Atlantic Technology 4400 C, 4400 LR Placement, Model 4400 SR Surround Speakers, Home Theater

4 Placement

System 4400 High Performance Loudspeakers

Model 4400 SR Surround Speakers

The Model 4400 SR Dipole/Bipole Surround Speakers (Figure 3) are intended for use in multi-channel audio/video sound systems as dedicated side or back surround channel speakers. The 4400 SR enclosure has two 4 ½” (115mm) GLH woofers and two of the same high performance silk dome tweeters found in the 4400 front speakers. The surround speakers can be switched between Dipole and Bipole operation. These settings are explained on page 8,“Dipole/Bipole Operation of the SR Speakers.”

NOTE: Although the speakers in the Atlantic Technology System 4400 are acoustically and cosmetically matched to each other for ideal results, they may also be used with other Atlantic Technology compo- nents and a wide variety of speakers from other manufacturers with excellent results.

Placement

Speaker/room interactions have a huge impact on the sound of the system. Moving the speakers just a little can make a dramatic difference in what you hear. Remember that the best acoustic placement of the speakers will vary from room to room. Use the following placement guidelines (see opposite page) as a starting point. But also feel free to experiment. In fact, it may be beneficial to hook up the front LR and surround speakers with some extra wire and to simply drape the wire across the floor before installing the speakers permanently.This will allow you the opportunity to move the speakers around easily so you can find the best sonic and visual locations.

Home Theater

Remember that the primary goal of a good home theater is not to make you believe that you are in a movie theater.It’s to make you believe you’re in the movie. For a home theater system, place the LR speakers on either side of the television.The three front channel speakers (LR and C) are magnetically shielded so they will not interfere with your television picture.The left and right front speakers should be far enough apart (6 to 10 feet, 2-3 meters, is usually best) that you get a good stereo “image” when they are playing alone,but not so far apart that the sound seems to be disembodied from the TV,distracting you from the picture.When using a center channel speaker, a wider separation of the left and right front speakers is usually possible. You may chose to “toe” the LR speakers in, aiming them approximately at the prime listening position. This can be particularly useful if the front LR

speakers are fairly far apart.

IMPORTANT NOTE Try to keep the LR and C tweeters at approxi- mately the same height and aimed at ear level when seated. This is because we’ve designed the alignment of the drivers on the front panel to limit the vertical spread of the mid and high frequencies, thereby reducing the floor and ceiling reflections that adversely affect sound quality. If the speakers are too high or too low however, you will miss a significant portion of the upper middle and high range ele- ments of the sound. This alignment of the drivers provides enhanced horizontal spread of the sound making for a much better sound expe- rience for a group o f listeners and reducing the need to sit in a pre- cise “sweet spot.”

Surround Effects and Speaker Locations

The 4400 SR’s shape allows great flexibility in placement. Due to the swit- chable Dipole/Bipole design, it’s possible to place the speakers almost any- where within the rear third of the room and get good results. However, the best location for surround speakers is straight out to the sides, or slightly behind the primary listening area, approximately 1-2 feet (.3,.6m) above seated ear level, but no closer than 2 feet (.6m) from the ceiling. As noted above,the surround speakers (as opposed to the back speaker(s) in a 5.1 or

7.1channel system,see below) are primarily intended to re-create the ambi- ent sounds taking place in the movie scene. Therefore, throughout most of a movie or TV program you may not be consciously aware of output from these speakers.In other words,don’t worry if you aren’t hearing the surround speakers.Please try to avoid the trap of turning the surrounds up and up so that you hear them most of the time. The result will be a much less believ- able surround experience.

There are dedicated LEFT and RIGHT model 4400 SR speakers. This is clearly marked on the back of each speaker. Be sure that the Left side sur- round speaker is placed directly to the left side of the prime listening area (facing the screen) and the Right speaker is directly to the right side.As an easy reference, the Dipole/Bipole switch should always be facing the back of the room.

7.1 Channel Systems

For best performance in a 7.1 channel system,we recommend using another pair of 4400 LR's on the back wall, and 4400 SR's on the side walls.

If you are setting up a system that uses back surround speaker(s) as well as side surrounds (Dolby Digital EX, DTS ES, etc.) you can choose to use either SR model speakers in Dipole or Bipole mode or another pair of front LR speakers in the back of the room. If the 4400 SR’s are used as back sur- rounds in a 7.1 channel system, they should be installed with the Right speaker placed over the listener's left shoulder and the Left speaker placed over the listener's right shoulder. About one-third of the way out from the corners in most rooms is a good starting point.

If you are using a THX Ultra 2 certified controller/receiver,you should place the back surround speakers approximately 1 to 2 feet (.3,.6m) apart in the center of the back wall. The special circuitry in the processor will help to create a believable and effective surround field using this placement.Please read the electronics manual to learn more about this placement option.