Now continue on to the connection section, and be sure to read the "Subwoofer Controls" section to adjust the controls correctly for use with your chosen speaker model.
NOTE: Do not dispose of the plastic cover from the subwoofer top. It can be used on the subwoofer's front to cover the operational controls if you wish. It attaches like a speaker grille into the four recessed holes on the amplifier module.
Subwoofer placement when used as a stand alone subwoofer
The Athena Technologies® subwoofer can be placed virtually anywhere in your listening room without significantly affecting the stereo image of your main speakers. However, interactions between any subwoofer and a room's acoustic properties will have some impact on the overall bass performance. Reading this section will help you find a placement for the subwoofer in your room, which will yield the best bass performance.
Start off by placing the subwoofer near a corner, which will
produce maximum bass output, but may result in a "boomy" bass reproduction. Move the subwoofer away from the corner in stages to find the position that yields maximum bass output without "boominess".
An effective method of determining the ideal subwoofer location is to place the subwoofer in your preferred listening position. Then, slowly walk the boundaries of the room until you've determined the spot where bass is at it's fullest. Switch positions between yourself and the subwoofer and the ideal location has been located.
It is important to leave at least 4 inches (10cm) of clearance space between the subwoofer and walls or room furnishings.
•SUBWOOFER AND SPEAKER CONNECTIONS
CAUTION: On the subwoofer, do not use both low level (RCA) and high level (Speaker type connections) methods simultaneously.
Turn off all power in your stereo system before proceeding with the installation of the subwoofer.Not doing so could result could result in shorting from the speakers leads and potential damage to the amplifier.
High Level connecting the Subwoofer and Speakers
On the rear of your Athena Technologies® subwoofer are two pairs of red and black binding posts for both left and right channel. One set is marked "Sub In" and one set is marked "Spkr Out", with each pair designated as left or right. Each post is color-coded black/red. These terminals will accept up to 16-gauge quality speaker wire.
Connect the system one channel at a time, and start your process at the Receiver. Connect from the "Speaker Output" on the Receiver to the "Sub In" on the subwoofer, being careful to correctly match positive and negative, as well as left and right connections.
A)If you have a pair of Athena Technologies® subwoofers and speakers, and they are docked as per earlier instructions, connect the speaker cable from the Receiver to the “Left Sub-In” on the subwoofer on both left and right speakers. As long as each speaker is docked correctly to the subwoofer, and the connection strap between the upper and lower connectors on the subwoofer are in place, then the speaker will receive the audio signal, eliminating the need to connect any cables directly to the speaker
B)If you have one Athena Technologies® subwoofer and a pair of Athena Technologies® speakers, and one of the speakers is docked to one of the subwoofers, then perform the following steps:
NOTE: The following example assumes the left speaker has the subwoofer docked to it. This is our recommendation as it is easier to understand. If however you wish to dock the subwoofer to the right speaker, you must reverse the below connections as far as left and right are concerned.
1)Connect the left channel speaker wire from the Receiver to the “Left Sub In” on the subwoofer. As long as the gold connection strap is in place between the upper and lower connectors, then the speaker will receive the correct audio signal.
2)Connect the right channel speaker wire from the Receiver to the “Right Sub In” on the subwoofer. Then connect another speaker cable from “Right Spkr Out” on the subwoofer, to the right channel loudspeaker.
If you inadvertently reverse one of the connections (i.e, red to black), you will notice a severe lack of bass from your speakers. This is called wiring the system “Out of Phase”. If this occurs, check the wiring and re-connect as necessary.
High Level Connecting the Speakers
If you have only the speakers, and not the matching powered subwoofer, simply connect the speaker cables from the Receiver to the connectors on the back of the speaker as follows.
Connect the speaker wire from the positive (RED +) terminal on the amp to the positive (RED+) terminal on the speaker. Connect the negative (BLACK-) terminal on the amplifier to the negative (BLACK-) terminal on the speaker.
•A NOTE ABOUT SPEAKER WIRE
Contrary to popular belief, not all speaker wire is the same. The speaker wire is the only contact the speaker has with the amplifier. If thin, low quality cable, such as "lamp cord" is used, then the overall sound quality will suffer. This is true, particularly in lengths of 10 feet or more, so we strongly recommend the use of high quality speaker cable to obtain the best performance from your speakers.
•SUBWOOFER INPUT
Using the low level RCA subwoofer output of a receiver, processor, or crossover.
This connection is used when you are using an Athena Technologies® subwoofer separately. Or if you wish to use the pre-amp signals from your Receiver or Processor as opposed to the high-level connection method described above.
Connect a single RCA to RCA interconnect cable to the "subwoofer output" jack from your receiver or processor to the RCA "subwoofer input" on the rear panel of the subwoofer.
In this case, the main speakers must be connected directly to the receiver as described above in the "High Level Connecting the Speakers" section.
Please read the "Subwoofer Controls" section to ensure all the controls are set-up correctly for this purpose.
•SUBWOOFER CONTROLS
"Bass Level" Control
This rotary control adjusts the output level of your Athena Technologies® subwoofer and should be used to balance the level of the subwoofer with that of your main speakers.
