Teufel Ultima 5 User manual

Ultima 5
Manual Version 1.2

Ultima 5 Loudspeaker
O p e r a t i n g m a n u a l a n d
t e c h n i c a l s p e c i f i c a t i o n s
Safety guidelines
Packaging materials, particularly plastic bags and foils, should
be kept out of children’s reach, as these can be dangerous (e.g.,
risk of suffocation). Never leave your children alone with
electrical devices, as there is potentially always a risk of
electrical shock. Please read the following safety guidelines very
carefully.
General note
Make sure to read this operating manual carefully and in its
entirety. efore plugging in the units for the first time, make
sure you have complied with all relevant safety and operating
instructions. Keep this operating manual in a safe place so you
can refer to it at a later date if necessary.
lways
If in doubt, consult the operating manual. Make sure to comply
with all instructions regarding the units' setup and ongoing
operation.
Cleaning
Avoid cleaning the units with domestic cleaning agents, as
these may scratch the surface.
Just use a dry cloth. Humidity and sunlight: Never operate the
unit in humid or wet spaces, e.g., near a bath tub, shower, wash
basin, drain, in a damp basement, or near a swimming pool.
Never expose the loudspeaker to humidity, and avoid exposing
it to direct sources of sunlight.
Placement
Never mount the units loosely in a vehicle, on an unstable
surface, on a loose stand, on unsuitable furniture, or with
insufficient bracing. The loudspeakers could topple and cause
personal injuries, which you will be liable for. Always use
adequately sized wall brackets for mounting loudspeakers.
Cables
Lay all the cables flush with the floor and walls. Avoid any loops
in your cables that could cause people to trip up. Cable loops
can also cause electrical interference and degrade the sound
quality.
Pay special attention to the speaker cable/terminal
connections. Regularly check all cables to and from the
loudspeakers for insulation issues and breakage.
If you detect a fault, immediately power down all connected
units, unplug the cables and replace the defective cable.
Overloading
Avoid turning up the volume control excessively on your
amplifier, particularly if you are also boosting the bass
frequencies (bass control, loudness button, bass boost button,
etc.).
Liquid and foreign substances
Liquids or other foreign substances should never get inside the
unit.
In case of a fault
Never attempt to repair the unit yourself. Always contact our
support team first and discuss the fault with them. If
appropriate, they may give you instructions on how to clear the
fault. If this is not possible, send the unit directly to our service
address.
Replacement parts
During the period of warranty, Lautsprecher Teufel will supply
all required replacement parts. Your warranty will not be voided
as long as you use Teufel spare parts to replace any defective
components.
Unusual noises
If any unusual noises occur during operation, or if the sound
gets distorted, immediately turn down the amplifier volume to a
level where the sound returns to normal.
Replacing the fuse
Unplug the power cable before replacing the fuse. Make sure
that the replacement fuse has the same rating as the defective
fuse.
Speaker volume
Excessive loudspeaker volume can cause irreversible hearing
loss. Always set the volume control of your audio system to a
level that is appropriate to the surroundings.
In case of an emergency
Immediately disconnect the unit's power plug from the mains
socket. In the following cases, please contact one of our service
technicians:
- Power plug or cable is damaged
- Liquid or other foreign substance has entered the interior of
the unit
- Unit has been directly exposed to rain or another type of
liquid
- Unit is inoperational even though you have followed all the
instructions
- Unit has been dropped or otherwise damaged

Thank you for purchasing a set of loudspeakers from
Lautsprecher Teufel. You are now the owner of a powerful
and sophisticated loudspeaker system. ll Teufel products
are meticulously manufactured and fitted only with top-
quality components.
Before using the loudspeaker set for the first time,
carefully read this operating manual. Keep the manual in a
safe place for later reference.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact our technical
support team (ph. [phone]).
Unpacking
Open the top flaps of the cardboard box, take out the styrofoam
padding, and carefully lift the loudspeaker out of the box. If the
speaker set is shipped with speaker grilles, attach these now.
Decoupling
The speakers ship with four floor spikes for each speaker
cabinet. These are designed to decouple the Ultima 5 system
from the floor. Lay the speaker cabinet on its side and screw the
four spikes into the designated fittings.
Stereo speaker placement
This stereo loudspeaker system consists of two column
speakers.
For an ideal stereo setup, position the Ultima 5 speakers
following the shape of an equilateral triangle:
The distance between the left and right speaker cabinets should
be the same as the distance between each cabinet and the
listener.
This is illustrated below.
Hint: If for practical reasons the distance between the two
speakers needs to be larger than the distance to the listener,
you can compensate for this to some degree by angling the
speakers towards the listening spot.
5.0 surround speaker placement
Placement of the Ultima 5 speakers as part of a 5.0 surround
system is described later in this manual.
Speaker connections
The Ultima 5 loudspeakers have an impedance of 4–8 ohm. This
is suitable for all standard stereo amplifiers and AV receivers.
Each of the Ultima 5 cabinets has a rear connection panel for
connecting to the amplifier/receiver. The speaker terminals are
designed for double-core speaker cables.
Hint: To take full advantage of the high quality of the speakers,
we recommend you only use top-grade speaker cabling – such
as our own 2 x 4 mm2 Teufel speaker cables:
Hundreds of ultra-thin, low-oxygen copper wires (protected by a
thick, flexible, transparent plastic sleeve that withstands
almost any stress) ensure that your audio signals are passed to
the speakers cleanly and without being compromised by
underdimensioned cabling.
In response to customer demand, all our audio cables are now
pre-wired for typical usage lengths (starting at 10 m).

Connection panel
Fo r a st a nda r d f u l l-r ang e c onn e ct i o n w i th t h e
amplifier/receiver, clamp the speaker cable into the connection
panel's centre terminals.
Attention: The terminals at the left and right of the connection
panel are for bi-amping/bi-wiring only. In standard full-range
operation, these need to bridged using the supplied binding
posts.
Also see: Additional connection options - bi-wiring/bi-amping
When connecting the loudspeakers to the amplifier, make sure
the polarity is correct at both ends: plus pole to plus pole,
minus pole to minus pole.
The connection panels on the Ultima 5 speaker cabinets and on
the amplifier/receiver clearly indicate the [+] and [-] poles with
different symbols and/or colours. If the polarity is not the same
for both speakers, this leads to an inaccurate reproduction of
the signal.
On speaker cables, one of the cores is usually marked with a line
to help you distinguish between the two poles.
Hint: Always use the speaker cable core with the marking for
the plus pole.
If you are using new speaker cables, crimp off the plastic
sleeves at the end points (approx. 3 mm), twirl up the exposed
copper ends, and clamp them into the corresponding speaker
terminals. If you prefer a quicker and easier way of connecting
your speakers, we recommend using our Teufel banana plugs
with your cables.
dditional connection options –
bi-wiring/bi-amping
The connection panel on the Ultima 5 speakers fully supports bi-
wiring as well as bi-amping.
This means that you can run the midrange driver and tweeter
separately from the bass woofers, either via two separate cables
(bi-wiring) or even via two different amplifiers (bi-amping). The
terminal pair on the left provides the plus poles, and the
terminal pair on the right the minus poles. Each pair consists of
two inputs for 'Woofer' and 'Tweeter'.
i–wiring
i-amping
Attention: When you are bi-wiring or bi-amping the speakers,
NEVER put a binding post on the centre terminals of the
connection panel!
The centre terminal pair is designed for standard full-range
operation, i.e., a single double-core speaker cable for each
speaker cabinet.

Speaker placement in a 5.0 surround system
With two or four Ultima 5 stereo speakers and one or three
additional Ultima 5 FCR centre/rear speakers, you can set up a
5.0 surround sound system. Surround speaker placement is
different to stereo speaker placement, so please read the
following guidelines carefully.
Thanks to its unobtrusive aesthetics and sleek design, a Teufel
Ultima 5 surround system will easily blend into your living room.
In order to get the best possible audio quality from your Teufel
system, however, there are a number of speaker placement
rules to consider; these apply particularly to home theatre use.
As a general guideline, any 5.0 system should be concentrated
around the viewing area, i.e., that part of the room that
contains the TV/screen and the main seating spots.
If at all possible, the TV/screen should be placed centrally in
relation to the viewing/listening spots.
Our speaker placement suggestions, shown over the next pages,
are designed for the best possible multi-channel sound
reproduction in your home. In the reality of your living room, of
course, there may be factors working against the suggested
placements.
While our recommendations represent the audio purist's
optimum layout, minor variations in placement will generally
not affect the sound imaging very much. Modern AV receivers
also offer a number of options to electronically compensate for
compromises in speaker placement. Always remember:
Our recommendations are not the be-all-and-end-all but a
starting point. Ultimately, you will know best what works in your
room, both visually and sonically. Trust your eyes – and your
ears!
Centre
For the centre channel, we recommend the Ultima 5 FCR
speaker. The centre speaker reproduces virtually all spoken
sound, including most dialogue. In relation to the main listening
spot, place the Ultima 5 C centrally under or above the
TV/screen in order to create a physical unity between sound and
image.
For example, you can fasten the speaker directly to the wall
using the mounting brackets on the rear (make sure to use
suitable screws/wall plugs).
Front
The front speakers should be positioned the same way as any
conventional stereo speakers – forming an equilateral triangle
with the listener. In a home theatre setup, the TV/screen should
be centred between left and right front speakers. Should you
need to position the column speakers further out, make sure to
angle them towards the main listening spot.
Rear
Depending on your budget, room dimensions and technical
requirements, you can either use a second pair of Ultima 5
floorstanding speakers or a pair of Ultima 5 FCR surround
speakers for the rear channels.
Position the left and right loudspeakers for the rear of the
room either to the side of (A) or behind ( ) the main listening
spot, ideally at the same height as the front speakers. If you are
using the Ultima 5 FCR speakers, you can mount these on a shelf
or directly on the wall.
If necessary, the rear speakers can be placed higher than the
front speakers (up to 2.10 m), but they should never be lower in
the room than the front speakers.
The rear speakers should always be at least 1.00 m away from
the listener. If they are any closer to the listening spot, make
sure that the front of the speakers is not directly pointed at
the listener but towards the centre of the room. Alternatively,
you can create the necessary distance by positioning the
speakers higher than 1.20 m.

Included components
2 x Ultima 5 loudspeakers, operating manual,
4 x binding posts, 8 x floor spikes
Terms of warranty
Lautsprecher Teufel GmbH provides a twelve-year warranty for
loudspeakers and a two-year warranty for amplifiers and
electrical components, starting at the purchase date. The
warranty covers all materials and time needed. The warranty
does not cover devices damaged as a result of improper use or
electrical/mechanical overloading. The original Teufel invoice is
your proof of warranty. This warranty applies exclusively to
loudspeakers, amplifiers and electronic components purchased
by consumers from Teufel for private usage. The warranty does
not apply to loudspeakers, amplifiers and electronic
components sold to consumers through third-party dealers.
When Teufel products are resold privately, the warranty may be
transferred to the new owner. For this, the new owner requires
the original Teufel invoice.
Returns policy
Teufel provides an eight-week right of return with a money-
back guarantee.
You may only return individual components from a set if Teufel
offers these components for sale separately. If you return one
or more individual components from a set, this voids the
discount that Teufel provides on the sale of components as a
set. This means that for individually returned components from
a set, you will be refunded the difference between the set price
and the sum purchase price of the individual components you
decide to keep, i.e., we will deduct the discount that applies to
set purchases.
For further information on returns, please refer to the returns form
provided with your shipment (or online at www.teufel.eu in the support
section).
If you decide to return any or all of the purchased goods, please
always contact us first.
Note that we can only process and accept returned goods if
you have telephoned us in advance and discussed the
required returns procedure.
Cleaning
When cleaning the speaker cabinets, only use dry or moist
cloths.
Technical specifications
All technical specifications are listed on our website at
www.teufel.eu.
No responsibility can be accepted for the correctness of this information. Subject to technical changes.
If you have any questions, suggestions or criticisms, please contact our support team:
Lautsprecher Teufel GmbH
ülowstrasse 66 · 10783 erlin (Germany)
Ph. [phone] · Fax: [phone]
www.teufel.eu

bout the Ultima 5
The Ultima 5 loudspeaker is based on strict formal design
considerations, which enable the speaker to deliver superb
acoustic results. These are the main design concepts behind the
Ultima 5:
1) In conventional speaker enclosure design, the sensitive parts
of the diplexer (frequency crossover network) are exposed to
the sound waves from the bass woofer. This adversely affects
the diplexer’s output. The Ultima 5 addresses this problem by
taking the diplexer out of the actual enclosure and embedding
it in the base block, where it is not directly exposed to vibration.
2) The height of the speaker cabinet in the room and the
surfaces that the speakers reflect off are crucial factors in the
sound that is produced by the loudspeaker. Ideally, these
parameters should be controlled through the cabinet design.
The so-called 'speaker stand' is not just an external device for
placing the speaker cabinet according to visual and practical
considerations, it also deeply impacts on the sound quality.
The Teufel Ultima 5, therefore, firmly integrates the cabinet
mount and the speaker height into its acoustic design.
3) All edges and protruding parts on the speaker baffle,
regardless whether they are for constructive or aesthetic
reasons, cause sound refractions and diffractions. As a result,
the sound pressure level may fluctuate significantly across the
frequency spectrum.
To avoid this, one of the constructive goals in speaker enclosure
design is to have as few edges and protrusions around the
baffle area as possible.
Protruding frames on the outside of the cabinet for holding
speaker grilles/covers can be particularly detrimental to the
SPL curve. The Ultima 5 circumvents this issue entirely by
attaching all speaker covers magnetically rather than with
frames.
With these structural considerations in mind, Teufel's
longstanding Managing Director Peter Tschimmel designed an
elegant column loudspeaker with excellent acoustic response.
In 1991, Tschimmel’s speaker design was acknowledged with the
prestigious “Design Innovation” award by Design Zentrum
Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany.
As Teufel Lautsprecher was only just starting as a direct
distributor at this point, these loudspeakers were only available
for a very short period of time – long enough, however, to
inspire similar speaker designs by major consumer electronics
manufacturers across Germany and the UK.
The recently released Ultima 5 is a reissue of Teufel's much-
lauded original column speaker. While all the exterior
dimensions were retained, the new Ultima 5 contains only the
latest in state-of-the-art loudspeaker and diplexer technology.
The square-top speaker enclosure measures just 17 cm per side
and is mounted on a wider base block. Like in the original
design, the diplexer is housed in the base in order to protect it
from vibrational interference. The base block also provides the
connection panel, with gold-plated speaker terminals for full-
range, bi-wiring and bi-amping operation.
With its individually covered speakers, the Ultima 5 column
cabinet has a very distinctive appearance. At first glance, the
individual speakers seem to be randomly distributed across the
front panel, but in fact they are carefully placed according to
acoustic, technological and aesthetic considerations. The
overall proportions between the speakers are based on the
golden section, an ideal geometric ratio that has been known
since antiquity. The tweeter is at ear level with a seated
listener, thus ensuring maximum clarity. The midrange speaker
immediately below the tweeter has a separate enclosure, as do
the bass woofers. The woofers are wired in parallel and have
reflex ports on the rear for additional bass reinforcement. All
the covers of the individual speakers are level with the front
panel, which eliminates the diffractions that would otherwise be
caused by protruding speaker grille frames.
The Ultima 5 loudspeaker impressively demonstrates that
innovative design can not only look very appealing but also
provide significant technological advantages.

Lautsprecher Teufel GmbH • ülowstrasse 66 • 10783 erlin / Germany • Ph: [phone] • Fax: [phone]