NHT 3.3 owner manual Connection Methods, Full Range, Biamplification

Model 3.3 loudspeaker system is compatible with virtually all quality amplifiers. Proper wiring of the speakers is essential to good sound. At a minimum, 14AWG speaker cable is recommended for runs of 10 feet or less, with heavier special pur- pose cable used for longer runs. For specialty cable considerations, consult your local authorized NHT retailer. For best results, use equal length runs of cable for the left and right speakers. Prepare your cable by stripping 1/4" to 3/8" of insu- lation from the ends and twisting the exposed wire strands tightly. The five-way binding posts on the back of the speaker will accept raw wire, banana plugs, or spade plugs. Tighten the binding posts by hand, as pliers can strip or break them.

Be sure to wire both the left and right speakers "in-phase." That is, the Positive (red) terminal on the amplifier out- put must be connected to the corresponding Positive (red) terminal on the speaker. Likewise with the Negative (black) terminals. All speaker cables have some sort of marking along one or both conductors to help you make the cor- rect connections. Incorrect speaker phase is indicated by weak bass and the lack of a well-defined stereo image.

To minimize noise pickup, segregate cables by function. Do not run low level signal cables parallel to power cables, speak- er cables, or digital cables. Also, do not run speaker cables or digital cables parallel to power cords or parallel to each other. If different types of cables are placed near each other at some place in your system, separate them by the maxi- mum practical distance and cross them at right angles where they meet. Do not twist or tie AC power cords and speaker cables.

!Connection Methods

On the back panel of the 3.3 there are two pairs of binding posts (fig. 3) with a metal jumper strap connecting the top and bottom pairs. There are three different ways to connect the 3.3's to your system: full range with a single amplifier, biampli- fied with two amplifiers and two sets of speaker cable, or biwired with one amplifier and two sets of speaker cable.

Full Range

To run the 3.3's full range with one amplifier / receiver, simply connect the speaker cables to either the top set or bottom set of binding posts (it doesn't matter which one).

Biamplification

Biamplification is the use of two separate amplifiers, one to power the bass drivers and one to power the midrange / high frequency drivers. Biamplification provides increased dynamic range and power output, as it allows both amplifiers to concentrate all their headroom toward a specific frequency range, sparing them the task reproducing full range information.

To biamplify the 3.3, you will need two amplifiers: a main amplifier for the upper range drivers (top pair of binding posts) and a second ampli- fier for the subwoofers (bottom pair). The main amplifier can be a stand-alone stereo amplifier, dual monoblock amplifiers, or the amplifi- er section of an integrated amplifier or audio/video receiver that fea- tures "pre-out" and "main-in" jacks. The second amplifier may be a full range amplifier connected parallel to the main amplifier, or for more flexibility, the NHT SA-3 subwoofer amplifier.

Biamplifying with the SA-3 is highly recommended, as this configura- tion turns the passive subwoofer section of the 3.3 into a fully adjustable powered subwoofer with onboard bass tuning functions. The SA-3 is optimized for low frequency amplification and allows the

user to fine-tune the 3.3's bass response for a specific listening envi-

fig. 3 ronment. For example, it is possible to increase or decrease the vol- ume level of the subwoofer sections independently of the upper driver sections, to compensate for rooms that tend to under-emphasize or