NHT SB3 user manual Placement Accessories, Connections, Operation, Maintenance, Satisfaction

Fig. 2

In many situations, it won't be possible to place the rear speakers in their ideal positions. If this is the case in your room, try to place the rear speakers equidistant from the center of the main seating area. If you must place the rear speakers close to the main seating area, position them so that they are above the ear height of the tallest listener, and toe them in so that imaginary lines coming from the center of each speaker cross in front of the main seating area. You can add time delay to the rear channels with your surround sound processor to make the rear speakers seem farther from the seating area than your room setup will allow.

Placement Accessories

Sometimes, current furniture and where it's placed won't allow the speaker placement you prefer. Two quick ways around this are to use speaker stands, or to mount them on walls.

NHT offers a stand - the Last Stand - specifically matched for the SB3, available through your NHT Dealer. The SB3 has threaded inserts for wall mounting. You may use the Omnimount Systems model ST-MP 50. To use this bracket, you must purchase two ¼"-20 x 5/8" pan head machine screws per loudspeaker. For more information visit the Omnimount Systems web site at www.omnimount.com or call them at 1-800-668-6848.

Connections

Before connecting your SB3 loudspeakers to your system, turn off the power to your amplifier / receiver to avoid damaging the components or the speakers.

First, please take a look at the five-way binding posts on the back of your speakers. They'll accept raw wire, banana plugs or spade plugs. Note that posts should be tightened by hand, since pliers can strip or break them. Next, choose your speaker wires. Like all wires, speaker wires are rated by a guage number representing how many fit in an inch-thick tube, so the numbers getting smaller as the wire gets thicker. Thicker wires transmit more signal easily; we recommend 16-guage for shorter runs, and thicker for runs longer than ten feet

(your authorized NHT dealer can help with wire). Equal lengths of wire for all speakers is ideal, but not absolutely necessary.

Prepare the wires by stripping 1/4" to 3/8" of insulation from the ends and, if the wire is stranded rather than solid, tightly twisting the exposed wire strands.

Finally, connect your speakers to your amplifier or receiver, connecting all conductors "in-phase;" that is, the same half of the wire-pair to the positive / red amplifier terminal and the positive /red speaker terminal. Similarly, connect black outputs and inputs. If you have trouble following which wire half is which, look closely, and you'll see that your speaker wires have some sort of marking -- lettering, ridges, or color difference -- to help.

Before powering up your amplifier or receiver, separate different kinds of cables to minimize noise. Keep speaker wires at the maximum practical distance from line-level, digital, and power cables, and if they must cross, keep them at right angles.

Operation

The NHT SB3's are compatible with virtually all quality amplifiers, and are designed to handle a wide range of listening levels.

Every speaker, however, has limits, and it's important to listen for them. Speaker damage most often results not from brief loud musical peaks, but from sustained high volume levels in some or all frequencies. For this reason, extreme volume settings and excessive bass, treble or equalizer boosts are not recommended.

If you hear unusual distortion or breakup, or notice heat coming from either your woofer or tweeter, decrease volume immediately, neutralize any excess bass, treble or equalizer boosts, and avoid setting any controls to similar extremes again.

Maintenance

Your speakers require no or minimal maintenance under normal use, as long as you avoid exposing them to direct sunlight, high temperatures, or moisture. Clean cabinets, when necessary, using a damp cloth or a mild, non-abrasive cleaner; to clean grilles, remove from speaker and use a soft brush or a vacuum on its lowest setting. Do not attempt to clean the actual drivers.

Satisfaction

Your satisfaction with your new NHT SB3 loudspeakers is important to us. Please note the matched products and accessories we provide for them, and your warranty, printed on the back of this manual. And again, if you have any questions regarding your speakers' use, feel free to call NHT at 1-800-NHT-9993. Enjoy your listening and viewing!

REV 6-02