Von Schweikert DB-99-SE Owners manual

Von Schweikert Audio

World Class Reference Speaker Systems for Music and Film

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Instructions

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AMPLIFIER RECOMMENDATIONS……………………….………..… PAGE 2
CONTROLS ON REAR PANEL..……………………………………..… PAGE 2
UNPACKING & SHPPING DAMAGE………………………………..… PAGE 3
BREAK-IN……………………………………………………………….. PAGE 4
SETUP -- STARTING LOCATION………………………………………. PAGE 4
PLACEMENT CONSIDERATIONS…………………………………….. PAGE 6
WIRING…………………………………………………………………… PAGE 7
IMAGING CONSIDERATIONS ………………………………………… PAGE 8
PINK NOISE TEST FOR FOCUS……………………………………..…. PAGE 8
REAR AMBIENCE DRIVER…………………………………………….. PAGE 9
STANDING WAVES & BASS ADJUSTMENTS……………………….. PAGE 10
TROUBLE SHOOTING……………………………………………….….. PAGE 12
ROOM PROBLEMS AND TREATMENT……………………………….. PAGE 14
WARRANTY……………………………………………………………… PAGE 14

INTRODUCTION

hank you for investing in a Virtual Reality "DB" speaker system designed by Von
Schweikert Audio. Used properly, the DB-99SE will give you many wonderful

T

DB-99's powerful magic, please read the following instructions thoroughly. Although
the DB series may appear to be conventional speakers, they have been designed to work
with the listening room. Being a Room Interactive design, there are certain setup
procedures that must be followed. The DB series are engineered to replicate the
recording microphone’s signal in reverse, allowing the original soundfield to be
recreated in your home. This technology is proprietary and will allow the full emotional
content of the original performance to be heard by listeners anywhere in the room.
Please see our White Paper for more technical information on the design. As with all
high tech designs, there must be a commitment from the user to fully utilize this product.
The following instructions will enable you to achieve world-class sound.

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years of exciting musical reproduction, closer to the emotional truth of the
composer, performer, and producer’s intent. In order to fully benefit from the

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Von Schweikert Audio

World Class Reference Speaker Systems for Music and Film

Single Ended Tube Amplifiers are becoming more popular as audiophiles recognize that
high power ratings mean nothing is sound quality is sacrificed. The liquid sound and
image float has endeared the SET sound to many listeners, including Albert Von
Schweikert, who recognized the need for a speaker designed around the characteristics
of these wonderful sounding amplifiers. Since horn loading can work well at certain
frequency ranges, we have employed a very benign form of this loading in our tweeter
design. Horn loading is used to acoustically amplify the signal level, so that higher
efficiency/sensitivity is achieved. In our new tweeter design, a fabric dome driven by a
large ceramic magnet and linear motor system attains high SPL levels at one watt,
enabling very high clarity along with high dynamic range. In order to lower coloration
and distortion, we have employed a low distortion silk dome to ensure "sweet" high
frequency response. In addition, Ferrofluid has been used to both cool the voice coil and
lower mechanical distortion caused by chattering of the voice coil in the metal top plate
gap. To lower the resonance dramatically, we have designed a loading chamber behind
the dome that is filled with an acoustic damping material. This has eliminated the
"honky" sound of the device, allowing very neutral sound quality not often associated
with horn loaded tweeters.

RECOMMENDED AMPLIFICATION

We have designed the DB-99SE to operate with as little as 3 watts r.m.s and as high as
500 watts r.m.s. To achieve tight, powerful bass response, we have engineered a solid­state amplifier using high current power supply and Class A/AB operation. This
amplifier has a specially designed input stage that accepts the power output of the SET
amplifier and further amplifies the signal using bipolar transistors. The power output is
600 watts r.m.s. with 900 watts peak music power available for dynamic bass transients.
The single 10" magnesium-coned woofers are tuned to response down to 25Hz by the
triple chambered transmission line principle using a reflex port with flared ends to
reduce air turbulence at low frequencies. Although this bass system is dramatically deep
and extremely tight, it is a low efficiency design, necessitating the high-powered solid­state amplifier for driving power. However, the resulting sound is dramatically superior
to a typical large cone paper woofer in a horn-loaded enclosure driven directly by the
SET amplifier. This conventional type of high efficiency bass is slow and boomy due to
the large paper woofer, with a high degree of coloration that is not well tolerated by
discerning audiophiles used to the clarity of live music.

CONTROLS ON REAR PANEL

BASS BALANCE CONTROL
On the rear input terminal strip you will see two large control knobs and a set of Cardas
solid copper binding posts. The upper control adjusts the bass level of the amplifier and
woofers. Turn this knob clockwise to increase the bass level. NOTE: Unless your room

has unusual bass absorption or you are sitting in a bass "null," use the control at the
marked setting (flat frequency response). Too much bass will muddy the midrange

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Von Schweikert Audio

World Class Reference Speaker Systems for Music and Film

frequencies leading to a loss of transparency. However, if mandatory placement of the
speakers results in a bass loss due to a standing wave problem, increase the bass level
until the bass sound is sonically balanced to the midrange and treble ranges. This is
easily done by ear, playing a variety of recordings until you are satisfied with the bass
balance. The use of the supplied carpet spikes will ensure tight bass when the speaker is
placed on a thick rug.

SPATIAL DIMENSION CONTROL
The lower control knob adjusts the rear ambience driver's level. The Ambience Retrieval
system designed by Albert Von Schweikert allows concert hall depth and imaging to be
reproduced in the average living room. Recording microphones pick up sounds that
occur not only from the instrument itself but also reverberation caused by the hall
boundaries. This reverberation is either picked up by the rear of the omnidirectional
recording mic or is picked up out-of-phase at the front of the mic when using mics that
are non-omnidirectional. In either case, there is concert hall depth and ambience that is
encoded in the recording. To correctly reproduce this ambience, we have employed a
rear firing mid/treble driver, which is driven by an ambience extraction network. This
specialized signal is fed to the driver in an out-of-phase dipolar mode to correctly
reproduce the depth effect. In addition to the depth retrieval effects, a dipole speaker has
other great qualities including directional response patterns which allow off-axis
imaging to occur, as well as widen the "sweet spot" where both channels matrix
acoustically into a three dimensional spatial image. See the special section regarding
speaker placement below for imaging optimization using the Spatial Dimension Control.

SHIPPING DAMAGE

Please unpack the DB's on a rug, making sure to avoid scratching your hands or the
finish on the staples. Please note that the spikes are wrapped up in a cardboard package.

Do not install spikes at this time however, since you will be moving the speakers around
extensively while determining the correct place in the room for final installation.

When unpacking the DB's, please note any hidden shipping damage. If you find damage,
please notify the freight company who will then send an inspector. Do not discard the
boxes or otherwise alter the contents, as the inspector will want to see the damage as
you found it. Since Von Schweikert Audio has no control over the shipping companies
or their damage claim policies, it is imperative that you follow the instructions from the
freight company agent explicitly. Additionally, please retain all packing materials for
later use in the event of a move.

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Von Schweikert Audio

World Class Reference Speaker Systems for Music and Film

BREAK-IN

The DB’s use proprietary drivers custom made for this system. Raw drivers are broken
in for roughly 100 hours at considerable volume to reach suspension behavior’s “steady
state” prior to actual loudspeaker development. By contrast, production units receive 12
to 24 hours of break-in. Since the fluidity and dynamic range of the speaker depends on
free movement, you may notice a slight “brightness” or mechanical “heaviness” to the
sound for the first 20 hours. The sound engineered into the DB's will take approximately
80-100 hours to achieve, so we recommend that you not make critical judgements of
their sound until break-in is accomplished. Complete break-in is achieved after 400
hours. Break-in is best done by playing loud music or a break-in disc for several days
straight.

Note that it may take several months or longer to break the speakers in if only

quiet music is played at background levels.

Classical music played quietly does not contain enough bass or dynamics (in most cases)
to do a proper job, so we suggest using a CD player on repeat, using a loud rock album
or break-in CD as the source. Please make sure that the amplifier does not go into
clipping, though, as the heat generated may damage the drivers over a period of time.
(Clipping sounds like buzzing or harshness). If the sound is “clean”, however, you can
put 100 watts of music power into the DB-99's over a long period of time without any
damage.

INITIAL SETUP

Please do not install the spikes until the proper placement has been determined. You will
be moving the speakers several times in order to listen to different aspects of the
optimization, and the spikes will only make the movement more difficult. Since the
spikes tighten the bass dramatically, and also increase the image focus, do not worry
unduly about these two parameters until later in the setup process. Without the spikes,
the bass may be too “thick” and the image will not be as tightly focused, but this is
temporary. Also, turn off the rear ambience driver counter-clockwise until the setup is
complete. Please refer to the section regarding the REAR AMBIENCE DRIVER.

Starting Location

There are a number of considerations regarding initial placement, particularly involving
bass response and basic imaging. In general, bass response is strengthened when the
speakers are placed close to the rear or side walls, while imaging is enhanced by pulling
the speakers further into the room, away from walls. With your VR loudspeakers and the
following suggestions you will be able to achieve both deep and powerful bass and an
open sound stage.

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Von Schweikert Audio

World Class Reference Speaker Systems for Music and Film

ROOM CONFIGURATIONS: If you have a room with fairly rectangular dimensions,
you can place the speakers on either the long or short wall. If your room is cubic, you
will have far better results placing the speakers diagonally. See next section.

ON LONG WALL: Placing the speakers on the long wall enables you to achieve a very
large and wide sound stage. In fact, using an equilateral triangle as your starting point,
you can space the speakers as far apart as the listening distance, even if this is 15 feet.
Since the DB's have very wide dispersion, there will be no hole in the middle effect.
Place the speakers about 2-5ft from the rear wall, with this distance being the bass
optimizer. If you wish to achieve more depth, move them further into the room. If you
wish more bass, place them either closer to the rear wall or closer to the side walls.

*Note: Do not use the same distance from the rear wall and side wall, as this
distance will result in too much boost at this wavelength. Stagger this distance
by 40-70%.

Do not toe the speakers in at first, place them parallel to the side walls. In general, the
sound stage will be constrained to the distance between the speakers, so if you have the
DB's only six feet apart, you will hear a small sound stage. Since there will be a lot of
overlap between the left and right channels, the center image will be very dense and
monophonic. To correct for this, separate the speakers further; 8 feet to 12 feet apart is
not too much in a large room, but remember, the spread depends on the listening
distance. If you have to spread the speakers well apart but can’t sit far enough back due
to furniture and cosmetic considerations, you may have to toe the speakers in, with the
tweeters aimed directly at your ears.

ON SHORT WALL: Placing the speakers on the short wall and sitting far back in the
long end of the room may give you a concert hall experience if your room is large. Long
reverberation times due to long distances from boundaries can impart a ‘grand’ sense of
scale with classical music, although smaller rooms might curtail this effect somewhat.
Also, too much boundary reflection will result in echoes that may interfere with the
direct sound and blur imaging somewhat. If you suspect this condition, clap your hands
while standing at the speaker position. If you hear distinct echoes, you will have to treat
the room with specialized tuning products from Michael Green, RPG, ASC tube traps,
Sonex foam panels, and the like. If decorating is a consideration, try using rugs hanging
on the side walls at the first reflection point, and behind the speakers, directly in the
center. Your dealer can recommend tuning products he/she carries and may be able to
install them. If your dealer does not offer this service, call the above-mentioned tuning
companies for further information.

CUBIC ROOM, DIAGONAL LOCATION: Rooms with mathematically repeating
dimensions (like 16 x 16 x 8', for instance) will have a midbass/lower midrange
‘loading’ effect due to the similar ratios of boundary distances. In this case, it will help
to locate one speaker on each side of a corner and fire the speakers diagonally into the

930 Armorlite Drive, San Marcos, CA 92069

Ph [phone] Fax [phone]

E-mail:[e-mail]

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