Sonance SILHOUETTE I, SILHOUETTE III, SILHOUETTE II User Manual
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS AND MANUAL
SONANCE SILHOUETTE
™
I, II, III
PN.33-1823 02.00
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CONTENTS
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 4
INTRODUCTION 5
CUSTOM INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS 6
SPEAKER DESIGN
DRIVER-COMPLEMENT 7
TWEETER 7
MIDRANGE 7
ELLIPTICAL WOOFER 8
BAFFLE 8
MIDRANGE, TWEETER DRIVER ENCLOSURE 8
ALUMINUM FRAME ARCHITECTURE 9
ROTO-LOCK MOUNTING SYSTEM 9
CROSSOVER NETWORK 10
GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR SONANCE SILHOUETTE™SPEAKERS 11
INSTALLATION QUICKSTART AND PARTS LIST 13
INSTALLATION SAFETY/CARE AND MAINTENANCE 14
CREATE OPENINGS (NEW CONSTRUCTION) OR WITH A BACK BOX 15
WITHOUT A BACK BOX OR CREATE OPENINGS (RETROFIT) 19
SPEAKER INSTALLATION/GRILLE PAINTING 20
WIRE SIZE/TYPE, SINGLE WIRE OR BI-WIRING CONNECTIONS 21
FINAL ASSEMBLY 22
SONANCE SILHOUETTE™ SPECIFICATIONS 23-25
SERVICE/WARRANTY
SERVICE 26
WARRANTY COVERAGE (U.S. ONLY) 26
FIVE YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY 27
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IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
When using your Sonance Silhouette™speakers,basic safety precautions should always be followed to
reduce the risk of fire, electric shock,and injury to persons, including the following:
1. Read and understand all instructions.
2. Retain the safety and operating instructions for future reference.
3. Follow all warnings and instructions in this manual and marked on the product.
4.Any service or repair required must be performed by qualified, factory authorized personnel.
5. Do not use this product in a high humidity environment or near water,for example a wet basement,
wet bar, or swimming pool.
6. Never touch the drivers or push objects of any kind into this product through the grilles.
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INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your choice of the Sonance Silhouette™series, the no compromise in-wall speakers
from Sonance®, the Leader in Architectural Audio™. Sonance Silhouette speakers deliver audiophile
quality music reproduction without the space requirements of freestanding loudspeakers. Their
elegant, unobtrusive form combines remarkable transparency, imaging, and dynamic range with
architectural styling.
Sonance Silhouette has been designated a Signature Series—its baffle proudly displays the signature
of chief speaker designer, Todd Ryan. Every aspect of the series is designed to contribute to its
benchmark performance for in-wall speakers. The 1" medium-density fiber board (MDF) baffle,
chosen to provide a rigid platform for the drivers, features a black lacquer finish rivaling a fine musical
instrument. The bi-wireable five-way binding posts provide a variety of connection options. The
elliptical bass drivers extol the groundbreaking nature of this design.
Since designing the first high fidelity in-wall speaker in the world, Sonancecontinues its evolutionary
success with Sonance Silhouette. The Sonance Silhouette series combines years of scientific research
with stunning aesthetics to satisfy both the discriminating audiophile and the most particular of
design requirements.
By combining innovative driver technology with a sophisticated crossover design, Sonance Silhouette
delivers sonic performance previously limited to high-end, free-standing speakers. From its
introduction,the Sonance Silhouette series has been praised by respected critics.
Sound sources make drywall vibrate, creating its own resonant frequency, adding "coloration" to the
original information. The Sonance Silhouette design approach eliminates this coloration by carefully
matching a 1" titanium tweeter and two 4" magnesium midranges with the proper crossover
components meticulously crafted into a multi thickness enclosure, isolating these critical components
from the wall itself.This enclosure is then mounted from the rear,to the center of a 1" front baffle along
with proprietary aluminum 9" elliptical woofers.The entire baffle is then coupled to a rigid aluminum
frame complete with steel mounting feet for rigidity.This entire system creates the Sonance Silhouette,
easily integrating into any décor while delivering sonic performance unmatched by any other in-wall
product. Now, there truly is a better alternative to large free-standing speakers, the elegant Sonance
Silhouette.
The Sonance Silhouette series exceeds a remarkable set of design goals. These in-wall speakers deliver
the full detail, subtlety, imaging, and dynamic range present in a fine recording. They mount in a
standard 4" deep stud bay and eliminate the coloration and acoustical artifacts of drywall
construction.
The seven-driver Sonance Silhouette III, five-driver Sonance SilhouetteII, and four-driver Sonance
SilhouetteI are all well suited to left and right channel duties in fine music and home theater systems.
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CUSTOM INSTALLATION
Your Sonance Silhouette speaker will provide maximum performance and entertainment value when
custom installed by skilled professionals with specialized tools and experience to design and install
audio/video and related systems.These professionals can assist you in the selection of complementary
components engineered to meet your needs and optimize performance while satisfying the physical
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DRIVER-COMPLEMENT DESIGN
The symmetrical placement and use of 4" midrange drivers above and below the tweeter were chosen
to widen the vertical dispersion which is critical for a wide off-axis listening window.
The use of small diameter midrange drivers and a low crossover frequency to the tweeter combine to
produce the desired flat room response.
Magnetic shielding of the midrange and tweeter array eliminates potential interference with video monitors
in close proximity.
TWEETER DESIGN
Sonance Silhouette's high frequency driver is a custom Focal® tweeter featuring a concave titanium
dome with a titanium dioxide coating designed to dampen unwanted resonance.This element delivers
high definition, high frequency information while maintaining a low resonant frequency.This tweeter
was specifically designed for the Sonance Silhouette's novel crossover design. Its elevated breakup
frequency results in high frequency articulation without coloration. The tweeter design also features:
• High-pressure, injection-molded face plate with 5 mm thickness
• Titanium dome employing super high Youngs modules dioxide coating
• 20mm diameter voice coil with aluminum former ensures high power handling
MIDRANGE DESIGN
Sonance Silhouette's 4" midrange driver is essential to the overall design. This specific approach was
chosen after months of research into the resonant characteristics of stud wall construction and
interaction between wall components and loudspeakers.Research reveals that the typical drywall/stud
interface is most susceptible to acoustical resonance in the 150 Hz to 200 Hz band. The 4" midrange
drivers allow a crossover point at 135 Hz, which is below this resonant frequency. Additionally,
mounting the midrange tweeter array in its own MDF back box eliminates coloration induced by
driver/wall interaction. Additional features include:
• Die-cast aluminum basket for maximum mechanical integrity as a rigid device
• Concave, one-piece magnesium cone, for designated polar response to generate uniformity both onand off-axis
• Vented pole piece design selected to ensure voice coil cooling and eliminate air pressure build-up
behind the driver element assembly. This results in the required high power handling capability.
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ELLIPTICAL WOOFER DESIGN
Capitalizing on the unique characteristics of an elliptical driver,the woofer assembly delivers superior
reproduction while offering the perfect profile for Sonance Silhouette’s design criteria. An elliptical
metal cone driver yields essentially the same radiating area as an 8" driver, but with a width of only
6". The undeniable performance of this drive unit delivers these unique benefits:
• The elliptical design varies the distance from center to edge that contributes to the cancellation of
unwanted cone resonance. Resonance is a type of vibration that interferes with the accuracy of the
sound source.
• The use of a die-cast aluminum basket provides a rigid, stable foundation necessary for correct
driver function.
• Audiophile performance requires low distortion components during high cone velocity situations.
Those goals were met with the use of a light metal alloy cone, which combines reduced mass (weight)
with high rigidity to perform as a pure piston for predictably linear excursion.Acting as a heat sink
for the voice coil, the metal cone further contributes to the Sonance Silhouette's high power
handling capability.
• An extended pole piece voice coil eliminates non-linearity coloration caused by common designs
that suffer from dust cap back pressure while providing active and effective cooling for the voice
coil assembly.
• A high-compliance,half-roll rubber surround and long excursion enhance power handling.
BAFFLE DESIGN
The Sonance Silhouette baffle is constructed from 1" MDF. This material is known for its extreme
rigidity and non-resonant qualities. The high-gloss,black lacquer finish is applied to the baffle in a 10step process that requires five days of hand finishing. This process is similar to that used so
successfully to finish pianos and guitars. Precise, smooth driver openings ensure optimum
propagation of waveforms.
MIDRANGE, TWEETER DRIVER ENCLOSURE
The midrange and tweeter driver array is acoustically isolated from outside interference by its own
enclosure attached to the back of the baffle.This enclosure is constructed with a combination of three
different thicknesses of MDF to eliminate the mutual resonance occurring between the panels of the
enclosure. The enclosure is filled with a new synthetic damping material called Myraflex®
manufactured by Owens Corning, thus properly loading the interior of the enclosure.
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