JBL S4Ai manual

S YNTHESIS ® F OUR S4VC, S4HC & S4Ai F LUSH -M OUNT L OUDSPEAKERS O WNER ’ S AND I NST ALLER ’ S M ANUAL[...]

I NTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................................3 I NCLUDED .............................................................................................................................................................4 S PEAKER P LACE[...]

Thank you for purchasing JBL Synthesis ® Four flush-mount home theater loudspeakers. These products represent the synthesis of everything that JBL ® has learned about the emotional power of audio and video in more than fifty years of preeminence in the field. They set new benchmarks in the use of “high technology” and provide you with the exp[...]

or or 4 One S4HC horizontal channel flush-mount loudspeaker One S4VC vertical channel flush-mount loudspeaker One S4Ai multipole ambient flush-mount loudspeaker Four mounting L-brackets with eight 1/4-20 x 3/4" screws Eight 8-32 x 1/2" screws for speaker installation One grille with grille frame I NCLUDED[...]

Positioning your loudspeakers properly is critical in order to achieve the sonic performance of a home theater . Please read the following section and the “Fine-T uning Y our Audio System” section for guidance in correct and optimal placement. L EFT AND R IGHT S PEAKERS : If you have purchased a Synthesis Four Digital Home Theater System, then [...]

N OTE : It is extremely important to place the tweeter/mid-bass arrays for each of the center , left and right speakers at the same height. The EOS waveguide containing the tweeter in the center channel speaker should be no more than two feet higher or lower than those in the left and right speakers. This preserves the “localization integrity” [...]

7.1-C HANNEL S YSTEMS In a 7.1-channel system, two speakers are added for rear fill, in addition to the sur- round speakers in a 5.1-channel system. The two additional speakers are placed on the rear wall or near the rear wall in the ceiling (see Figure 6). S4Ai M ODES OF O PERA TION The S4Ai multipole ambient surround speakers feature the unique c[...]

W HICH D IFFUSE M ODE I S THE R IGHT O NE FOR THE J OB ? D IPOLE M ODE I S T YPICALL Y U SED W HEN : • The speaker is located relatively close to the listening position. • Multiple side or rear speakers are being used in a small listening room. • The speaker is mounted near , but not in, a corner and will be subject to negative reflections fr[...]

In a 7.1-channel system, where two additional S4Ai speakers may be mounted in the rear wall, the positive phase arrays for all speakers should fire toward the rear corners, as shown in Figure 11. Thus, the side left speaker should be configured with its phase switch in the IN position, and the speaker on the right should be config- ured with its ph[...]

S4Ai D U AL -D R IVE M O DE As the S4Ai has the capability of producing both side and rear fields from a single location in Bipole mode while dual- drive n for cinema playback (see S4Ai Wiring Guide on page 7), some care must be taken when using the Direct-Radiating mode with the autoswitching trigger for music playback. Use Speaker Input #1 (see F[...]

surface, the speaker must be recessed in the wall no more than 1/4 inch. The grille pins fit directly into the speaker cabinet via receiver bushings with 15 ft/lb of tension per pin. Use the marked speaker -depth-indicator flanges (attached to the sides of the speaker baffle) to appropriately adjust the depth from the wall surface so that the baffl[...]

12 R E QUIREMENTS FOR M O UNTING O PTION 2–R ETROFIT /P REEXISTING C ONSTRUCTION : Use the S4RFB bracket. Mount the S4RFB to the wall surface and secure it to studs behind the wall. Attach the speaker via mounting flanges to the appropriate recessed distance. The S4VC and S4HC require a minimum 6" wall depth. The S4Ai requires a minimum 4&qu[...]

13 T o connect the Synthesis Four loudspeakers to the power amplifiers or receiver , use two-conductor insulated speaker wire. We recommend #14 A WG wire as a minimum size. Y our JBL dealer can recommend suitable cables. Both the S4VC and S4HC utilize push-style friction binding posts that can accommodate up to #10 AWG stranded wire. Since the S4Ai[...]

14 A COUSTICAL P ROBLEMS IN L ISTENING R OOMS A home THX audio system, such as the Synthesis Four system, addresses many of the problems common to high-quality reproduction of music or soundtracks in a home environment. For example, the dispersion pattern of the front LCR speakers minimizes the effects of floor and ceiling reflections. Still, the s[...]

15 However , since it is not possible to “toe-in” flush-mounted speakers, the next step is the strategic placement of absorptive materials on the side walls. These range from commercially avail- able fiberglass and dense foam to heavy draperies and even large, overstuffed furniture. The optimal position for these materials can be found with a s[...]

16 The best arrangement of the absorptive and nonabsorptive surfaces in the room can be seen in Figure 24. Most of the room surfaces are relatively absorptive, with the notable exception of the rear wall and the highest portions of the other walls, which should be diffusive. “S LAP ” E CHOES “Slap” echoes are common in rooms that have paral[...]

17 6 degrees and having the ceiling rise toward the rear of the room at a comparable rate will do wonders for the room’ s acoustics, if the wall design is solid and the angles are clearly intentional from the outset. R A TTLES Rattles in the room are structural resonances (as opposed to standing waves, which are airborne resonances) that the syst[...]

18 B A CKGROUND -N O ISE S O LUTIONS Many sources of noise in a home environment can be addressed simply . Locating the home theater in the basement often remov es it f rom man y house hold no ises as well a s isolating it from other family members. T aking care to completely seal windows and doors can also make a significant difference in reducing[...]

19 S T ANDING -W A VE S O LUTIONS : R OOM R A TIOS In new construction, the best way to minimize the audibility of standing waves is to plan for an even distribution of them, so that their effects do not “pile up” on top of each other . In this regard, the ratios of room dimensions are the critical factor . Rooms having equal dimen- sions are t[...]

20 Standing-wave energy tends to be concentrated in the corners of rooms, which is why placing a subwoofer in the cor- ner tends to increase its bass output. Because of this, it is possible to break standing waves up somewhat by “break- ing up” the corner . This can be accomplished by placing a column of thick, absorptive materials in the corne[...]

21 S Y MPTOM P R OBABLE C A USE S O LUTION No sound coming • Amplifier not turned on • Turn on amplifier. from speaker • Amplifier gain is low • Make sure that there is a mplifier gain for that channel. • Correct source not • Select proper source. s elected or turned on • Defective patch cords to amplifier • Check/replace patch cord[...]

22 S YMPTOM P ROBABLE C AUSE S OLUTION Bass is very weak • Subwoofers are wired out • Make sure that positive terminals on the of phase subwoofers go to the positive terminals on the amplifiers (red) and do the same for the negatives. • Subwoofers have not • Experiment with different locations. been placed optimally Poor or smeared imaging [...]

S PECIFICA TIONS 23 M O DEL # S4VC S4HC S4Ai D escription 3 -Way 8" (200mm) vertical 3-Way dual 6-1/2" (165mm) Configurable-array flush- flush-mount speaker horizontal flush-mount speaker mount surround speaker P ower Handling 2 50W 250W 200W Single-driven or 175W-per-array dual-driven N ominal Impedance 6 Ohms 6 Ohms 6 Ohms Sensitivity ([...]

JBL Consumer Products 250 Crossways Park Drive Woodbury, NY 11797 8500 Balboa Boulevard Northridge, CA 91329 818.830.8757 www.jblsynthesis.com Part No. 361103-001 11/05 Declaration of Conformity We, Harman Consumer Group International 2, route de Tours 72500 Château du Loir France declare in own responsibility that the products described in this o[...]