Atlantic Technology 172 PBM Power Connection, Placement and Operation

Model 172 PBM

Figure 2:

Gold plated

5-way binding

posts. Accepts

up to 10 gauge

bare wire

Note: Due to the very close placement of the High-level connectors, the most practical connectors to use are

“double banana plugs” (North America only) available from most electronic supply stores.

You can connect to the High-level inputs by using a variety of connectors, or by removing 1/2" of

insulation from each wire end, twisting the strands of wire together, placing the wire through one of

the post holes and screwing down the nut tightly. We recommend that you check your local electrical

codes to make sure you are not using an improper connector.

It is important to observe polarity while making speaker connections:

red (+) terminals on the amplifier to red (+) on the speaker, black (-) on

the amplifier to black (-) on the speaker. Look carefully at the wires you

are using and note that one of the wires in each pair will be marked by

either the conductor color, printing on the wire jacket, a ridge on one

side of the wire jacket, or a thread intertwined with the wire strands. By

convention, the marked wire is connected to the red (+) terminal.

Power Connection

Connect the power cord to an AC outlet only after making all other connections to the subwoofer.

This will avoid any chance of accidentally activating the subwoofer while wiring. Atlantic Technology

does not recommend plugging the subwoofer into the switched outlet of an amplifier, preamplifier,

or receiver. The power demands of the subwoofer amplifier may exceed the power rating of the

switched outlet and may damage the equipment.

The 172 PBM is totally automatic in its operation. The automatic on/off circuitry will only activate the

subwoofer in the presence of an audio signal from your audio/video system. After 7-10 minutes with

no signal detected from the rest of the system, the amplifier will shut itself off and go into standby

mode. When an audio signal is present, the power LED located under the front grille will glow green.

Power consumption in the standby mode is negligible. Standby operation can be completely bypassed

by plugging the 172 PBM into a heavy-duty switched power outlet strip if you desire. In this mode, the

subwoofer will be powered when the power switch is turned on and it will still operate in automatic

standby/on mode when the power strip is active.

Generally speaking, the best location for your new Subwoofer will be in the front of the room, in or

close to a corner (Figure 3). Every room has its own unique sound characteristics, and flexibility in the

exact placement of the subwoofer is always desirable. The closer the subwoofer is placed to a wall and

especially a corner, the more and deeper the bass response you will hear. However, in some rooms,

corner placement can produce too much bass or a “one note” boomy effect. Under such circumstances

the subwoofer may work better away from the corner. You should experiment to find the best position

in your room.

Helpful Hint: A particularly useful experiment is to place the subwoofer right at the prime listening position

(move that couch or chair out of the way and put the sub in its place). Then play something with lots of good

bass (preferably music), and walk around the room, listening to the subwoofer’s response. When you locate an

area that has ample amounts of well defined bass you have found a good potential place to locate the sub.