Bowers & Wilkins DS8S owner manual English, Check the Contents, 2POSITIONING, Front Left and Right

English

Owner's manual

Dear customer,

Thank you for choosing Bowers & Wilkins.

At B&W, we have always followed John Bowers' original philosophy of combining the art and science of acoustic design to create simply a better product, the objective always being to get the maximum amount of enjoyment and fulfilment from listening to music or watching movies.

The original Nautilus 800 Series contained a raft of new technologies that propelled it to being probably the best selling high-end speaker range in the world.

Since then, our team of research and development engineers have been striving to improve performance still further. Here is a short summary of what you will find new to this Series.

Bass cones throughout now feature a sandwich construction of carbon fibre skins bonded to a Rohacell foam core. Rigid diaphragms are best for reproducing bass frequencies and this new construction allows us to thicken the cone section, without suffering increased mass. The extra thickness makes the cone a more effective barrier to any residual sound generated inside the cabinet, giving tremendous dynamics and timing to the bass, with the secondary effect of cleaning up the midrange.

The FST midrange drive unit receives a new chassis – stronger, yet maintaining the maximum open area behind the diaphragm to minimise reflective obstruction and allow the free flow of air.

The response of all B&W tweeters extends well into the ultrasonic region – important to realise the potential of SACD and DVD-A recordings. Now, the top models in the Series feature diamond dome tweeters. They're difficult and expensive to manufacture, but they take the response all the way to 80kHz in a smooth manner, superior to most so- called supertweeters.

Crossover design – getting the signal to the drivers with the minimum of degradation and blending them seamlessly together – has long been regarded as something of a black art. For this Series, our engineers have taken a sideways look at some of the traditionally held views of filter design and bent the rules a little. The result is imaging with unsurpassed perspective and stability.

These are speakers of the highest calibre and it's worth taking care with the set up of your system, so please take time to study this manual. Further information can be found in the FAQ and Technology sections of our web site www.bowers- wilkins.com.

Environmental Information

All B&W products are designed to comply with international directives

on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) in electrical and electronic equipment and the disposal of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). These symbols indicate compliance and that the products must be appropriately recycled or processed in accordance with these directives. Consult your local waste disposal authority for guidance.

How to use the manual

This manual covers all the passive speakers in the 800 Series. Even if some of the information does not immediately concern you, having it all in one place will help you in the choice of extra models you may require to expand your system at a later date.

Each of the sections carries an identification number and you will be guided to the relevant sections by navigation instructions. marked with an f arrow. Some text, applicable to only certain models, is indicated by a vertical line to the left.

Topic		f Go to
Check the contents		1
Positioning your speakers		2
Mounting your speakers		3
Connecting your speakers		4
Fine tuning		5
Running-in period		6
Ancillary equipment		7
Aftercare		8
1	CHECK THE CONTENTS

Different accessories are packed according to model. Use the chart of figure 1 to check the contents for your particular model.

Contact your dealer if there are any missing items.

2POSITIONING

Stray magnetic fields

If you are using speakers in a home theatre set-up and you are using a CRT screen (a traditional tube television or back projector), make sure the picture is not going to be distorted by stray magnetic fields from the drive unit motor systems. The following dedicated centre speakers are magnetically shielded because their application requires them to be placed right next to the screen:

HTM1D

HTM2D

HTM3S

HTM4S

All other speakers in the Series should be placed at least 0.5m (20-in) from such screens. Some television brands are particularly sensitive to magnetic fields and may require extra spacing. Plasma and LCD screens are not affected and front projectors are usually well away from the speakers anyway.

Application	f Go to
Front left and right	2.1
Front centre	2.2
Surround	2.3

2.1FRONT LEFT AND RIGHT

If you're only interested in audio and not movies, space the speakers apart approximately the same distance as you sit from them. This means that the included angle is about 60º. This applies whether or not you are using a centre speaker.

Apart from the dedicated on-wall model SCMS, the balance of the speaker is more natural if the speakers are at least 0.5, (20-in) from the rear wall. This also helps to improve the impression of perspective. (figure 2)

If you are only concerned with 2-channel audio, having the speakers further apart can lead to what is known as the hole-in- the-middle effect, where it's difficult to generate a stable phantom central image. If you have a centre speaker, you can space the left and right speakers further apart. All that happens is that the image widens. It's just like being closer to the performance.

If you have to space the speakers further apart because of domestic constraints, the central image can often be improved if you toe the speakers in towards the centre of the listening area. This can also help the perception of the central image for any listeners sitting away from the centre line of the installation. (figure 3)

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