Sonance DR-series User Manual

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing Sonance Virtuoso® DR-series in-ceiling speakers. When properly installed, these speakers will give you many years of entertainment pleasure. To get the most out of your new speakers, please read this manual thoroughly before you begin installation.

Since all of the Sonance Virtuoso

speakers have the same exact footprint and have identical installation requirements, the directions in this manual apply to each model. This manual covers the following Virtuoso speaker models: V834

DR, V833DR, V832DR, V831DR

To achieve the best performance,Sonance recommends that these speakers be installed by a Sonance Authorized Dealer/Installer.

SAFETY WARNING:

These speakers have FastMount® tabs that prevent the speaker from falling out of the mounting hole during the installation process.

The edges of FastMount tabs are very sharp. Use caution when handling the speaker.

See Installation (page 4) for complete information about the FastMount tabs.

PARTS LIST

Your Sonance VirtuosoDRspeakers include the following:

• (2) Sonance Virtuoso

Speakers

• (2) Paintable Grilles

• (2) Plastic paint plugs to protect speakers during painting

• (1) Mounting cutout template (in packaging)

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

VirtuosoDRMetal Grille (part# 92290): Metal replacement for included grilles.

Virtuoso

Cloth Grille (part# 92285): Cloth-covered replacement for included grilles.

Virtuoso

FlexBracket (part# 92247): Plastic template to reserve a mounting hole

for the speaker in new construction. Designed to be used with the RotoLock® mounting system.

VirtuosoDRCoverplate (part# 92245): Covers the hole made by the FlexBracket during construction until the speaker is installed.

Virtuoso

Acoustic Enclosure (part# 91900): ½” MDF enclosure that

provides ideal acoustic performance and maximum reduction of sound transmission into adjacent spaces. Designed for use only in new construction.

Virtuoso

Retrofit Enclosure (part# 92243): Molded enclosure that reduces

sound transmission into adjacent rooms and spaces. Can be used in both new construction and retrofit installations.

Virtuoso

Fire-Rated Back Can (part# 91908): Meets ASTM E 119 and UL2043

criteria for commercial installations.

Sonafill

In-Ceiling System (part# 91928): Retrofittable acoustical

treatment for in-ceiling speakers consisting of two pillows and four tiles that virtually eliminates noise produced by resonating drywall. Dramatically improves midbass sound quality and reduces sound transmission into adjacent rooms.

SPEAKER PLACEMENT

The locations of the speakers should be determined by considering the primary listening location, the primary use for the speakers (distributed audio, 2-channel or home theater) and aesthetic values. For optimum results contact your Authorized Sonance Dealer for advice.

Distributed Audio Placement

Sonance VirtuosoDRspeakers have very smooth and predictable off-axis response, increasing placement options while providing excellent coverage in distributed audio systems. The chart below shows how far apart the speakers can be placed while still providing good coverage. The distances are based on ear heights of 62” for standing listeners and 40” for seated listeners.

Home Theater Placement

Left, Center and Right Speakers

• Place the left, center and right speakers from 1 foot to 2 feet in front of the video screen, anywhere from 6 feet to 10 feet apart, with the center channel speaker as close to midway between the left and right speakers as possible.

• Place the left & right speakers at least 2 to 3 feet away from the side walls.

• The main listening position should be between 4 and 10 feet away from the speakers.

• If necessary, pivot the Sonic Eye (midrange/tweeter) and the woofer of each speaker towards the listening position to maximize the soundstage.

Use Illustration 1 as a guide.

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

SONANCE VIRTUOSO®DR-SERIES 8” IN-CEILING SPEAKERS

Speaker spacing in feet for a distributed audio system

Standin g Lis tener Seated Listen er

10-foot ceiling

12-foot ceiling

14-foot ceiling

8-foot ceiling

9.5'

13.5'

17.5'

21.5'

5.7'

9.7'

13.7'

17.7'

6'– 10'

apart

6' – 10'

apart

2' – 6'

2'– 3'

1'– 2'

Left & Right

Surround Speakers

Left, Center

& Right

Speakers

Illustration 1: 5.1-Channel Home Theater Placement

Left & Right Surround Speakers (5.1-Channel System)

Locate the left and right surround speakers on the ceiling between 2 feet and 6 feet behind the listening position. The speakers should be between 6 feet and 10 feet apart. Since the surround speakers are usually called-upon to create diffuse effects like the sound of wind or rain, they can be located close to walls without adversely affecting sound quality.

• You can create a more diffuse, spacious surround effect by pivoting the Sonic Eye and the woofer towards a wall or window, away from the listeners.

Use Illustration 1 as a guide.

Left & Right Surround and Surround Back Speakers (7.1-Channel System)

• Left & Right Surround Speakers: Place the left and right surround speakers directly to the sides of the listening position, between 6 feet and 10 feet apart. The speakers can be placed close to the side walls.

• Surround Back Speakers: Place the surround back speakers between 2 feet and 6 feet behind the listening position. The surround back speakers should be closer together than the left and right surround speakers — between 3 feet and 6 feet apart. Like the left and right surround speakers, the surround back speakers can be located close to walls without adversely affecting sound quality.

• You can create a more diffuse, spacious surround effect by pivoting the Sonic Eye and the woofer towards a wall or window, away from the listeners.

Use Illustration 2 as a guide.

2-Channel Placement

Follow the directions for Home Theater Placement for the left and right speakers.

WIRE GAUGE

Extra resistance in the speaker wire can make speakers sound less dynamic and reduce definition of the bass frequencies. In extreme cases, it can even attenuate high frequencies. Also, amplifier power is wasted in wire with extra resistance, reducing your system’s maximum output level.

To prevent degrading sound quality, the total wire resistance should be less than 10% of the speaker’s impedance. This means that for an 8-ohm speaker, the total resistance of the wire should be less than 0.8 ohms.

Refer to the table at the top of the next column when selecting the proper wire gauge for your system.

PREPARING THE INSTALLATION LOCATION

All Sonance speakers are designed to be relatively insensitive to variations in enclosure volume. To achieve the ultimate performance from your speakers, a section of the ceiling bay can be partitioned to form a back box. Building such an enclosure will create a dramatic improvement in your speakers’ bass performance and power handling.

Ideal back box volume requirements:

Virtuoso V834

DR: 2.5 ft

Virtuoso V833

DR 2.2 ft

Virtuoso V832

DR 2.0 ft

Virtuoso V831

DR 2.0 ft

Insulating the Ceiling Cavity

You can reduce sound transmission to adjacent rooms and further improve speaker performance by inserting a sheet of unfaced fiberglass insulation over the back of the speaker.

To reduce noise produced by unsupported drywall, install fiberglass insulation in the ceiling bays adjacent to the speaker location.

Optional VirtuosoDRRetrofit Enclosures

For installations where it isn’t possible to partition the ceiling bay to form a back box (such as when you’re retrofitting the speakers into an existing ceiling), you can effectively reduce sound transmission into adjacent rooms by fitting the speakers with optional Virtuoso

Retrofit Enclosures (part# 92243). This enclosure is designed specifically to be used with Virtuoso

speakers, and will noticeably reduce sound “spillover” from the

rears of the speakers into adjacent rooms and spaces.

INSTALLING THE SPEAKERS

Before Installation: New Construction

For installations in new construction, Sonance recommends using a Virtuoso FlexBracket (part#92247) to reserve a location for the speaker. The FlexBracket has perforated wings that can be positioned at any angle around the bracket, and is nailed or screwed to the studs.This serves as a guide for the drywaller so that the speaker hole will be in the desired location once the drywall is installed.

Before Installation: Retrofit

1. Determine the location for the speaker (see Speaker Placement on page 1).

2. Perform an obstruction survey to be certain that there are no studs, conduit,

pipes, heating ducts or air returns that will interfere with the speaker.

Wire resistance in Ohms vs. length of cable run

Distance in Feet 50' 100' 150' 200' 250' 300'

1.04

.65

.41

.26

.16

.10

18 gauge

16 gauge

14 gauge

12 gauge

10 gauge

20 gauge

2.07

1.30

.82

.52

.32

.20

3.11

1.96

1.22

.77

.49

.31

4.14

2.61

1.63

1.03

.65

.41

5.18

3.26

2.04

1.29

.81

.51

6.22

3.91

2.45

1.55

.97

.61

6'– 10'

apart

3' – 6'

apart

2' – 6'

2'– 3'

1'– 2'

Surround

Back

Speakers

Left & Right

Surround Speakers

Left, Center

& Right

Speakers

Illustration 2: 7.1-Channel Home Theater Placement

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

SONANCE VIRTUOSO®DR-SERIES 8” IN-CEILING SPEAKERS

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