Painting the Speakers, Speaker Phase | Niles Audio CM6MP, CM8MP

Final Installation in New or Existing Construction

1.If it is possible to lay a batt of insulation into the ceiling cavity do so. Remember to use equal amounts of insulation for each speaker.

2.Separate the speaker end of the two- conductor speaker-wire run to free at least 2" of each conductor.

3.Strip 1/2" of insulation from the end of each conductor. (See Figure 15.)

4.To connect the stripped end of one conductor to the black terminal, push down on the black terminal lever. Insert the stripped end of the conductor into the opening. Release the pressure on the lever.

5.Repeat step 4 with the other conductor and the red terminal.

6.On both models, there are four clamps or mounting “dogs” which hold each speaker in place. The dogs are tight- ened via four front-baffle screws. To install the speaker, first rotate the dogs inward. Insert the speaker into the cutout and tighten the dogs by turning the screws clockwise. DO NOT OVER- TIGHTEN THESE SCREWS. Over-tight- ening the clamps may make the grille difficult to install. (See Figure 16).

2” min.

0.5”

Figure 15

NOTE: The screws will be easier to turn if you “prime” them first. Before installing each speaker, turn the screws in and then turn them back out to their original positions.

7.Direct the Tweeter. The tweeter is directed by gently pushing on the edge of the tweeter grille. It will move 20° in

Figure 16

any direction. For critical listening point the tweeter to the user’s favorite listen- ing position minimizing reflections from the side walls. For surround sound or low volume background listening cre- ate more reflections and thus more ambience by directing the tweeter towards the side walls. See Speaker Placement on Page 6.

8.On CM8MP only, adjust the bass and treble control settings by listening to a well-recorded piece of music at the user’s favorite listening position. Listen to a well-recorded piece of music at the user’s favorite listening position. a) Listen for bass boominess, particularly when the speaker is placed near a cor- ner. Use the -2dB Bass cut to correct. b) Listen for treble harshness or ringing, par- ticularly when the speakers are placed in a room without carpet/ Use the -2dB Treble cut switch to correct.

9.Install the grille into the speaker. The grilles should fit snugly. If you have diffi- culty fitting them in, try loosening the mounting dog screws (excessive tighten- ing can distort the shape of the frame holding the grille in place).

Painting the Speakers

All models may be painted. The plastic will readily accept most paints.

The speakers must be masked prior to painting them. The inside circular portion of the hole template can be used as a paint mask. Remove the outside portion of the template by gently pulling along the perforation. Affix the mask to the front of the speaker using a piece of tape. Fold the tape onto itself to form a double-sided loop. Affix the tape to the tweeter and place the mask onto the speaker.

The grilles should be painted before they are installed. For all models, the best results will be obtained by using a spray gun or airless sprayer, thinning the paint (prevents clogging of the grille holes), and by applying several light coats instead of one heavy one.

Speaker Phase

Speaker wire has two conductors. One conductor is attached to the negative (-) terminals and one conductor is attached to the positive (+) terminals of both your speaker and your amplifier. Usually, the wire is marked for your convenience. There are different ways wires are marked: a stripe on one wire, a ribbed area of one conductor you can only feel, different col- ors of metal wire on each conductor, or there might be a fabric strand or string wound into one of the conductors. Of course, there are some wires which appear completely identical. Be careful, or you might make a mistake.

If you make a mistake, one speaker will be playing “out-of-phase” with the other

speaker. An out-of-phase pair of speakers work against each other and the sound of the two speakers playing together will be lacking in bass and be “phasey” sounding. If you suspect the sound is not right and you cannot see any markings on the wire, try this simple test:

1.Stand half way between the speakers.

2.Play some music with the amplifier or radio set to Mono.

3.Listen to the richness of the bass and the loudness of the sound.

4.Turn off the amplifier and reverse the connections on one amplifier chan- nel only.

5.Repeat the listening test with the same setting of the volume control. When the sound has a richer bass and is slightly louder the speakers are working together or “in-phase”.

Final Installation in New or Existing Construction

15		16