Optimus 40-4071 User manual

Cat. No. 40-4071
6-Speaker Home Theater System
Your Optimus 6-Speaker Home The-
ater System is specially designed to
give you great sound quality for the ul-
timate home theater experience. It in-
cludes two main (front) speakers, a
center channel speaker, two rear chan-
nel surround speakers, and a 50-watt
powered subwoofer.
Your main front speakers each have a
5-inch, long excursion woofer and a 1/2-
inch Polyamide dome tweeter. Your
center channel speaker is magnetically
shielded and contains two 41/2-inch
high compliance woofers for excellent
bass response and a 2-inch cone
tweeter for clear and natural high-fre-
quency sound reproduction. Each rear
channel surround speaker has a 41/2-
inch hi-polymer laminate full-range
driver, which is acoustically matched to
the two main and center channel
speakers. Your subwoofer has an 8-
inch high compliance woofer and a 50-
watt amplifier to produce tight, floor-
rumbling powerful bass down to 40 Hz
that you can feel as well as hear.
The speaker cabinets are solid in con-
struction and finished in genuine black
wood-grain vinyl. The decorative grilles
are acoustically transparent.
Note: You need speaker wire (not sup-
plied) to connect your speakers.
Please read this entire manual before
you connect your speakers.
© 1995 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
Radio Shack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.
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Warning: To prevent fire or shock haz-
ard, do not expose this product to rain
or moisture.
This symbol is intended to alert you
to the presence of uninsulated dan-
gerous voltage within the product’s
enclosure that might be of sufficient
magnitude to constitute a risk of
electric shock. Do not open the prod-
uct’s case.
This symbol is intended to inform
you that important operating and
maintenance instructions are includ-
ed in the literature accompanying
this product.
SPEAKER PLACEMENT
Where and how you position your
speakers has a great effect on the
overall sound of your surround sound
system.
Cautions:
• Place the speakers away from
heat sources such as radiators,
stoves, or other appliances.
• Place your subwoofer at least 2-3
feet away from your television or
your computer’s disk drive system
so the speaker’s magnet won’t dis-
tort your TV picture’s color or
erase your floppy disks.
• Do not place the subwoofer with
its metal plate against the floor.
• To prevent the cabinets from warp-
ing or discoloring, do not place the
speakers where they are exposed
to direct sunlight or excessive
humidity.
• Do not place the speakers where
they might be knocked over or
exposed to falling objects.
Center Channel Speaker
The center channel output contains the
majority of the dialogue and sound that
comes from on-screen action. There-
fore, you should place it as close as
possible to the television, preferably
centered on top of the TV. Place the
front edge of the center channel speak-
er grille flush with the edge of the tele-
vision.
Your center channel speaker is mag-
netically shielded to prevent interfer-
ence with your television’s picture. It is
possible, however, that some interfer-
ence might occur.
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK.
DO NOT OPEN.
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF
ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE
COVER OR BACK. NO USER-SERVICE-
ABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVIC-
ING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.
CAUTION !
!
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If this happens, turn off your TV for 15
minutes and move the speaker back
about 1 inch from the front of the TV.
Turn on the TV and recheck. If interfer-
ence still occurs, move the center
channel speaker back further until the
interference disappears.
Use the four supplied anti-slip pads as
follows:
When installing the speaker above
the TV set, place the thicker pads to-
ward the back of the speaker and the
thinner pads toward the front of the
speaker.
When installing the speaker below
the TV set, place the thinner pads to-
ward the back of the speaker and the
thicker pads toward the front of the
speaker.
Main Front Speakers
The main front speakers are critical for
home theater sound. They provide
sound for the action that takes place off
screen, as well as sounds that move
from left to right or right to left. Place
them at least 2 feet away from the TV,
with the centers of their grilles as close
as possible to the listener’s ear level.
Rear Channel Surround
Speakers
Rear channel surround speakers pro-
duce subtle sounds that help create
special effects, convey a sense of
movement, and give viewers the sen-
sation that they’re “inside” a movie.
The ideal position for your rear channel
surround speakers is behind the listen-
ing area and at ear level.
You can place your surround speakers
on a shelf, or mount them on a wall us-
ing two #8 11/2-inch round-head wood
screws (not included).
Follow these steps to mount each sur-
round speaker on a wall.
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1. Drive the screws into the wall,
making sure they fasten to a wall
stud. Leave approximately 1/4inch
of the screw extending from the
wall.
2. Align the screw head with the key-
hole on the back of the speaker.
3. Push down the speaker until it is
secure.
Powered Subwoofer
Where and how you position your sub-
woofer greatly affects its bass re-
sponse. Adjusting the subwoofer’s
volume control in relation to the left and
right speakers and adjusting the sub-
woofer’s high cut filter also affects your
speaker’s overall sound.
Although low frequencies are nondirec-
tional, factors such as room reflections,
resonance and absorption strongly af-
fect your subwoofer’s performance.
For the maximum bass output, place
your subwoofer in a corner on the floor.
To reduce output, move it away from
corners and back walls, and off the
floor. Even slightly moving the sub-
woofer can have a major effect on bass
response.
We recommend that you test the sub-
woofer in different locations to achieve
the best balance between your main
speakers and subwoofer.
CONNECTING THE
SPEAKERS TO AN
AMPLIFIER/RECEIVER
Notes:
• You can use an amplifier/receiver
with an output power rating higher
than that of the speaker system,
but take care never to exceed the
speaker system’s maximum power
rating (see “Specifications”).
• To avoid any damage to the
speaker system or amplifier/
receiver, turn off the amplifier/
receiver before making connec-
tions.
Your local Radio Shack store has a
wide selection of speaker wire. We rec-
ommend you use color-coded or
marked wire to help you correctly con-
nect the wire. Color-coded wires have
a stripe running down one side of the
conductors. Marked wires have ridges
along one side of the conductors.
With the speakers in their approximate
locations, measure the distance from
each speaker to the amplifier. Use 18-
gauge speaker wire or lamp cord for
distances up to 50 feet. For greater dis-
tances, use 16-gauge wire.
1. Split apart about 4 inches of
speaker wire on each end.
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2. Use a wire stripper to strip 1/4inch
of insulation from each wire’s end.
Twist the loose wire strands to pre-
vent the wires from shorting.
3. Press the right front speaker’s
negative (–) terminal tab and
insert one of the bare wire ends
into the opening. Then release the
tab.
4. Press the right front speaker’s
positive (+) terminal tab and insert
the other bare wire end into the
opening. Then release the tab.
5. Insert the other end of the wire you
inserted into the right front
speaker’s negative (–) terminal
into your A/V amplifier/receiver’s
right front negative (–) speaker ter-
minal.
Amplifier/Speaker Connections with the Subwoofer Connected to
Speaker Terminals
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Note: For the maximum bass
response and the best perfor-
mance, be sure your speaker
wires are properly connected
according to their polarity (+ to +
and – to –).
6. Connect the remaining wire to the
A/V amplifier/receiver’s right front
positive (+) speaker terminal.
7. Repeat this process for the left
front speaker, the rear channel
speakers, and the center channel
speaker.
CONNECTING THE
SUBWOOFER TO
POWER
Route the subwoofer’s power cord so it
is not likely to be walked on or pinched
by items placed upon or against it, es-
pecially at plugs, convenience recepta-
cles, and the point where it exits from
the unit. Connect the power cord to a
standard 120 volt/60 Hz AC outlet.
Warning: To prevent electrical shock,
do not use this polarized plug with an
extension cord receptacle or other out-
let unless the blades can be fully insert-
ed to prevent blade exposure.
Caution: Only connect the subwoofer
to a power supply of the required type .
Unplug the subwoofer’s power cord
from the electrical outlet if it will not be
used for a long period of time.
CONNECTING THE
SUBWOOFER TO AN
AMPLIFIER/RECEIVER
You can connect your subwoofer to an
amplifier/receiver’s speaker terminals
or line out terminals.
Connecting the Subwoofer to
Speaker Terminals
You can connect the amplifier/receiv-
er’s speaker output terminals to the
subwoofer’s
HIGH LEVEL INPUT speak-
er terminals (see the illustration on
Page 5).
Be sure to connect the amplifier/receiv-
er’s positive (+) terminals to the sub-
woofer’s positive terminals, and the
amplifier/receiver’s negative (–) termi-
nals to the subwoofer’s negative termi-
nals.
Wiring the subwoofer with incorrect po-
larity greatly reduces bass perfor-
mance.
After you make all connections, tug
lightly on the speaker wires to make
sure they are secured.
Connecting the Subwoofer to
Low Level Input Jacks
Your amplifier/receiver’s line out jacks
might be labeled either REC OUT or
PRE OUT.
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Connect the subwoofer’s LOW LEVEL
INPUT jacks to the amplifier/receiver’s
line out jacks with phono cables (not
supplied). Be sure to connect the jacks
in phase, connecting left to left and
right to right.
Notes:
• If you connect your subwoofer to
your amplifier/receiver’s line out
terminals and your amplifier/
receiver has a line out selector
switch, be sure to set it to the cor-
rect source.
• You can connect your subwoofer
to your television if your television
has line out jacks. Simply connect
the LOW LEVEL INPUT jacks to the
television’s line out terminals with
phono cables.
SUBWOOFER
OPERATION
Move POWER ON/OFF up to turn power
on, or down to turn power off. The
POWER indicator lights when power is
on.
Am
p
lifier/S
p
eaker Connections with the Subwoofer Connected to
Low Level In
p
ut Jacks
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Adjusting the Volume Control
After all connections are made, adjust
the subwoofer’s volume control.
1. Rotate the VOLUME CONTROL
knob to MIN.
2. Turn on your entire audio system.
3. Turn on the subwoofer.
4. Play a CD, record, cassette, radio
or TV and adjust the entire sys-
tem’s overall volume to a comfort-
able level.
5. Rotate the subwoofer’s VOLUME
CONTROL clockwise, a little at a
time, until you achieve the desired
balance of bass between the sub-
woofer and the main speakers.
Bass output should not overpower
the main speakers, but should
blend across the entire musical
range.
After you adjust VOLUME CONTROL,
use the amplifier/receiver’s volume
control to control the speaker’s volume.
Adjusting the High Cut
Frequency
FREQUENCY HZ adjusts the high end of
the subwoofer’s frequency range be-
tween 50 Hz and 150 Hz. Set this con-
trol to complement your front speakers’
low frequency capabilities, the place-
ment of your speakers, and the acous-
tics of your listening room.
Follow these steps to adjust the high
cut frequency.
1. Rotate FREQUENCY HZ clockwise
until it sounds like the music is too
bass-heavy.
2. Rotate the control counterclock-
wise until the bass sounds more
natural.
If the mid-bass sounds natural but you
want more low bass, rotate FREQUEN-
CY HZ counterclockwise a little, then
turn the volume control up by about the
same amount.
To reduce low bass output without af-
fecting the mid-bass output, rotate
FREQUENCY HZ clockwise and the vol-
ume control down.
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9
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Your 6-Speaker Home Theater System is an example of superior design and
craftsmanship. The following suggestions will help you care for your speakers so
you can enjoy them for years.
• Handle the speakers gently and carefully. Dropping them can damage circuit
boards and cases and can cause the speakers to work improperly.
• Use and store the (product name) only in normal temperature environments.
Temperature extremes can shorten the life of electronic devices and distort or
melt plastic parts.
• To maintain the speaker cabinets’ finish, do not let them come in contact with
water vapor, alcohol, benzene, insecticide, or similar liquids. Do not place a
plastic covering on top of the speakers, as the plastic’s color could come off
and stick to the finish.
• Clean the speaker cabinets with a soft, dry cloth.
Caution: You might permanently damage your speakers by cleaning them
with a vacuum cleaner. Instead, use a feather duster or a soft cloth.
• Never touch the speaker elements with your hands or expose them to exces-
sive shocks. If they become dented or bent, the sound distorts.
• Never open the subwoofer’s cabinet or remove its metal control panel, as this
might result in electrical shock or damage to the unit. If your subwoofer needs
servicing, contact your nearest Radio Shack store.
Modifying or tampering with the speakers’ internal components can cause a mal-
function and might invalidate your speakers’ warranty. If your speakers are not per-
forming as they should, take them to your local Radio Shack store for assistance.
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SPECIFICATIONS
FRONT SPEAKERS
Speaker Complement................................Woofer: 5-Inch Long Excursion Woofer
Tweeter: 1/2-Inch Polyamide Dome Tweeter
Impedance..................................................................................................8 Ohms
Frequency Response.........................................................................58Hz–20 kHz
Power Handling (RMS)............................................................................. 35 Watts
Maximum Power ....................................................................................... 70 Watts
Sensitivity.......................................................................................................89 dB
System Resonance........................................................................................58 Hz
Enclosure.................................................................................Bass Reflex Design
Dimensions (H × W × D)....................................................117/8×7 3/8×73/4Inches
(301.6 ×187.3 ×196.8 mm)
Weight..............................................................................................................9 lbs
(4.1 kg)
CENTER CHANNEL SPEAKER
Speaker Complement................................Woofer: 41/2-Inch Hi-Polymer Laminate
Tweeter: 1/2-Inch Polyamide Dome Tweeter
Impedance..................................................................................................8 Ohms
Frequency Response.......................................................................100Hz–20 kHz
Power Handling (RMS)............................................................................. 35 Watts
Maximum Power ....................................................................................... 70 Watts
Sensitivity.......................................................................................................89 dB
Dimensions (H × W × D).....................................................51/2×181/4x 51/2Inches
(139.7 ×463.5 × 139.7 mm)
Weight..............................................................................................................9 lbs
(4.1 kg)
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