McIntosh HT-5 User manual

McIntosh Laboratory, Inc. 2 Chambers Street Binghamton, New York 139 3-2699 Phone: [phone] FAX: [phone]
Owners
Manual
HT-5
HT-5 Loudspeaker System

2
IMPORTANT SAFETY
INSTRUCTIONS!
PLEASE READ THEM BEFORE
OPERATING THIS EQUIPMENT.
WARNING - TO REDUCE RISK OF
FIRE OR ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO
NOT EXPOSE THIS EQUIPMENT TO
RAIN OR MOISTURE.
NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS
INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO
QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.
General:
1. Read these instructions.
2. Keep these instructions.
3. Heed all warnings.
4. Follow all instructions.
5. Warning: To reduce risk of fire or electrical shock,
do not expose this equipment to rain or moisture.
This unit is capable of producing high sound pres-
sure levels. ontinued exposure to high sound pres-
sure levels can cause permanent hearing impair-
ment or loss. User caution is advised and ear protec-
tion is recommended when playing at high volumes.
6. Only use attachments/accessories speci ied by the
manu acturer.
Installation:
7. Install in accordance with the manu acturers instruc-
tions.
8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators,
heat registers, stoves, or other equipment (including
ampli iers) that produce heat.
9. Do not use this equipment near water.
10. Do not expose this equipment to dripping or splashing
and ensure that no objects illed with liquids, such as
vases, are placed on the equipment.
11. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod,
bracket, or table speci ied by the manu ac-
turer, or sold with the equipment. When a
cart is used, use caution when moving the
cart/equipment combination to avoid in-
jury rom tip-over.
are of Equipment:
12. Clean only with a dry cloth.
13. Do not permit objects or liquids o any kind to be
pushed, spilled and/or all into the equipment through
enclosure openings.
Repair of Equipment:
14. Re er all servicing to quali ied service personnel. Ser-
vicing is required when the equipment has been dam-
aged in any way, liquid has been spilled or objects
have allen into the equipment, the equipment has been
exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally,
or has been dropped.
15. Do not attempt to service beyond that described in the
operating instructions. All other service should be re-
erred to quali ied service personnel.
16. When replacement parts are required, be sure the ser-
vice technician has used replacement parts speci ied by
McIntosh or have the same characteristics as the origi-
nal part. Unauthorized substitutions may result in ire,
electric shock, or other hazards.
17. Upon completion o any service or repairs to this prod-
uct, ask the service technician to per orm sa ety checks
to determine that the product is in proper operating con-
dition.

3
Customer Service
Technical Assistance
Please Take A Moment
Thank You
Copyright 2000 ã by McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.
The serial number, purchase date and McIntosh dealer
name are important to you or possible insurance claim or
uture service. The spaces below have been provided or
you to record that in ormation:
Your decision to own this McIntosh HT-5 Loudspeaker
System ranks you at the very top among discriminating
music listeners. You now have The Best. The McIntosh
dedication to Quality, is assurance that you will receive
many years o musical enjoyment rom this unit.
Please take a short time to read the in ormation in this
manual. We want you to be as amiliar as possible with all
the eatures and unctions o your new McIntosh.
Serial Number:
Purchase Date:
Dealer Name:
I it is determined that your McIntosh product is in need o
repair, you can return it to your dealer. You can also return
it to the McIntosh Laboratory Service Department. For as-
sistance on actory repair return procedure, contact the
McIntosh Service Department at:
McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.
2 Chambers Street
Binghamton, New York 13903
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
I at any time you have questions about your McIntosh
product, contact your McIntosh dealer who is amiliar with
your McIntosh equipment and any other brands that may
be part o your system. I you or your dealer wish addi-
tional help concerning a suspected problem, you can re-
ceive technical assistance or all McIntosh products at:
McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.
2 Chambers Street
Binghamton, New York 13903
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Sa ety Instructions ............................................................ 2
Thank You and Please Take a Moment ............................. 3
Technical Assistance and Customer Service .................... 3
Table o Contents and General Notes ............................... 3
Introduction ...................................................................... 4
Per ormance Features ....................................................... 4
Dimensions ....................................................................... 5
Installation ........................................................................ 7
How to Connect ................................................................ 8
Front and Rear Views ....................................................... 9
Speci ications ................................................................. 10
Packing Instruction ......................................................... 11
Table of Contents
1. It is very important that loudspeaker cables of adequate size
be used in your music system, to ensure that there will be no
power loss or heating. Cable size is specified in Gauge
numbers or WG, ( merican Wire Gauge). The smaller the
Gauge number, the larger the wire size:
If your loudspeaker cables are 25 feet (7.62m) or less,
use at least 18 Gauge ( WG) wire size or larger.
If your loudspeaker cables are 50 feet (38.1m) or less,
use at least 16 Gauge ( WG) wire size or larger.
If your loudspeaker cables are 100 feet (76.2m) or less,
use at least 14 Gauge ( WG) wire size or larger.
The Loudspeaker Connection Terminals can accept up to
12 Gauge ( WG) wire.
eneral Notes
2. For additional connection information, refer to the owners
manual(s) for any component(s) connected to the HT-5
Loudspeaker.
3. The HT-5 has built-in speaker protection in the form of two
automatic resetting solid-state devices as part of the
crossover network. One protects the tweeter and the other the
woofers. The characteristics of this protection are that a
certain amount of overdrive is allowed but extended periods
of overdrive will trigger protection. If an obvious lack of high
or low frequencies is noticed, the Loudspeaker Protection
Device may have activated. Sound output from the
Loudspeaker Element affected will be reduced when the
protection is triggered. The protection device will
automatically reset when the volume control is reduced
significantly and kept low until the output of the affected
Loudspeaker Element returns to normal.

4
Introduction and Performance Features
Performance Features
 Gold Plated Input onnectors
The HT-5 input connectors are gold plated or superior cor-
rosion resistance and high electrical conductivity.
 Acoustic Edge-Hole Elimination
An edge-hole is a severe dip in the high requency re-
sponse o a speaker system, caused by the relative distance
o the dome tweeter to the edge o the speaker cabinet. I
the distance to the edge o the cabinet is the same on both
sides o the dome tweeter, cancellation o the sound occurs
at a speci ic requency. McIntosh guards against this phe-
nomenon with a special tweeter mounting that eliminates
the edge-hole e ect.
 Patented LD/HP Technology
The McIntosh Low and Mid Frequency Loudspeaker Ele-
ments eature the patented LD/HP motor structure. This
design, when compared to conventional loudspeaker ele-
ments, reduces distortion signi icantly. It also increases
power handling and e iciency.
 Shielded Magnetic Field
The HT-5 may be used in Home Theater Installations near
a television receiver or monitor without causing the televi-
sion image to degrade. McIntosh has designed special
shielding around the magnetic structure o the HT-5 Loud-
speaker Elements to prevent inter erence.
 High Power Handling
The Loudspeaker Elements and crossover components o
the HT-5 are all chosen or use with power ul ampli iers,
up to 200 watts.
 High Efficiency
The Loudspeaker Elements used in the HT-5 Loudspeaker
System have also been designed or high e iciency. As a
result any McIntosh Power Ampli ier, even our smallest,
will provide satis ying room illing sound.
 Automatic Overload Protection
The HT-5 has built-in Loudspeaker Element Protection in
the orm o two automatic resetting solid-state devices as a
part o the crossover network.
1LD/HP Pat. No. 5,151,943
The McIntosh HT-5 Loudspeaker System is designed or
Home Theater and Music Reproduction. It is a three-way
system with two 6-1/2 inch LD/HP1 woo ers and one 1
inch dome tweeter. The HT-5 is designed to work as a le t
or right (main) loudspeaker in a Music System or as a
main, center channel or surround loudspeaker, in a Home
Theater System.
The HT-5 Loudspeaker pre ormance is equivalent to the
quality o McIntoshs legendary line o Ampli iers, Pream-
pli iers, Signal Processors and Signal Sources, without im-
parting distortion or coloration o its own. It also comple-
ments the capabilities and the remarkably low distortion o
McIntosh Power Ampli iers.
Many o todays loudspeakers are designed only or
Home Theater applications. Not so with the HT-5. It is also
designed or the accurate reproduction o music. Motion
picture sound e ects, explosions, screams, and vehicle
crashes require a wide dynamic range and high sound lev-
els. These sounds are such that a speaker system having
moderate distortion would reproduce them with little au-
dible di erence. This is not true with the reproduction o
music. Music is by nature and de inition harmonious. To
reproduce it accurately, all orms o distortion, both har-
monic and intermodulation, must be kept to a minimum.
This has been the result o the design o the new McIntosh
HT-5 Loudspeaker System. Each loudspeaker element and
crossover component has been care ully designed or dura-
bility, e iciency, and above all, low distortion. The McIn-
tosh HT-5 Loudspeaker System will reproduce music accu-
rately and unction as an excellent Home Theater Loud-
speaker.
Introduction

5
The ollowing dimensions can assist in determining the
best location or your HT-5 Loudspeaker System. There is
additional in ormation on the next page pertaining to in-
stalling the HT-5 into cabinets.
HT-5 Dimensions
Dimensions
Front View of HT-5 with Grille Removed Rear View of HT-5

6
Top View of HT-5 with Grille
Top View of HT-5 with Grille Removed
Dimensions

7
Installation
Installation
Figure 1 Figure 2
Locating your Loudspeakers
Loudspeaker placement in a room can greatly a ect per or-
mance. The HT-5 is designed to work as a Le t or Right
(Main) Loudspeaker in a Music System or as a Main, Cen-
ter Channel or Surround Loudspeaker, in a Home Theater
System.
The optimal method or selecting speaker locations in-
cludes the use o a real time spectrum analyzer operated by
an experienced system installer. An uncompromising in-
stallation would take into consideration the loor, wall and
ceiling coverings, the type and placement o urniture and
can even include the architectural design o the room and
its construction materials.
Locating Loudspeakers for use in Home Theater
In a Home Theater application, the placement o Le t and
Right Front Loudspeakers can be limited by such consider-
ations as the size and location o the video monitor, but the
locating suggestions in the  or use in a Music System
section below can still be help ul. Center Channel Loud-
speakers should be placed above or below the video moni-
tor. Side Surround Loudspeakers work best located to ei-
ther side o and above the listening position, the same dis-
tance rom the monitor. Back Surround Loudspeakers work
best on the back wall. Re er to igure 1.
Locating Loudspeakers for use in a Music System
When used as Le t and Right Speakers, the distance be-
tween the two loudspeakers should not exceed the distance
between the listener and either loudspeaker. I the speakers
are too ar apart relative to the listener, some imaging can
be lost. Re er to igure 2. To assure the sound rom the le t
and right speakers arrive at the same time, the distance
rom each loudspeaker to the listener should be as close to
the same as possible. The HT-5 Tweeter should be level
with the listeners ears and placement on a stand is o ten a
good way to achieve this.
Placement near a wall, corner, loor, ceiling or any in-
tersecting sur aces will rein orce some bass requencies.
Which bass requencies are boosted by placement in a par-
ticular location is dependant on the dimensions o the
room. Smaller speakers like the HT-5 can sometimes ben-
e it rom this boost, i it occurs at the desired requencies.
Test the various loudspeaker locations by playing music
with continuous bass, setting up the speakers and listening
to them rom the main listening spot. Move the loudspeak-
ers to an alternate location and repeat the listening, paying
attention to how the bass qualities and response levels
change. Do not assume the loudest bass is best; rather lis-
ten or booming or a lack o articulation, as well as a bal-
ance over the whole spectrum, to assure the bass will not
drown out the other parts o the music spectrum.
Experiment with various loudspeaker positions until the
locations that sound best are ound.
Logo Placement
The clip-on McIntosh Logo provided with the HT-5 Loud-
speaker system can be located and oriented on the grille by
the user, based on whether vertical or horizontal placement
is to be used. Operation o the HT-5 without its grille is not
recommended, as sound quality would be a ected.

8
How to Connect
How to Connect
Right Front Loudspeaker Left Front Loudspeaker
The McIntosh HT-5 Loudspeaker System utilizes binding
posts or speaker wire connections. Re er to igure 3.
1. Connect a loudspeaker cable rom the black (negative -)
loudspeaker binding post to the negative or common
output terminal o one channel o the ampli ier.
2. Connect a loudspeaker cable rom the red (positive Å)
loudspeaker binding post to the positive or 4 ohm out-
put terminal o the same channel o the ampli ier.
3. Tighten all o the loudspeaker binding posts.
Center Channel Loudspeaker
Speaker Connections
To Amplifier Terminals
Figure 3
+
-

9
Front and Rear Views
6-1/2 inch LD/HP
Woofer/Midrange
1 inch Dome Tweeter
Connecting Terminals
6-1/2 inch LD/HP
Woofer
+
-

1
Specifications
Specifications
Driver omplement
6-1/2 inch Woo er
6-1/2 inch Woo er/Midrange
1 inch Dome Tweeter
Impedance
4 ohms Nominal
Frequency Response
80Hz - 20kHz + 2dB (Anechoic Response)
Sensitivity
2.8V/1m, 86dB, SPL
rossover Frequency
1.5kHz
Power Handling
200 Watts Maximum
Dimensions
20.5 inches (51.25cm) Height, 9.25 inches (23.125cm)
Width, 9 inches (22.5cm) Depth (including Grille)
Finish
Black Ash
Weight (each)
34 pounds (15.4kg) net, 38 pounds (17.2kg) in shipping
carton

11
Packing Instructions
In the event it is necessary to repack the equipment or
shipment, the equipment must be packed exactly as re-
ceived. Failure to do this will result in shipping damage.
Use the original shipping carton and interior parts only
i they are all in good serviceable condition. I a shipping
carton or any o the interior part(s) are needed, please call
or write Customer Service Department o McIntosh Labo-
ratory.
Packing Instructions

McIntosh Part No. 040735
McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.
2 Chambers Street
Binghamton, NY 13903