VAF Research Signature I-33 User manual

I-33 Owners Manual V1.1 3 March, 2014 98-091-002
VAF Research Signature I-33 V1.1
Owners Manual
A little about VAF Research Pty. Ltd.
VAF Research was established in 1977 by the current managing director, Philip Va iadis, and was incorporated in 1990 taking its current
orm. From the beginning Mr. Va iadis has had an interest in improving the standard o the Australian audio industry with a belie that the
skills existed or Australia to be a world leader in this ield.
To this end Mr. Va iadis has visited many key component manu actures around the world to keep in ormed with the current state o the art in
the industry. This has enabled VAF to incorporate new components in their products o ten be ore other major international companies, and
in this way keep one step ahead.
Through the years VAF Research has developed, produced and success ully marketed, through specialist outlets, a number o high quality
speaker systems under the VAF name. Until recently, however, the major part o VAF's output has been product development and production
o O.E.M. speakers and speaker parts or other manu acturers to include in their own production under various brand names throughout the
world.
VAF Research is a small and vibrant ully Australian Company
ully Australian Companyully Australian Company
ully Australian Company with a unique blend o capabilities.
This document contains useful information. Please retain it for future reference.
This Manual contains the ollowing sections:
1. Warranty In ormation
2. VAF Research Contact Details
3. Notes on Loudspeaker Usage
4. Speci ications
arranty Information
Your VAF loudspeakers are protected by a three (3) Year Warranty against manu acturing de ects.
The warranty period commences on the original date o purchase and is trans erable to subsequent owners.
Please retain your purchase documents (receipts, invoices etc.) in case you need to make a warranty claim.
Contact Details
I you have any queries regarding the assembly or use o your VAF speakers please contact us:
Address: 52-54 North Terrace e-Mail: va @va .com.au
Kent Town 5067
South Australia Internet: www.va .com.au
Australia
Australian Customers Customers Outside Australia
Phone: [phone] Phone: Int [phone]
Fax: [phone] Fax: Int [phone]
FreeCall: (1800) 81 8882

I-33 Owners Manual V1.1 3 March, 2014 98-091-002
VAF I-33
Notes on Loudspeaker Usage
There are some matters that should be considered when you use your loudspeakers, both or the irst time and every time, to ensure their
best per ormance. This is true o all high quality loudspeakers regardless o the manu acturer.
Power Handling and Amplifier Selection
'Power Handling' is a much discussed but little understood subject. There are actually 2 issues:
• how much power the loudspeakers can take be ore they start to lose quality and produce distorted sound
• How much power they can take be ore they are permanently damaged.
The irst is a unction o the driver and enclosure design, and the spectral and dynamic content o the music, and is usually limited by the
distance that the driver cones can linearly travel. Exceeding this level, particularly during heavy bass passages, results in an obvious
degradation o sound quality. Many loudspeakers will brie ly exceed their linear travel during loud passages o music and, provided that it
occurs in requently and is not excessive, will not unduly impede the overall sound quality.
I the speakers are driven with even more power, the sound will deteriorate urther until the point is reached where physical damage occurs.
This is usually the result o the driver voice coils getting so hot that either the glue holding them together melts, or the wire itsel burns up
(like use wire). The driver will stop working or will produce a distorted sound with audible scraping and scratching sounds. This is bad
news and the driver then needs repair or replacement.
Surprisingly, damage is more common with low powered ampli iers than with high-powered ones. This is because low powered ampli iers
are more likely to be overdriven - this results in a major change in the content o the music signals, which places great stress on drivers. At
the same volume high-powered ampli iers are less likely to 'run out o power' and send distorted signals into the loudspeakers.
The power handling issue is urther complicated by the act that the 'X Watts RMS into 8 ohms' igure most o ten quoted in ampli ier
speci ications gives very little in ormation about the way the ampli ier will actually deliver power into real loudspeakers on real music
signals. It also gives no indication o how the ampli ier behaves when overdriven. Many low powered 'Audiophile' ampli iers, or instance,
will o ten play louder be ore producing audible distortion than some mass market ampli iers o 4 times the rated power output!
It is there ore almost meaningless to rate a loudspeaker's power handling as a single number. Despite many requests or just such a
number, we pre er to state the broad range o ampli ier power we believe has the best chance o meeting most peoples needs. This range is:
VAF I-33 20 - 150 Watts RMS (Dolby Digital / DTS)
VAF I-33 20 - 150 Watts RMS (Stereo Music Sources)
Be aware that overdriving ANY ampli ier will risk damage to the speakers. I the sound you are hearing is distorted or showing signs o
ampli ier clipping TURN DOWN the level. Even a small reduction in the volume control setting may save your speakers.
Most ampli iers deliver their maximum power long be ore the volume control is turned all the way around. Many are set up or maximum
power with the control set to between 11o'clock and 1o'clock. This will sometimes vary rom input to input (e.g. the CD player may play at a
higher level than the FM Tuner).
Be aware also that applying Bass or Treble boost by using the tone controls or any equalisation control o your ampli ier has the same e ect
as turning the volume control up. The maximum volume control setting should be reduced i using equalisation.
Most Ampli iers deliver maximum
Power with the Volume control
set between these points

I-33 Owners Manual V1.1 3 March, 2014 98-091-002
Cables and connections
We recommend the use o good quality multi stranded cables o reasonable size. The cost o cables should be in sensible proportion to the
value o the rest o the system. As a general rule allow about 5% o the total cost o a system or speaker cables.
VAF Research Pty. Ltd. can supply a variety o cables and we suggest you ring to discuss your needs.
The speaker cable should be as short as possible, leaving enough length to position the speaker once connected. Excess cable should not
be rolled up but laid out neatly on the loor behind the speaker or the system.
Ensure that your ampl f er s turned off before mak ng any connect ons to your speakers as bare w res
may short out, potent ally caus ng ampl f er damage.
Strip about 1cm o insulation rom the end o the cable. Unscrew the cap on the speaker input terminal until the
hole in the post is visible. Push the stripped wire end through the hole in the post and retighten the cap. Ensure
that the cable insulation is not caught under the cap.
Alternatively, speaker cables can be terminated with banana plugs, which are then plugged into the terminals on
the ampli ier and speakers. This can be use ul i the system is requently changed or moved. Banana plugs o er
no improvement in per ormance over bare wire connections but are more convenient to use. I using banana
plugs, we recommend good quality gold plated types which will provide a reliable and corrosion resistant
connection.
Whether using bare wire or banana plug connections, we recommend that the cables be disconnected and
cleaned (using a good contact cleaner or methylated spirits) or reterminated every year or so.
Phasing
For correct per ormance all o the loudspeakers in the system must be correctly phased. The deterioration o sound quality caused by
incorrect phasing is signi icant.
The red or positive terminal o the ampli ier must be connected to the red or positive terminal o the speaker. Most speaker cables are
marked with a line or tracer on one conductor. Connect this conductor to the red terminals o both the ampli ier at one end and the speaker
at the other. Similarly, connect the other conductor to the black or negative terminals. Ensure that this is done or all other speakers in the
system.
Standard iring
I you do not wish to Bi-Wire your speakers (see below) leave the straps itted to the
terminals and connect the speaker cables to the bottom set o terminals. Ensure that
the terminal caps are screwed down tightly onto both the cables and the straps.
Bi- iring
I-33s are itted with Bi-Wire terminals. This allows you to use an alternative wiring method called "Bi-Wiring". This requires the use o two
sets o cables rom the ampli ier to the speaker. Bi-Wiring o ers potentially better per ormance than standard wiring but we recommend the
use o one set o good quality cables rather than Bi-Wiring with poor quality cable. The bene its o Bi-Wiring will only be realised i good
quality cable is used or both Bass and Treble.
To Bi- ire your I-33:
1. Unscrew the Bass and Treble terminal caps and remove the straps.
2. Re it all terminal caps and ensure they are screwed down tightly.
3. Connect the bottom pair o terminals (Bass) to the ampli ier as normal.
4. Connect the top pair o terminals (Treble) to the ampli ier using another set o
cables
5. I your ampli ier has more than one set o output terminals, you may connect the
bass cables to one set o ampli ier terminals and the treble cables to the other.
Cable
Cable
Speaker Ampli ier
Leave
Straps In
+
-
Line, Tracer or '+' Mark
Bass
Treble
+
++
+
-
Speaker Ampli ier
Remove
Straps
+
-
Bass
Treble
+
++
+
-
Line, Tracer or +
Line, Tracer or +

I-33 Owners Manual V1.1 3 March, 2014 98-091-002
Positioning
The positioning o loudspeakers is o ten dictated solely by the available space in the room and the locations o existing urniture and
architectural eatures. Every room is di erent, and the ideal listening position and placement o speakers will also be di erent. It is worth
spending some time to try out various positions and select the one that provides the best balance between per ormance and convenience.
We o er the ollowing points to guide you in selecting positions:
1. As ar as possible both speakers in a pair should be positioned in similar ways. It is
not a good idea or them to be at di erent heights, pointing in di erent directions

2. Speakers should be positioned at least 2 meters apart.

3. Most loudspeakers sound best when positioned away rom side walls, say 1 meter or
so. It is a good idea that the distance rom the rear wall and the side wall be slightly
di erent. I-66's should be positioned on spikes to enhance physical stability and
provide a solid connection with the loor

0.5m
1m
4. Avoid positioning the I-66's in corners.

5. The loudspeakers should ideally be angled towards the listener so that the ronts
'point' towards the listener.

6. Avoid placing urniture or other obstacles between the loudspeakers and the listener.

7. The listener should be nearly equidistant rom each loudspeaker.

8. As a rule o thumb, the speakers should be approximately as ar away rom each other
as the listener is away rom a line drawn between them.

3 m
3 m
Running - In
Most good quality loudspeakers need time to 'run-in' when new. Like a new car, the mechanical components o a speaker require some
hours to settle in to their inal positions and to give their best per ormance. In general, the speakers will be run in with about 40-50 hours o
use, depending on the type o program material played on them. During this time they will become noticeably smoother, produce more
detailed bass and generate an increasingly accurate stereo image.
If in Doubt...
I there is any aspect o the installation or per ormance o your VAF I-33 that is not clear, please contact VAF Research.
Contact details are listed on the ront page o this Users Manual.