Boston Acoustics E100 User manual

Reference
Speakers
Altavoces
de referencia
Haut-parleurs
de référence
Altoparlanti
di riferimento
Referenz-
lautsprecher
E100

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FrontView
Boston E100 Series Dimension Sheet
For more information on the E Series or any Boston
product, please contact Boston Technical Support at
1.978.538.5000 or by email at: [email protected]
Top View
Wall Bracket
EBR
7
3
/ 64 ’’
1
/ 64 ’’
179mm
7
1
/ 4 ’’
185mm
4
102mm
9’’
229mm
72
1892mm
’’

Contents
Specifications . . . . . . . . . 5
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Vertical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Wall Mounting . . . . . . . . 6
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . .6
Wire Management . . . . . .6
Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Staggering Distances . . . 7
The Ambience Tweeter . 8
Adding a Subwoofer . . . 8
Conventional Hookup . . .9
Bi-wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Bi-amping . . . . . . . . . . .10
Acoustics . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Bass Management . . . . .11
Contact Information . . .11
Boston Acoustics®
ESeries Reference
Speakers
While the E Series is Boston
Acoustics’ flagship home speaker
line, with each model combining
acoustical performance of a truly
superior order with strikingly
handsome looks and a high
degree of application flexibility
that make them perfect for cus-
tom installations. The top-of-the-
line E100 is something special. It
is simply the smoothest loud-
speaker ever produced in the 27-
year history of Boston Acoustics.
Remarkably accurate, neutral, and
revealing, it will immediately take
its place among the very finest
high-end designs available today.
What is most unusual, and shared
by very few loudspeakers, is its
airy spaciousness,resulting from
the E100 cabinet’sslimness and
smoothly rounded corners,which
makes all playback utterly natu-
ral, floating about the cabinets.
Yet there is more to home
audio than superb sound. The
E100 uses construction tech-
niques and materials that are not
just novel — resulting in a com-
pact form factor — but elegant.
The fashionable appearance
means it’s the perfect solution
for stylish home theater applica-
tions as well as music-only
rooms. The E100 design blends
attractively into decors both
modern and traditional, and
does so almost unobtrusively,
too, as it may be oriented either
vertically on its base, or even
horizontally as a center channel.
The design details tell the tale,
and more attention was paid to
detail in the development of the E
Series than in any previous Boston
Acoustics products. The design
started with the shape:
not plain
boxes,the line is complex, curved,
thin cabinets us
ing an appealing
variety of textures and materials,
with the goal of creating audio
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objects that are almost jewel-like.
Beneath the dazzling finishes are
high-performance loudspeaker
technologies, cleverly deployed.
The E100 uses one each of our
world-famous VR 1-inch alu-
minum-dome tweeter and the
new, higher-output VRHO™
tweeter. Its woofers feature cast-
aluminum baskets, oversized
voice coils, and neodymium
magnets for greater power han-
dling, increased output, and
superior reliability. All of these
E100 drivers were developed
exclusively for this project at
Boston Acoustics’ leading-edge
transducer development facility
inPeabody, Massachusetts.
The story of the cabinet begins
with a part of the speakers that
cannot be seen: the 5mm-thick
extruded-aluminum enclosure.
Extruded aluminum is extremely
rigid, letting the speakers’ drivers
create The Boston Sound® without
competing with energy coming
from the enclosure itself. Such an
enclosure also facilitates the E100’s
complex shape in a way that tradi-
tional box designs could not. But
we did not rely exclusively on the
material properties of aluminum
to maximize enclosure stiffness.
Extensiveribbing and internal
bracing increase cabinet rigidity to
the point of making it virtually
inert; spurious resonances and
vibrations that degrade the sound
of ordinary speakers are eliminat-
ed. Furthermore,the loudspeaker
drivers ordinarily would be
mounted directly to the front of
the aluminum extrusion. However,
Boston’sengineers discovered that
using a dissimilar material would
isolate the drivers from the cabinet
even more,maximizing output
and minimizing coloration, and
attached a thick MDF baffle to the
front. The overall construction is
so special that we applied for a
trademark for it: StabiliTek™.
An additional design feature,
which is oriented more toward
style and flexibility than sound, is
its interchangeable GroovLock™
side panels. All models are avail-
able with either high-gloss cherry
or satin ebony hardwood-veneer
side panels. A third option is
unfinished side panels, which can
be veneered, stained, painted, or
covered in cloth to match your
exact décor requirements.
The Boston Acoustics E100 is the
culmination of almost three
decades of extensive experience
developing superior loudspeakers,
and our proudest achievement. We
thank you for your purchase, and
weare confident you will enjoy
your speakers for decades to come.

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Your E100
Your new loudspeaker may be
oriented vertically or horizontally,
as left, right, center and/or sur-
round channels, and is suited for
use on walls as well as its attractive
base. Its woofers incorporate our
patented DCD™ technology with
deep (11
/ 2”) voice coils for rugged
power handling, and the tweeters
feature Boston’s proprietary
AMD™ (amplitude-modification
device) for finer highs. The cabi-
net is slender with smooth edges
and corners, which makes for a
genuine, audible difference in the
spaciousness and clarity of play-
back. Our MagnaGuard® magnet-
icshielding permits placement
right beside television monitors.
Inspection
Your speakers were carefully
packed at the factory in protective
cartons, but be sure to examine
both the cartons and the contents
for signs of shipping damage. If
there is such evidence, don’t destroy
the cartons or any of the packing
material, and notify your dealer
immediately. In any case it’s a good
idea to save the cartons and packing
if you can, for doing so will be a
great help (to you, to us, and to
your dealer) should you ever need
to return a unit in the future. Also
please save this manual for future
reference, and with it your sales slip.
Setup
Multiple mounting options are
available for the E100.
Specifications Especificaciones Caractéristiques Specifiche tecniche Technische Daten
*In keeping with our policy of continual product improvements, specifications are subject to change without notice. Please visit www.bostonacoustics.com for the latest specifications
on this products.
E100
Frequency Response (±2.5dB)
Recommended Amp Power
Nominal Impedance
Sensitivity (2.83v at 1m)
Woofer
Midrange
Tweeter – Front
Rear
Crossover Frequencies
Width
Height
Depth w/grille
Weight
35Hz–30kHz
75–400 watts
8ohms
89 dB
Six 51⁄4"(134mm) DCD design; neo magnet; 11⁄2”voice coil; vented
Dual 51⁄4" (134mm) DCD design; neo magnet; 11⁄2” voice coil
31⁄2"(89mm) DCD design; neo magnet
1" (25mm) VRH.O.™aluminum dome with AMD™
1" (25mm) VR with AMD, rear-facing (ambient), switchable
150Hz, 600Hz, 2.5kHz
71⁄4"(185mm)
77" (1951mm) on base
9" (229mm)
90 lbs (41kg)

Vertical
Please refer to the documen-
tation provided with the E100
base. Base installation entails
removal of the middle plate
[A] in the bottom rounded
endcap and attachment of the
base. Use the supplied hex
wrench [B] (either accompany-
ing this manual or attached to
the rear of the speaker).
Wall mounting
For wall mounting, either hori-
zontally or vertically, sturdy brack-
ets [C] (EBR sold separately) are
available; refer to the EBR bracket
documentation. You will need two
pairs of them. Also please note that
wall mounting is a two-person job.
Miscellaneous
All E series speakers come with
their grilles installed; we recommend
not removing any of the E100’s three
grilles. The Boston Acoustics logo on
the middle grille is rotatable, so you
may wish to turn it appropriately if
should you ever need to reorient
your speakers. Rotate the logo by
gently pulling it out (it’s spring-
loaded) and turn it to the desired ori-
entation. Be careful not to scratch the
grille with the bottom of the logo.
WireManagement
Recessed channels on the cabi-
net back let you dress the wiring
and conceal extra wire.
Placement:
Home Theater
For a home theater, you will want
to have the left and right front
speaker flank your TV. They may be
right next to it, for a neat appear-
ance and tightly imaged and
focused sound, or spread out from
it a bit, for wider stereo separation.
If they’re right next to the screen,
experiment with angling them out-
ward a bit, to increase the width of
the soundstage. Also refer to the
later subsection on usage of the rear
(ambience) tweeter.
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[A] [C][B]
This side up
for vertical
placement
This side up for
horizontal
placement

Acenter channel unit can go
above or below the TV, using
optional E pillows as needed.
Assurrounds in a 5.1 system,
[A] the speakers should go out to
the side of and slightly above the
main seating area. They also can
be positioned slightly ahead of or
slightly behind the center seats. If
possible, it’s best not to put them
behind the main seating area in a
5.1 setup. The 6.1 and 7.1 sur-
round configurations, however,
call for an additional speaker [B]
(6.1) or pair of speakers (7.1)
behind the couch shown in the
5.1 room above.
Placement: Music
For a music-only system, whether
2-channel stereo or surround, the
same guidelines apply,although
you can havemore leeway with the
front stereo arrangement. The front
speakers can form up to an equilat-
eral triangle with your main seats,
or somewhat narrower than that,
depending on your taste in imaging
and soundstage width.
Staggering distances
for smoother sound
Whether video or music play-
back, for smoothest and most
natural tonal balance in the lower
midrange, try to ensure that the
distances from the E100 center
woofer to the front wall, side wall,
and floor are not the same.
Indeed, if you can do so, make
them rather different — stagger
them. But as you get used to your
new system, always feel free to
experiment.
In locating your speakers you
also will want to pay attention to
any nearby lighting fixtures and
similar objects that may vibrate
when you are enjoying high listen-
ing levels.
MENU/ENTER
INPUTSELECT
DOWNUPLEFT/
-
RIGHT/+/EXIT
VOLUME
POWER/STANDBY
MENU/ENTER
INPUTSELECT
DOWNUPLEFT/
-
RIGHT/+/EXIT
VOLUME
POWER/STANDBY
[A] [B]
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The Ambience
Tweeter
Whether to turn off the rear
tweeter is essentially a matter of
taste. It is shipped set to its on
position, so you will immediately
experience the E100’s gratifyingly
spacious and natural treble play-
back when you fire up your new
loudspeakers.
If, however, your room is unusu-
ally bright or hard-sounding (lots
of bare surfaces, like wood or tile
floors, windows and mirrors or
other glass, etc.), or you simply
prefer a drier sound and a tighter
image, then feel free to experiment
with turning the rear tweeter off.
Similarly if you wall-mount your
E100s. The ambience tweeter will
be “splashing” against a nearby
hard surface,and you may well
find this rebalancing (a bit of siz-
zle,perhaps, assuming the front
wall is hard) to your liking, or you
maynot.
You also will want to experiment
with it on and off according to pro-
gram material —- movies vsmusic,
orchestral (or choral or chamber
music, or jazz) vspop and rock,
and so on.
You will find that the difference
in airiness and detail is subtle but
real, and further sets the E100
apart from most other modern
high-end loudspeaker designs.
Adding a Subwoofer
The E100 can handle a large
amount of power, including low
frequencies. Your receiver or ampli-
fier will probably distort before
your speakers will. And this power-
handling capability extends all the
way down to below 39Hz.
However, many modern movies
today, and certain kinds of musical
program material, contain signifi-
cant amounts of signal below
35Hz, whether from film-track
explosions or from drum, organ,
and synthesizer. Assuming you reg-
ularly play such movies and music,
you will want to add a subwoofer.
Boston Acoustics has several mod-
els available, the best solution
depending on your room size and
taste in program material. We even
offer in-wall/in-ceiling as well as in-
floor designs for lowbass that’s
heard but not seen. (Both require
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–9–
professional installation.) To dis-
cover which options work best for
your situation, please consult your
dealer.
Conventional
Hookup
WARNING: To prevent electrical
shock, always switch off the amplifi-
er or receiver when making connec-
tions to the speaker.
With any speaker system it’s
important that each speaker chan-
nel be wired the same way to your
receiver or amplifier, red speaker
terminal to red amp terminal and
black to black, + to + and – to – .
This ensures that the units are
driven with the same polarity (in
“phase”). Inconsistent connec-
tions will result in a poor sound-
stage image or weak bass.
For the connection to your
receiver or amp, use 16-gauge
wire. For short runs (less than 10-
15’), 18-gauge is acceptable, and
for longer runs (more than 25’),
14-gauge wire is preferable but a
bit harder to find. “Audiophile”
cable from your dealer is fine, too.
All speaker wire has one con-
ductor side coded to make con-
sistent hookups easier; usually
it’sathin ridge, ribbing, stripe or
bead running the length of the
wire, or sometimes the wire itself
is different colors, for example
one side silvered and the other
plain copper.Our 24K-gold-plate
(to prevent corrosion) speaker
connectors are what are called
five-waybinding posts,for sev-
eral means of fastening.
Banana plugs are easiest and
simplest, but spade lugs or
pins are acceptable,as is bare
wire if you avoid fraysand
strands,make the connection
tight, and check it regularly.
In all cases, split the vinyl
insulation in the middle of the
cable and strip 1⁄2”(12mm) off
the ends of each of the dual
strands, exposing the two wire
conductors. Twist the wire
and, with the receiver or
BareWire
Cable pelado
Fil nu
Filo nudo
Blanker Draht
Turn Clockwise to Tighten
Para apretar, gire en el sentido
de las manecillas del reloj
Tourner dans le sens horaire
pour serrer
Girare in senso orario per serrare
Im Uhrzeigersinn festdrehen
RL RR
FRONT A
LL
SURROUNDFRONT B CENTER
Wiring
Cableado
Câblage
Cablaggio
Kabelanschluss

amplifier turned off, make the
connection to your connector
of choice or simply insert the
wire into the hole and tighten,
as shown. Leave the jumper
plate where it is.
Bi-wiring
Bi-wiring means running a dou-
ble set of wire from your amplifier
orreceiver speaker output to each
Eseries cabinet, connecting to the
woofer(s) and tweeter separately.
The jumper plates must be
removed; see figure below.
Bi-wiring increases power
transfer and potentially decreases
intermodulation of different fre-
quencies. Any improvements are
subtle. If you bi-wire, use the
same type and length of wire for
all connections, and again main-
tain + to + (red) and – to –
(black).
1) Loosen all four terminals
and remove the jumper straps.
2) Connect the wires from the
amplifier’s speaker output ter-
minals to the sets of terminals
on the back of each speaker as
shown.
Bi-amping
Bi-amplification entails separate
amplifiers for the woofer(s) and
tweeter and can enhance the
dynamic performance and the ease
of the sound from your system.
Splitting the load lets each amplifi-
er work less hard, increasing the
power available to each driver.
If you bi-amp, use the same type
and length of wire for all connec-
tions,maintaining + to + (red) and
–to – (black).
1) Loosen all four terminals and
remove the jumper straps.
2) Connect the wires from the
dedicated woofer amplifier’s
speaker output terminals to
the bottom set of terminals
on the back of each speaker,
as shown.
3) Repeat for the tweeter:
Connect the wires from its
amplifier’s speaker output ter-
minals to the top set of termi-
nals on the back of each
speaker, as shown.
–10 –
RLRR
FRONT A
L
L
SURROUNDFRONT B CENTER
RL
RL