Thiel Audio Products ViewPoint manual Connecting the Speakers, Break-In, Associated Equipment

Congratulations on your purchase of the THIEL ViewPoint loudspeaker. This fine product is the result of a dedicated effort to provide very accurate and realistic sound reproduction. We have used

very high quality components and taken great care in the ViewPoint’s construction. Properly installed and used with good associated equipment, the ViewPoint will provide you with a great deal of sonic enjoyment for many years.

Jim Thiel

CONNECTING THE SPEAKERS

The ViewPoint uses 5-way binding posts which accept several types of speaker cable termination. Make sure that all connections are tight. It is essential for proper performance that both speakers in a stereo system be wired in the same polarity. The speaker’s input terminals are color coded to facilitate this. The wire connected to the red ringed input terminal of each speaker should connect to the respective positive (+) output terminals of the amplifier; the wire connected to the black ringed input terminals should be connected to the respective negative (–) output terminals of the amplifier. The speakers should be connected to the amplifier with high quality cable to ensure minimal loss of power and proper control by the amplifier.

BREAK-IN

The ViewPoint, like most speakers, requires a period of playing before they perform optimally. The time depends on how loudly the speakers are played; more time is required if played softly, less if played loudly. At least 50 hours at moderately loud levels are required before the speaker is performing near optimum.

ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT

The ViewPoint is a very high quality sound reproducer and will benefit from use with high quality associated equipment. Since it is extremely accurate, it will reveal sources of distortion generated elsewhere in the system. For example, distortion resulting from poor recordings or inferior electronics will be reproduced accurately.

POWER REQUIREMENTS

It is important to have enough power to play at the level you desire without distortion. If high sound levels are desired, the ViewPoint’s are designed to be used with amplifiers rated up to 200 watts per channel (into 8 ohms). If you play the speakers more loudly than the volume the amplifier can cleanly produce, the amplifier will produce overload (clipping) distortion. The sound will become compressed, strained, and in extreme cases, obviously distorted. This distortion is actually non-musical additional energy and since it is concentrated in the high frequency region where the speaker is least able to handle it, tweeters can be damaged in extreme cases.

Keep in mind that sound quality is usually much more important than sound quantity. There can be large differences in the sonic performance of two amplifiers of equal power, and this is more important than large differences in power. Most everyone will be happier with a 100 watt amplifier of high sonic quality than a 200 watt amplifier of mediocre sonic quality. For this reason, we feel there is no substitute for listening in making your amplifier decision.

The question “how much power do I need?” does not have the simple answer most people expect because it is not determined only by the loudspeaker’s efficiency, but also by the volume desired and the size of the room. If all three factors are average, about 100 watts per channel is required. Each factor can raise or lower this amount by about three times.

1)Usually, people who “don’t like music loud” can decrease their power to about one-half. Also, people who like music loud should increase their power by 2 times or more. Most people fall within a normal range.