Thiel Audio Products SS1 User Manual
THIE L
®
SmartSub
SS1 Subwoofer
Owner Information
Thank you for purchasing a THIEL SmartSub system. It has been engineered to provide a very high level
of performance and also incorporates innovative (patent pending) concepts in its design to solve the several
special problems subwoofer systems usually exhibit. Consequently, it performs at a very high level with a
wide variety of speakers and room locations.
You are welcome to contact our Customer Service department with any questions or for help in setting
up this system. Our contact information is:
Tel: 859-254-9427 Fax: 859-254-0075 E-mail:ser vice@thielaudio.com
Contents
Caution............................................................................................................................................................... 3
Product Features................................................................................................................................................ 4
System Configurations ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Crossover Use ................................................................................................................................................... 8
Do you require a crossover? .............................................................................................................................................. 8
Processor Bass Management ............................................................................................................................................ 8
THIEL Passive Crossovers ................................................................................................................................................ 8
THIEL SmartSub Integrator................................................................................................................................................ 8
Subwoofer Placement ........................................................................................................................................ 9
Setting up the Subwoofer................................................................................................................................. 10
Hookup............................................................................................................................................................................. 10
Setting the Surround Processor ....................................................................................................................................... 10
Control Settings................................................................................................................................................................ 10
Auto shutdown ................................................................................................................................................................. 10
Feet .................................................................................................................................................................................. 10
Setup and Adjustment Flow Chart.................................................................................................................... 12
Fuse Replacement ........................................................................................................................................... 14
Specifications ................................................................................................................................................... 14
Warranty........................................................................................................................................................... 14
Caution
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Product Features
The THIEL SS1 SmartSub is a very high performance,
innovative subwoofer system that provides exceptionally
deep, uniform, dynamic and low distortion bass
reproduction. In addition, it provides near-ideal
performance with any room placement and, when used
with the companion SI1 Integrator, provides near-perfect
integration with any type of main loudspeaker. These
performance abilities are the result of new patented
technology developed to overcome the major problems that
subwoofers typically exhibit: poor integration with the main
speakers and altered response due to nearby walls.
These subwoofers can be used as stand-alone units, with
a THIEL passive crossover or with the SmartSub Integrator,
depending on your requirements. Here is a brief description
of some of the unusual performance features these
subwoofer systems provide.
Very High Output, Very Low Distortion Woofer
The SS1 uses a very high output, very low distortion 10"
driver that utilizes an aluminum diaphragm, heavy cast
chassis and THIEL’s short coil/long gap, copper stabilized
motor system powered by a 10 lb magnet in a structure with
a total weight of 20 lbs.
The short coil/long gap design results in very low
distortion levels that are only one-tenth that of typical
drivers with the same excursion rating. This magnet system’s
very long magnetic gap, along with the very high excursion
suspension, allows the driver to move a very large amount of
air – much more than most drivers its size – in order to
effortlessly reproduce even demanding sources at high
volume levels.
500
Watt
SS1 500 watt amplifier
Amplifier
The SS1 is
powered by an innovative high efficiency 500 watt RMS
amplifier. The amplifier’s very high power ensures that the
woofer can provide all the output it is capable of without
power compression or limiting.
Placement Correction
Placement controls (patented) match the subwoofer’s
performance to its environment, whether away from walls,
in a corner or anything in-between. These controls correct
for both the general increase in level and for the partial
cancellation of certain frequencies caused by a nearby wall.
By providing correction of these effects for both the side and
rear walls, SmartSubs provide accurately balanced, uniform
response with virtually any room placement.
Protection from overheating
An automatic shutdown feature is included that protects
the driver from excessive heat produced by input levels that
are excessively high. A
shutdown is
automatically executed
if the temperature
reaches a dangerous
level and is
automatically restarted
when the temperature
SS1 SmartSub driver
4
falls to a safe level.
Heat sensor on voice coil
Accurate Matching to Main Speakers
Rather than providing generic built-in crossover controls
that can rarely achieve high quality blending of the
subwoofer with main speakers, the SmartSub can be used
when needed with a separate unit, either a dedicated passive
crossover or the universal SmartSub Integrator.
The passive crossovers provide perfectly blended
augmentation of THIEL main speakers, allowing the
combination to provide very accurate reproduction of the
entire sonic spectrum, to below the audible range.
Passive Crossover
The SmartSub Integrator provides unprecedented ability
to perfectly match any main speakers and provide total
system performance that is as well integrated and balanced as
a full range speaker. This superior performance is achieved by
patented innovative circuitry that automatically calculates
the ideal subwoofer response to perfectly match the
characteristics of the main speakers. Therefore, instead of
the usual crossover controls that tell the subwoofer how to
perform, the SmartSub Integrator has settings for the
characteristics of the main speakers you are matching, the
configuration of your system and the performance you
desire. This information is then used to automatically
calculate and implement the ideal subwoofer response. In
addition, the unit enables the total system to operate in
either augment or crossover system mode and can control up
to 16 subwoofer units in either mono or stereo configuration.
SmartSub Integrator
5
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