JBL TRIO138S User manual

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DESIGN GOAL: Bring the thrill of live performance and movie sound to
the home environment by calling on JBL’s professional engineering leadership.
T EETER TYPE:Titanium-laminate-dome
ENCLOSURE TYPE: Sealed
PROFESSIONAL REFERENCE:Cinema Loudspeaker Series
O NER’S GUIDE
PRODUCT LINE:
Surround Cinema Speakers
MODEL
TRIO138S
NUMBER:

2
READ THIS! Important Safety Precautions!
General:
1. Unpacking: Check the product care-
fully. f it has been damaged in transit,
report the damage immediately by calling
your dealer and/or the shipping company
that delivered it.
2. Connections: Whenever changing,
connecting or disconnecting signal or
power cables etc., always turn off all
equipment. This prevents transients from
entering the equipment and prevents
electrical energy from reaching you.
Keep all connections out of the reach of
children. Before moving the unit, be cer-
tain to disconnect any interconnection
cords with other components, and make
certain that you disconnect any powered
units from the AC outlet.
3. Read Instructions. All the safety and
operating instructions should be read
before the product is operated.
4. Retain Instructions. The safety and
operating instructions should be retained
for future reference.
5. Heed arnings. All warnings on the
product and in the operating instructions
should be adhered to.
6. Follow Instructions. All operating and
use instructions should be followed.
7. ater and Moisture. The product
should not be used near water – for ex-
ample, near a bathtub, washbowl, kitchen
sink, laundry tub, in a wet basement, or
near a swimming pool, and the like.
8. Accessories. To ensure proper opera-
tion and to avoid the potential for safety
hazards, place the unit on a firm and level
surface. When placing the unit on a shelf,
be certain that the shelf and any mount-
ing hardware can support the product’s
weight. Do not place this product on an
unstable cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or
table. The product may fall, causing seri-
ous injury to a child or adult, and serious
damage to the product. Use only with a
cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table
recommended by the manufacturer, or
sold with the product. Any mounting of
the product should follow the manu-
facturer’s instructions, and should use a
mounting accessory recommended by
the manufacturer.
9. all or Ceiling Mounting. The product
should be mounted on a wall or ceiling
only when and as recommended by the
manufacturer.
10. Cleaning. Unplug this product from
the wall outlet before cleaning. Do not
use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners.
Use a damp cloth for cleaning.
11. Attachments. Do not use attachments
not recommended by the product manu-
facturer, as they may cause hazards.
12. Replacement Parts. When replace-
ment parts are required, be sure the ser-
vice technician has used replacement
parts specified by the manufacturer or
that have the same characteristics as the
original part. Unauthorized substitutions
may result in fire, electric shock or other
hazards.
13. Safety Check. Upon completion of any
service or repairs to this product, ask the
service technician to perform safety
checks to determine that the product is in
proper operating condition.
14. Feet/Spikes. When positioning, or
moving this product ensure that is lifted
rather than dragged across any
floor/mounting surface. This will avoid
any damage to the floor/mounting sur-
face. Attention! Products and/or product
feet constructed of rubber or plastics
may, in seldom cases, react chemically
and discolor treated or non-treated
wooden surfaces if positioned without
protection.
15. arranty: The following conditions
may result in a void product warranty:
a. the manufacturers serial number is
removed or forged.
b. if repairs and/or modifications and/or
other treatments/tunings have been
carried out by non-authorized person-
nel or accessories/supplements are
attached, which are not approved by
manufacturer/importer.
16. arranty: The following items are not
covered by the product warranty:
a. Damage caused by inappropriate han-
dling despite clear instructions provid-
ed in the owners manual.
b. Damage to mechanical parts (such as
record-/playback heads, moving rub-
ber and plastic parts and fuses) as well
as results of normal wear and tear.
c. Damage caused by external action or
influence.
d. Damage caused by miss-use by user.
e. Damage caused by excessive electri-
cal mains supply voltage or lightning
strike.
f. Damage caused by fire, water or
smoke.
g. Damage known to buyer prior to pur-
chase.
h. Damage caused by professional
employment of home entertainment
products (e.g. for catering trade,
restaurants, public address or infinite
loop announcement use etc.)
17. Specifications: All product specifica-
tions/features are subject to change
without notification.
Passive Products:
18. Amplifiers: Amplifiers used to drive
these units must deliver a sufficient out-
put power. A lack of output power may
lead to amplifier-clipping, which causes
damage not covered by guarantee.
Active (Powered) Products:
19. Ventilation. Slots and openings in the
cabinet are provided for ventilation and
to ensure reliable operation of the prod-
uct and to protect it from overheating,
and these openings must not be blocked
or covered. The openings should never
be blocked by placing the product on a
bed, sofa, rug, or other similar surface.
This product should not be placed in a
built-in installation such as a bookcase or
rack unless proper ventilation is provided
or the manufacturer’s instructions have
been adhered to.
Make certain that the proper space
(more than 10cm) is provided both above
and below the unit for ventilation. f the
amplifier will be installed in a cabinet or
other enclosed area, make certain that
there is sufficient air movement within
the cabinet, with means provided for hot
air to exit and for cool air to be brought in.
Do not obstruct the ventilation slots on
the top of the unit or place objects direct-
ly over them. Remember, power ampli-
fiers generate heat, and the heatsink fins
and ventilation slots that form part of the
cabinet are specially designed to remove
this heat. Placing other electronic equip-
ment near these heat-dissipation systems
may possibly affect the long term reliabil-
ity of both your amplifier and the objects
placed above it.
Do not place CDs, record jackets,
owner’s manuals or other paper on top of
or beneath the unit or in between prod-
ucts containing amplifiers in a stack. This
will block the air flow, causing degraded
performance and a possible fire hazard.
20. Power Sources. This product should
be operated only from the type of power
source indicated on the marking label. f
you are not sure of the type of power
supply to your home, consult your prod-
uct dealer or local power company. For
products intended to operate from bat-
tery power, or other sources, refer to the
operating instructions.
21. Grounding or Polarization. This prod-
uct may be equipped with a polarized
alternating-current line plug (a plug hav-
ing one blade wider than the other). This
plug will fit into the power outlet only one
way. This is a safety feature. f you are
unable to insert the plug fully into the out-
let, try reversing the plug. f the plug
should still fail to fit, contact your electri-
cian to replace your obsolete outlet.
Do not defeat the safety purpose of the
polarized plug.
CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
CAUTION: To prevent electric shock,
do not remove the grounding plug
on the power cord, or use any plug
or extension cord that does not have
a grounding plug provided
Make certain that the
AC outlet is properly grounded
Do not use an adapter plug
with this product
The lightning flash with arrowhead
symbol, within an equilateral 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
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

3
22. Power-Cord Protection. Power-supply
cords should be routed so that they are
not likely to be walked on or pinched by
items placed upon or against them, pay-
ing particular attention to cords at plugs,
convenience receptacles, and the point
where they exit from the product. To
avoid safety hazards, use only the power
cord supplied with your unit. f a replace-
ment cord is used, make certain that it is
of a similar gauge. We do not recommend
using extension cords with this product.
As with all electrical devices, do not run
power cords under rugs or carpets or
place heavy objects on power cords.
Damaged power cords should be
replaced immediately, by a qualified ser-
vice technician, with cords meeting fac-
tory specifications. When disconnecting
the power cord from an AC outlet, always
pull the plug; never pull the cord.
23. Non-use Periods. The power cord of
the product should be unplugged from
the outlet when left unused for long peri-
ods of time.
24. Lightning. For added protection for
this product during a lightning storm, or
when it is left unattended and unused for
long periods of time, unplug it from the
wall outlet and disconnect the antenna or
cable system. This will prevent damage
to the product due to lightning and
power-line surges.
25. Overloading. Do not overload wall
outlets, extension cords, or integral con-
venience receptacles, as this can result
in a risk of fire or electric shock.
26. Damage Requiring Service. Unplug
this product from the wall outlet and refer
servicing to qualified service personnel
under the following conditions:
a. The power-supply cord or the plug has
been damaged; or
b. Objects have fallen, or liquid has been
spilled into, the product; or
c. The product has been exposed to rain
or water; or
d. The product does not operate normally
when following the operating instruc-
tions. Adjust only those controls that
are covered by the operating instruc-
tions, as an improper adjustment of
other controls may result in damage
and will often require extensive work
by a qualified technician to restore the
product to its normal operation; or
e. The product has been dropped, or the
enclosure damaged; or
f. The product does not appear to operate
normally or exhibits a marked change in
performance.
27. Servicing. Do not attempt to service
this product yourself, as opening or
removing covers may expose you to dan-
gerous voltage or other hazards. Refer all
servicing to qualified service personnel.
28. Object and Liquid Entry. Never push
objects of any kind into this product
through openings, as they may touch
dangerous voltage points or short-out
parts that could result in a fire or electric
shock. Never spill liquid of any kind on
the product. The apparatus shall not be
exposed to dripping or splashing and no
objects filled with liquids, such as vases,
shall be placed on the apparatus.
29. Heat. The product should be situated
away from heat sources such as radia-
tors, heat registers, stoves or other prod-
ucts (including amplifiers) that produce
heat. Avoid installation in extremely hot
or cold locations, in an area that is
exposed to direct sunlight or near heating
equipment. When positioning the product
in its final location, make certain that it
has adequate ventilation on all sides, as
well as on the top and bottom.
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 will
provide every note of enjoy-
ment that you expected – and
that when you think about pur-
chasing additional audio
equipment
for your home, car or office,
you will once again choose
JBL.
JBL Consumer Products
Declaration of Conformity
We, Harman Consumer International
2, route de Tours
72500 Château-du-Loir
FRANCE
declare in own responsibility, that the products described in this
owner’s manual are in compliance with technical standards:
EN 50081-1:1992
EN 50082-1:1997
Luc E Godard
Harman Consumer International
Château-du-Loir, FRANCE 09/01

4
MOUNTING OPTIONS
Satellites and Surrounds
On shelves.
all-Mounting
Attach plate to wall. The
brackets should be placed, if
possible, so that the screws
will fasten into a wooden
wall stud. f that is not possi-
ble, use properly selected
wall anchors.
The customer is responsible
for proper selection and use
of mounting hardware, avail-
able through hardware
stores, to properly and safely
wall-mount the speakers.
On the wall. Wall brackets are
included for the satellite speak-
ers only.
Slide speaker onto
support.
On optional stands (FS300S).
Place speaker and
support on wall plate.
Two satellites for left, right
front or surrounds with
wall-mount brackets.
One center-channel speaker
with adjustable support leg.
For a complete system, consider adding a powered subwoofer.
Please see your JBL dealer for assistance.
INCLUDED

5
Surround Speakers
1.5-1.8 m
Front Speakers
0-60 cm
The front speakers should be
placed the same distance from
each other as they are from
the listening position. They
should be placed at about the
same height from the floor as
the listeners’ ears will be, or
they may be angled toward the
listeners.
The center-channel speaker
should be placed slightly
behind the front left and right
speakers, and no more than
two feet above or below the
tweeters of the left and right
speakers. t is often conve-
nient to set the center speaker
on top of the television set, as
shown in the drawing. Use the
supplied support leg to aim it
toward the listener by screw-
ing the leg in to angle the
speaker up, or unscrewing the
leg slightly to angle the speak-
er down.
The two surround speakers
should be placed slightly
behind the listening position
and, ideally, should face each
other and be at a level higher
than the listeners’ ears. f that
is not possible, they may be
placed on a wall behind the lis-
tening position, facing forward.
The surround speakers should
not call attention to them-
selves. Experiment with their
placement until you hear a dif-
fuse, ambient sound accompa-
nying the main-program mater-
ial heard in the front speakers.
The TR O138S speakers are
perfect for bringing music to
additional rooms in your home.
f your receiver or amplifier is
equipped with A/B speaker
switching, simply connect the
pair of speakers to the unused
pair of speaker terminals on
your receiver, following the
directions in the Speaker Con-
nections section on page 4. f
you plan on playing both pairs
of speakers simultaneously,
check with the manufacturer
of your receiver or amplifier to
find out whether that use is
recommended.
Center-Channel Speaker
SPEAKER PLACEMENT

6
Separate and strip the ends of
the speaker wire as shown.
Speakers and electronics ter-
minals have corresponding (+)
and (–) terminals. Most manu-
facturers of speakers and
electronics, including JBL, use
red to denote the (+) terminal
and black for the (–) terminal.
To use the spring-type termi-
nals, simply press the colored
terminal, insert the bare end of
the wire into the hole, and
release. The clip inside the ter-
minal grips the wire. Tug the
wire gently to make sure that it
has been inserted properly.
The (+) lead of the speaker
wire is usually indicated by a
stripe, ridges in the wire insu-
lation, or gold-colored strands
inside clear wire insulation. t
is important to connect both
speakers identically: (+) on the
speaker to (+) on the amplifier
and (–) on the speaker to (–) on
the amplifier. Wiring “out of
phase” results in thin sound,
weak bass and a poor stereo
image.
With the advent of multichan-
nel surround-sound systems,
connecting all of the speakers
in your system with the correct
polarity remains equally impor-
tant in order to preserve the
proper ambience and direc-
tionality of the program
material.
SPEAKER CONNECTIONS
Connection Tips
Right Front
Right Surround
Left Front
Left Surround
Center
+ – + –
+ –
+ –
+ – + –
+ –
Left Front Center
+ –
Left Surround
Right Front
+ –
Right Surround
+ –
Receiver

7
If there is no sound from
any of the speakers:
• Check that receiver/amplifier
is on and a source is playing.
• Check all wires and connec-
tions between receiver/ampli-
fier and speakers. Make sure
all wires are connected. Make
sure none of the speaker wires
are frayed, cut or punctured.
• Review proper operation of
your receiver/amplifier.
If there is no sound coming
from one speaker:
• Check the “Balance” control
on your receiver/amplifier.
• Check all wires and connec-
tions between receiver/
amplifier and speakers. Make
sure all wires are connected.
Make sure none of the speaker
wires are frayed, cut or punc-
tured.
• n Dolby* Digital or DTS®
modes, make sure that the
receiver/processor is config-
ured so that the speaker in
question is enabled.
If there is no sound from the
center speaker:
• Check all wires and connec-
tions between receiver/
amplifier and speaker. Make
sure all wires are connected.
Make sure none of the speaker
wires are frayed, cut or
punctured.
• f your receiver/processor is
set in Dolby Pro Logic* mode,
make sure the center speaker
is not in phantom mode.
• f your receiver/processor
is set in Dolby Digital or DTS
mode, make sure the receiver/
processor is con-figured so
that the center speaker is
enabled.
If the system plays at low vol-
umes but shuts off as volume
is increased:
• Check all wires and connec-
tions between receiver/ampli-
fier and speakers. Make sure
all wires are connected. Make
sure none of the speaker wires
are frayed, cut or punctured.
• f more than one pair of main
speakers is being used, check
the minimum impedance
requirements of your receiver/
amplifier.
If there is low (or no) bass
output:
• Make sure the connections
to the left and right “Speaker
nputs” have the correct
polarity (+ and –).
• Consider adding a powered
subwoofer to your system. See
your JBL dealer for further
assistance.
• f you are using a powered
subwoofer, check your owner’s
manual to make sure it is cor-
rectly connected and is being
used according to the manu-
facturer’s instructions.
If there is no sound from the
surround speakers:
• Check all wires and connec-
tions between receiver/ampli-
fier and speakers. Make sure
all wires are connected. Make
sure none of the speaker wires
are frayed, cut or punctured.
• Review proper operation of
your receiver/processor and
its surround-sound features.
• Make sure the movie or TV
show you are watching is
recorded in a surround-sound
mode. f it is not, check to see
if your receiver/processor has
other surround modes you may
use.
• n Dolby Digital or DTS modes,
make sure your receiver/
processor is configured so that
the surround speakers are
enabled.
• Review the operation of your
DVD player and the jacket of
your DVD to make sure that the
DVD features the desired
Dolby Digital or DTS mode, and
that you have properly select-
ed that mode using both the
DVD player’s menu and the
DVD disc’s menu.
TROUBLESHOOTING

Refinements may be made on occasion to existing products without notice,
but will always meet or exceed original specifications unless otherwise stated.
Simply Cinema is a registered trademark of JBL, ncorporated.
* Dolby and Pro Logic are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
DTS is a registered trademark of Digital Theater Systems, nc.
Satellites
Frequency Response
120Hz – 20kHz (–6dB)
Recommended Power
10 – 50 watts
Impedance
4 ohms nominal
Sensitivity
86dB @ 1 watt/1 meter
Tweeter
12mm titanium-laminate dome,
video-shielded
Midrange
75mm driver, video-shielded
Dimensions (H x x D)
4-3/8" x 3-3/16" x 3-3/4"
111mm x 81mm x 95mm
eight
1.1 lb/0.5kg
Center
Frequency Response
120Hz – 20kHz (–6dB)
Recommended Power
10 – 50 watts
Impedance
4 ohms nominal
Sensitivity
88dB @ 1 watt/1 meter
Tweeter
12mm titanium-laminate dome,
video-shielded
Midrange
Dual 75mm drivers, video-
shielded
Dimensions (H x x D)
3-1/4" x 7-5/8" x 3-3/4"
83mm x 194mm x 95mm
eight
1.89 lb/0.86kg
JBL Consumer Products
250 Crossways Park Drive, Woodbury, NY 11797
8500 Balboa Boulevard, Northridge, CA 91329
800-336-4JBL (4525) (USA only)
www.jbl.com
©2001 JBL, ncorporated.
JBL is a registered trademark of JBL, ncorporated.
Part No.
ai5077
PRO SOUND
COMES HOME™
DESIGN GOAL: Bring the thrill of live performance and movie sound to
the home environment by calling on JBL’s professional engineering leadership.
T EETER TYPE:Titanium-laminate-dome
ENCLOSURE TYPE: Sealed
PROFESSIONAL REFERENCE:Cinema Loudspeaker Series
O NER’S GUIDE
PRODUCT LINE:
Surround Cinema Speakers
MODEL
TRIO138S
NUMBER:
SPECIFICATIONS