JBL Simply Cinema ESC333 User manual

TM
®
ESC333
Simple
setup guide
thank you for choosing JBL. For more than 50 years, JBL
has been involved in every aspect of music and film recording
and reproduction, from live performances to the recordings you play
in your home, car or office.
We’re confident that the JBL system you have chosen ill
provide every note of enjoyment that you expected – and that
hen you think about purchasing additional audio equipment for
your home, car or office, you ill once again choose JBL.
JBL Consumer Products

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Declaration of Conformity
We, JBL Europe A/S
Kongevejen 194B
DK-3460 Birkerød
DENMARK
declare in own responsibility, that the products described
in this owner's manual are in compliance with technical
standards:
EN 55 013/6.1990
EN 55 020/6.1988
EN 55 022/6.1993
EN 60 065/1994
EN 60 555-2-3/1987/88
Steen Michaelsen
JBL Europe A/S
Birkerød. DENMARK. 1/97
Steen Michaelsen
JBL Europe A/S
Birkerød, DENMARK 6/99

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The ESC333 offers t o unique
user-convenience features:
Automatic Turn-On/Shut-Do n
and Automatic Digital-Input
Selection.
The Automatic Turn-On feature
ill turn the ESC333 on as soon
as a source connected to its
digital inputs (such as DVD, CD
player ith digital output, or
any other device featuring a
coaxial or optical digital output)
is s itched on, or as soon as the
unit connected to its last-used
analog input starts outputting
sound.
When using digital inputs, the
Automatic Turn-On can be
activated by turning on either
one of the connected digital
sources such as a DVD player or
a CD player ith digital output.
When using analog inputs (TV or
AUX), Automatic Turn-On is
available only for the device
that as last listened to before
the ESC333 shut do n. In order
to listen to the other device, the
ESC333 input needs to be
manually selected by using the
Input button on the product and
on the remote, hich, in turn,
disables the Automatic Digital-
Input Selector until the ESC333
is shut do n.
The Automatic Turn-Off shuts
the unit do n five minutes after
all sources connected to its
digital inputs are po ered do n
and the device connected to its
selected analog input stops
playing.
The Automatic Digital-Input
Selector automatically selects
the source connected to its
digital inputs hen that source
is po ered on. Upon po er
do n of this digital unit, if no
other source is on, the ESC333
ill s itch itself off after five
minutes.
If the analog source that as
selected prior to the digital
source turning on is still
playing, the ESC333 ill s itch
back to that other source. Once
a digital source is po ered on
and selected as an input,
turning on a device connected
to the other digital input ill
not s itch the input until the
selected digital device is first
po ered off.
These t o features can only be
used if the customer does not
manually turn the ESC333 on or
off, and does not manually
select an input source. Once
either of these selections is
made manually, the automatic
features are disabled as follo s:
1. If the ESC333 is turned off
manually, it ill not turn back
on automatically until five
minutes after the source
connected to the ESC333 is shut
do n. During these five
minutes, it can be turned on
either from the front panel or
via the remote control.
2. Once an input source is
selected manually, the
Automatic Source-Selection
feature ill remain disabled
until the ESC333 shuts do n.
3. Once any one of the t o
devices connected to the ESC333
digital inputs is po ered on and
its input is selected by the
ESC333, the device connected to
the other digital input of the
ESC333 cannot be automatically
selected until the already-
selected digital device is
po ered do n.
Important Note
Automatic On/Off and Automatic Digital-Input Selection

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• Complete, self-po ered
Dolby* Digital home-cinema
sound system ith five
satellite speakers, sub oofer,
remote control, and all
amplification built in. (Just
Add TV!)
• Dolby Digital (AC-3* 5.1
channel), Dolby Pro Logic*,
including Phantom and
3-Stereo, and Stereo listening
modes.
• Automatic Turn-On and Turn-
Off.
• Automatic Source S itching
for the digital inputs.
• T o digital (one optical and
one coaxial) inputs and t o
analog inputs.
• 2-Way video-shielded micro-
satellites ith titanium-
laminate t eeters and
common voicing for all five
channels, and an 8-inch,
long-thro , floor-firing
sub oofer.
• Late Night compression for
nighttime listening ithout
unexpected and objectionably
loud passages.
• All amplification and controls
are mounted in the
sub oofer, eliminating the
need for a separate control
unit.
• Remote controllable via
outboard remote eye that can
be mounted ith the center
channel or separately, so that
the sub oofer can be hidden
a ay.
featres
Five satellites for left, right,
center and surrounds.
“Smart” po ered
sub oofer/controller.
included
JBL ” error free“ speaker cables.
Extension cable XC300 available
in 10-foot lengths in either
hite or black.
Foot for horizontal placement of
center speaker. Versatile remote
sensor and double-sided tape
provided.
Remote control.
Bass
Treble
Delay Level
0 dB Test
Adjustment
Late Night
Power
Mute
Surround
Mode
Input
–+
–+
–+
Volume
Digital coax input cable and
analog RCA input cable.

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A out Dol y Digital
The ESC333 features Dolby
Digital (also unofficially kno n
as AC-3) multichannel signal
processing, a system developed
by Dolby Laboratories.
Dolby Digital, unlike “matrixed”
systems (such as Dolby Pro
Logic) that derive and decode
multichannel sound from t o
channels of sound, is capable of
delivering information for one
sub oofer and five full-range
channels as discrete and
individual channels in digital
AC-3 data format from sources
such as a DVD player. The result
is clear and accurate digital
sound to each speaker, along
ith availability of stereo-
surround effects (Dolby Pro
Logic features mono surrounds).
Dolby Digital is capable of
delivering several different
formats of surround sound, the
most robust one being the 5.1-
channel mode, hich provides
separate signals for five
satellite speakers as ell as for
a sub oofer. The ESC333
features a “5.1-Ch” indicator
that illuminates hen a Dolby
Digital 5.1-channel encoded
signal is present. Dolby Digital
can also provide other AC-3
digital multichannel signals, as
ell as 2-channel signals, hich
can be decoded via Dolby Pro
Logic processing into
multichannel surround sound.
In the latter case, both the
Dolby Pro Logic and Dolby
Digital indicators ill illuminate
in the ESC333 display.
• Wall-mount brackets and floor
stands available separately
for the satellites.
• Credit-card-type, full-
function remote control.
• JBL “error free” speaker
cables simplify connection
and eliminate possibility of
out-of-phase iring.
• Center foot for horizontal
placement of the center
channel.
• Rotatable JBL logos to allo
for vertical or horizontal
placement of the satellites.

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On shelves. On the all. Optional bracket,
WB300 or WB300WHT ( hite).
Mounting Options
On optional stands, FS300
or FS300WHT ( hite).
Su woofer
Surround Speakers
5 – 6 ft.
Satellites and Surrounds
one. Speaker Placement
Satellites
0-2 ft.
Mounting Remote Sensor to Center Speaker.
Place remote sensor at bottom
of center speaker.
Insert support leg through
remote sensor and into
speaker.
Center speaker.
The remote sensor may be placed any here using the supplied double-sided tape.

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two. Speaker, Source, and Remote-Sensor Connectors
(rear panel of su woofer)
Speaker and Amplifier Connection
Dashed lines indicate that
wire is not included
E tension cables, XC300, available in
10-foot lengths from your JBL dealer.
Left Front
TV
Audio Output
OPTICAL
Right Left
Center
Right Front
Remote Sensor
COAXIAL
TV
AUX
COAXIAL
OPTICAL
Right Surround
Left Surround
FRONT
SPEAKERS
SURROUND
SPEAKERS
RIGHT
CENTER
LEFT
RIGHT
LEFT
AC POWER
ON / STANDBY
OFF
REMOTE SENSOR
INPUT
RIGHT
AUX
(Additional Audio Source)
Audio Output
Right Left
ANALOG
INPUTS
DIGITAL
INPUTS
Digital Source A
DVD or CD
Digital Output
Digital Source B
DVD or CD
Digital Output
LEFT

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three. Operation
Master On/Off Switch
To operate unit, place this s itch
in the On/Standby position. The
system ill go into standby hen
no signal has been received and
hen no unit connected to any of
its t o digital inputs has been on
for approximately five minutes.
Rear-Panel Control
Remote-Control-Battery Installation.
+
++
Push small tab to ards
battery slot and pull battery
dra er out.
Remove old battery. Insert ne battery ith “+”
side up, and slide battery
dra er back into remote.

-9-
Bass
Treble
Delay Level
0 dB Test
Adjustment
Late Night
Power
Mute
Surround
Mode
Input
—+
—+
—+
Volume
8
10
11
12
13
5
4
9
7
3
2
1
6
Volume
Surround Mode
Input Mute
STANDBY
ON
SUB
LVL
DLY
RSRFCLFLS
AUX
PCM
3 - St Late NightPhantom
Digital5.1 Ch ProLogic
Surround
DIG. OPT DIG. COAX TV
31
32
33
2
6
5
4
18
16
15
14
22
23 24 25
19 21 26 17
27
28 29 30
20
Remote and Front-Panel Controls and Indicators
Front Panel
Remote Control
1. Power
This button, located only on the
remote control, allo s the user
to manually turn on or off the
ESC333. Please note that the
ESC333 features Automatic Turn-
On/Off, and the po er s itch is
not normally used unless it is
necessary to override this
automatic feature, or in case the
analog input to be used is not
the last one that as used and
so Automatic Turn-On is not
available for that input. Please
read the details regarding
Automatic Turn-On/Off on page
3 of this manual, and keep in
mind that if the ESC333 is shut
do n using this po er button,
its automatic turn on feature ill
remain disabled for five minutes
after the source connecred to
the ESC333 is shut do n also.
This is to prevent the ESC333
from repeatedly turning itself
back on despite the user’s
ishes. The ESC333 can also be
po ered on by using the Input
button (4) on the front panel of
the sub oofer or on the remote
control. Please note that if input
selection is done by pressing the
Input button, the Automatic
Digital Input Selection of the
ESC333 ill be disabled until the
ESC333 shuts do n.
When the ESC333 is plugged into
a orking electrical outlet and
its master s itch on the back
panel is set to On/Standby, the
Standby (32) indicator ill
illuminate. The ON (31) indicator
ill light as soon as the ESC333
is turned on either automatically
or via the pressing of the Po er
or Input buttons.
2. Mute
From either the front panel or
the remote control, press (Mute)
to lo er the volume completely.
The mute symbol indicator (33)
ill illuminate. When you press
either of the mute buttons
again, the volume ill return to
its previous setting.
Note: The mute function can also
be turned off by pressing either
of the volume buttons on the
front panel or the remote
control.
3. Late Night
This feature is available for
Dolby Digital only. It compresses
the inherently dynamic digital
sound so that the quiet and loud
passages are not quite as
different in sound levels as they
ordinarily are. This feature
allo s the user to atch movies
and listen to dialogue at toned-
do n levels so as not to disturb
others by the loud sound effects
that may be present. The Late
Night indicator (26) illuminates
hen this feature is active.

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4. Input
This control is available on both
the front panel and the remote
control. It allo s manual selec-
tion hen the user repeatedly
presses and releases the button
for any of the ESC333’s four
inputs. The ESC333 features an
Automatic Digital Input Selec-
tion feature that automatically
s itches the ESC333 to the
source connected to one of its
t o digital inputs as soon as
that device is po ered on.
Please read the section on page
3 to thoroughly familiarize
yourself ith the conveniences
and conditions of using the
Automatic Digital Input
Selection feature. The Input
s itch is also used hen the
source connected to the
ESC333’s analog input is not the
analog source that as listened
to the last time the ESC333 as
on (and hence the Automatic
Turn-On feature is not
available). The Input s itch also
turns on the ESC333 hen
pressed (see item 1 earlier in
this section). Whenever a
specific input is selected either
manually or automatically, its
indicator (14, 15, 16 or 17) on
the ESC333’s front panel ill be
illuminated.
5. Surround Mode
Pressing and releasing this
button allo s the selection of
different listening modes.
Surround (18), Phantom (19)
and 3-Stereo (20) are available
listening options for Dolby
Digital and Dolby Pro Logic.
Stereo (21) bypasses the
surround processing and out-
puts sound through the right-
and left-front speakers only. In
Surround mode, all five
satellites and the sub oofer ill
play. In Phantom mode, all
speakers except the center
channel ill play. In 3-Stereo,
all speakers except for the t o
surround speakers ill be active.
6. Volume
Press (∧) on the remote control
or the front panel to raise the
system’s volume. Press (∨) on
the remote control or the front
panel to lo er the system’s
volume. The volume setting is
indicated on the status-bar
indicator (27).
7. 0 dB
Press this button to reset the
Center, Surround, Balance,
Treble and Bass controls to their
default positions.
8. Test
Press this button to activate the
Test Tone mode (see Test Tone
section).
9. Delay
The relative timing of sounds
coming from the center and/or
surround speakers compared to
the front-left and front-right
speakers can be adjusted. The
first press of this button allo s
adjustment of the center
channel, all the ay from the
default setting of 0 ms (milli-
seconds), hich means no delay
(all status bars off), to a
maximum of 5 ms (5 status bars
on). The indicators C (28) and
DLY (30) ill be on. The second
press of the Delay button allo s
adjustments of the surround
speakers; indicators LS (28) and
RS (28) and DLY (30) ill be on.
The delay can be adjusted from
zero (all status bars off) to
15 ms (all status bars on) in
5.1 Channel Dolby Digital and
from 15 ms (all status bars off)
to 30 ms (all status bars on) in
Dolby Pro Logic (there is an
inherent and fixed 15 ms of
delay added in the “matrixed”
Dolby Pro Logic to re-create the
proper surround effect). The
center and surround delay
adjustments can be done from
either Dolby Digital or Dolby Pro
Logic “matrixed” modes. There
are no separate delay
adjustments for the individual
modes of operation. During
adjustments, the audio mutes
momentarily every time the
Adjustment +/– button (11) is
pressed. Please note that the
status-bar indicator (27) ill
not display unless Adjustment
+/– buttons are pressed. Also,
hile the status-bar indicator
(27) is on, channel indicators
(28) and DLY (30) ill not be
displayed. And, if adjust-
ments are done in a mode here
a certain channel is not
available, the adjustment step
for that channel is skipped. For
example, in Phantom mode, the
center- channel delay cannot be
adjusted since Phantom does
not have a center channel. In
Stereo, neither the center nor
the surround delay can be
adjusted since Stereo does not
feature surround speakers or a
center speaker. A third press of
the Delay button ill exit the
ESC333 from its delay-
adjustment mode.
10. Level
The relative level of sounds
coming from each of the
ESC333’s speakers can be ad-
justed hile listening to
program material on the
ESC333. Repeated pressing and
releasing of the Level button
allo s access to each channel.
The display ill indicate LVL
(29), and the channel indicators
(28) LF (Left Front), C (Center),
RF (Right Front), LS (Left
Surround), RS (Right Surround)
and SUB (sub oofer) ill
illuminate to indicate the active
speaker. The level for the
selected channel can then be
changed using the Adjustment

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+/– buttons (11). Levels set in
one mode ill stay valid for all
other modes and are not inde-
pendent. Please note that the
status-bar indicator (27) ill
not display unless Adjustment
+/– buttons are pressed. And,
hile the status-bar indicator
(27) is on, channel indicators
(28) and LVL (29) ill not be
displayed. Also, if adjustments
are done in a mode here a
certain channel is not available,
the adjustment step for that
channel is skipped. For examp-
le, in Phantom mode the center-
channel level cannot be ad-
justed since Phantom does not
have a center channel. In
stereo, neither the center nor
the surround levels can be
adjusted since Stereo does not
feature surround speakers or a
center speaker. A seventh press
of the Level button ill exit the
ESC333 from its level-
adjustment mode.
11. Adjustment
These buttons are used in
conjunction ith Test (8), Delay
(9), and Level (10) to increase
or decrease a setting.
12. Bass
Press (+) to increase the level of
lo -frequency information.
Press (–) to decrease the level
of lo -frequency information.
13. Tre le
Press (+) to increase the level of
high-frequency information.
Press (–) to decrease the level
of high-frequency information.
14–17. Input
One of these four indicators ill
illuminate, depending on hich
input is selected.
18–21. Surround
One of these ill illuminate,
depending on hich surround
mode is chosen.
22. Dol y Digital
Indicates the presence of a
Dolby Digital-encoded AC-3
digital signal.
23. 5.1-Ch
Works in conjunction ith the
Dolby Digital indicator (22).
This indicator illuminates hen
the Dolby Digital signal
contains 6 discrete channels of
information (one sub oofer and
five satellite channels).
24. Dol y Pro Logic
Illuminates hen Dolby Pro
Logic decoding of a 2-channel
signal is taking place. This
indicator may be on by itself
( hen analog inputs are used),
in conjunction ith Dolby
Digital ( hen using a digital
input here the AC-3 format
signal contains t o channels
and needs to be decoded into
multichannel) or together ith
PCM ( hen using a digital input
here 2-channel PCM-format
data is being decoded into
multichannel).
25. PCM
Illuminates hen the signal
supplied through the selected
digital input is in PCM format.
26. Late Night
Illuminates hen the Late Night
compression is selected.
27. Status-Bar Indicator
These LEDS sho the relative
setting of volume, bass, treble,
speaker level and speaker delay.
28. Speaker Indicator
Identifies the speaker that’s
being adjusted. LS is Left
Surround, LF is Left Front, C is
Center, RF is Right Front, RS is
Right Surround, and SUB is
Sub oofer.
29. Level
Illuminates hen the ESC333 is
in speaker-level adjustment
mode.
30. Delay
Illuminates hen the ESC333 is
in speaker-delay adjustment
mode.
31. On
Indicates that the ESC333 is
fully po ered up.
32. Stand y
Indicates that the ESC333 is
plugged into an active all
outlet and the master s itch on
the back panel is in On/Standby
position, but the unit is not
po ered on.
33. Mute
Illuminates hen the mute
function is activated (the
ESC333 ill be on but ill not
produce any sound).

-12-
LED Bar Indicators illuminate in
response to adjustments in
volume, delay, level, bass and
treble controls.
Status-Bar Indicators
Increase Decrease
Volume, Level, Delay
0dB
0dB
Increase Decrease
Bass, Tre le

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Surround
Use this mode for films recorded
using Dolby Digital or Dolby Pro
Logic Surround.
Phantom
This mode creates surround
sound from stereo recordings.
The center channel is not used
and the surround channels have
a 20-ms delay.
3-Stereo Mode
Use this mode to play back Pro
Logic-encoded films hen you
do not ant the surround
channels to play.
Stereo
This mode plays a recording in
traditional t o-channel stereo.
Surround Modes
The Test Tone is used to
calibrate the volume settings of
each of the speakers in the
ESC333. It is dependent on the
room here the system is set up
and the relative distances and
positions of each speaker to the
listening position. In Dolby
Digital mode, a static-like noise
ill be heard cycling, in order:
left front, center, right front,
right surround, left surround,
sub oofer. In modes other than
Dolby Digital, the sound from
the t o surrounds ill be
coming at the same time, since
the surrounds in all available
modes, except in Dolby Digital,
are in mono. When the Test
Tone is heard coming from a
specific channel, pressing the
Adjustment +/– (11) buttons
ill increase or decrease the
level of sound coming from that
channel. The display status-bar
indicator (27) provides visual
indication of the adjustment as
the adjustment is being made.
The default adjustment level of
0 dB is indicated by five status-
bar indicators illuminated.
If adjustments are done in a
mode here a certain channel is
not available, the adjustment
step for that channel is skipped.
For example, in Phantom mode,
the center-channel level cannot
be adjusted since Phantom does
not have a center channel. In
stereo, neither the center nor
the surround levels can be
adjusted since Stereo does not
feature surround speakers or a
center speaker.
Using the remote control,
adjust each channel’s levels
until the volume of all the
speakers is the same during the
test. To make sure all channels
are properly adjusted, do the
test t ice, once in Dolby Digital
(Dolby Digital is automatically
selected hen the ESC333 is
connected to a DVD player’s
digital output, that specific
digital input is selected, and
the DVD player is playing Dolby
Digital-encoded material) and
once again in Dolby Pro Logic.
Note: The Test Tone is used to
calibrate the system to
reproduce all program materials
at the correct relative levels, as
as determined by the
recording engineers. When
listening to actual surround-
encoded program material, the
volume level of the surround
channels is generally lo er than
that of the front channels. In
fact, virtually all of the dialogue
and a substantial number of the
effects in a movie are
reproduced through the center
channel.
Test Tone

-14-
If there is no sound from any
of the speakers:
• Make sure the sub oofer is
plugged into an active AC
all outlet.
• Make sure the Master Po er
S itch, located on the rear of
the sub oofer, is in the
On/Standby position.
• Make sure there is a source –
for example, a DVD Player, CD
Player, VCR or television –
hooked up to one of the four
input jacks.
• Make sure that the program
material is playing.
• Recheck the hookup
connections, referring to the
Speaker Connections section.
If there is no sound from the
surround speakers or
sound is very low:
• Check all connections
bet een processor/amplifier
and each of the speakers.
• Raise the surround volume
from the remote control (see
Operation section).
• Make sure the TV sho or
movie you are atching is
recorded in Dolby Digital or
Pro Logic Surround. If it is
not, try the Phantom or
Simulated Surround mode.
• Increase the surround-
speakers’ level, using the
level-adjustment instructions
found earlier in this manual.
If there is no sound from the
center speaker:
• Make sure that the processor
is in the Surround or
3-Stereo mode. If it is in
Phantom or Stereo mode, the
center speaker ill not play.
• Increase the level of the
center channel, using the
level-adjustment instructions
earlier in this manual.
• Check the connections
bet een the sub oofer and
the center speaker.
If you have low ass output:
• Experiment ith placement
of the sub oofer. Remember,
place the sub oofer in a
corner to get maximum bass
output from the system.
• Increase the sub oofer level,
using the level-adjustment
instructions found earlier in
this manual.
• Increase the level of bass,
using the remote control.
Trou leshooting

-15-
Specifications
ESC333 System
Power Output
Satellites:
35 Watts x 5 @ 0.1% THD
Sub oofer:
65 Watts x 1 @ 0.1% THD
Signal-to-Noise Ratio
90 dBA
Input Impedance
(analog inputs)
20k ohms
Input Sensitivity
(analog inputs)
400mV
Auto Turn-On Sensitivity
(analog inputs)
2mV
Frequency Response (–6 dB)
35Hz – 20kHz
Dimensions (H x W x D)
Satellites (each):
4-3/8 x 3-3/16 x 3-3/4 inches
111 x 81 x 95mm
Sub oofer:
15-1/8 x 13 x 14-1/2 inches
384 x 330 x 368mm
Occasional refinements may
be made to existing products
ithout notice, but ill al ays
meet or exceed original
specifications unless other ise
stated.

JBL Consumer Products
250 Cross ays Park Drive, Woodbury, NY 11797
8500 Balboa Boulevard, Northridge, CA 91329
1-800-336-4JBL (4525) (USA only)
International: 2, route de Tours, 72500 Château-du-Loir, France
.jbl.com
©1999 JBL, Incorporated. JBL and Simply Cinema are
registered trademarks of JBL, Incorporated.
*Trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
Part No. ESC333OM
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE
COVER (OR BACK). NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER
SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK,
DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.
Handle the Power Cord Gently
•To disconnect the plug from the AC outlet, pull on the plug itself,
not on the cord. Pulling the cord may break the wire.
•Disconnect the plug from the AC outlet whenever the unit is to be
left unused for an extended period of time.
•Do not place furniture or other heavy objects on the cord, and
avoid dropping heavy objects on it. Also, do not make a knot
in the cord; this can damage it and cause a fire hazard.
The lightning flash with arrowhead
symbol, within an equalateral triangle,
is intended to alert the user to the
presence of uninsulated dangerous voltage
within the product s enclosure that may be of
sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of
electric shock to persons.
The exclamation point within an
equilateral triangle is intended to
alert the user to the presence of
important operating and maintenance
(servicing) instructions in the literature
accompanying the appliance.
CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN