DLS DLS Home Audio User manual

Owner’s Manual
DLS Home Audio speakers
Audio for Life
The information contained in this manual is subject to
change without prior notice. The most current version of
this manual is available on our official website at:
www.dls.se
Copyright c DLS Svenska AB. All rights reserved

1

This product must be
returned to the separate col-
lection system for electronic
products. Do not dispose this
product together with general
household waste.
Marking by the ”CE” symbol
indicates compliance of this
device with the EMC (Electro-
magnetic Compatibility) and
LVD (Low Voltage Directive)
standards of the European
Community
Introduction!
Please read this manual fully before unpacking
and installing the product. It will help you to
optimise your speakers performance.
Unpacking and maintenance
Your speaker should be treated with the same
care you would treat a piece of furniture. Use a
piece of soft cloth and a small quantity of warm
soapy water to clean the loudspeakers. Avoid
touching the cone of the bass unit or treble
dome since this may leave a fingermark or
damage the dome and spoil its performance.
After unpacking, we suggest you retain all
packing material for future transports.
Running-in period
The performance of the speaker will change
subtly during the listening period. Please allow
your new speakers to play about 50 hours of
music at normal listening level before doing
any critical listening.
CAUTION!
If you hear distortion when you increase the
volume this is normally a sign of overloading
the amplifier and you should immediately re-
duce the output level. Use of loudness, bass
or treble boost increases the risk for harmful
distortion in the amplifier. We recommend
that you use these controls with care.
Stability
All floorstanding models are delivered with
spikes providing improved acoustical isola-
tion and height adjustment. To obtain proper
mechanical coupling to the floor, adjust until
all spikes have equal contact.
Floor standing models are also equipped with
an internal sub-cavity, intended to be filled with
sand with a grain size of more than 1mm. For
environmental reasons we do not recommend
lead shot. Carefully
remove the sand plugg under the terminal
on the rear of the speaker, and fill up. The
increased mass will enhance contact with the
floor, further reduce resonances and increase
stability and focus of the soundstage.
2

Room positioning
2-channel stereo
The performance of a loudspeaker system in a
room varies with placement. Ideal positioning
of the speakers are 3-4 m apart and prefera-
bly at least 0.5-1m away from side and rear
walls se fig. 1. Avoid distances from walls that
correspond to 1/2, 1/4, 1/6 etc., of the room
dimensions. Seek instead odd fractions; 1/3,
1/5, 1/7 etc.to minimize effects of room related
resonances.
You will perceive the most accurate sound
picture if you listen from a position halfway
between the loudspeakers, and three to four
metres away. Avoid corner placement as it
leads to colouration and an overemphasise
of the lower frequencies. Image stability and
stereo perception is increased if the two spea-
kers are turned slightly towards the listening
position. Try this out and listen for best stereo
image and centre focus. Objects in the direct
sound path can disturbe the coherence of the
sound picture. Try out different positions before
deciding on a final arrangement.
Surround system
Centre speaker positions:
For a front centre speaker position it direc-
tly above or below the screen, depending on
screen height. Optimum is in the same height
as the front speaker sound centre (0.8-1m for
floor standing models).
Front right and left speaker:
Place the speaker 0.5-1m from the TV. For
large projection screens, space speaker 0.1-
0.5m from screen. Try to follow the 2-channel
position as close as possible in room for best
sound image.
Surround speaker "rear speaker"
Depending on where you sit in the room there
are two ways of presenting the sound image.
Direct or diffuse surround effect.
Direct is when the speaker point at the liste-
ning positions from rear or side walls, in the
same height as front and centre speaker.
For diffuse sound effect, mount the speaker
higher and point them along rear or side
wall.
3

Magnetic shielded speakers
Magnetic shielded speakers, such as Center
channel speakers are magnetically shielded
and can safely be placed directly on, under
or alongside your video (TV) monitor. A small
number of televisions are hyper sensitive
to magnetic fields. If you notice any picture
distortion, we recommend that you move the
speaker a few centimetres forth or back, or
distance the speaker a few centimetres. These
small changes in the position often are enough
to cure the problem.
Connections
We recommend the use of heavy gauge
loudspeaker cables of high quality. To reduce
the effect the cable has on the speaker, the
impedanceofthe cable atallfrequenciesshould
be lower than 0.2W. At high frequency the in-
ductive component of the cables impedance
can dominate over the DC resistance.Ask your
dealer for the best cable for your needs.
Make sure to turn off all amplifiers before
connecting your new speaker to your Hi-Fi
system.
Single wire connection
Connect the cable to the terminal. Use the
marking of the cable to ensure that the red or
"+" mark of the amplifier is connected to the
"+" side of the terminal, also marked with red.
See the figure below.
Bi-wiring connection
Some DLS speakers have 4-pole terminals
allowing bi-wiring. This requires two cables for
each speaker and gives an audible improvement.
Remove the connectors between low and high
sections of the terminal and connect according
to the figure below.
Single wire connection to
bi-wiring terminals
Some DLS speakers have 4-pole terminals al-
lowing bi-wiring. When connecting with single
wiring, do NOT remove the connectors between
low and high sections of the terminal and connect
to the upper terminals as in the figure below.
4

Power handling
DLS recommends using amplifiers within
a specific power range. However, the most
important thing is that the amplifier has suf-
ficient power reserves for handling peaks and
transients in the music signal.
The power rating figure of a loudspeaker is a
very inprecise figure. Since the energy in the
music signal varies, neither peak nor average
value is relevant. A power rating of e.g. 100W
RMS says only that you can play a continu-
ous tone of 1kHz at this output. It does not
mean that you can turn the volume all the
way up on a 100W amplifier and expect clear
sound and healthy speakers.
The greatest danger to a loudspeaker is dist-
orded signal. Distorsion in the low frequency
range produces overtones in the entire spec-
trum, with an energy that can easily damage
the tweeter units. And since a more powerful
amplifier can play louder without distorsion,
we have the paradox that it is a greater risk
to damage speakers by playing loud with a
smaller amplifier.
Warranty
This DLS loudspeaker is warranted to the
original purchaser, against factory defect in
material or workmanship, for a period of one
(1) year from the date of original purchase.
This warranty is valid only in the country of
purchase, to the original purchaser and is
non-transferable.
DLS loudspeakers are music listening devices
and should be used for listening purposes
only. They must not be connected to any other
equipment than amplifiers within the specified
power range.
DLS cannot be held responsible for damage
or injuries caused by improper use, or use
in violation with the recommendations in this
leaflet.
Service
Should your DLS loudspeaker system
require service, or if you have difficulty in
achieving the fine performance of which your
DLS loudspeaker system is capable, consult
the DLS dealer from whom the system was
purchased. Your dealer has the knowledge
required to provide expert advice and
assistance. In case the DLS dealer is unable
to assist you, you are welcome to contact the
DLS Technical department.
Side panels
DLS D-series speakers are designed to be
used with side panels that are avalible in
different finishes. Mount the side panels so
the magnets (black nobs) on the speakers
side, match the magnets on the side panels.
Mounting
Centre and Satelites can be wall mounted.
For mounting follow the instructions for the
brackets.There are two screw positions on
the satelites back side for one wall bracket.
For the centre channel there are two screw
positions on the back side of the speaker one
for each bracket.
The Flatbox Mini & Flatbox Large have "key-
holes" on the back side to allow mounting in
many different ways. Use the template co-
ming with the speaker to make the drilling
easier. Mount the speaker box in a way that
allows a free air flow from the port.
5

6
Your own notes
Make you own notes regarding installation etc.

Contact:
DLS Svenska AB
P.O Box 13029
SE-402 51 Göteborg
SWEDEN
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
e-mail: [email protected]
www.dls.se