Polk Audio EX3550 User manual

EX3Series
Tweeter&
Component
SpeakerSystems

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Contact Polk Customer Service: 800-377-7655 polkcs@polkaud~o corn

GETTING STARTED
Pleaseinspecteachloudspeakercarefully.NotifyyourPolkAudiodealerifyounoticeanydamageor
missingitems.Keepthecartonandpackingmaterial.Theywilldothebestjobofprotectingyour
speakersiftheyneedtobetransported.Checkthatyouhavethefollowingmodel-specificparts:
EX3550andEX3560Models:
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2Mid-Woofers
2Mid-WooferGrilles
2EX3500TweetersWithWiresAttached
2CrossoverNetworks
2FlushMountTweeterCups
2FlushMountCupClamps
2StraightSurfaceMountTweeterCups
2AngledSurfaceMountTweeterCups
SpeakerWiresWithFast-onConnectorsAttached
2MachineScrewsForFlushMountInstallation
16 SheetMetalScrewsForSurfaceMountTweeterInstallation(4),
CrossoverMounting(4)&DriverMounting(8).
12SpeedNuts(8DriverMount,4SurfaceMount)
2EllipticalLensAssemblies
2TweeterGrilles
DriverMountingTemplate(SeparateSheet)
RegistrationCard
EX3500:
l 2RX3500TweetersWithCrossover&Wires&ConnectorsAttached
l 2FlushMountTweeterCups
l 2FlushMountCupClamps
l 2StraightSurfaceMountTweeterCups
l 2AngledSurfaceMountTweeterCups
l 2MachineScrewsForFlushMountInstallation
l 4SheetMetalScrewsForSurfaceMountInstallation
l 4SpeedNutsForSurfaceMountInstallation
l 2EllipticalLensAssemblies
l 2TweeterGrilles
l RegistrationCard
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. Phillipsheadscrewdriver
. Flatbladescrewdriverorputtyknife
. Doorpanelpry-tool(availableatmostautopartssupplystores)
. Electricdrill
. ~16”andIL” drillbits
. Holesawofappropriatediameterforthespeakersize(for“newlocation”and
flushmounttweeterinstallationonly)
. Indelibleinkmarkerformarkingthecutout(for“newlocation”installationonly)
. Metalfile
. Solderless,crimp-onconnectorsandacrimpingtool
. Safetyglasses
. Wirestrippersandcutters
NOTE:For EX3500installation, pleasejump to page8 now.
Installingcarspeakersisaseriousproject.Ifyouhaveanydoubtsaboutyourabilitytoexecuteany
oftheinstallationstepsfoundinthismanual,saveyourselfalotofgriefandcontactaprofessional
installer.YourPolkAudiodealerisagoodplacetofindone.Ifyouintendtodotheinstallation
yourselfweassumeyoupossesssomeskillintheproperuseofhandandpowertools.Nomatter
howmuchinstallationexperienceyouhave,werecommendthatyou.
l Readthismanualthoroughlybeforeyoubegin
0 Planyourinstallationcarefully
l Allowenoughtimetocompletetheinstallationwithoutrushing
l Takestepstoprotectyourcarandupholsteryfromunwantedscratchesandpunctures
NECESSARY TOOLS
FIG. 1
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INSTALLING EX3 SERIES COMPONENTS
EX3SeriesCrossovers
Youwillneedtomakewiringconnectionsfromyouramporradiotothecrossoversandfromthe
crossoverstoyourmid/woofersandtweeters [figure 11. Choosecrossoverboxlocationsthatare
convenientformakingtheseconnections.Wedo not recommendplacingthe crossover
inside of door panelsdueto theincreasedpotential for waterdamageand
interferencewith internal door andwindow mechanisms.
ToinstalltheCrossover,squeezetheterminalendofthe“hood”andliftitup(likeaclassicsportscar
hood,nut&) toexposethemountingscrewholes [figure 21. Usetheincludedcrossovermounting
screwstosecurethecrossoverinyourchosenlocation.Youmaywanttomarktheholeswithan
indelibleinkmarkerandpre-drillyourscrewholesforeasyinstallation.Becarefulnottodrillor
screwthroughanyimportantmechanicaldevicesinyourcar.
FIG. 2
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YourEX3SeriesCrossovershaveterminalsthatareclearlymarkedforwiringconnections.These
connectionsareshownin [figure 31.ThewiresprovidedwithyourEXsystemhaveoneredconductor.
Usethiswireasthepositive(+) leadandconnectittothepositive(+) terminalsonyourcrossovers
andthepositive(+) terminalsofeachofyourspeakers.
FIG.3
Installing your mid-woofers in a factory location
1.) Carefullyremovethegrillecoveringthefactoryspeaker.Inmostcasesitwillbe“press-fit”or
screwedtomountingtabsmoldedintothesurroundingarea.Onsomecats,grillesareheldby
screwsorspringclips.Thescrewswillbeobvious,thespringclipsmaynotbe.Ifyouexperience
anyresistanceyoumayneedtoconsultyourdealeroryourcar’sowner’smanualtodetermine
ifthereisanyspecialwaythemanufacturerhassecuredthegrille.Ifyoudon’tfeelcomfortable
ptyingatyourcar’sinteriorwithaprytool,andthegrilleresistsyourefforts,backoffandthink
againaboutaprofessionalinstallation,Thecostofaprofessionalinstallationisusuallylessthan
thecostofnewdoorpanelsordashboards.Somegrillesareintegralpartsoftheirpanelsandare
notremovable.Inthesecasesyouwillneedtoremovetheentiredoorpaneltogainaccesstothe
speakerlocation.Thiswillusuallyrequiretheremovalofdoorhandles,windowwindermecha-
nismsandperhapsotherpartssuchasdoorpullsandlockbuttons.Prosdothisstuffintheir
sleep.Thinkaboutit.
2.) Ifyou’restillreading,andyou’veremovedyourfactorygrille,remembertokeepallscrews,
mountingclipsorlockwashersthatheldthefactoryspeakerin@aceandsavethemforreuse.
Liftthespeakeroutoftheholeashortdistance.
3.) Beforeunhookingthespeakerwires,identifythepositivespeakertenninal(usuallymarkedwith
areddotor[+],oritisthetenninalthatislargerorwider)andidentifythenegativespeaker
terminal(usuallymarked[-I, orhavingnomarking,orwhicheverterminalisthesmalleror
narrowerofthetwo).Markthewireconnectedtothepositivetenninalforlateridentification.
Useapennanentmarkerorpieceoftape.
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4.) Disconnectthefactoryspeaker.Afterdisconnectingthefactoryspeaker,connectthewirestoyour
newPolkAudiospeaker,hookingupthepositive[+] wiretothewiderofthetwoEX3terminals
andthenegative[-] tothenarrowerEX3terminal.
5.) MountyourEX3LoudspeakerusingthemountinghardwareyousavedfromStep2.
6.) Remountthefactorygrillecover.
7.) RepeatSteps 1-6 fortheotherspeaker(s).
Installing your mid-woofers in a “NewLocation”
Factorylocationsuncool?Pickanewlocation.Besuretotakeintoaccountbothyourvehicle’sdesign
andyoursonicgoals.Beforeyoubegin,readallofthesesteps.Ifyouhaveanydoubtsaboutyourability
toexecuteanyofthesesteps,saveyourselfalotofgriefandcontactaprofessionalinstaller.YourPolk
Audiodealerisagoodplacetofindone.
1.) Usingthedoorpanelply-tool,carefullyremoveanydoorpanels,kickpanels,moldedpartsorfabric
coveringstoexposethesurfacethatwillneedtobecuttoinstallthenewspeaker.
2.) Checkthedimensionsaroundandbehindtheinstallationareaforfit.Thisincludesanymoving
partsbehindthespeaker(movethewindowsupanddown)orthesidesofthespeaker(openand
closedoors).
3.) Locatethetemplateoverthedesiredlocation.Drawtheinsidecircleandmarkatleasttwoopposing
screwlocations.
4.) Cutthecirclewiththeappropriatetool.Drillpilotholesforthescrewlocations.Filetheedges
ofanybaremetalsurfacesuntilsmooth,thencoatwithprimertopreventrust.
5.) Whenprimerisdry,slipmountingclipsoverthescrewholes.
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6.) Inthemeantime,attachspeakerwirestothecrossovermid-woofertenninals [figure 31. Thewires
providedwithyourRXsystemhaveoneredconductor.Usethiswireasthepositive(+) leadand
connectittothepositive(+) temrinalscrewonyourcrossover.Connecttheblackwiretothe
negative(-) terminalscrew.There’sthatpatternagain.
7.) Nowrunwiresfromyouramplifierorradiotothecrossover.Attachthesewirestothecrossoverinput
terminals [figure 31.Routethesewiresawayfromlow-levelelectricalcablesinyourcar,anduse
grommetswhenpassingthroughdoors.Rememberthepattern:attachtheredwiretothepositive
(+) terminalscrewonyourcrossover,andtheblackwiretothenegative(-) terminalscrew.
8.) Passthewiresfromthecrossoverthroughyourcuthole [figure 41.
9.) ConnectthewirestoyournewPolkAudiomid-woofers.Attachtheredwiretothepositive(+)
terminal,andconnecttheblackwiretothenegative(-) terminal.
10.)Placethegrilleframeontothespeakerbeingcarefultolineupthescrewholes.Carefullyorient
thenewspeakeroverthescrewholesandmountingclips.Tightenthescrewsfinnlytosecurethe
speakerandgrilleframetothemountingsurface.
11.)Placethemeshgrilleinthegrilleframe.
12.)RepeatSteps l-11 fortheotherspeaker(s).
.\
FIG. 4
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EX3SeriesTweeterInstallation
Step I-Choosing the proper tweeter location
Whenproperlyinstalled,componentsystemscanimprovethesoundstagecreatedbymusicinyourcar.
Thesoundstagewillbedramaticallyaffectedbywhereyoumountyourtweeters.Howdoyoudetennine
thebestplacefortweeterinstallation?Grabafriendandplayalongaswerecommendasimple
‘TweeterPlacement”experiment!Justfollowtheseeasysteps:
1.) Completetheinstallationofyourentiresystemexceptforthe EX3500 Tweeters.
2.) ConnectthewiresprovidedwithyourtweeterstothetweeterterminalsonyourEX3Crossovers
[figure 31.
3.) Withoutactuallyrunningthewiresthroughdoorsorunderupholsteredpanels,connectupyour
EX3500Tweeters.
4.) Mountthetweetersinatemporarylocation(whereyouthinkyou’dliketoinstallthem)withtape.
5.) Haveyourfriendsitinthepassenger-sideseatwhileyousitinthedriver’sseat.
6.) Now,withfamiliarmusicplaying(werecommendmusicwithvocalsforthistest),bothyouand
yourfriendshouldpositionthetweetersindifferentlocationsaroundthepassengercompartment,
listeningforresultingsounddifferences.ListentothetweeterwiththeEllipticalLensonit,andALSO
listentoitwithjusttheGrilleonit.Ifyou’replanningasurfaceinstallation,trythiswithboththe
StraightSurfaceMountCupandtheAngledSurfaceMountCupRotatetheAngledSurfaceMount
CupinconjunctionwiththeEllipticalLenstohelpgetthemostdesirableradiationpattern.Listen
forimaging,soundstageandclarity,Inashorttime,youshouldbeabletodetenninethebest
locationforyourtweeter;.
7.) Markthelocation,andmoveontoStep2andchooseyourmountingoption.
TheEX3500Tweeterofferstwooptional“highfrequencydirectors”togiveyouevenmorecontrolover
yoursoundandtohelpyougetbettersoundindifficultplacements:anEllipticalLensandanAngled
SurfaceMountCup.(YoualsogetaStraightSurfaceMountCupandaMeshTweeterGrille.What
adeal.)UsetheEllipticalLenstofocusthehighfrequenciesinyoursystemforbetterimagingand
directionality [figure 51.Whenyou’redoingtheTweeterLocationTest(above),tapetheElliptical
LensinplaceoneithertheStraightorAngledSurfaceMountCuptohelpfindthedirectionbestsuited
toyoursystem,Whenyoufindtheperfectspot,simplysnaptheEllipticalLensontothetweeter.The
EllipticalLensDOESNOTROTATE.UsetheAngledSurfaceMountCuptohelpyougetthemost
desirableradiationpattern.
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Step 2-Mounting Options
ThePolkAudioI% ‘l‘weeterofferstwomountingoptionsforevenmoreinstallationflexibility:
TweeterMounting Option #l-Surface Mount
YourEX3500TweeterscomewithbothStraightandAngledSurfaceMountCupstofitanylocationand
installationsituation.UsetheAngledSurfaceMountCuptohelpdirectthesoundinconjunctionwith
theEllipticalLens.
1.) Usingthebaseofthesurfacemountcupasatemplate,markthetwoscrewholesanddrillthem
usingal/S”drillbit.Drillathirdhole(forthespeakerwire)usinga3~6~~drillbit.
2.) Attacheithersurfacemountcup(angledorstraight)tothepanelusing#8screwsofappropriate
lengthforthepanel.
3.) Pushthetweeterwiresthroughtheopenareaatthebottomofthecupandthroughthe3~6”
holeinthepanel.
4.) ConnectwiresfromthetweetertenninalsoftheCrossovertothetweeterwiresusingfaston
connectors.Besuretoconnecttheredwirestrandfromthetweetertothe(+) terminalofthe
crossovertweeteroutput.
5.) Mountthetweeterbysnappingitintothemounting cup andturningthetweetercl&vise,
lockingitintoplace.
MOUNTING CHOICES: EASY AS 1, 2.3
1
. Choose Mounting Cup. 2.
Snapthe Tweeter 3. Choose either the
ForFlush Mount, choose (a), Assembly into place within Mesh Tweeter Grille or
Angled Surface Mount the Mounting Cup. Elliptical Lens(for more
choose (b), and Straight directionality). The Elliptical
Surface Mount choose (c). LensDOESNOTROTATE.
Usethe Angled Surface Choosea position and
Mount Cup(b) to better direction for the Surface
aimthe tweeter for more or Flush Mounting Cup,
directionality and better andthen snap the Elliptical
imaging. The Elliptical Lens Lenson.
(see “3”) DOESNOTROTATE +-a ~,_
once it’s snapped onto the *,“*
-1”
Mounting Cup.Usethe
Mounting Cupsandthe
Elliptical Lensin conjunc-
tion to determine best
placement and sound.
3.
2.
1.
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