Wisdom Sage Cinema Series User manual

Owner’s Manual
Sage Cinema Series Hybrid Line Source
Tri-Amplified Planar Magnetic
Loudspeaker

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Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................3
System Connections and Components..........................................................................................................4
System Wiring ........................................................................................................................................................5
Overview ..................................................................................................................................................................6
Unpacking & Installing the Hybrid Line Source..................................................................................... 10
Mounting and Connecting the Hybrid Line Source............................................................................... 10
Proper Planar Placement ................................................................................................................................ 11
The Importance of a Baffle Wall................................................................................................................... 12
Wall Construction Suggestions..................................................................................................................... 12
Making the Hybrid Line Source Connections.......................................................................................... 14
Active (Tri-Amped) Design ............................................................................................................................ 15
Your Hybrid Line Source and Subwoofers............................................................................................... 16
Care & Maintenance.......................................................................................................................................... 16
North American Warranty.............................................................................................................................. 17
Obtaining Service............................................................................................................................................... 18
Specifications....................................................................................................................................................... 19
Hybrid Line Source Dimensions................................................................................................................... 19
DOCUMENT CONVENTIONS
This document contains general safety, installation and operation instructions for the Wisdom
Audio Sage Cinema Series Line 2 loudspeakers. It is important to read this document before
attempting to use this product. Pay particular attention to:
WARNING: Calls attention to a procedure, practice, condition or the like that,
if not correctly performed or adhered to, could result in injury or death.
CAUTION: Calls attention to a procedure, practice, condition or the like that, if not correctly
performed or adhered to, could result in damage to or destruction of part of or the entire
product.
Note: Calls attention to information that aids in the installation or operation of the product.

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Introduction
Congratulations on purchasing your Wisdom Audio system. It incorporates many
design features designed to give you decades of pleasure and performance. Many of
these design choices are uncommon among loudspeaker manufacturers, and bear
some explanation. See the following section entitled “Overview” for more
information.
Our unique driver designs and our emphasis on achieving real-world performance
account for the “system” approach taken. These are not speakers that are simply
connected to speaker wires and promptly forgotten. We recognize that setting up a
Wisdom Audio system is a bit more involved than connecting a common set of
loudspeakers, which is why we insist that our dealers perform the installation and
calibration of the systems. We know that the extra effort (particularly as regards
setting up the SC-2 and SC-3 System Controller) yields vastly improved results.
This manual focuses on the loudspeakers themselves. In order to fully understand the
system, we recommend you also review the manual for the SC-2/SC-3 System
Controller, without which these speakers will not perform correctly.
While we expect your local Wisdom Audio dealer to take care of the setup and
calibration of the system, we still recommend that you at least briefly review this and
the other manuals (SC-2/SC-3, RTL subwoofers) to understand the system’s full
capabilities.
Your Sage Cinema Series Hybrid Line Source (“HLS”) loudspeaker are specifically
designed to avoid the compromises inherent in conventional speaker designs. The
active crossover and room correction circuitry in the SC-2 & SC-3 is essential to the
speakers’ proper operation. It is truly a “system” design, and not merely a collection
of loudspeaker drivers in a box.

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System Connections and Components
1. Line Module 1 (Mid-Low Frequency)
2. Center Module (High Frequency)
3. Line Module 2 (Mid-Low Frequency)
4. Input Binding Posts Terminal (from amplifier, Low-Mid-High)
5. Line Module Binding Posts Low Pass Input (from Center Module Low Pass fly leads) x2
6. Line Module Binding Posts High Pass Input (from Center Module High Pass fly leads) x2
7. Center Module to Line Module fly leads (high pass x2)
8. Center Module to Line Module fly leads (low pass x2)
9. Mounting Bracket Screw Holes Top and Bottom (bracket not shown for clarity) x4
10. L Bracket (On-wall or In-Wall)
11. Center Module Terminal Cover Screw Mounting x4
12. Rear Panel Wiring Pass-through from Amplifier
NOTE: Binding posts terminal covers removed for clarity
Complete HLS System Assembly (Line Module x2 & Center Module)
HLS Center Module Front and Rear Detail View (Terminal Cover Removed)
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5
6
1
2
3
8
7
9
11
10
12

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System Wiring
NOTE: Binding posts terminal covers removed for clarity
Three pairs of speaker wires from the amplifier are needed. One for Low, one for Mid, and one for
High.
First connect to the Center Module from the amplifier.
Then connect from the Center Module to the Line Modules on either side using the included jumper
wires (fly leads).
Complete HLS System Assembly (Line Module x2 & Center Module)
High
From Amplifier
Mid
From Amplifier
Low
From Amplifier

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Overview
Your Sage Cinema Series Hybrid Line Source loudspeaker takes advantage of several
critical technologies to deliver a level of performance that has never been available in
a loudspeaker that intruded so modestly on your living space. In fact, this level of
performance has rarely been attained, regardless of the space and budget.
Since several of these technologies cannot readily be found elsewhere, we will take
the time to describe them in more detail than would be necessary for more
conventional designs.
Our planar magnetic drivers (“PMD”) use an advanced, thin film membrane to move
the air. This film can respond instantly to the smallest detail in the signal. It has vastly
less inertia than traditional “cone & dome” drivers, so the signal is never blurred in
any way.
One of the most remarkable things about the sound of well-designed planar
magnetic speakers is their lack of thermal or dynamic compression. There are several
reasons for this:
•The lightweight diaphragm responds quickly to even the smallest signals, yet is
robust enough to handle a great deal of power.
•The voice coil is laid out at and is exposed to the air on both sides; the large
resulting surface area dissipates heat extremely quickly and efficiently.
•Since heat does not build up in the voice coil (as it does in conventional
dynamic drivers), the load seen by the amplifier does not change at high
power levels.
When you become accustomed to the sound of your new Sage Cinema Series Hybrid
Line Source speakers, conventional speakers sound a bit bland and lifeless. You may
also discover yourself hearing details at even modest levels on the Hybrid Line
Source that were previously inaudible even at loud volumes on more conventional
speakers.
The “voice coil” in the planar magnetic driver is spread out over a large, at area that is
exposed to the open air. As such, when a huge transient comes along, any heat that
is generated is immediately dissipated. This compares quite favorably to other
designs in which the voice coil is buried inside a massive piece of metal, where the
heat has effectively no place to go.
The excellent heat dissipation of these drivers makes them remarkably reliable.
Planar magnetic speakers can handle a great deal of power without undue stress or
audible strain. In fact, for a given size, they can handle many times the power of a
traditional dynamic driver.

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Because the conductor of a planar magnetic driver is essentially a long, thin wire, it
presents a purely resistive load to the amplifier. This is comparable to the simple test
loads that amplifier companies use when measuring their amplifiers to show how
terrific they are. As such, you can be assured that your amplifiers will sound and work
their best.
Authoritative, deep bass requires that you move a lot of air. We have chosen to use
dynamic woofers for the bass because they can provide excellent performance at
lower frequencies.
In order to get comparable bass performance from a planar magnetic design, you
would need to have a huge speaker that would be impractical in most domestic living
spaces. It simply makes more sense to use the best transducer technology in each
area of the reproduced spectrum. One of Wisdom Audio’s strengths is in seamlessly
blending these technologies —particularly important given the high standards set by
our planar magnetic drivers.
Of course, the dynamic woofers themselves must be rather extraordinary in order to
“keep up” with the planar magnetic drivers right up to the crossover frequency.
All Sage Cinema Series speakers have been designed for optimal at response to 80
Hz, which is the most-common crossover frequency used with subwoofers.
Designed to Match the Line Source Speakers –A Completely New Configuration
Almost all loudspeakers radiate sound into the room as imperfect “point sources”.
This means that most of the energy they put into the room expands as an ever-
enlarging sphere, as though emerging from a single point in space. This results in a
multitude of reflections from the ceiling and floor that can degrade sound quality.
By contrast, the Sage Cinema Series Line2, Line3 and Line4 speakers radiate sound as
a “line source”. The sound moves into the room as an expanding cylinder, rather than
as an expanding sphere —as though from a vertical line suspended in space.

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Line source speakers provide two significant advantages:
•Ceiling and floor reflections are minimized, resulting in greatly reduced
interference, letting you hear more of the speaker and less of the room;
•The sound pressure level (SPL) throughout the room is much more evenly
distributed, making it much easier to set the “right” volume, no matter where
the audience is seated.
To achieve this highly desirable line source behavior it is essential to have a tall and
slim driver.
However , this tall and slim driver requires a vertical arrangement and cannot simply
be rotated for a horizontal configuration . This makes applications where a center
channel is needed either above or below a direct display (such as a large direct view
LED display) impractical. When positioned horizontally, the image width becomes
increasingly narrow and has poor coverage to the sides, giving a very narrow area of
seating inside the sweet spot. This is not good for a center channel.
For this we needed to design a completely new configuration. One that maintains the
voicing of the Sage Cinema Line Source speaker to ensure a seamless blend from the
Left and Right, and that would have enough SPL and power handling to achieve
similarly high output as the Line 2, Line 3 or Line 4.
The lowest frequencies from 80hz up to 300hz are handled by the 8” mid-bass drivers
and the midrange frequencies from 300hz to 600hz are handled by the 24” PMD.
These are the same drivers found in the Line2, Line3 and Line4 loudspeakers. At
these frequencies, the large length of the dual 24” Line Source PMD panels and
multiple 8” mid-bass drivers help to minimize room interaction/influence, just as in
the Sage Line modules of the Line2, Line3 and Line4 loudspeakers. This design also
maintains a similar voicing through these critical frequency ranges.
The frequencies above 600hz transition into a newly designed planar magnetic driver
(“PMD”) array that uses 3 of our 6-bar magnet motor structures arranged as a single
module with an integrated passive network to handle frequency dividing. The high
frequency module is used to create a wider horizontal coverage than a rotated Line

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Source at these higher frequencies and is designed to be able to produce enough
SPL to match the output capabilities of the Sage Cinema series.
This high frequency module uses 2 basic concepts to achieve high SPL for short term
peaks, long term power handling for extended use, extended high frequency
response past 20kHz, and excellent on and off axis response that easily blends with
the Sage Cinema line source loudspeakers.
The first concept is power shaping: By configuring the 3x6-Bar PMD in an “MTM”
(mid-tweeter-mid) arrangement and using a passive contour network between them a
novel approach to increasing high frequency section power handling and maximum
SPL, without sacrificing dispersion, was developed. This approach encompasses both
power shaping and frequency response tapering to maintain the 6-Bar PMD off-axis
response whilst increasing the power handling by at least a factor of 2.
The second concept is heat wicking: Iterative heat-sink configurations were
developed for the 6-Bar motor, until an iteration was developed that passed the CEA
426B test with no measured effect on performance. The final heat sinks were
standard horizontal fins attached to the rear motor structure with a large heat
spreader to increase thermal mass, and a black aluminum grate installed in close
proximity to the front of the diaphragm and in contact with the front magnet, with
ridges bent into the mesh to aid in heat dissipation (the technique is called “heat
wicking”). The entire thermal assembly is assembled with the PMD as a sandwich
including a large front plate of aluminum that acts as both a structural member, to
hold the motor structure and magnets in place, and also a heat sink to allow the heat
generated by the magnets to be dissipated out from the enclosure and into the room.
The above design choices give the Hybrid Line Source loudspeaker three primary
features for easy integration within a Sage Cinema install with a hard screen.
•The 24” planar panels combined with the high frequency planar MTM give the
same detailed, low-distortion clarity of sound as the Sage Line and Point
Source modules.
•The large length of the dual 24” Line Source PMD panels help to minimize
room interaction/influence just as in the Sage Line source loudspeakers down
to the lower midrange frequencies.
•The high frequency MTM is used to create a wider horizontal coverage than a
rotated Line Source at higher frequencies and is designed to create enough
SPL with high power handling to match the power of the Sage Cinema series.

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Unpacking & Installing the Hybrid Line Source
Each module of the Wisdom Audio Sage Cinema Hybrid Line Source speaker is a
substantial piece of equipment. Please exercise caution when unpacking your Sage
Cinema speakers to ensure that you do not strain yourself from its (perhaps un-
expected) weight.
CAUTION: Do not attempt to lift your Hybrid Line Source modules while bending or
twisting from the waist. Use your legs for lifting, not your back. Always stand as
straight as possible and keep the Hybrid Line Source close to your body to reduce
strain on your back.
After unpacking your Hybrid Line Source modules, keep all packing materials
for future transport. In the event that you need to ship your speaker, only the
original, purpose-designed shipping carton is acceptable. Any other method of ship-
ping this product runs a significant risk of damage to the speaker —damage that
would not be covered by the warranty. (If you lose your packaging and need to ship
your speakers, replacement packaging can be purchased from Wisdom Audio.)
Mounting and Connecting the Hybrid Line Source
The Sage Cinema Hybrid Line Source is designed as a center channel to be installed
either directly above or directly below a direct view display. It may be mounted
either as an in-wall or as an on- wall speaker.
The flexible mounting brackets provided with the Hybrid Line Source allow many
possible mounting options, depending on what you choose to use as your reference
surface. The beveled back edges of the speakers also may be used as a wire chase in
situations where space is tight.
The center module includes a pass through for the speaker wires from the amplifier,
and internal distribution for the line modules on either side. The system is installed as
three modules, side by side starting from the center.
1. Determine the center line of the display and mark this location.
2. Mount the Center Module using this center mark. The module should be on-
center to the center line of the display.
3. Mount the Line Modules to either side of the Center Module, with the top and
bottom aligned and the sides tight to center module.
4. Pull the speaker wires from the amplifier and connect to the Center Module
input terminals
5. Connect the fly-leads from the Center Module to each Line Module. The
outputs on the side of the Center Module are aligned with the inputs to the
Line Modules.