Solid State Logic C-3-I Owners manual

Soliloquy Model

C3i

Owner’s Manual

Bringing Life to Sound

Contents you should find in the box

Please read this manual carefully before setting up or

attempting to listen to your new loudspeakers.

Unpacking Instructions

Each inner box contains one each of Soliloquy C3i center channel loudspeaker with
one separately packaged cloth grills. Once the speaker is set-up in it’s final posi­tion, you may wish to install the grille for a finished decorator look. Or, leave the
grille off for slightly more transparent high frequency performance.

For best sonic results, the tweeter in each Model C3i remains unprotected and pro­trudes slightly from the front baffle. Before you lift the speaker out to unwrap

it from the plastic bag, be sure to check where the tweeter is situated. Do
not touch them during handling to prevent damage!

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 the amplifier, it suddenly in­teracts with the uncontrolled environment of the room.

To assure that speaker 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).

Your Soliloquy Model C3i center channel loudspeaker should be placed on or near
(such as above or below) the television. This will help to isolate the dialog to the
screen. You may then play with the positioning of your left and right channel loud­speakers so the soundstage seems to blend from the left all the way across the
center to the right.

The Soliloquy Model C3i center channel speaker is perfectly timbre matched to all
Soliloquy front stage loudspeakers.

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.