Trident HG3 Owner's Handbook Manual

HG3 ACTIVE STEREO CLOSE-FIELD MONITORING SYSTEM

OWNERS HANDBOOK

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USA: 1845 W. 169th Street

Gardena, CA 90247

tel: [phone] • fax: [phone]

UK: Unit 4 Minerva Court, Woodland Industrial Estate

Torquay, TQ2 7BD

tel: [phone] • fax: [phone]

email : [e-mail] • www.trident-audio.com

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The Concept

The unique cabinet configuration of the Trident HG3
Close Field Monitoring System is designed to reduce
or eliminate many issues found in today's monitor sys­tems. Some of these include:

•Limited Dispersion and Bandwidth •Doppler Distor­tion • Phase Distortion •Inter-Modulation Distortion

•Cabinet Resonances •Edge Diffraction and other
problems associated with traditional monitor designs.

Bass Response

The use of a port can extend the usable response of a
low frequency speaker, but below resonance, the
speaker becomes uncontrolled and will flap wildly in
conventional ported systems. The Trident HG3 sys­tem eliminated this problem by using a controlled
electronic roll-off below the speaker's usable response.
Separate subwoofers create additional problems by in­troducing phase cancellations at crossover, and excit­ing unwanted room nodes - eliminating the advantages
of near field monitoring. Separate sub-woofer place­ment is a hit or miss proposition, guaranteed to cause
problems in poorly treated rooms

Through the use of a dual voice coil sub-woofer, in
each speaker box, and optimal tuning, the usable re­sponse is extended smoothly to almost 30 Hz in a very
small enclosure. Each sub-woofer has its own 10 0
Watt dual MOS amplifier to insure clean, distortion
free power. Further, the port is located outside the
path of all active speaker components to insure free­dom from Doppler distortion at very low frequencies.

Below 90 Hz, the HG3 bass response is essentially

omni-directional. From 90 Hz up to the crossover
point of 320 Hz, the bass response narrows to about
180 degrees. Above 320 Hz, any large diameter
speaker's dispersion narrows and the frequency re­sponse becomes ragged and uneven. Not a good
thing.

Midrange Response

The most critical range in any monitor system is the
midrange; that's where the voice resides, the bulk of
the guitar's sound, and the overall detail of the music.
It's strange that some manufacturers would split the
vocal range in the middle, and assign part of the vocal
to the woofer, and the other part of the critical vocal
range to another speaker. It just doesn't make sense.

Part of the vocal (in a typical two-way system) is
being modulated by pumping bass, and the other part
is bouncing off the ends of the cabinet, creating edge
diffractions. The result is smeared midrange, bad
stereo imaging, and poor off axis response. The Tri­dent HG3 uses crossover points set at 320 Hz and
3,500 Hz to eliminate those problems. The unique cab­inet design takes care of the rest.

The Cylinder

The midrange speaker is mounted in an isolated, 6" di­ameter, damped, cylinder, to eliminate edge diffrac­tions and woofer/cabinet resonance interactions. The
cylinder also houses the 1-1/8" silk dome tweeter, its
crossover, plus the mid and tweeter level controls. A
separate 80 Watt amplifier drives the cylinder mid and
treble c omponents.

Trident HG3 Close-Field Monitor System

(continued on next page)

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The unique cylinder design lets the listener position
the critical directional components exactly where
needed, regardless of the distance between cabinets,
without the need to move the main cabinet into a pre­carious balance position. The electrical connections
are made through the ends of the cylinder; the cylinder
can be turned in any direction, continuously, without
damage. In fact, rotating the cylinder simply cleans the
contacts.

The Amplifier

The Trident HG3 power amplifier section is made up
of three identical 100 Watt MOS amplifier modules,
noted for their low distortion, wide band width, and
low noise levels. A unique "muting circuit" prevents
thumps at turn on/off. Two modules are used to power
the woofer section, and a separate module is used for
the mids and highs.
Overall Distortion is typically around 0.05% and the
noise level is typically below -104 dB. A unique

warning LED is built into the front panel of the Tri­dent HG3 that changes from green to red as you begin
to approach audible distortion levels (above 1%).

Three sets of inputs allow for both Balanced (XLR
and TRS) and unbalanced (TS and RCA) connections.
The dual-color LED on the front of the cabinet shows
both power on (Green) and distortion (Red).

120

110

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

SPL Level dB

p

10 100 1000 10000 100000

FREQUENCY

SYS1 SYS2

Actual Trident HG3 Response Curves a

Trident HG3 Specifications

Frequency Response: 35 Hz - 19,500 Hz +/- 1.5 dB
Sensitivity (1Watt@1Meter): 89 dB
Typical Noise Level: -104 dB
Typical THD : 0.05%
Maximum Output: LF Section - 100 Watts RMS
Maximum Output: Mid/High Section - 40 Watts RMS.

Dimensions:

17-3/4' wide, 12-1/4" tall, 13-1/4" deep

Weight:

36.5 lbs

SPL Response in dB

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With other close-field
speakers, positioning and
maintaining an equilateral
triangle between speakers
and listener is critical for
accurate imaging. The HG3
system is designed to pro­vide accurate imaging with
separations ranging from 3'
to 10' (1 to 3 meters). Sim­ply adjust the mid/high
cylinder to the desired
angle.
Keep in mind that close­field positioning is de­signed to let you hear the
source before you hear any
reflected sounds. In small
rooms, we recommend 2' to
5' (1 to 2 meters) separa­tion of the speakers.
Greater separation dis­tances increase the chances
of room reflections becom­ing a problem in small, un­treated rooms.
The HG3's may be placed
on a console meter bridge
(good), or on speaker
stands (best). The use of
isolation pads underneath
the speaker cabinets is
highly recommended for
best performance. The ro­tating mid/high cylinders
are designed to be placed
inside the listening position. The ports should be on
the outside, furthest from the listening position.
Mid/High Level Controls
The Mid Range/High Range Level Controls are nor­mally set straight up (12 o'clock position) for flat re­sponse. They go from full off (5 o'clock position) to
+2 dB (3 o'clock position). The extra 2 dB of boost
lets you adjust for heavily damped rooms, wider or
distant cabinet spacing, or as a “magnifier” to zoom in
on critical mid or high frequency music components,
or as fine adjustments, to compensate for your particu­lar room conditions. For example, if your mixes sound

overly bright or
midrangey on other
systems, turn up
the treble or the
midrange on the
HG3's slightly to
compensate. Not
enough midrange
or treble? Turn the
knobs down.
In some cases, an
equilateral triangle
between speakers
and listener is not
possible. When the
speakers must be in
an asymmetrical
position, use the
mid/high controls
on the furthest
speaker to boost the
output to correct
for center image
drift.
Testing The HG3's
The Diana Krall
“Love Scenes”
album (produced
by Al Schmitt) on
Impulse (IMPD

233) provides a
great demonstration
of imaging, separa­tion, and wide
range frequency re-

sponse. Any track
will do nicely, but Track 11 (“My Love Is”) is out­standing for showing off the bass, midrange, and high
frequency imaging of the HG3's. Listen especially to
the even response of the upright bass, the rock steady
center vocal imaging, and the sharp click of the finger
snaps.
Cyrus Chestnut's “Earth Stories” album on Atlantic
Jazz (82876-2) provides a great demonstration of wide
range frequency response. Track 6 (“Cookdaddy's Per­spective”)

Positioning the Speakers

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REAR PANEL FEATURES
Volume Control

The HG3 Volume control goes from full off
(counterclockwise) to full on (clockwise).
Using music you're familiar with, adjust your
mixer inputs and outputs to 0dB, then adjust
the HG3 Volume control till the music is at a
comfortable listening level.

Audio Inputs

The rear panel of the unit allows the use of
up to four different types of audio input con­nectors:
Input 1 allows for both Balanced (XLR, and
1/4” TRS), and Unbalanced (1/4” TS) con­nections. The balanced connectors use the
standard industry convention of:
Pin 1 = ground,
Pin 2 = plus,
Pin 3 = minus (for XLR connectors)
and:
Tip = plus,
Ring = minus,
Sleeve = ground (for 1/4” TRS jacks)
Note: Balanced connections allows longer
cable runs and reduces the possibility of in­duced hum and noise.
Input 1 may also be used with 1/4” TS jacks
connected for unbalanced use:
Tip = plus,
Ring / Sleeve (grounded together.)
Input 2 allows the use of unbalanced RCA
(phono-type) connections.
Note: Unbalanced cables can be used for
shorter runs (under 10 feet.)
Power Cord Connector / Fuse Holder
Use only the recommended IEC Power Cord,
and the recommended Fuse size and type. The actual
power connector/fuse type may vary, depending on in­dividual Country Power Code Requirements.

Power On/Off Switch

The HG3 Active Monitors feature a silent “Turn
On/Off” switching circuit to prevent the possibility of
transient damage, and to eliminate the annoying thump

heard from most powered speakers.

Heat Sink Warning

The Heat Sink is designed to draw heat away from the
amplifier. It gets hot during normal operation. Keep
fingers (and other sensitive body parts) away from the
Heat Sinks. Do not touch with bare hand or body. Do
not block free air flow over the Heat Sinks.

You can connect the HG3's using any of four different connection types: Balanced XLR or 1/4” TRS - or unbal­anced 1/4” TS or RCA Phono cables. When using unbalanced connections, do not use cables over 12' (4m) to
avoid induced hum

TRIDENT

DEVELOPMENTS

AUDIO

HG3

C

AUTIO N

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

INSURE MAINS VOLTAGE AND FUSE RATING

ARE CORRECT BEFORE CONNECTING MAINS POWER.

THIS APPARATUS MUST BE EARTHED BY THE POWER CORD.

NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS.

REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.

Designed and Assembled In the USA

PMI Audio US- Gardena, CA (p) 310-323-9050
PMI AUDIO UK- Torquay, Devon (p) 44 (0)1803 612 700

FUS E T4 2 50V

AC 120V 60Hz 280W

Trident Series

WARN IN G

RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE

NE PAS OUVRIR

SERIAL NO.

ON

OFF

POWER

MIN

MAX

VOLUME

10

INPUT 1

BALANCED

INPUT 2

UNBALANCED

CONNECTING THE SPEAKERS

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TROUBLE SHOOTING

1) No Power.

Make sure the unit is selected for the correct mains voltage via the selector incorporated in the
mains inlet socket on the back of the unit. Check the fuse if the unit has been powered with the wrong voltage.
Check there is a power reaching the unit.

2) The audio input doesn't work.

Is a suitable audio cable connected to the correct input on the back of the unit?
Is the rear Volume control is turned up?
Is there output from the mixer?

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Harvey Gerst has been
involved in the music in­dustry in various capaci­ties for over 55 years.
From his work at JBL in
their 50's and 60's
"Golden Age", where he

designed the famous "F"
series of musical instrument speakers, to
Acoustic Control, where he was responsible
for the creation of their innovative guitar &
bass amplifiers and the Black Widow guitar,
to his work at IMC on the Jackson, Ross,
and Charvel guitar amplifiers, or as a Plat­inum song writer for the Byrds, or as a gui­tar player in the group Sweetwater, to his
work as a recording engineer and producer,
he's always been in the right place at the
right time with the right groundbreaking
ideas. He considers the Trident HG3 to be
his best design, and its innovations will lead
to stellar future products.

Russ Allee has designed

many of the

most popular musical in-

strument amplifiers,

played by music greats for

40 years. As a music in-

dustry consultant, his cir-

cuit wizardry is legendary

in amplifiers made by
Alesis, Fender, Gibson, AMP, Acoustic Con­trol, Eden, and Wharfedale Pro - to name a
few. His new amplifier for the Trident HG3
sets new standards for low noise, high quality,
and rugged reliability.

Brent Casey, lead designer and engineer of

Studio Projects

®

, has
been maintaining,
designing, building and
using audio gear for the
last 28 years. He served
as project manag er and
contributed to the design
of the signature swivel
movement on the HG3.

About The

Design Team:

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USA: 1845 W. 169th Street, Gardena, CA 90247

tel: [phone] fax: [phone]

UK: Unit 4 Minerva Court, Woodland Industrial Estate, Torquay, TQ2 7BD

tel: [phone] fax: [phone]

email : [e-mail] • www.trident-audio.com

SERIES 82

®

, HG3®,TRIDENT AUDIO DEVELOPMENTS®, TRIDENT AUDIO®, TRIDENT SERIES®,

STUDIO PROJECTS®, and A RANGE®are all registered trademarks of PMI Audio Group. © 2011

Trident Audio Developments is part of PMI Audio Group.

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