Thiel Audio Products SS2 User Manual
THIE L
®
SmartSub
SS2 Subwoofer
SW1 Subwoofer
Owner Information
Thank you for purchasing the THIEL SS2 subwoofer 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 Email: service@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
Pilot light........................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Auto shutdown ................................................................................................................................................................. 10
Feet ...................................................................................................................................................................................11
Setup and Adjustment Flow Chart.................................................................................................................... 12
Fuse Replacement ........................................................................................................................................... 14
Specifications ................................................................................................................................................... 14
Warranty........................................................................................................................................................... 14
Caution
The SS2 has built-in electronics
• Do not pla• Do not pla
• Do not pla
• Do not pla• Do not pla
• Do not allow w• Do not allow w
• Do not allow w
• Do not allow w• Do not allow w
• •
AA
llow some air circulation at thllow some air circulation at th
•
A
llow some air circulation at th
• •
AA
llow some air circulation at thllow some air circulation at th
cc
c
cc
e the th
e th
e the th
e ce c
abinet neaabinet nea
e c
abinet nea
e ce c
abinet neaabinet nea
atat
ee
r or othr or oth
at
e
r or oth
atat
ee
r or othr or oth
ee
e
ee
r lir li
r li
r lir li
r sour sou
r sou
r sour sou
quiqui
qui
quiqui
rcrc
ee
s of hs of h
rc
e
s of h
rcrc
ee
s of hs of h
ds into thds into th
ds into th
ds into thds into th
e re r
eaea
r of thr of th
e r
ea
r of th
e re r
eaea
r of thr of th
eat such as fueat such as fu
eat such as fu
eat such as fueat such as fu
e ue u
nitnit
..
e u
nit
.
e ue u
nitnit
..
e ue u
nitnit
..
e u
nit
.
e ue u
nitnit
..
rr
nana
cc
e re r
egistegist
ee
rs or rrs or r
aa
r
na
c
e r
egist
e
rr
nana
cc
e re r
egistegist
rs or r
ee
rs or rrs or r
diatorsdiators
a
diators
aa
diatorsdiators
..
.
..
Product Features
The SS2 is a very high performance, innovative subwoofer
system that provides exceptionally deep, uniform, dynamic
and low distortion bass reproduction. In addition, it will
provide near-ideal performance with any room placement
and when used with any type of main loudspeaker. These
performance abilities are the result of new (patents pending)
technology developed to overcome the major problems that
subwoofers typically exhibit: poor integration with the
main speakers and altered response due to nearby walls.
The SS2 can be used as a stand-alone unit, 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 this subwoofer system
provides.
Very High Output, Very Low Distortion Woofers
The SS2 uses two very high output, very low
distortion 10" drivers that utilize aluminum
diaphragms, heavy cast chassis and THIEL’s short coil/
long gap, copper stabilized motor systems powered by
10 lb magnets in structures 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 each driver to move a very large
amount of air (65 in
using two of these drivers the SS2 can effortlessly reproduce
even demanding sources at high volume levels.
3
) – as much as many 15" woofers. By
1000 Watt Amplifier
The SS2 is powered by a Class D, switching-mode 1000
watt RMS amplifier.
The amplifier’s very high power ensures that the woofers
can provide all the output they are capable of without power
compression or limiting.
SS2 1000 watt amplifier
Since switching amplifiers are very high efficiency, about
92% in this case, very high power and currents can be
delivered without large heat sinks, fans or additional power
supply capacity for large amounts of waste heat. This type of
amplifier is ideal for subwoofer applications since the
amplifier does not have to deliver significant power at high
frequencies.
Placement Correction
Placement controls
(patent pending) on the SS2
match the unit’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, the SS2 can provide
accurately balanced,
One of two SS2 drivers
4
uniform response with
virtually any room
placement.
Temperature Correction
The SS2 electronics contains unique circuitry (patent
pending) that corrects for compression distortion due to
heating of the drivers’ voice coils. Without this correction
subwoofer output levels could decrease by as much as 5 dB
and the response altered at times of high demand. The
correction allows the subwoofer to provide more accurate,
uncompressed and dynamic reproduction.
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 the main speakers, allowing the
combination to provide very accurate reproduction of the
entire sonic spectrum, to below the audible range.
Heat sensor on voice coil
A thermistor is mounted to the woofer’s voice coil so that
the amplifier can continuously measure the voice coil’s
temperature. Knowing this, circuitry automatically adjusts
both frequency response and level of the signal to accurately
compensate for all effects of temperature on performance.
This compensation ensures that the subwoofer’s response
and sensitivity don’t change with temperature.
Protection from overheating
An automatic shutdown feature is included that protects
the drivers from excessive heat produced by input levels that
are excessively high. By knowing the temperature of the
voice coil at all times, a shutdown is automatically executed
if temperatures ever reach levels that could cause damage.
The unit continues to monitor the temperature and is
automatically restarted when the temperature falls to a safe
level.
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
innovative circuitry (patents pending) 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
Loading...