Klipsch reference subwoofers owners manual

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REFERENCE SERIES IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 1.READ these instructions. 2.KEEP these instructions. 3.HEED all warnings. 4.FOLLOW all instructions. 5.DO NOT use this apparatus near water. 6.CLEAN ONLY with dry cloth. 7.DO NOT block any ventilation openings.Install in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. 8.DO NOTinstall near any heat sources such as radiators,heat registers,stoves,or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat. 9 .DO NOT defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wider blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obso- lete outlet. 10.PROTECT the power cord from being walked on or pinched,particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles,and the point where they exit from the apparatus. 11.ONLY USE attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer. 12.USE only with a cart,stand,tripod,bracket,or table specified by the manufacturer,or sold with the apparatus.When a cart is used,use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over. 13.UNPLUG this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time. 14.REFER all servicing to qualified service personnel.Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way,such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged,liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus,the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture,does not operate normally,or has been dropped. This symbol indicates that there are important operating and maintenance instructions in the literature accompanying this unit. This symbol indicates that dangerous voltage constituting a risk of electric shock is present within this unit. WARNING:To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock,do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture. WARNING:Voltages in this equipment are hazardous to life.No user-serviceable parts inside. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. CAUTION:Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void the users authority to operate this device. ABOUT YOUR KLIPSCH PURCHASE Thank you for your purchase of a Klipsch subwoofer.After reading this manual and connecting your system,you will hear the result of over 55 years of stringent engineering and class-leading research and development.Please be sure to fill out the warranty card at the back of this manual or online at www.klipsch.com so we are better able to serve you.Again,thank you for choosing Klipsch and we hope that your subwoofer brings life to your music and movies for many years. RISKOFELECTRICSHOCK DONOTOPEN PLACEMENT Although your Reference Series subwoofer will perform well in a wide variety of locations,you will get the most out of it by following some simple guidelines: -Although the subwoofers orientation is not critical,avoid placing the front (driver) side of the cabinet up against a wall. -The subwoofers output will increase as it is moved closer to walls,with maximum output achieved when it is placed in a corner.If practical,always place the subwoofer against or near a wall. -In most rooms,a subwoofer will deliver smoothest bass response when placed in a corner away from room openings,such as doors. -If you are using more than one subwoofer,you will usually achieve the best performance by placing them together in the same area rather than by spacing them apart. CONNECTION AND ADJUSTMENT Make all connections with the power turned off on your subwoofer and main amplifier. Your subwoofer has three sets of input connections on its back panel:(1) a single LFE-Direct RCA jack that bypasses the internal crossover; (2) a pair of RCA jacks for line-level stereo (or mono) input; and (3) a set of terminals for connection to speaker outputs on a receiver or amplifier.In addition,there are four controls on the back panel:(1) Main Power; (2) Auto Power On/Off; (3) Phase; and (4) Lowpass Crossover Frequency.The Volume Level control is located on the upper right side panel of the subwoofer. Digital Surround Receiver or Processor Connection - Todays Dolby Digital® (AC-3) and DTS® digital surround receivers and processors have line-level subwoofer outputs and built-in subwoofer crossovers.If your system is built around one of these,it will almost always be best to connect the subwoofer output on the receiver or processor to the subwoofers LFE Direct input (See Figure 1).This will bypass the subwoofers internal crossover and should only be done if these can be managed internally in the receiver.Use a shielded,high quality subwoofer interconnect cable of appropriate length with RCA plugs on each end.Your dealer can help you select a suitable cable.Be sure to go into your receiver or processors speaker setup menu and set Subwoofer to "On" or "Yes." Your receiver or processor may have additional bass management abilities beyond simply activating the subwoofer output.Consult your receiver or processors owners manual or your dealer for more information on the proper bass management settings for your system. Power -Set the subwoofers Main Power switch to "Off." Then plug the power cord into an AC outlet.You can turn the power on and off manually using the switch,or you can leave the Main Power turned on and set the Auto Power switch to "On," which will automatically turn the subwoofer on when a signal is detected at one of the inputs and off after a period of inactivity. We recommend Auto Power "On" for most systems. Figure 1

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Crossover Adjustment - Using the LFE Direct input bypasses the Crossover Frequency control on the back panel.Your receiver or processor will handle the crossover function.Most use a single,set frequency between 80Hz and 100Hz.If your receiver or processor gives you a choice of crossover frequencies,80Hz is usually a good starting point.Refer to the adjustment section for more information.In that case,start with the frequency that comes closest to match- ing the specified low-frequency limit of the smallest speakers in the system.After completing the other adjustments,you may want to experiment with moving the frequency up and down a little, to see if a different setting works slightly better.If the crossover frequency is set higher than 100Hz,the subwoofer should be in the front of the room near the front main speakers. Volume Control -Adjust the subwoofers Level to get a smooth transition between its output and that of the main speakers.Your receiver or processor will have a subwoofer level control in its speaker setup menu,so you will have to go back and forth a bit between it and the Level control on the subwoofer itself.In the end,you should wind up with the menu control somewhere in the middle of its range.Strive for bass that is solid but not overblown or boomy. Phase Control- In some installations the setting of the Phase Control may not make much difference,whereas in others it may be necessary to go back and forth between the Phase and the Level controls for a while in order to get the very best blend with the main speakers.Since each control setting (including the one for crossover frequency in the receiver or processor) affects the optimum settings for the others,it often takes a while to get everything dialed in just right.Start with the phase knob at 0° and play a recording with a prominent,repeating bass line in your listening position.Repeat this process with the control in the 90° and 180° positions.Use the setting that yields the greatest bass output. Analog Surround Receiver / Processor or Two-Channel Stereo System Connection - Some analog A/V receivers and processors (without Dolby Digital® or DTS® capability) have a line-level subwoofer output.Others have left- and right-channel line-level out- puts,as do some stereo receivers and integrated amplifiers.All separate stereo preamps and surround processors have line-level outputs.These outputs can be connected to your sub- woofers main line-level inputs (See Figure 2).You will need one or two shielded,high quality interconnect cables of appropriate length with RCA plugs on each end.Your dealer can help you select suitable cables.If your system does not provide any of these outputs,you will need to connect the subwoofers Speaker Level inputs to your receiver or integrated amplifiers speaker outputs (See Figure 3). -Subwoofer Output - Connect the subwoofer output jack to one of the line-level input jacks on the subwoofer.Do not use the LFE Direct input. -Preamp Outputs on Receiver or Integrated Amplifier- If your receiver or integrated amplifier has spare preamplifier outputs for its front left and right channels,connect these to the line-level input jacks on the subwoofer. -Pre-out/Main-in Loops on Receiver or Integrated Amplifier - Some receivers and integrated amplifiers have their preamplifier and power amplifier stages connected externally via jumpers.If yours has its left and right front channels connected this way,you can connect your subwoofer to those preamp outputs.You will need a pair of Y-adaptors,each with two male RCA plugs and one female RCA jack.Remove the jumpers for the two channels.For each,plug one leg of a Y-adaptor into the preamp output jack and another into the main amp input jack.Plug the cables leading to the subwoofer into the female ends of the Y-adaptors. Figure 2 -S e p a rate Preamplifier or Surround Pr o c e s s o r- You will need a pair of Y- a d ap t o r s ,each with one male RCA plug and two female RCA jacks. Unplug the cables leading from the front left- and right-channel outputs on the preamp or processor and plug the Y- a d aptors into them. For each c h a n n e l ,plug the cable leading to the power amplifier into one of the RCA jacks on the Y- a d aptor and the cable leading to the subwoofer into the other. -S p e a ker Ou t p u t s- Connect the subwoofers Speaker Level inputs to the same outputs on your receiver or integr ated amplifier as your front left and right speakers. This involves running a second set of wires from the left and right speaker outputs to the subwoofer. Maintain correct polarity, with positive (+, red) outputs connected to the positive inputs and negative ( -“ ,black) outputs connected to the negative inputs. Make sure that there is no metal-to-metal contact between the positive and negative sides of either connection at either end. Failure to o b s e rve this precaution can result in amplifier malfunction or damag e .The subwoofer can be connected to a secondary or B main channel output of your apmplifier if the volume of your main speakers is unaffected when both outputs are selected. P ower - Set the subwoofers Main Power switch to "Off." Then plug the power cord into an A C o u t l e t .You can turn the power on and off manually using the switch, or you can leave the Main Power turned on and set the Auto Power switch to "On," which will automat i c a l ly turn the subwoofer on when a signal is detected at one of the inputs and off after a period of inactivity. We recommend Auto Power "On" for most systems. A d j u s t m e n t- Start by setting the Crossover Frequency control to the ap p r o x i m ate low-frequency limit of your main left and right front speakers. If you dont have their specificat i o n s ,take an e d u c ated guess based on the size of the speakers. A large speaker will usually work down to lower frequencies than a small speaker. So for a large floorstanding loudspeaker, you might start with the Crossover Frequency set all the way down to 40Hz, whereas for very small satellite speakers you might want to turn it all the way up to 120Hz. Typical bookshelf speakers would tend to be in the 50Hz to 80Hz range. If the crossover frequency is set higher than 100Hz, the subwoofer should be in the front of the room near the front main speakers. P l ay a variety of music recordings containing strong but not overpowering bass. Adjust the sub- w o o f e r s Level control until the music sounds consistently warm and nat u r a l .If you have trouble getting enough low bass without the sound becoming boomy, it probab ly means the Crossover Frequency is set too high. Try turning it down a bit at a time until the problem goes aw ay. If the sound is thin until you turn the subwoofer Level up so much that the lower bass is too prominent, start by varying the setting of the Phase control. If that does not entirely solve the problem,y o u p r o b ab ly need to raise the Crossover Frequency. G e n e ral Comment About A d j u s t m e n t s: Since any change in the setting of one control tends to change the optimum settings for the others to some degr e e ,the adjustment process is very interac- tive and involves a gr e at deal of trial and error. If after a period of listening and calibration youre still not hap py, it may mean that you need to experiment a little with the location of the subwoofer. T h at ,of course, also interacts with everything else.A g a i n ,p atience is a virtue. The end result will be well worth the effo r t . CARE AND CLEANING The only thing you should ever need to do to your subwoofer is to dust it occasionally. Never ap p ly a ny abrasive or solvent-based cleaner or any harsh detergent. You can clean the grille with the brush attachment of a vacuum cleaner. Figure 3 SPEAKER