Tannoy Mercury F Custom User Manual

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Tannoy Mercury F Custom User Manual

L O U DSP E A K E R S

OWNERS MANUAL

OWNERS MANUAL

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

2

BI-AMPING

 

6

 

AMPLIFIER MATCHING

 

SCREENING

 

7

 

3

 

 

FINE TUNING

 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

 

9

 

4

 

 

BASS TUNING

 

SET-UP DIAGRAMS

 

10-12

5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WARRANTY

This equipment has been produced and tested with care and precision. All Tannoy speaker systems are built to give first class service and carry a 5-year warranty. Active subwoofers carry a 1-year warranty.

If the equipment proves to be defective within this period for any reason other than accident, misuse, unauthorised modification or fair wear and tear, Tannoy will repair any such defect or, at our option, replace it without charge for parts, labour or return carriage. This warranty is given in addition to the customer's statutory rights.

If you suspect a problem with your loudspeakers please contact your local Tannoy dealer who will be able to advise on appropriate action.

INTRODUCTION

Congratulations on purchasing Tannoy Mercury F Custom loudspeakers. This Limited Edition upgrade to the Mercury F range boasts some excellent sonic improvements, ideal for audio enthusiasts who truly appreciate great sound. Since the original Mercury M20 speaker was released as part of the Planet range almost twenty-five years ago, Tannoy Mercury loudspeakers have become highly acclaimed by the audiophile community. A number of enhancements have been made to this product to give it superior performance for high fidelity listening:

Crossover - the crossover components have been upgraded and a high quality polypropylene capacitor used in the tweeter feed. The circuit topology has also been revised. Together, these changes give greater detail at high frequencies, better stereo imaging and a more controlled bottom end.

Tannoy DMT™ (Differential Material Technology) - the interface between drive unit and the cabinet structure is crucial and this area is given special attention in the Custom models. Bracing materials of different acoustic properties are used to dampen the driver to the internal bracing and then to the enclosure body itself; resulting in an exceptionally well damped structure that minimises the effect of unwanted resonances.

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Wiring – the internal wiring has been replaced with high purity Van den Hul silver plated cable, which offers lower energy loss and greater transparency.

Termination panel – the termination panel of the original F1, F4 and FC have been upgraded with high quality gold plated brass terminals, for mimimum information loss.

Due to its compact size and typical on-wall positioning, the FR Custom is equipped with spring terminals for ease of installaton.

To gain maximum performance from your loudspeakers, please take time to read this owners manual in full before installation. Once you have set up your new loudspeakers please complete and returm the registration document - this does not limit your legal rights.

Loudspeakers are electromechanical devices that ‘run-in’ through use; performance will therefore improve after an intial period of 24hrs use. Once they have been further run-in over a longer period, there will be clear enhancement of stero imaging, mid-band qulaity and bass performance characteristics.

We are confident that you will continue to enjoy your new Tannoy loudspeakers for many years to come.

AMPLIFIER MATCHING

Consult the enclosed product specification sheet as this clearly shows the acceptable power range for amplifier matching to your speakers. The high peak power handling of Tannoy loudspeakers permits responsible use with more powerful amplifiers - please read the Warranty.

As with all loudspeaker systems, the power handling is a function of voice coil thermal capacity. Care should be taken to avoid overdriving any amplifier, as this will cause output overload resulting in 'clipping' or distortion within the output signal. This, if done for any extended period, will cause damage to the speakers.

Generally an amplifier of higher power that is running hard, but free of distortion, will do less damage to the loudspeaker than a lower power amplifier continually clipping. Remember also that a high powered amplifier running at less than 90% of output power generally sounds a great deal better than a lower powered example struggling to achieve 100%. An amplifier with insufficient drive capability will not allow the full performance of the loudspeakers to be realised.

CABLE CHOICE

Always use the best quality of cable available within your budget. High quality audio signals passing from the amplifier to the loudspeaker are unusual in their demands on the cable. Wide dynamic range and frequency bandwidth information has to coexist with the ability to transmit peak currents of at least 10amps, without incurring any loss or signal impairment. This explains why the sound quality of the information reproduced by the loudspeakers is so dependant on the physical properties of the cables connecting them to the amplifier.

Technically, we recommend two-core cable with cross section area not less than 1.5 square millimetres (1.5mm2 ) for cable runs of up to 3 metres. For longer lengths you will require to use cable with a

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minimum cross sectional area of 2.5 square millimetres (2.5mm). In addition always keep the cable runs the same length for each speaker.

Cable construction can affect the sound quality. Be prepared to experiment to find a cable that suits your ear and audio system. We do not recommend the use of braided (Litz) or coaxial cables as these have a high capacitance that may affect the stability of certain amplifiers.

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QUICK SET UP

PLEASE REFER TO THE SPECIFICATION AND INSTALLATION DIAGRAM SHEET SUPPLIED WITH THIS MANUAL

1. Remove the loudspeakers from all packaging.

Fold the carton flaps right back and invert the carton and contents. Lift the carton clear of the contents.

Remove all the inner packaging from the product.(See figure 1)

It is strongly recommended that you store all the packaging to allow protected transportation in future.

2.Stand mounting or bookshelf speakers should be located securely in an appropriate position. If wall mounting any speakers, we strongly recommend that you use a bracket which will support the base of the speaker. Use of a bracket that screws directly onto the back panel of the speaker can cause too much strain to be exerted on the fixing point and the panel itself. This may cause panel detachment when in use and could present the risk of injury.

3.Floor-standing models perform best with carpet piercing spikes fitted. These are supplied, along with lock nuts, and should be fitted into the threaded holes in the base of the cabinet. Level the speaker and then tighten the lock nuts firmly but without using undue force. Spike locating cups are provided in the accessory pack and these may be used to protect sensitive floor surfaces.

4.To protect your speakers and amplifier from damage it is important to ensure that the

amplifier is switched OFF prior to connecting or disconnecting any cabling.

Correct polarity of the cable connections between the amplifier and speakers is essential.

(See figure 2)

For optimum performance when connecting the system in standard single wire mode to a speaker terminal panel equipped with full bi-wiring facility, always make cable connections, with the links fitted, to the HF terminals.(See figure 2)

The positive (plus) terminal on the amplifier left channel (marked + or coloured red) must be connected to the positive terminal on the left speaker. The left speaker is the one on the left as you look at the stereo pair from your listening position.

The negative (minus) terminal on the amplifier left channel (marked - or coloured black) must be connected to the negative terminal on the left speaker.

Repeat this connection process for the right speaker. Remember that the positive (+ or red) on the amplifier must be connected to the positive (+ or red) on the speaker and the negative (- or black) to negative.

Select a signal source, such as a CD player; switch on the amplifier and slowly turn up the volume control to check that both loudspeakers are reproducing bass and treble information.

FINE TUNING

To get best results from your new Tannoy loudspeakers it is worthwhile spending a little time finding the optimum set-up configuration. Here are a few tips to help you with this process:

STAND MOUNTING AND BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS

Small speakers should not be placed directly on the floor but can be used on bookshelves or tables. However, the sound reproduction quality achieved will never be as good when not ideally positioned. Your dealer can show you a selection of purpose built stands, designed to realise the full performance potential of your loudspeakers.

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Loudspeaker stands should be rigidly built and preferably mass loaded with dry sand. The optimum listening height will be dictated by the seating in your room, usually between 300mm (12") and 600mm (24") high. Stand mounted speakers will produce their best stereo image and soundstage if you can just see the top face of the cabinet. Check the 'lift' needed to put the speakers in this position before purchasing your stands.

Refer to the paragraph headed Positioning for stand mounted speaker placement advice.

(See figure 3)

FLOOR STANDING LOUDSPEAKERS

For optimum performance from floor-standing loudspeakers, the design team at Tannoy recommends that the supplied carpet piercing spikes be fitted. A rigid footing for the speaker, with a secure interface between the cabinet and the floor, brings about an improvement in clarity, bass 'speed' and definition.

First level the spikes by eye then hand tighten the lock nuts. Rock the loudspeaker gently from side to side so that the spikes find their way through the weave of the carpet and on to the solid surface below. Once fine adjustments have been made to level the loudspeaker and ensure stability, tighten the lock nuts firmly but without using undue force.

Refer to the paragraph headed Positioning for floor standing speaker placement advice.

(See figure 3)

BASS TUNING

Many Tannoy loudspeakers are also provided with a foam port damper bung inside the port tube located on the front or rear panel of the cabinet. The speakers have been designed for use in rooms with average to good acoustics without these dampers fitted, so please take them out before use.

In smaller rooms, where loudspeaker positioning is forced closer to rear or side walls, the port damper can be inserted into the reflex port. This will reduce the bass energy but 'speed-up' the sound presentation. There is no absolute right or wrong here, therefore much will depend on your own musical preferences.

POSITIONING

Begin by angling the speakers towards your chosen listening position, usually this is on the centre line of the room, so that when seated you can just see the inner side panel of each speaker.

The front of the loudspeaker should not be obstructed in any way.

The loudspeakers should be located between 1.5 to 4.5 metres (5ft to 15ft) apart - with the listening position set slightly further away than the speakers are apart.

All models are fully shielded to eliminate colour fringing effects when placed close to televisions.

Avoid positioning the loudspeakers in corners of the room, as this will have a negative effect on performance; maintain a distance of at least 0.5 metres (20 inches) from the rear wall, and 1 metre (39 inches) from the side. (See figure 3)

BI-WIRING

Where the facility to bi-wire your loudspeakers is provided we would strongly recommend that you install your system using this wiring option. With this method you will require separate cable feeds from your amplifier to the HF and LF units of each loudspeaker. Generally this will result in a significant improvement in resolution, transparency, stereo focus and instrument separation.

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