric specifically designed
for loudspeaker use. This is available from companies such as Acoustone and Mellotone. The fabric
used to cover fiberglass acoustic panels is often not
particularly transparent at high frequencies and is
not recommended.
If you are covering the recess with perforated metal,
use a perforation pattern that is at least 50% open.
You may leave the grill in place on the Iconyx arrays
if you feel it is necessary for impact resistance behind a cloth grill. If you use a metal grill, we recommend you remove the factory grill.
Check with the local fire marshal or other authority
having jurisdiction, your grill fabric may have to be
certified as fire resistant.
If you follow these guidelines we believe you'll have
a great sounding "invisible" loudspeaker system that
will remain trouble free for many years.
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