Altec Lansing A7 User manual

A7
S/N:
MADE IN USA
Limited Edition
OWNER'S
MANUAL

ii ■A7 Owner’s Manual
warranty
30-DAY PRODUCT RETURN WARRANTY
If for any reason you decide that this A7 loudspeaker is not what you were expecting (including cabinet
cosmetics), you may return it to us using the original packaging material within 30 days of receipt.
For additional information and to receive a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA), please contact
ALTEC using the information below.
ONE-YEAR WARRANTY ON DRIVERS, NETWORK, AND BINDING POSTS
If you encounter any loss of functionality in the drivers, network, or binding posts due to manufacturing
defects within one year of receipt, please contact ALTEC using the information below. Replacement parts
and installation instructions will be mailed to you along with a pre-paid shipping box for returning the
malfunctioning parts.
This one-year warranty does not cover cabinet cosmetics not reported to ALTEC during the first 30 days
after receipt.
IF YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE
Your ALTEC loudspeaker is a precision instrument, responding with high accuracy to the variations in electric
current produced by other components in your system. Extraneous noise such as hum, rumble, or hissing do
not originate in the loudspeaker. If you experience difficulty in realizing the fine performance built into your
ALTEC loudspeaker, you may contact us directly.
CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS
Altec Lansing Technologies, Inc.
535 Routes 6 & 209, Milford, PA 18337-0277
800-ALTEC-88 Toll-Free Technical Support
570-296-4434 • Fax [phone]
[email protected]
EUROPE
13 Rue Beaumont, L-1219 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Tel: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
ASIA/PACIFIC
25 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui Kowloon, Hong Kong
(852) 2735-7331 • Fax [phone]
©2005 Altec Lansing Technologies, Inc.
ALTEC, ALTEC LANSING, the Altec Lansing logo, the swirl design, the Voice of Theatre are registered trademarks or trademarks
of Altec Lansing.
Table of Contents
WARRANTY .................................... ii
INTRODUCTION .............................. 1
UNPACKING .................................. 2
COMPONENTS ................................ 3
ASSEMBLY .................................... 4
SPECIFICATIONS ............................ 6

A7 Owner’s Manual ■1
Introduction
ALTEC loudspeakers have been the standard of the professional recording,
broadcast and theatre industries. These ALTEC loudspeakers are handcrafted and
tested to meet ALTEC's standards—the most rigid in the industry.
In 1945, Altec introduced an amazing series of two-way speaker systems to the
world of motion picture entertainment. Their success was instantaneous!
Following prolonged competitive tests, this series of speaker systems became the
only commercially available sound for motion pictures approved by the Research
Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . . . thereby,
establishing the “Voice of the Theatre” as the “standard” of the entire industry.
(1966 Altec Lansing Product Catalog)
The Voice of the Theatre. Known by name. Known by sight. Known by reputation.
Alegend in its own time. Once an exclusively professional product, overwhelming
demand forced its being made available to those who insist upon its unparalleled
presence and efficiency for their homes. The only way to duplicate the excitement
inherent in the sound of the theatre - the Voice of the Theatre.
Excitement . . . drama . . . realism . . . emotion . . . Adjectives that describe the
ways you feel during the film experience. The experience of sight - and of sound.
The experience that is the Voice of the Theatre - a legend in its own time. (1975
Altec Lansing Product Catalog)
The legacy of the A7 is a famous one. Starting life purely as a cinema playback
unit, it was soon in demand for use as a studio monitor and home reproducer.
Many engineers still swear by the A7, and have made it their standard of
comparison for everything audio. Very versatile and efficient, the A7 is ideally
suited for use wherever good projection over long distances of wide-response
material is required. (1975 Altec Lansing Federal Product Catalog)

2■A7 Owner’s Manual
unpacking
IMPORTANT: PROTECT THE LOUDSPEAKER
The loudspeaker cone assemblies are fragile and should not be touched.
STEP 1: Before removing the protective shipping material, look for obvious
signs of shipping damage such as severely crushed corners or deep
punctures that may have marred the speaker cabinet. If severe
damage has occurred, immediately contact the shipping company
to file a claim.
STEP 2: Using a knife, carefully cut away any plastic which is holding the
cardboard-encased speaker on the pallet.
STEP 3: Use metal snips to cut the metal straps holding the cardboard-
encased speaker on the pallet.
STEP 4: Remove the top cardboard cap.
STEP 5: Using a knife, carefully cut on the dotted line printed along one
corner of the cardboard. Only cut deep enough to penetrate
the cardboard.
STEP 6: Remove the protective cardboard, foam, and plastic
packaging material.
IMPORTANT: USE CAUTION WHEN MOVING THE LOUDSPEAKER
Because each A7 weighs approximately 200 pounds, use caution when moving
the loudspeaker to avoid personal injury. Use multiple people or a dolly and
protective blankets when moving the loudspeaker off of the pallet and to its
final location.
IMPORTANT: RETAIN THE PALLET AND PACKAGING MATERIAL
If there is a need to return the loudspeaker under warranty conditions, you will
need the pallet and packaging material to properly repackage the loudspeaker
for transit.

A7 Owner’s Manual ■3
components
The following components are contained in the A7 loudspeaker's
shipping container.
CABINET — MODEL 828
This A7 Loudspeaker cabinet is hand made from
13 layer Baltic Birch and covered with a durable
black splatter finish.
The prime reason for an enclosure or baffle is to
separate the sound radiated from the rear of a
low frequency loudspeaker diaphragm or cone
so that it does not cancel the radiation
generated by the front of the cone. The
enclosure is designed as a component of an
acoustical system. A properly designed cabinet
cannot make a poorly designed loudspeaker
operate satisfactorily, nor can a well designed
loudspeaker perform efficiently when housed in
an inferior enclosure.
LOW FREQUENCY WOOFER - 15” MODEL 515.
HIGH FREQUENCY COMPRESSION DRIVER - MODEL 902.
HIGH FREQUENCY SECTORAL HORN - MODEL 511B
90° X 40° Sectoral Horn.
NETWORK - MODEL N-900A.
BINDING POSTS - CARDAS ACBP-S
Two pair. Non-magnetic, billet Brass, short binding post, Rhodium over Silver
plate. Billet brass nut, Gold plate. Glass filled nylon insulator. We ship the A7
jumpered for mono wiring. Simply remove the jumpers for bi-amplification.
Binding posts accept either _” spades or banana plugs.
MANUAL
This document which contains product use and warranty information.

4■A7 Owner’s Manual
assembly
IMPORTANT: FINISH ASSEMBLY BEFORE CONNECTING TO AMPLIFIER
For protection, this A7 loudspeaker is shipped with the horn assembly fixed inside
the cabinet. For optimum sound quality, follow the assembly steps below for
repositioning the horn assembly on top of the loudspeaker cabinet.
STEP 1: Support the horn assembly during removal. Using a 5/32" allen
wrench, gently remove the allen screws, and washers holding the
horn assembly inside the cabinet. Keep track of the provided lock
nuts, washers and screws for later use.
STEP 2: Attach the front and rear support brackets to the horn utilizing the
allen screws, washers and lock nuts provided. This will require the
5/32" allen wrench and a 7/16" wrench or socket.
STEP 3: Position the horn/bracket assembly on top of the cabinet over the
pre-drilled holes. Using a 5/32" allen wrench, reattach the horn
assembly to the cabinet using the same allen screws,.
STEP 4: Attach the Blue and Yellow wires extending from the top of the
back panel to the positive and negative terminals of the Model 902
compression driver.Yellow is connected to the Positive terminal and
Blue to the Negative terminal.
WIRING
IMPORTANT: CHECK YOUR AMPLIFIER'S IMPEDANCE AND POWER
SPECIFICATIONS
This A7 loudspeaker has an 8 Ohm (_) input impedance and is designed to handle
continuous input power levels of up to 125 Watts RMS.
Do not connect this loudspeaker to amplifier speaker terminals which are rated at
less than 8 Ohms (_); significant damage to the loudspeaker could result.
Do not connect this loudspeaker to an amplifier rated at more than 125 Watts
RMS per channel; significant damage to the loudspeaker could result.

A7 Owner’s Manual ■5
assembly (cont.)
IMPORTANT: WIRE SIZE
Ordinary commercial 18-guage, stranded, insulated wire may be used for
connection of ALTEC loudspeakers. This is considered minimum size wire for
speaker/amplifier connections up to 30 feet. For wire runs longer than 30 feet,
16-guage or larger wire is recommended.
STEP 1: Strip 0.5" of insulation off of both ends of the speaker wire if it has
not already been done.
STEP 2: Insert the bare end of the marked wire (usually marked with a
colored pattern on its insulation) into the hole in the positive (+)
speaker terminal post. Tighten the nut down securely.
STEP 3: Insert the bare end of the second wire into the hole in the negative
(-) speaker terminal post. Tighten the nut down securely.
STEP 4: Lay out the wire over to the amplifier.
STEP 5: Connect the other end of the marked wire (refer to step 2) to the
positive (+) 8Ωterminal on the amplifier.
STEP 6: Connect the second wire to the negative (-) 8Ωterminal on the
amplifier.
STEP 7: Power up the amplifier and enjoy the great ALTEC sound.

6■A7 Owner’s Manual
specifications
FREQUENCY RESPONSE
±10 dB 45 Hz to 20 kHz
LOW FREQUENCY ROLL-OFF
-3 dB 54 Hz
SYSTEM POWER CAPACITY 125 W
Rating based on test signal of
continuous pink noise, per IEC
spectrum for two hours duration.
SENSITIVITY 97 dB
1watt at 1 meter
NOMINAL IMPEDANCE 8 Ohms
CROSSOVER FREQUENCY 900 Hz
NOMINAL COVERAGE 90° horizontal, 40° vertical
HALF-SPACE REFERENCE EFFICIENCY 3.2%
MAXIMUM ACOUSTIC POWER OUTPUT 7acoustic watts
Sine wave input
SYSTEM POLARITY Positive voltage to RED produces
forward cone motion
BINDING POSTS Two pair. Jumpered for mono wiring.
Bi-amp capable. Accepts either spades
or bananas.
FINISH Black, abrasion resistant splatter
DIMENSIONS (W x D x H) 30 x 24 x 52 inches
NET SYSTEM WEIGHT 170 lbs