Soliloquy Model
5.3i
Owner’s Manual
Bringing Life to Sound
Contents you should find in the box
Please read this manual carefully before setting up or at-
tempting to listen to your new loudspeakers.
Unpacking Instructions
Each inner box contains one each of Soliloquy 5.3i floorstanding loudspeakers with
one separately packaged cloth grill and 4 spikes with set screws. Once the speakers are set-up in their final position, you may wish to install the grilles for a finished decorator look. Or, leave them off for slightly more transparent high frequency performance.
For best sonic results, the tweeter in each Model 5.3i remains unprotected and
protrudes slightly from the front baffle. Before you lift the speakers out to un-
wrap them from their plastic bags, be sure to check where the tweeters
are situated. Do not touch them during handling to prevent damage!
Each speaker is outfitted with a solid steel plinth and threaded outriggers for the
enclosed custom spikes. These holes have been carefully pre-checked at the factory to assure flawless threading.
On the back of each speaker are two pairs of custom 5-way binding post terminals
for bare wire, spade, pin, Deltron or banana connection. You’ll also see two metal
jumper straps that connect the two positive (+) and negative (-) terminals. With
the straps in place, only a standard single-wire speaker cable is necessary for
hookup.
If you wish to experiment with bi-wiring (two pairs of cable per speaker, usually
tied or stacked together at the amplifier or run to two amps or amp channels for
passive bi-amping) these jumpers need to be removed. Depending on cable quality, bi-wiring can improve the overall speaker performance by isolating the tweeter
from the electromotive force (EMF) generated by the woofer’s larger motion and
magnet.
Before you proceed, inspect your box to insure it contains all items in good condition. If anything is missing, call your dealer for assistance right away.
Otherwise, carefully unpack the speakers. They are heavier than their size suggests. That’s because each cabinet panel and all internal braces are a solid 1-inch
thick! Store the boxes (including all inserts and bags) in a safe place. You’ll need
them should you ever require service at our factory. If you move into a new house
or apartment, using this original packaging during transport is the safest way to
move your speakers.
Setup, placement and voicing
A speaker’s exact position in a room significantly impacts its final performance.
That’s because it’s at the loudspeaker where the otherwise purely electrical signal
passing through the preceding chain of system components is converted into mechanical energy — the pushing and retracting of the loudspeaker drivers.
Once the signal leaves the controlled environment of amplifier feedback and servos, it suddenly interacts with the uncontrolled environment of the room.
To assure that speakers performance remains reasonably uncolored and unaffected by the room (and its natural boundaries of walls, floor, ceiling, windows and
furnishings), careful placement is necessary.
Loudspeaker room interaction occurs in the following four main areas:
• reflection;
• absorption;
• diffusion;
• and resonance.
Smooth hard surfaces reflect sound (glass, stone, tiles, mirrors); soft plush surfaces absorb it (carpet, pillows, overstuffed chairs and couches); and irregularly
shaped hard surfaces scatter it (partially opened blinds, indoor trees).
Most rooms exhibit a natural combination of these qualities. Too little absorptive
materials and a room turns excessively “live” or “bright” (an empty bathroom; a
church with lengthy reverb or hall echo). Too much absorption and a room becomes acoustically “dead” or “dull” (the equivalent of an anechoic chamber
wherein all reflections are strategically killed for loudspeaker measurements untainted by room interaction).
.To tune the final tonal balance, experiment with various degrees of toe-in (placing
the speakers at a slight angle facing the listener. This will serve to anchor the front
soundstage.
Remember this is not a test. Optimum positioning will always depend on where it
sounds best to you. Also remember that the overall performance is only as good
as the weakest component in the system.
Soliloquy offers a white paper document on the topic of properly placing
your loudspeakers.
Please feel free to contact your dealer or Soliloquy directly to receive your
free copy.
Spiking the 5.3i
For best performance, the 5.3i must be spiked. For hardwood, tile or stone
floors, spike protectors are available.
Until you have determined the speaker’s final position, do not
Instead, walk the speaker to the chosen location like a trash can, in back-andforth rocking motions from corner to corner. Be careful not to flatten the
tweeter in the process.
The tips and explanations below will assist you in approximating the optimum location. You will need to fine-tune it by listening and comparing slight off-sets for best
results.
Once you have settled on the final position, lean the speaker back slightly to lift
the plinth front edge far enough off the ground to install the front spikes. The lock
nuts go above
don’t strip them by attempting to insert the spike at an angle.
With the front spikes installed about half-way and the lock nuts tightened temporarily, tilt the speaker onto the front spikes to repeat the process for the rear
spikes. Once all spikes are securely inserted, adjustments via the knurled tops allow easy leveling in the left/right and front/aft directions.
Finish off by tightening the lock nuts down firmly onto the baseplate for optimum
performance.
the plinth. Be sure to engage the threads perpendicularly so you
insert the spikes.
A note about the 5.3i
The Soliloquy 5.3i is a unique speaker. It has some design differences that distinguish it from the other Soliloquy models. The first thing you may notice is that
both 5.25” mid-woofers operate across the same frequency band. This effectively
doubles the amount of bass output. It is recommended that you keep them at
least 24 inches off the back wall, to the back panel of the loudspeaker. This will
help prevent the bass from loading up the room and sounding too heavy or overpowering.
The second design difference is that the tweeter wiring and high frequency crossover work together to provide an extremely large soundstage similar to a ribbon or
electrostatic design. This makes the proper placement for imaging a little more difficult. Starting with the speakers closer together, slowly move them outward until
you begin to notice sounds in the center shift to one side or the other. Move them
back one inch until the center sounds are anchored again.
Proper speaker care
Your new Model 5.3i is finished in real wood veneer and should be treated like any
other fine piece of furniture—dusted with a soft non-abrasive cloth, perhaps occasionally polished with lemon oil or furniture cream.
The woofer cone may be cleaned/dusted with a soft moist cloth. The tweeter
should never be touched. The grill can be vacuumed, or use a sticky garment roller
to remove pet hairs.
The speaker and speaker cable terminals should be occasionally cleaned with antitarnish and conductivity enhancer solutions.
Break-in
Soliloquy products must have an approximate break-in time of 30 hours, prior to
shipping, to insure they are performing to specification when they leave our factory. (Please see the enclosed QA sheet that came with your speakers).
The driver suspensions (the visible butyl rubber surrounds and the invisible
pleated spider cloth suspension behind the woofer cone and tweeter dome) require extended physical movement to reach proper compliance.
This conditioning or break-in process happens naturally by playing music. The
first notable sonic improvements will occur in the first 50 hours. The treble will
open up, bass will extend lower and cleaner, and tonal balance will fill out.
Further, but more subtle improvements will occur over the next 150 hours after
which time the sound won’t change and the speakers have settled in.
To hasten break-in, position the speakers closely face-to-face (be careful not to
squash the tweeters) and wire one of them
±cable leads on the speaker). Put a heavy blanket over both and program a CD
for endless repeat, or set a tuner in-between stations for pink noise.
Another successful method is to use an ocean surf CD. This mimics pink-noise
(simultaneous signal across all frequencies) but may be listened to with pleasure
at lower volumes even through the night.
Once the break-in process is completed it is important to remember that the
positive (+) and negative (-) connections need to be consistent. Positive (+) will
usually be denoted by a red wire or connector and the negative (-), by a black
wire. Please make sure the connections are the same on the amplifiers and on
the back of the speakers. This will maintain proper phase. If out of phase a significant reduction in bass response can be heard.
out-of-phase (reverse the black/red
Return or Repair Procedures
In case of driver or cabinet damage, you should contact Soliloquy at 919-8767554 or info@solspeak.com.
If the items require repair or replacement, Do not ship your speakers to
the factory before obtaining a Return Authorization number.
This number must be affixed to the shipping label. It alerts our shipping clerk as to
why this speaker was returned. The RA number is then cross-referenced against
the service log that was started during your initial phone call.
Warranty Service
Your Model 5.3i is warrantied against defects for 5 years from date of purchase
provided you are the original purchaser.
To activate this warranty, you must send in your warranty registration
card or valid proof of purchase, within 30 days after purchase.
Upon receipt, your contact information will be entered into the serial number log to
identify you as the rightful owner of this speaker pair. Without submitting this
card or receipt, you will not be eligible for warranty service!
What is
Damage caused by:
• Amplifiers going DC
• Excessive and prolonged playback levels resulting in melted voice coils or bot-
tomed-out woofers
• Prying fingers pushing in the tweeter or tearing the woofer
• Unauthorized repair work or modifications by a third party
• Exposure to water, fire or the elements
• Damage to the cabinets
Damage caused by any of the above scenarios can likely be repaired. Contact us
to obtain an estimate. For warranty repairs, we pay shipping back to you. For nonwarranty repairs, you pay shipping both ways. You need an RA number in either
case.
Because of the weight of Soliloquy products, shipping them may result in cabinet
damage. Cabinet damage can be repaired by a furniture refinisher in your area.
not
covered under warranty
5.3i technical specifications
Frequency response: 30Hz to 22kHz
Impedance: 8-ohm compatible
In-Room Sensitivity: 90dB
Woofers: Two 5.25-inch rigid mica / polymer composite
cones in die-cast magnesium basket with vented
magnet system. Magnetically shielded.
Tweeter: 1.125-inch double-chambered silk
dome with proprietary coating.
Magnetically shielded.
Tweeter: 1.125-inch aluminum composite dome with
proprietary coating. Magnetically shielded.
Crossover: 2.4kHz @ 18dB/octave
Electrical Phase Response: +/- 45 degrees full bandwidth
Terminals: 4 heavy duty, 24-carat gold plated
5-way binding posts
Grille: Acoustically transparent double-knit.
Recommended Power: 8 to 300 watts RMS
Dimensions: 7.5” W x 38” H x 11” D
Weight: 80lb. each
Finish: Santos Rosewood, Satin Black, English Cherry,
Curly Maple
Please record your model number, serial number, date of purchase and
the dealer you purchased from, in this box for future reference.
Model: ___________________________________________________
Serial Number: ____________________________________________
Purchase Date: _____________ Dealer: ________________________
The George Cardas formula
for short-wall placement
in symmetrical rectangular rooms
This formula is based on the Golden Cuboid and uses simple measurements and
calculations to help avoid placing speakers in positions where they would interact
with the room’s dominant resonance modes (a function of wall lengths and ceiling
height).
The most important nodes are proportional to the speaker distances from:
• The side wall closest to the speaker
• The front wall behind the speaker
• The side wall across from the speaker
The distance from the middle of the speaker front baffle to the closest
side wall should be 0.276 x the room’s width.
The distance from the baffle plane to the wall behind the speaker should
be 0.447 x room width.
If your room is unusually wide, the speaker-to-speaker distance may require reduction to strengthen the center-fill focus.
For more detailed information, visit www.cardas.com
Soliloquy Loudspeaker Company, Inc. sincerely appreciates your
choice of the Soliloquy Model 5.3i loudspeaker. All of the employ-
ees at Soliloquy take great pride in the quality of our products.
Like a fine musical instrument, your Soliloquy Loudspeakers will
only improve with age. ENJOY!
Soliloquy Loudspeaker Corporation
2609 Discovery Drive, Bldg. #105
Raleigh, NC 27616
919.876.7554 vox / 919.501.2992 fax
www.solspeak.com
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