Setup

Unpacking

Unpack the carton carefully. Save the carton and packing materials for possible later use. If either speaker appears damaged, do not operate either one. Repack both speakers in the original carton and notify your authorized Bose® dealer immediately.

Placing your Bose 161™ speakers

Note: Your 161 speakers are magnetically shielded to prevent interference with most television screens.

For best acoustic performance, place the left channel speaker on the left side of the room and the right channel speaker on the right, at least 5 feet (1.5 m) apart. (Refer to the label on the back of each speaker.) Make sure the back of each speaker is parallel to the front wall.

For rear channel use in a home theater surround sound system, put the speakers near the back of the room, behind or to the sides of the listening area.

Attach the supplied self-adhesive feet to the bottom surface of each speaker for greater stability (Figure 1).

If you want to mount your speakers using the supplied wall brackets, see “Mounting your speakers on a wall” on page 6.

Figure 1

Locations for attaching rubber feet to the bottom of the speakers

CAUTION: Do not install near any heat sources, such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

Choosing speaker cord

Be sure to use the proper gauge (thickness) of speaker cord. Standard zip cord (2-conductor, 18-gauge [0.75 mm2] wire found at electrical and hardware stores) works for most applications. If the length of speaker wire extends more than 30 feet (9 m) from a receiver or amplifier, refer to “Wire recommendations” on page 7 or contact your authorized Bose dealer for more information.

CAUTION: Before making any connections, turn off your receiver or amplifier and unplug it from the outlet (the AC power mains).

4