Martin Audio AQ Series manual

The Martin Experience AQ Series User ’s Guide All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice. CONTENTS[...]

AQ Series User Guid e Contents 1. Unpacking 2. Warranty 3. Introduction 4. Main features 5. Mounting brackets options 6. Installing with AQ Series brackets 7. Vertical aiming 8. Horizontal aiming 9. Distributed AQ Series systems 10. AQ Series arrays 11. Choosing a power amplifier 12. AQX System Controller 13. DX1 Speaker Management System 14. Using[...]

1. Unpacking Thank you for purchasing a Martin Audio AQ Seri es system. Every Martin Audio loudspeaker is built to the highest standard and thor oughly inspected before it leaves the factory. After unpacking the system, examine it carefully for any signs of transit damage and inform you r dealer if any such damage is found. It is suggested that you[...]

Six full range enclosures are available to suit a wide range of applications. Ranging from the ultra- compact dual 5.25” (130mm) ICT™ AQ5 to the very high power AQ15 with its 400W AES (1600W peak) 15” (380mm) direct radiator and high efficien cy HF compression driver, AQ Series products may be used individually, in multiples or in di stribute[...]

Main features Very wide 120 ° x 60 ° dispersion 120Hz – 20kHz 75W AES (300W peak) 4 ohms or 16 ohms (low profile switch on rear) Dual 5.25” (130mm) ICT ™ The ultra-compact Martin Audio AQ5 is equipped with two 5.25” (130mm) ICT™ - Inductively Coupled Transducer - drivers optim ally splayed for smooth, very wide coverage. The AQ5’s HF [...]

AQ8 (standard) AQ8TX30 (100V or 70V line versions) Main features Wide 90 ° x 50 ° dispersion Rotatable HF horn 75Hz – 20kHz 150W AES (600W peak) Two-way 8 ohm passive 8” (200mm) direct radiati ng LF cone + 1” (25mm) horn-loaded HF compression driver The Martin Audio AQ8 is a two-way passive loudspeaker designed to give excellent sonic perfo[...]

Main features Wide 90 ° x 50 ° dispersion Rotatable HF horn 65Hz – 20kHz 300W AES (1200W peak) Two-way 8 ohm passive 10” (250mm) direct radiating LF cone + 1” ( 25mm) ex it horn-loaded HF compression driver The Martin Audio AQ10 is a two-way passive loudspeaker designed to provide high sound pressure levels from a compact, architecturally f[...]

AQ15 (standard) AQ15TX150 (100V or 70V line option) Main features Wide 80 ° x 50 ° dispersion Rotatable HF horn 55Hz – 18kHz 400W AES (1600W peak) Two-way 8 ohm passive 15” (380mm) direct radiating LF cone + 1.4” (35mm) exit horn- loaded HF compression driver The Martin Audio AQ15 is a two-way passive louds peaker designed to provide very h[...]

AQ112 Main features 48Hz – 150Hz 400W AES (1600W peak) Easy 8 ohm load 12” (300mm) direct radiating LF cone with 3” (75mm) voice coil The Martin Audio AQ112 is a direct radiating subwoofer in an ultra- compact heavily braced, vented enclosure. It features a very efficient 12” (3 00 mm) long-throw bass driver with a high power 3” (75mm) vo[...]

AQ212 Main features 48Hz – 150Hz 800W AES (3200W peak) 4 ohm Dual 12” (300mm) direct radiating LF cones with 3” (75mm) voice coils The Martin Audio AQ212 is a dual driver, direct radiating subwoof er in a heavily braced, vented enclosure. It features two very efficient 12” (300mm) long-throw bass drivers with high power 3” (75mm) voice co[...]

5. Mounting bracket options AQWB6 Wall bracket for AQ5, AQ6 AQWB8 Wall bracket for AQ8, AQ10, AQ12 All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.[...]

AQCB6 Ceiling Bracket for AQ5, AQ6 AQCS AQCL Ceiling Brackets – AQCS (short) for AQ8, AQ 10, AQCL (long) for AQ8, AQ10, AQ12 Note that the short bracket may also be used with a horizontally mounted AQ12 All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.[...]

AQFB Flying Bracket – allows AQ8, AQ10, AQ12 to be flown at a choice of ve rtical angles depending on which pair of pick-up holes are used 6. Installing with AQ Series brackets Consult a qualified structural engineer with a fu ll kn owledge of the building, its load ratings and your intended loudspeaker installation plans before commencing any in[...]

Once the site is secure, attach the speaker /bracket assembly – or speaker/bracket/tube Loudspeaker brackets are attached to ceiling or wall brackets as required (cables and loudspeakers not shown for clarity) 1) Adjust as follows … All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.[...]

The complete installation should be checked and approved by a qualified structural engineer and a qualified electrical safety consultant before being signed off. 7. Vertical aiming AQ Series loudspeakers should be mounted above head height – high enough to clear peoples’ heads for clean coverage but low enough to avoid over-exciting room resona[...]

8. Horizontal aiming Horizontal angles should be set so that the loudspeaker’s main horizontal coverage is directed towards the main listening area. Avoid exce ssive reflections from nearby side walls. The following example shows AQ Series loudspeakers with 80 - 90 ° horizontal dispersion (all except AQ5) toed in 40 - 45° from the side walls AQ[...]

9. Distributed AQ Series systems AQ Series loudspeakers are ideal for distributed sound systems in places like sports stadium concourses, exhibition centre walkways etc… Distributed systems can provide superb sonic result s as long as the following simple steps are taken in the system design process: 1) Choose the AQ Series loudspeaker to suit th[...]

Example 1: Horizontally distributed AQ5 loudspeakers are required to cover smoothly from a minimum listener distance of 3m . The spacing required is 1.73 x 3m = 5.19m for very smooth coverage. Example 2: Horizontally distributed AQ12 loudspeakers are required to cover smoothly from a minimum listener distance of 6m . The spacing required is 0.84 x [...]

(*Note that the AQ5 is a wide coverage, dual driver system. Each AQ5 has two full-range ICT™ devices horizontally arrayed at 50 °. A 100° horizontal splay angle between AQ5 cabi net centres continues the arra y and provi des very smooth cover age) Useful high frequency coverage for pairs of AQ Series loudspeakers Horizontally arrayed pair (mini[...]

AQ Loudspeaker Rated Peak Power Suggested Martin Audio Power Amplifier (Note: Set rear gain switch es to 32dB, any MLS switches to 0 and any Clip Limiters to Off – AQX controller must be used for optimum limiter characteristics ) AQ5 (4ohms mode) 300W MA200Q or MA900 AQ5 (16ohms mode) 300W MA2.8S (for high voltage 1 6ohm dri ve) AQ6 standard (8oh[...]

The Martin Audio AQX is a vers atile analogue system controller, hous ed in a single 1.75” x 19” rack unit, which has been specifically designed to enhance the performance of AQ Series loudspeakers. It provides stereo 2-way active crossover functi ons for integrating AQ5, AQ6, AQ8, AQ10, AQ12 and AQ15 full range loudspeakers with AQ112, AQ210, [...]

Details AQX front panel detail AQX rear panel detail AQX System Controller configuration AQX controllers must be configured by qualif ied technicians. Switch off the AQX controller and ensure that the mains plug is removed from the power socket. The AQX controller contains internal jumpers to cater for all common AQ Series configurations. (AQX limi[...]

* “With Sub ” mode There are two HPFs (High Pass Filters) i n the signal path – one on the mother board and one on the top pcb. The HPF on the top pcb sets the lowest operating frequency for the AQ5, AQ6, AQ8, AQ10, AQ12 or AQ15 loudspeaker in “ Full Range ” mode. The motherboard HPF operates in “ W ith Sub ” mode to provide a main lo[...]

AQ5 with AQ112, AQ210 or AQ212 subwoofer Remember to select “ With Sub ” mode on the front panel AQ5 with AQ215 subwoofer Remember to select “ With Sub ” mode on the front panel All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.[...]

A Q6, AQ8 or AQ10 full range Remember to selec t “ Full range ” mode on the front panel AQ6, AQ8 or AQ10 with AQ112, AQ210 or AQ212 subwoofer Remember to select “ With Sub ” mode on the front panel All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.[...]

AQ6, AQ8 or AQ10 with AQ215 subwoofer Remember to select “ W ith Sub ” mode on the front panel AQ12 or AQ15 full range Remember to selec t “ Full range ” mode on the front panel All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.[...]

AQ12 or AQ15 *** with AQ112, AQ210 or AQ212 subwoofer Remember to select “ With Sub ” mode on the front panel ( *** Probably best to use SQ215 subwoofer unless there are architectural restrictions – see below) AQ12 or AQ15 with AQ215 subwoofer Remember to select “ With Sub ” mode on the front panel All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. [...]

AQX System Controller limiter settings Reminder: AQX controllers must only be configured by fu lly qualified electro-acoustics technicians as mistakes could prove costly. Switch off the AQ X controller and ensure that the mains plug is removed from the power socket. To set AQX limiters correctly: 1) Remove the AQX controller lid 2) Unplug and tempo[...]

All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.[...]

3) Replace the top pcb making sure that it is properly latched onto all four pillars 4) Replace the AQX lid making sure all four screws are in place and properly tightened. Notes: The above table includes limiter settings for systems driven via 70V & 100V line transformers. See Section 15 for typical loudspeaker wiring schemes. 13. DX1 Speaker [...]

Note: If you are reading this manual from the Martin Audio User Guides Su pplement CD (April 2005): Click here to locate the AQpres ets.zip folder on the CD Extract the contents o f the AQpresets .zip folder to a suitable place on your hard drive Use the MarLoad.exe software to “Load a Preset File” and select MARR0005. MARR0005 contains all non[...]

Binary preset files and a full .xbl library file will be found on the latest Us er Guides CD for XTA DP226 Loudspeaker Management Systems. Please s ee the Martin Audio User Guides CD (May 2005 or later) for further details. Please note: Output limiters will need to be fine adjusted for safe operation with your particular choice of power amplifier. [...]

AQ5/AQ112 system using AQX controller plus MA900 & MA4.2s power amplifiers Multiple AQ5/AQ212 system using AQX controlle r plus MA2.8s & MA4.2s power amplifiers Note: MA2.8s amplifier is used to provide adequat e amplifier voltage to the AQ5’s series-connected drivers in 16 ohm mode. All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to chan[...]

AQ Series powering recommendations (See later for line transformer versions) AQ Series Loudspeaker Quantity Recommended amp Nominal impedance Minimum impedance AQ5 (set for 4 ohms) 1 MA200Q or MA900 4 ohms 3.2 ohms 2 in parallel MA200Q or MA900 2 ohms 1.6 ohms AQ5 (set for 16 ohms) 1 MA2.8s 16 ohms 12.8 ohms 2 in parallel MA2.8s 8 ohms 6.4 ohms 3 i[...]

Typical AQ6, AQ8, AQ10, AQ12 or AQ15 wiring schemes Simple stereo full range system (AQ10/MA2.8s shown) Identical wiring schemes are used for AQ6 (E1300 or MA 1400 amplifier), AQ 6 16ohm AQ8 (MA1400 or MA1.6s), AQ10 (MA2.8s), AQ12 (M A2 .8s) or AQ15 (MA4.2s). Typical foreground music system with s ubs (AQ10/MA2.8s + AQ212/MA4.2s shown) Identical wi[...]

Typical distributed system with subs (AQ10/MA2.8s + AQ112/MA4.2s shown) Subwoofers may be switched to mono operation by setting AQX jumper J17 – see section 12. All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.[...]

70V or 100V line transformer systems AQ5TX30, AQ6TX30 and AQ8TX30 lo udspeakers are supplied with integral 30W line matching transformers. AQ10TX150, AQ12TX150, AQ15TX150 loudspeaker s are supplied with integral 150W line matching transformers. TX30 or TX150 loudspeakers are supplied pre-wired, to customer order, for 70 V or 100V operation. Please [...]

Typical 100V line system Note that each channel of the line amplifier s hould be capable of delivering power equal to the sum of all loudspeaker transformers connected to that channel. In the above example, there are ten 100V, 30W AQ5TX30s c onnected to each channel so the amplifier must be capable of delivering 10 x 30W per channel = 300W per chan[...]

16. Loudspeaker dimensions and specifications AQ5 Technical Specifications TYPE Ultra-compact, Dual ICT  , wide dispersi on vented trapez oid FREQUENCY RESPONSE (1) 120Hz-20kHz ± 3 dB DRIVERS 2 x 5.25” (130 mm) ICT  ful l-range drivers RATED POWER (2) 75W AES, 300W peak RECOMMENDED AMPLIFIER 75-150W int o 4 ohms SENSITIVIT Y (6) 91dB MAXIM[...]

AQ6 Technical Specifications TYPE Ultra-compact, two-way passive, vented trapezoid FREQUENCY RESPON SE (1) 80Hz-20kHz ± 3dB DRIVERS 6.5” (165m m) bass driver 1” (25mm ) horn loade d dome tweet er RATED POWER (2) 100W AES, 400W p eak RECOMMENDED AMPLIFIER 100-200W into 4 ohms SENSITIVIT Y (6) 90dB MAXIMUM S PL (7) 108dB c ontinuous , 114dB peak[...]

AQ8 Technical Specifications TYPE Ultra-compact, two-way passive, vented trapezoid FREQUENCY RESPON SE (1) 75Hz-20kHz ± 3dB DRIVERS 8” (200mm) ba ss driver 1” (25mm ) exit HF com pression drive r RATED POWER (2) 150W AES, 600W p eak RECOMMENDED AMPLIFIER 150-300W into 4 ohms SENSITIVIT Y (6) 93dB MAXIMUM S PL (7) 113dB c ontinuous , 119dB peak[...]

AQ10 Technical Specifications TYPE Compact, two-way passive, ve nted trapezoid FREQUENCY RESPON SE (1) 65Hz-20kHz ± 3dB DRIVERS 10” ( 250mm) bass driver 1” (25mm ) exit HF com pression drive r RATED POWE R (2) 300W AES, 1200W peak RECOMMENDED AMPLIFIER 300-600W into 4 ohms SENSITIVIT Y (6) 96dB MAXIMUM S PL (7) 119dB c ontinuous , 125dB peak N[...]

AQ12 Technical Specification TYPE Compact, two-way passive, ve nted trapezoid FREQUENCY RESPON SE (1) 62Hz-18kHz ± 3dB DRIVERS 12” ( 300mm) bass driver 1” (25mm ) exit HF com pression drive r RATED POWE R (2) 300W AES, 1200W peak RECOMMENDED AMPLIFIER 300-800W into 4 ohms SENSITIVIT Y (6) 97dB MAXIMUM S PL (7) 120dB c ontinuous , 126dB peak NO[...]

AQ15 Technical Specifications TYPE Compact, two-way passive, ve nted trapezoid FREQUENCY RESPON SE (1) 55Hz-18kHz ± 3dB DRIVERS 15” ( 380mm) bass driver 1.4” (35m m) exit HF compressi on driver RATED POWE R (2) 400W AES, 1600W peak RECOMMENDED AMPLIFIER 400-1000W into 4 ohms SENSITIVIT Y (6) 99dB MAXIMUM S PL (7) 123dB c ontinuous , 129dB peak[...]

AQ112 Technical Specifications TYPE Ultra-com pact, vented sub- bass FREQUENCY RESPONSE (1) 48Hz-150Hz ± 3dB DRIVERS 12” (300m m)/3” (75m m) voice coil LF driver RATED POWE R (2) 400W AES, 1600 W peak RECOMMENDED AMPLIFIER 400-800W into 4 ohms SENSITIVITY (6), (3) 96dB (o pen space), 102dB (half space) MAXIMUM S PL (calculated @ 1m ) 120dB con[...]

AQ210 Technical Specifications TYPE Ultra-com pact, dual driver, l ow profi le, vented s ub- bass FREQUENCY RESPONSE (1) 50Hz-150Hz ± 3dB DRIVERS 2 x 10” ( 250mm )/3” (75mm) voi ce coil LF d rivers RATED POWE R (2) 600W AES, 2400 W peak RECOMMENDED AMPLIFIER 400-800W into 4 ohms SENSITIVITY (6), (3) 98dB (o pen space), 104dB (half space) MAXIM[...]

AQ212 Technical Specifications TYPE Compact, dual driver, low profile, ve nted sub-bass FREQUENCY RESPONSE (1) 48Hz-150Hz ± 3dB DRIVERS 2 x 12” ( 300mm )/3” (75mm) voi ce coil LF d rivers RATED POWE R (2) 800W AES, 3200 W peak RECOMMENDED AMPLIFIER 400-1200W into 4 oh ms SENSITIVITY (6), (3) 99dB (o pen space), 105dB (half space) MAXIMUM S PL [...]

AQ215 Technical Specifications TYPE Compact, dual driver, low profile, ve nted sub-bass FREQUENCY RESPONSE (1) 40Hz-120Hz ± 3dB DRIVERS 2 x 15” (3 80mm )/4” (100mm) voi ce coil LF d rivers RATED POWER (2) 1000W AES, 4000W peak RECOMMENDED AMPLIFIER 500-1600W into 4 oh ms SENSITIVITY (6), (3) 101dB (o pen space), 107dB (half space) MAXIMUM S PL[...]

17. Links to AQ Series polar responses Full range AQ Series loudspeak er polar plots are available in multi-page Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. To view these, click on the appropriate link: AQ5 Horizontal AQ5 Vertical AQ6 Horizontal AQ6 Vertical AQ8 Horizontal AQ8 Vertical AQ10 Horizontal AQ10 Vertical AQ12 Horizontal AQ12 Vertical AQ15 Horizontal A[...]