Crystal Acoustics THX-T3 SE User manual

INSTRUCTIONS MANUAL
THX-T3
THX-B1
THX-ST
THX-C
THX-D
THX-10SUB
THX-10SUBt
THX-12SUB

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1. Introduction
Congratulations!!!
Crystal Audiovideo Ltd., the manufacturer of Crystal Audio
and Crystal Audiovideo products, introduces Crystal Acoustics,
a new brand for the USA and Canada.
Your new speakers, built to the highest standards,
meet all the technical requirements for state-of-the-art
sound reproduction. Our THX Select Subwoofers will bring
ultimate bass performance to your home entertainment system.
INDEX
Precautions ..........................................................................................................................................2
1. Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
1.1 THX Select Certified Products ..........................................................................................................4
1.2 THX Select Certified Speaker Features..............................................................................................4
1.2.1 THX Select Certified Systems........................................................................................................5
2. Positioning your THX Surround Sound Speakers ............................................................................6
2.1 Front Speakers ................................................................................................................................7
2.1.1 Placement of THX-T3 Front Tower Speakers ................................................................................7
2.1.2 Placement of THX-Center Speaker ................................................................................................7
2.2 Surround Speakers ..........................................................................................................................8
2.2.1 Placement of THX-Dipole Surround Speakers................................................................................8
2.2.2 Placement of THX-Surround Speakers ..........................................................................................8
2.3 THX-12SUB, THX-10SUB and THX-10SUBt Subwoofers ..................................................................9
2.3.1 Multiple Subwoofers ....................................................................................................................9
3. THX-System Speakers Connections ..............................................................................................10
4. THX-12SUB, THX-10SUB and THX-10SUBt Controls......................................................................11
5. Subwoofer Installation Guide ........................................................................................................12
6. Troubleshooting ............................................................................................................................13
6.1 No sound from THX-SUB ..............................................................................................................13
6.2 Boomy, dull, out of focus low frequencies ....................................................................................13
6.3 50/60 cycle hum coming from the subwoofer................................................................................13
7. Specifications ................................................................................................................................13
8. Room Acoustics Designer®(Loudspeaker Placement Interactive Software)......................................14
9. Home Theater Handbook - Sales and Buyer's Guide ....................................................................15
 Ensure your receiver or multichannel amplifier is switched off before connecting speakers
 Before powering the subwoofer make sure the local operating voltage is the same as that specified for your unit
 Turn subwoofer off before connecting the input cable
 Be sure to connect plus (+) and minus (-) terminals of the speakers' binding posts to the corresponding plus (+)
and minus (-) terminals of the receiver or multichannel amplifier
 Make sure that all connections are secure, especially if using bare speaker wires
 Contact between stray bare wires between plus (+) and minus (-) terminals may cause a damaging short-circuit
 Avoid using equalizers that may add distortion
 Your THX Select Certified speakers are built to tightly controlled tolerances and specifications so dispersion
and frequency response are optimized by design, even at high output levels
 There is risk of damaging your speaker drivers with low-power amplifiers operating at or near their power limits
 Clipping can destroy individual drivers, usually the tweeter
 That's why all Crystal Acoustics speakers feature Electronic Tweeter Protection
 Receivers and multichannel power amplifiers of at least 80 WRMS are recommended
 Do not drive speakers with continuous power exceeding the maximum indicated in the instruction manual
for each speaker model (See Specifications Section 6.)
 Use the best quality speaker cables and interconnect possible
 Connect speakers cables to the upper pair of binding posts when single-wiring and let the jumper links take
the signal to the lower frequency drivers
 Do not place loudspeakers in dusty or humid environments
 Avoid exposure to direct sunlight
!PRECAUTIONS
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THX Select Certified Subwoofers Feature:
Flat anechoic response from 35Hz to 200Hz and accurate in-room response from 19Hz to 350Hz
Sturdy cabinet construction with internal bracing
The THX-10SUBt combines foundation-shaking bass power and furniture-grade cabinetry with
an attractive glass top
High quality, powerful built-in amplifiers
Long throw woofers with huge magnets for a deep and powerful bottom-end
Accurate bass performance to THX standards when using one THX-12SUB or two THX-10SUB
subwoofers
Power savings when subwoofer automatically switches to stand-by mode after 10 minutes of no input
Power consumption is very low In stand-by
The LED on the subwoofer's rear panel lights orange for stand-by, red for operational
Note: Power should be turned off when the subwoofer is unused for long periods of time
Automatic power on in stand-by when signal appears at the subwoofer's input
Switching the subwoofer off then on again also restores it to operation
1.2.1 THX Select Certified Systems
The Crystal Acoustics THX Speaker System:
Two THX-T3 floorstanders or THX-B1 for left and right front channels as found in all THX-Systems
One THX-Center channel speaker also used in all THX-Systems
Two THX-Dipole wall-mounted speakers for the surround channels
THX-Surround speakers for the surround channels
One THX-12SUB THX Select Certified Subwoofer
Or Two THX-10SUB or THX-10SUBt Subwoofers to meet THX Select Certified requirements
1.1 THX Select Certified Products
THX, the trademark of THX Ltd., is the ultimate set of standards for home theater sound. It incorporates a
series of patented electronic and loudspeaker specifications designed to bring the big theater experience
right into your home.
THX was indeed the first standard, but Lucasfilm THX realized their specification must adjust for differently
sized home entertainment environments. THX Select is their reference standard for smaller rooms, cali-
brated to define reference level performance in rooms of about 2000 square feet.
Visit www.thx.com for more information on THX and their innovative technologies.
1.2 THX Select Certified Speaker Features
Crystal Acoustics speaker systems, optimized for a stupendous, powerful and dynamic surround sound
presentation, still delivers nuanced, high performance multichannel music when required.
They feature:
Absolutely flat frequency response
Easy placement:
THX Bass Management specifications minimize interaction between speakers and the room bound
aries--i.e., walls, corners, etc.
Free Air Rotating Spherical Tweeter avoids diffraction effects improving high frequency performance
Avoids having to move the whole speaker to set the tweeters for the right balance between a big
coherent soundstage and image focus
Electronic protection for the tweeters
Wide horizontal dispersion characteristics for wideband flat frequency response throughout the room
Controlled vertical dispersion diminishes ceiling and floor reflections for superior air, soundstage,
and imaging focus
High sound levels and dynamics capability
High sensitivity means even a relatively low-power A/V receiver or multichannel amplifier can drive
them as long as they can support multiple 4 ohm loads
High power handling means they're safe to use with powerful A/V receivers or big multichannel
amplifiers
Dipole speakers: THX recommend dipole surround speakers to more faithfully reproduce the surround
effects of movie theaters
Wide dispersion characteristics accurately reproduces the sound of two rows of side-mounted speakers
Timbre matching: Your THX-System speakers have similar tonal characteristics because of similar or
identical crossover topology, smooth frequency response, and quality drivers
Full magnetic shielding: Your THX-System are fully shielded for safe placement as near the TV/video
display as needed

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2.1 Front Speakers
The front L/R speakers are largely responsible for producing powerful dynamics, a textured midrange,
clear, accurate highs, plus soundstage imaging, stability and focus. THX technical specifications for front
and center speakers improve dialog intelligibility and support soundstage size and imaging in two ways:
Flat frequency response and wide horizontal dispersion characteristics assure off-axis listeners
enjoy surround effects as well as those in the middle
Controlled vertical dispersion lowers ceiling and floor reflections that muddy intelligibility,
soundstage integrity, and focus
2.1.1 Placement of THX-T3 Front Tower Speakers
Place front speakers equidistantly and slightly in front of the TV/video display
Measure the distance between the left and right front speakers
Measure the distance between the listening position and the midpoint between the front speakers
The difference should be no more than 15% of the L/R speaker distance
Angle the Spherical Tweeter Enclosures inwards towards the listening area.
Find the optimum tweeter angle that produces a wide yet focused soundstage
Adjust the speakers so the tweeters are at about ear height if possible
Move the speakers towards the wall to reinforce bass frequencies, and away to reduce them
Sometimes small changes can have a big result, so it's worth experimenting
Do not place them too far apart or you'll have a hole in the center of the soundstage
Do not place them too close together or the soundstage collapses into a fuzzy mono ball of
sound with no definition or separation
2.1.2 Placement of THX-Center Speaker
TV/Video Displays: Place the Center-THX directly above or below the screen,
whichever best points towards ear level
Projector Displays: Place the Center-THX behind or in front of the screen whether
it is acoustically transparent or not
2. Positioning your THX Surround
Sound Speakers
Your THX-System speakers are designed for high performance multichannel sound in a variety of listening
environments. They deliver powerful, engaging, you-are-there movie soundtracks, plus a nuanced,
detailed and dynamic musical presentation.
Follow these suggestions for best results:
All five speakers in a 5.1 system would ideally be equidistant from the listener. That way receivers
and processors wouldn't have to electronically time delay the sound from each speaker to arrive at the
listening area at same time.
Speaker output levels must be adjusted for equal output at the listening position.
Our new patented External Rotating Tweeter optimizes high frequency reproduction without having
to rotate the entire speaker cabinet
Turn the Free Air top-mounted Spherical Tweeters to point towards the listening area
Experiment by toeing the spherical tweeters inward and just outward of the listening position
for the best compromise between solid image focus and overall size of the soundstage
Figure 1: Speaker Configuration for 5.1 Systems

2.3 THX-12SUB, THX-10SUB and THX-10SUBt Subwoofers
Best positioning for one subwoofer can generally be found using the following suggestions:
Try placing the subwoofer close to the
listening position
Avoid positioning it equidistantly from
room boundaries like walls
Avoid positioning it near corners where
walls are not of solid construction
Corner placement may excite room
resonance resulting in boomy, muddy bass
Further experiment with speaker positioning;
place the subwoofer near your listening
position and play jazz with acoustic bass
and move around the room
Place the subwoofer where you hear the
deepest, best controlled and most articulate
bass frequencies.
2.3.1 Multiple Subwoofers
Two Subwoofers
Two subwoofers drive low frequencies more uniformly throughout the room because they:
Reduce resonant modes and standing waves
Extend bass response
Improves bass impact, slam, definition and control
Delivers higher sound pressure levels and superior dynamics for movies and multichannel music
Using two THX-10SUB or THX-10SUBt subwoofers brings the system up to THX Select Certified
specification
Place each subwoofer at the midpoint of the opposing wall
Four Subwoofers
Four THX-SUB subwoofers delivers stupendous, earth shattering bass to your home
entertainment system
Really pressurizes a room and improves low-frequency extension
Improves the power response almost everywhere in the listening area
Place each subwoofer at the four walls' midpoint
Figure 3: Placement of one subwoofer
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2.2 Surround Speakers
Surround speaker placement depends on the audio format (5.1,7.1, etc.) and the speakers in use. Dipoles
create a diffused soundfield ideal for surround effects. It's preferred for best performance from THX Select
Certified systems.
Your THX-Dipole surround speaker provides Movie Theater sound as immersive and dynamically impres-
sive as THX standards can make them. A dipole speaker "paints" the walls and ceiling with sound. There's
very little direct output toward the listener. The reflected sound off the room's walls and ceiling creates an
inviting, enveloping, experiential soundfield, immersing you directly into the movie experience. Once you
heard a properly set up system, it's hard to go back to anything else as it improves the entire experience
no matter what you're watching… or listening to.
2.2.1 Placement of THX-Dipole
Surround Speakers
The total of a speaker's radiated energy in all direc-
tions is called its power response. Your Crystal
Acoustics THX-Dipole surround speaker exhibits a
THX-mandated flat power response. The total ener-
gy radiated by a speaker--to the front, above, below,
behind, and to the sides--must together average a
flat response. Listeners anywhere in the soundfield
will enjoy surround effects
Mount your THX-Dipoles on the side walls
adjacent to the listening position about 2ft
(66cm) above ear height
2.2.2 Placement of THX-Surround Speakers
In some cases, on-wall dipoles aren't practical because of a room's layout. Just place another pair of
THX-Surround speakers behind the listening area for the same THX Select Certified home theater sur-
round experience.
Place the THX-Surround Speakers slightly behind the primary listening position
Adjust them to face each other behind the seating area
Optionally, experiment by adjusting the speakers to point at an angle towards the back or side walls
The sound reflects off the walls before reaching the listening area which simulates the L/R speaker
arrays found in many movie theaters
Figure 2: Dipole placement