Toa ME-160 Operating Instructions Manual

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

MONITOR SPEAKER ME-160

1. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS .......................... 2

2. GENERAL DESCRIPTION ........................ 4

3. FEATURES ................................................ 4

4. HANDLING PRECAUTIONS ..................... 4

5. NOMENCLATURE AND DIMENSIONS .... 5

6. MOUNTING THE SPEAKER

6.1. Mounting Examples ............................. 6

7. CONNECTIONS .......................................... 8

8. FRONT GRILLE ATTACHMENT
AND DETACHMENT

8.1. Detachment .......................................... 9

8.2. Attachment ........................................... 9

9. CHARACTERISTIC DIAGRAM ................ 10

10. SPECIFICATIONS .................................... 10

Optional products ...................................... 10

ME-160 (A)

ME-160 (B)

Thank you for purchasing TOA's Monitor Speaker.
Please carefully follow the instructions in this manual to ensure long, trouble-free use of your equipment.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The ME-160 comes in a set of 2 speakers, types A and B.

2

1. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

• Before installation or use, be sure to carefully read all the instructions in this section for correct and safe
operation.

• Be sure to follow all the precautionary instructions in this section, which contain important warnings and/or
cautions regarding safety.

• After reading, keep this manual handy for future reference.

Safety Symbol and Message Conventions

Safety symbols and messages described below are used in this manual to prevent bodily injury and property
damage which could result from mishandling. Before operating your product, read this manual first and
understand the safety symbols and messages so you are thoroughly aware of the potential safety hazards.

Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if mishandled, could
result in death or serious personal injury.

WARNING

• Avoid installing or mounting the unit in unstable locations, such as on a rickety table or a slanted surface.
Doing so may result in the unit falling down and causing personal injury and/or property damage.

• Install the unit only in a location that can structurally support the weight of the unit and the mounting bracket.
Doing otherwise may result in the unit falling down and causing personal injury and/or property damage.

• Be sure that at least two persons are available to install the unit safe and secure. Failure to do so could
result in personal injury.

• Do not use other methods than specified to mount the bracket. Extreme force is applied to the unit and the
unit could fall off, possibly resulting in personal injuries.

• Use nuts and bolts that are appropriate for the ceiling's or wall's structure and composition. Failure to do so
may cause the unit to fall, resulting in material damage and possible personal injury.

• Tighten each screw securely. Ensure that the unit has no loose joints after installation to prevent accidents
that could result in personal injury.

• Use the specified speaker holder in combination. Doing otherwise may cause the unit or component to fall
off, resulting in personal injury.

• Do not mount the unit in locations exposed to constant vibration. The mounting bracket can be damaged by
excessive vibration, potentially causing the unit to fall, which could result in personal injury.

• Do not damage the speaker cable nor run it near heaters. In addition, never place heavy objects - including
the unit itself - on the speaker cable, as doing so may result in fire.

• Do not insert nor drop metallic objects or flammable materials in the front bass-reflex port, as this may result
in fire.

• Should the following irregularity be found during use, immediately stop operating the unit and contact your
nearest TOA dealer. Further attempt to use under this condition may cause fire or electric shock.

· If you detect smoke or a strange smell coming from the unit

· If no tone sounds

3

Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if mishandled, could
result in moderate or minor personal injury, and/or property damage.

CAUTION

• Do not place heavy objects on the unit as this may cause it to fall or break which may result in personal
injury and/or property damage. In addition, the object itself may fall off and cause injury and/or damage.

• Do not operate the unit for an extended period of time with the sound distorting. This is an indication of a
malfunction, which in turn can cause heat to generate and result in a fire.

• Do not stand or sit on, nor hang down from the unit as this may cause it to fall down or drop, resulting in
personal injury and/or property damage.

• Have the unit checked periodically by the shop from where it was purchased. Failure to do so may result in
corrosion or damage to the unit or its mounting bracket that could cause the unit to fall, possibly causing
personal injury.

4

2. GENERAL DESCRIPTION

TOA's ME-160 is a 2-way bass-reflex monitor speaker featuring flat frequency characteristics, low distortion,
and high-resolution sound quality. It is particularly suited to music reproduction in small spaces.
The ME-160 can be suspended from a wall or ceiling using an optional speaker holder.

3. FEATURES

• Woofer cone of new material made by compacting natural fibers in resin realizes depth-feeling acoustic
space, presenting clear sound image.

• Soft dome tweeter of Tetron-based material, coated with acrylic damping material, has moderate amount of
internal loss, providing smooth characteristics in high frequency range.

• Magnetically-shielded woofer and tweeter permit the ME-160 to be installed in close proximity to a video
monitor or CRT.

• Gold-plated screw-type input terminals (compatible with dual banana plugs) help ensure superb sound
quality.

• A speaker enclosure made of MDF ("medium density fireboard," made by compacting finely chipped timber
fibers in resin) contributes to the more natural-sounding audio qualities characteristically offered by wood.

• A slit-type bass-reflex port prevents sound leakage from the inside of the enclosure and helps keep the
reproduced sound free of muddiness.

• Finished with black paint and equipped with a detachable front grille.

• The speaker enclosure has mounting screw holes (102 mm interval) on both its side and bottom surfaces,
allowing the speaker to be suspended from a wall or ceiling using the optional speaker holder.

4. HANDLING PRECAUTIONS

• The ME-160 employs no protection circuit against excessive input power.
Do not apply input power exceeding the allowable rating to the speaker because this may damage the built­in speaker component.

• To clean the speaker enclosure, wipe with a dry cloth. When the enclosure gets very dirty, use a cloth
damped in a neutral cleanser. Never use benzene, thinner or chemically-treated cleaning cloth because
such volatile liquids could deform or discolor the enclosure.

• Do not face the speaker front down with the front grille removed. The speaker unit may be damaged.

• Never touch the tweeter's dome diaphragm. It may be dented or deformed, not restoring to its original state.

5

5. NOMENCLATURE AND DIMENSIONS

1. Input terminals

These gold-plated terminals are also compatible
with a dual banana plug. (Refer to p. 8.)

2. Speaker ID indication

A: Indicates the speaker having mounting screw

holes (3) on both its left side and bottom
surfaces.

B: Indicates the speaker having mounting screw

holes (3) on both its right side and bottom
surfaces.

3. Speaker mounting screw holes

Used for suspending the speaker from a wall or
ceiling. (Refer to p. 6.)

Note

Remove the M5 x 30 screws inserted into an
enclosure and use them when mounting the
speaker holder.

4. Tweeter

2.5 cm soft dome tweeter, magnetically shielded.

5. Front grille

Can be easily attached and detached.
(Refer to p. 9.)

6. Woofer

16 cm cone woofer, magnetically shielded.

7. Bass-reflex port

8. TOA logo

Can be rotated 360° depending on the speaker
orientation (vertical or horizontal installation).

Unit: mm

[Rear]

244

230

1

2

3

[Front][Left side]

216

4

5

6

376

7

45 102

8

[Bottom]

45 102

3

Can be rotated 360°

Note: Use M5 x 30 screws inserted into an enclosure to mount the optional speaker holder.

When mounting the speaker holder (WCB-31 and CMB-31) to the ME-160 speaker, do not use the
screws supplied with the speaker holder because they are too short to mount the holder.

6

Optional Speaker Holders

6. MOUNTING THE SPEAKER

• The speaker can be suspended from a wall or ceiling using an optional speaker holder.

• Mounting screw holes (102 mm interval) provided on both side and bottom surfaces of an enclosure permit

the speaker to be suspended vertically or horizontally as required.

• Use the method that is appropriate for ceiling panel materials and installation places when mounting the
speaker.

WCB-31 : For use of wall/ceiling mounting, 211 mm in length
CMB-31 : For use of ceiling mounting, 141 mm in length

6.1. Mounting Examples

6.1.1. Examples of wall and ceiling mounting using the WCB-31

[Wall Mounting]

Vertical speaker mounting Horizontal speaker mounting

Adjustable
horizontal angle

[Top view]

115°

115°

Wall

15°

15°

Adjustable
horizontal angle

[Top view]

Wall

[Side view] [Side view]

Wall

Tilt angle
unadjustable.

WARNING

Avoid mounting the speaker as shown
at the right.
The speaker may fall due to damage
to its components and parts, possibly
resulting in personal injury.

Adjustable tilt
angle

Wall

10°

[Side view]

Wall Wall

7

[Ceiling Mounting]

6.1.2. Examples of ceiling mounting using the CMB-31

Vertical speaker mounting

Ceiling

40°

Note

When tilting the speaker downward, the adjustable
tilt angle is up to 40°.

Horizontal speaker mounting

Ceiling

°

40

Note

When tilting the speaker downward, the adjustable
tilt angle is up to 40°.

[Ceiling Mounting]

Vertical speaker mounting

Ceiling

40°

Note

When tilting the speaker downward, the adjustable
tilt angle is up to 40°.

Horizontal speaker mounting

Ceiling

40°

Note

When tilting the speaker downward, the adjustable
tilt angle is up to 40°.

8

7. CONNECTIONS

• Use the speaker cable (parallel vinyl cable) that is appropriate for the system.

• The ME-160 speaker uses gold-plated screw terminals.

• Speaker cables can be connected by directly inserting them into the screw-in terminals or using a dual-

banana plug.

Note

Be sure to switch OFF the amplifier power when connecting the speaker to the amplifier.

[Direct screw-in terminal connection]

TightensLoosens

Speaker cable

[Dual-banana plug connection]

ME-160 rear panel ME-160 rear panel

Mixer/preamplifier

Power amplifier

9

8. FRONT GRILLE ATTACHMENT AND DETACHMENT

The front grille is attached to the speaker when the speaker is shipped by the factory.
The front grille can be easily attached and detached.

8.1. Detachment

Note

Refer to the figure in the next section Attachment.

Detach the upper part of the front grille by simultaneously
pulling the two places close to the catchers forward.
Support the speaker as you do this so that it does not move.

Once the upper part of the front grill has been removed,
detach the lower part of the front grille in the same manner.

8.2. Attachment

Note

Ensure that each of the mounting pins of the front grille is
aligned with its corresponding catcher.

Press on the front grille firmly until it clicks into place.

Front grille

ME-160 speaker

Catcher

Front grille

Mounting pin

9. CHARACTERISTIC DIAGRAM

(anechoic chamber, 1 W 1 m, sine wave)

10. SPECIFICATIONS

Note: The design and specifications are subject to change without notice for improvement.

• Optional products

WCB-31 (Speaker holder) : For use of wall/ceiling mounting
CMB-31 (Speaker holder) : For use of ceiling mounting

Enclosure Bass reflex type

Power Handling Capacity Continuous pink noise: 50 W

Continuous program: 150 W

Impedance 6 Ω

Sensitivity 88 dB (1 W, 1 m)

Frequency Response 50 – 20,000 Hz

Crossover Frequency 2,000 Hz

Speaker Component 16 cm resin-impregnated natural fiber cone woofer
(magnetically shielded) 2.5 cm soft doom tweeter

Input Terminal Screw-in terminals (compatible with a dual-banana plug), gold plated

Finish Enclosure: Black, paint

Front grille: Black, cloth

Dimensions 216 (w) x 376 (h) x 244 (d) mm

Weight 7.5 kg (per unit)

133-01-432-9A

URL: http://www.toa.jp/

Traceability Information for Europe (EMC directive 2004/108/EC)

Manufacturer:

TOA Corporation
7-2-1, Minatojima Nakamachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo,
Japan

Authorized representative:

TOA Electronics Europe GmbH
Suederstrasse 282, 20537 Hamburg,
Germany

dB

100

90

80

SPL

70

60

20 50 100 200 500 1000 2000 5000 10000 20000 Hz

Frequency