Altec Lansing A7 User manual

Owner’s Manual

030519 A7 Owner's Manual ii
Table of Contents
Introduction ...........................................................................................................1
Unpacking.............................................................................................................2
Components .........................................................................................................3
Assembling ...........................................................................................................4
Placing Stereo Loudspeakers ...............................................................................6
Connecting............................................................................................................7
Specifications........................................................................................................8
Warranty ...............................................................................................................9

030519 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 test, 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.
The Voice of the Theatre. Known by name. Known by sight. Known by
reputation. A legend 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.
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.

030519 A7 Owner's Manual 2
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 to the pallet.
Step 3
Use snips to cut the straps holding the cardboard-
encased speaker to the pallet.
Step 4
Open top of box and then slide the box up off of
the speaker. The grill and horn mounting
brackets are packaged separately inside the
shipping box.
Step 5
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 Packaging Material
If there is a need to return the loudspeaker under warranty conditions, you will
need the packaging material to properly repackage the loudspeaker for transit.

030519 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 enclosure is hand made
from 13 layer Baltic Birch and covered with a durable
black splatter finish.
Low Frequency Woofer – 15” Model 515-8G
Molded cone. 8 ohm impedance.
High Frequency Sectoral Horn – Model 511B
Die cast aluminum 90° X 40° sectoral horn.
High Frequency Compression Driver –
Model 902-8T
Aluminum diaphragm. 8 ohm impedance.
Front & Rear Mounting Brackets
Used to mount the horn assembly on top of the
loudspeaker cabinet.
Crossover Network – Model N-900A
900 Hz high quality air-core inductor with low-loss
polypropylene capacitors. The dial adjusts the
relative loudness of the high frequency driver.
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. ALTEC ships the A7
jumpered for mono wiring. Simply remove the jumpers for
bi-amplification. Binding posts accept either spades or
banana plugs.
Grill
Fabric grill with metal ALTEC logo which inserts into the
bass reflex port.
Manual
This document which contains product use and warranty information.

030519 A7 Owner's Manual 4
ASSEMBLING
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
If you would prefer to keep the horn assembly positioned inside of the cabinet,
please proceed to the next section “Placing Stereo Loudspeakers”.
Step 2
Remove the rear panel by using a 5/32” hex key to remove the bolts around the
perimeter of the rear panel. Be aware that the crossover network is attached to
the rear panel and that wires connect the crossover network to the drivers in the
cabinet. Take care not to apply tension to those connecting wires.
Step 3
Reach in behind the high frequency horn assembly and disconnect the wires.
Step 4
Support the horn assembly during removal. Using a 3/8” socket or wrench, gently
remove the nuts, washers and bolts holding the horn assembly inside the
cabinet. Keep track of the nuts, washers and bolts for later use.
Step 5
Attach the front mounting bracket to the pre-drilled holes on top of the
loudspeaker using the supplied bolts.
Step 6
Attach the horn mounting bracket to the sectoral horn to create the horn
assembly.
Step 7
Position the horn assembly on top of the cabinet over the pre-drilled holes. Using
a 3/8” socket or wrench, attach the horn assembly to the cabinet using the same
bolts, washers and nuts.
Step 8
Unscrew the plug on the top of the rear panel. Thread the high frequency horn
assembly wires through the unplugged hole on the top of the rear panel.

030519 A7 Owner's Manual 5
Step 9
Reattach the rear panel by using a 5/32” hex key to replace the bolts around the
perimeter of the rear panel.
Step 10
Reconnect the horn assembly wires as before, ensuring that the dark (blue) wire
is connected to the negative terminal and that the light (yellow) wire is connected
to the positive (+) terminal. The positive (+) terminal is marked and is on the right
side of the terminal block. Improper wiring of the horn assembly may result in the
speakers being out of phase.
Step 11
Insert grill over the bass reflex port.

030519 A7 Owner's Manual 6
PLACING STEREO LOUDSPEAKERS
If the speakers are too closely spaced, as in a single enclosure that houses two
speakers only a few feet apart, the time and intensity difference is so small that
spatial quality is severely limited. Except in a very small room, eight feet is
considered minimum spacing between speakers for good stereo.
In a two-channel system, good stereo listening begins a distance in front of the
speakers equal to their separation, and continues for twice this distance. For
example, if the speakers are placed 8 feet apart, the best listening area extends
from 8 to 16 feet in front of the speakers.

030519 A7 Owner's Manual 7
CONNECTING
IMPORTANT: Check your Amplifier’s Impedance and Power
Specifications
This A7 loudspeaker has an 8 Ohm (Ω) input impedance and is designed to
handle continuous input power levels of up to 200 Watts RMS.
Do not connect this loudspeaker to an amplifier rated at more than 200 Watts
RMS per channel; significant damage to the loudspeaker could result.
IMPORTANT: Wire Size
High quality commercial 14 AWG, stranded, insulated wire may be used for
connection of this ALTEC loudspeaker. This is considered minimum size wire for
speaker/amplifier connections up to 30 feet. For wire runs longer than 30 feet, 10
AWG or larger wire is recommended. The binding posts on this ALTEC
loudspeaker accommodate either banana plugs or spade connectors, although
bare wire can also be used.
Step 1
For bare wire without banana plugs or spade connectors, strip ½” of insulation off
of both ends of the speaker wire if it has not already been done.
Step 2
Connect one end of the marked wire (usually marked with a colored pattern on its
insulation) to the positive (+) speaker terminal post. If using spade connectors or
bare wires, tighten the nut down securely.
Step 3
Connect one end of the non-marked wire to the negative (-) speaker terminal
post. If using spade connectors or bare wires, 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 (+) 8Ω
terminal on the amplifier.
Step 6
Connect the second non-marked wire to the negative (-) 8Ωterminal on the
amplifier.
Step 7
Power up the amplifier and enjoy the great ALTEC sound.

030519 A7 Owner's Manual 8
SPECIFICATIONS
Frequency response
±10 dB
35 Hz to 22 kHz
Low frequency roll-off
-3 dB
54 Hz
System power capacity
Rating based on test signal of
continuous pink noise, per IEC
spectrum for two hours duration.
200 W
Sensitivity
1 watt at 1 meter
97 dB
Nominal impedance 8 ohms
Crossover frequency 900 Hz
Nominal coverage 90° horizontal, 40° vertical
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 54 inches
Net system weight 170 lbs