Thiel Audio Products SS1 User Manual

THIEL

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: [phone] Fax: [phone] E-mail:ser [e-mail]

	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

The SmartSub has built-in electronics

•Do not place the cabinet near sources of heat such as furnace registers or radiators.

•Do not allow water or other liquids into the unit.

•Allow some air circulation at the rear of the unit.

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.

SS1 SmartSub driver

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

falls to a safe level. Heat sensor on voice coil

4

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