MK Sound SURROUND-550THX Speaker System User Manual
Contents
1. Surround 550THx surround speaker operation manual Miller 2 Kreisel Sound Corporation 10391 Jefferson Boulevard Culver City CA 90232 USA 310 204 2854 FAX 310 202 8782 www mksound com 1999 MILLER KREISEL SOUND CORP LUCASFILM SELECT Manufactured under license from Lucasfilm Ltd U S Patent Nos 5 043 970 5 189 703 and 5 222 059 Foreign patents pending Lucasfilm and THX are registered trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd MK Surround 550THx speaker page 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION H THE HOME THX AUDIO SPEAKER SYS DE Macvstccissscessnssicssatsincnasuseeuasensananesuasennssuaseadasnaseausiats INSTALLATION OF YOUR SURROUND 550 SPEAKERG cseccssseecsseeeesseeeeseeeesseeeeseneens THE M amp K HIGH FREQUENCY PRISM SYSTEM 0 cccccccceeseseseeseeeeeeeseeeeeneeneneees SURROUND 550 SPEAKER HOOR AUIB egen okee eeeeNEKeEEEVKEESEeESEKeEEEENegeEESEKNEEESSbEgeNN PLACEMENT OF THE SUR 550 AS SURROUND CHANNEL SPEAKERG SPEARER PHASING TES visu cesenisensescestuiniavexouteeinnunenrerveliuncetunmntvedt estieriediesieieniuiestiecsnsnseiuaien SPEAKER DAMAGE amp HOW TO AVOID IT secsseseeeseeesseeeseeeseesneeensnesseesseesneeesseesenenseesneeneees IF YOUINEED SERVIC Bai ccccsuceitse ene tiuteasucnsiestaiaatunstantiauasuartasisedasasveawesudenesnanedtinvausuevusiuebeanisanliuitle lt SPECIFICA HONS sssrin onnenn eniinn ananasen nnne Enana niena enkaa iauna Sinana annaa e CABINET MAINTENANG Bie vissnt2. ack wall of the room when the speakers are mounted on the side walls and with the tweeter angled toward the closest side wall when the speakers are mounted on the back wall of the room When the speaker is mounted in this fashion its stereo imaging and coverage of sound are optimized for a very wide listening window that extends from the on axis position towards the center of the room If the speaker is mounted with the tweeter pointed in the other direction its sound quality will be adversely affected 5 SURROUND 550 SPEAKER HOOK UP LEFT CHANNEL SPEAKER RIGHT CHANNEL SPEAKER Your Surround 550s come in two versions a Left Channel speaker and a Right Channel speaker It is critical that the correct speaker be used in each channel On the back panel of the speaker there is an arrow with the printed nomenclature Point Arrow Towards Screen To correctly install the Surround 550s be sure that the arrow printed on each speaker is pointed towards the television screen The arrows will not be visible once the speaker is installed To confirm that the speakers are correctly installed right and left check the angle of the tweeter see Section MK Surround 550THX speaker page 5 FIGURE 1 WIRING WITH THE SURROUND 550 RIGHT AMPLIFIER 4 above The tweeter for each speaker should be pointing towards the back wall or the nearest side wall WIRING THE SURROUND 550 The Positive lead from your a
3. ader surround effect When using multiple pairs of surround speakers a symmetrical installation pattern works best For example one pair could be mounted on the back wall of the room mounted equidistant from the back corners wit the other pair mounted on the side walls of the room equidistant from the same back corners 7 SPEAKER PHASING TEST In any system using a subwoofer separate from Satellite speakers especially in multichannel surround sound applications a phasing test must be performed to insure proper phase inthe system thereby achieving optimum sound in the critical bass frequencies For aHome THX Audio system follow the system instructions provided with the THX controller as you will need to have correct phase among all the speakers in the system These instructions will take you through the front channels surround channels and subwoofer by comparing phase between individual channels until you have established that all units have identical phase MK Surround 550THx speaker page 7 8 SPEAKER DAMAGE amp HOW TO AVOID IT An important factor to consider with any loudspeaker system is the potential for speaker damage Even though your Surround 550s have extremely high power handling ability they still can be damaged by relatively low powered amplifiers While very few M amp K Satellites are actually returned for service the vast majority of those returned are not for manufacturing defects Instead they are returned becaus
4. bout the warranty please contact M amp K MK Surround 550THx speaker page 8 10 SPECIFICATIONS IMPEDANCE 8 ohms MINIMUM POWER 25 watts RMS RECOMMENDED POWER 50 watts RMS to 200 watts RMS MAXIMUM POWER 200 watts RMS unclipped peaks FREQUENCY RESPONSE 80 20 KHz 3dB 11 CABINET MAINTENANCE Treat the cabinet as you would any piece of fine furniture Its black vinyl finish does not require any special maintenance regular dusting with a lint free cloth and periodic cleaning is all that is required Do not use any solvent based cleaners as they may damage the cabinet surface 9901 Surround 550man pm65 rev 00
5. e they have been overdriven almost always because the amplifier or receiver used was driven into clipping distortion This damage is considered abuse and is not necessarily covered under warranty This clipping distortion occurs when the demands of the music are greater than the amplifier s available power It can occur at 20 watts with a small amplifier or at 400 watts with a large amplifier Regardless when this happens the amplifier s output waveform which usually looks like a smooth arc is clipped off exhibiting a flat top instead of the arc This flat top contains multiples of the original amplified frequencies sometimes at higher levels than the original signal itself For tweeters this can be very damaging as this distortion is well above the audible range where you will be unable to hear it and where the tweeter is more vulnerable to damage When an amplifier clips its sound becomes harsh and grating and a break up is often audible in the bass frequencies It will become uncomfortable to listen to compared to a slightly lower volume level When you are listening at high volume levels be aware of the onset of clipping distortion and turn the volume down slightly if the sound takes on the character described above When tone controls or equalizers are used to boost frequencies the problem occurs much more rapidly Even a small boost of low or high frequencies can easily double the power requirement and lead to amplifier clippi
6. ed place one bracket against the wall making sure that the tongue the portion that will engage the bracket on the speaker cabinet is facing away from the wall and pointing up Using the two 6 1 3 4 wood screws provided fasten this bracket to the wall BE VERY CAREFUL DO NOT FORCE THE PLASTIC ANCHORS THROUGH THE WALL OR OVERTIGHTEN THE SCREWS Install the second bracket in the same fashion That s it All that is left for you to do is attach the speaker wire to the input terminals Section 5 below and from the top gently slide the speaker into place against the wall Do the same for the other channel 4 THE M amp K HIGH FREQUENCY PRISM SYSTEM Your Surround 550 speakers utilize M amp K s exclusive High Frequency Prism System to optimize imaging and coverage of sound throughout the listening area This system is designed to take into account the effect of the curved mesh metal grilles on your speakers Therefore your Surround 550s are designed for the best sound when the grilles are in place We recommend that you leave the grilles on the speakers for all listening You will note that the tweeter in your Surround 550s speakers is mounted at a slight angle 4 7 degrees This mounting is an integral part of the High Frequency Prism System When the speakers are mounted properly the tweeter will be angled away from the listening position That means that the surround channel speakers should be mounted with the tweeter angled towards the b
7. ere the brackets will be permanently mounted Ideally one set of these holes should go into a wall stud to give you the greatest strength First locate the center of the stud Tape the four corners of the template sheet to the wall in the location you have selected using a carpenter s level to make sure the line marked LEVEL TEMPLATE TO THIS LINE is level The template sheet has locations marked for the two mounting holes needed to attach the wall bracket to the wall Once you are absolutely certain that you have the correct location you are ready to drill the pilot holes Go ahead and drill right through the paper template into the wall Re check your measurements especially making sure the holes will be level at least once before drilling WARNING IT IS POSSIBLE THAT ELECTRICAL WIRING MAY BE LOCATED BEHIND THE WALL IN THE LOCATION THAT YOU HAVE SELECTED BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL ANY TIME YOU DRILL INTO A WALL If you are mounting the bracket to a wall stud drill two 3 32 holes per bracket Remember that the wallboard material is 1 2 or 5 8 inches thick and you will drill through this before meeting the stud If you are mounting the bracket to drywall with the plastic anchors drill two 1 4 pilot holes per bracket Once all holes have been drilled remove the template from the wall Press the plastic wall anchors into the 1 4 pilot holes until they are flush with the wall Tap them gently into place if necessary Once the holes are drill
8. he back corners Another good location is in the corner itself In addition to the flush mount brackets provided with your speakers M amp K makes a variety of very high quality speaker mounting brackets that can be used to mount the speakers to the side or back walls as well as in the corner itself b HEIGHT In general the Surround 550 should be located near the ceiling Placement above the listeners heads is very important with the cabinet s bottom at least two feet above a seated listener s head In fact if at all possible the speakers should be located above a standing listener s head so that people walking around the room will be unable to localize them c WALL LOCATION Your surround speakers can be mounted on either the side walls or on the back wall or even directly in a corner They can be flush on the wall on shelves on brackets etc If you find the sound to be too directional you can angle the speakers towards the back wall or towards the side wall surface closest to the speaker If you are angling the speaker for this purpose it should be angled in the same direction that the tweeter is angled towards the back of the room if the speaker is mounted on the side wall and towards the nearest corner if the speaker is mounted on the back wall d USING MULTIPLE PAIRS OF SURROUNDS Some listeners prefer multiple pairs of surround speakers Multiple pairs of surrounds can make a dramatic improvement and provide a deeper and bro
9. ith the same sonic quality heard by the film s director and sound designer as they created the final mix of sound on the studio s dubbing stage To do this in a home environment requires different equipment and standards than are found in a THX motion picture theatre The standards developed for Home THX Audio are critically important to achieving the following performance attributes wide frequency range extending to the limits of audibility smooth naturally balanced overall sound excellent dialog intelligibility wide dynamic range with extremely low distortion well matched timbre tonal balance between front speakers and surrounds precise localization of specific sounds as in special effects envelopment by ambient soundfield without any localization of individual speakers to distract from the action on screen superb performance with musical sources The unsurpassed quality of your M amp K Home THX Audio speaker system means that all of the excitement and emotional involvement of films and music will be brought to life in your home Turn down the lights and let the experience begin 3 INSTALLATION OF YOUR SURROUND 550 SPEAKERS Your M amp K Surround 550s can be installed in a variety of ways Choosing the correct location however is extremely critical READ SECTION 6 page 6 BEFORE DECIDING WHERE TO INSTALL YOUR SURROUND 550s They can be placed on tall stands such as the M amp K ST series which are available from yo
10. mplifier or receiver should be connected to the RED INPUT terminal and the Negative lead from your amplifier or receiver should be connected to the BLACK INPUT terminal See Figure 1 above SPEAKER WIRE The sound quality that you get from your Surround 550s can be affected by the type of speaker wire that you use to connect them While it is possible to use speaker wire as thin as 22 gauge to hook your Surround 550s up wire of less than 16 gauge will compromise their sound quality For wire runs of up to 10 feet 16 gauge wire is acceptable For runs up to 20 feet you should use a minimum of 14 gauge For up to 30 feet use a minimum of 12 gauge and over 30 feet should use 10 gauge See the THX Installation and Operation Manual for more information There are a wide variety of premium speaker cables available from a number of specialist manufacturers We do not endorse any specific brand of premium cable but we do recommend the highest quality cable that fits your budget Beware though with cables expensive is not always better If you have any questions contact your M amp K Home THX dealer for advice MK Surround 550THx speaker page 6 6 PLACEMENT OF THE SURROUND 550s AS SURROUND CHANNEL SPEAKERS IN A HOME THX AUDIO SYSTEM Your Surround 550 speakers are specifically designed to be used as surround channel speakers in a multichannel audio system either Home THX or non THX The instructions given here apply to surrou
11. nd channel applications including Dolby Digital MLP DTS and multichannel music modes such as ambience recovery or acoustical environment synthesis Your surround speakers can be installed in a wide variety of locations but in some rooms their installation can be quite a challenge to install If you have questions please don t hesitate to contact your M amp K dealer or the M amp K factory We will be happy to discuss your system with you In general the Surround 550s should be located high on the walls and to the sides of the listening position Typically they should be placed on the left and right room side walls at the center of the main listening area a POSITION RELATIVE TO SEATING The Surround 550 speakers should be located adjacent to the seating position If there is one row of seats the Surround 550s should be located directly to the left and to the right of this row of seats If there are multiple rows of seats then the Surround 550s should be located directly to the left and right of the geometric center of the listening area If the Surround 550s cannot be located exactly adjacent to the seating area it is better for them to be located slightly towards the back of the room behind the listening positions rather than in the front of the room between the listening position and the screen It is also acceptable to locate the speakers on the back wall of the room In this case they should be located symmetrically relative to t
12. ng at moderate levels Therefore you should use your tone controls judiciously avoiding extreme boosts of the bass and treble controls especially when you are listening at high volume levels The best way to avoid speaker damage is to use common sense Use moderate boosts of tone controls or equalizers at the very most Listen carefully for any harshness and break up especially at high volume levels and turn down the volume when needed If you cannot get enough volume you may need to consider a higher powered amplifier If you have any questions about this please contact M amp K and we will be happy to discuss it with you further 9 IF YOU NEED SERVICE Contact your dealer or M amp K with a complete description of the problem Please have the unit s model and serial numbers found on the back of the cabinet date of purchase and your dealer s name You can call M amp K between 8 30 AM and 5 00 PM Pacific Time Monday through Friday at 310 204 2854 If you call outside these hours leave a message and we will return your call DO NOT RETURN YOUR SPEAKERS TO THE FACTORY FOR SERVICE WITHOUT OBTAINING PRIOR AUTHORIZATION All M amp K speakers except for subwoofers carry a five year limited parts and labor warranty This warranty is transferable to new owners It does not cover abuse misuse repairs by unauthorized service stations speakers without serial numbers and those damaged in shipping or by accident If you have any questions a
13. nictinniticenndcnisdesntentunincaninnaniccuaneadinenusnineunisadnmnenisunticetnanmaunetdonne Se dr oe Se bz mmh sech sch O DIAGRAMS FIGURE 1 WIRING WITH THE SURROUND 550 0000 ccccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseneeeeeeneeeeeees MK Surround 550THx speaker page 3 1 INTRODUCTION Congratulations Your new M amp K Surround 550 speaker system will give you years of unmatched enjoyment and excitement while listening to your favorite multichannel musical and audio video sources whether they are Dolby Digital MLP DTS Pro Logic or enhanced stereo modes We encourage you to read this owner s manual as there is a great deal of information provided here to help you get the best possible performance If you have any questions about your speaker system please contact your M amp K dealer or call the M amp K factory directly at 310 204 2854 from 8 30 AM to 5 00 PM Pacific Time Monday through Friday We will be happy to help you with any question no matter how simple or complex it may be 2 THE HOME THX AUDIO SPEAKER SYSTEM Your choice of an M amp K Home THX Audio speaker system assures you of achieving the state of the art in home theatre music and video reproduction The precise and exacting standards developed by Lucasfilm s Home THX division assure that you will hear every element of film sound from the softest brush of an object against an actor s clothing to the awesome impact of effects such as an exploding planet w
14. ur M amp K dealer or from M amp K they can go on shelves or bookcases or more permanently mounted using brackets or a ceiling suspension system To make their installation as easy as possible we have provided integral flush mount brackets that allow you to install the Surround 550 quickly and securely FLUSH MOUNT WALL HANGER BRACKETS Your Surround 550 speakers come with a flush mount wall bracket that can be attached to each cabinet There are pilot holes for mounting the brackets on the back baffle of the speaker Also included are the matching brackets that attach directly to the wall as well as all necessary mounting screws and drywall inserts In order to use these brackets see the enclosed template and follow these instructions Attach the brackets to the speaker using the enclosed 3 4 wood screws You will have to remove the 3 8 bolt installed in the back of the speaker Use the pilot holes at the top center of the back baffle of the cabinet Either of MK Surround 550THx speaker page 4 the matching brackets can be attached to the speaker The bracket that attaches to the speaker must point down and the bracket that attaches to the wall must point up In both cases the face with the printing must face out Then determine where you will locate your Surround 550s See Section 5 below for guidelines on where to locate the speakers Then using the template sheet enclosed which is reproduced on the next page mark holes on the wall wh
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