Balanced Inputs, Technical Notes | JL Audio IWS-SYS-2, IWS-SYS-1

CONNECTING YOUR Fathom IWS

Balanced Inputs

If your home-theater receiver or preamplifier/processor provides balanced outputs, the Fathom IWS amp’s balanced inputs are the preferred connection. Balanced connections are used extensively in professional studios and sound reinforcement applications for a number of very good reasons. Besides ensuring proper grounding between components, balanced signal transmission is designed to cancel induced cable noise from the surrounding environment (particularly important with long cable runs). The bottom line is that your system will be far less likely to exhibit humming or other extraneous noises if you use balanced connections.

The Fathom IWS subwoofers feature individual left and right balanced input connections with XLR “combo” jacks. These special jacks accept either a three-pin male XLR connector or a “tip-ring-sleeve” (TRS) 1/4-inch (6.3 mm) connector for compatibility with a wide range of equipment.

For systems with a mono subwoofer or “LFE” channel connection, only the jack labeled “Left or Mono” will be used. This applies to most modern multi- channel receivers and preamplifier/processors. Separate left and right input jacks are provided for systems without a dedicated mono subwoofer connection. This typically applies to two-channel audio equipment.

Appropriate balanced cables are available from your JL Audio dealer and are not included with the Fathom IWS.

Technical Notes:

•Do not use the balanced inputs with unbalanced signals via adaptors. The unbalanced inputs of the Fathom IWS are optically isolated and preferable in situations where only an unbalanced signal source is available. Balanced input impedance is 10 kohms.

•Input connectors are configured according to Audio Engineering Society recommendations for balanced signal cables as follows:

XLR Connection Pin 1: Shield Pin 2: Positive Pin 3: Negative

TRS connection: Tip: Positive Ring: Negative Sleeve: Shield

IMPORTANT: IF YOUR RECEIVER OR PREAMPLIFIER/PROCESSOR DOES NOT HAVE XLR OR 1/4-INCH TRS BALANCED OUTPUTS, PLEASE REFER TO THE “UNBALANCED INPUTS” SECTION ON PAGE 17 FOR INPUT CONNECTION INFORMATION. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CONNECT UNBALANCED OUTPUTS TO THE Fathom IWS’S BALANCED INPUTS VIA ADAPTORS.

The Left and Right inputs on the Fathom IWS are internally summed to a single mono channel. Since the Fathom IWS is inherently a “mono” or single channel device, you can use the Left and Right inputs for the master Fathom IWS and then distribute the summed mono signal to additional slave Fathom IWSs in the system.

IMPORTANT

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