Russound Contractor Series Taking Care Of Your New Ceiling Speakers, Too little power, Transients

TAKING CARE OF YOUR NEW CEILING SPEAKERS

Russound Contractor speakers are designed to last the life of your home if you follow a few simple rules.

The main “killers” of any loudspeaker system are:

•overdriving an underpowered amplifier

•too much power at high volumes

•transients (immediate loud passages, thumps, etc.)

Too little power:

It’s a surprising fact but far more speakers are damaged by too little power than by too much. When an amplifier runs out of power while trying to re-create musical peaks, it causes a form of high frequency dis- tortion called clipping. Clipping simply makes the music sound distorted. In greater quantities over a period of time, it can damage or destroy the tweeters (high frequency speakers) in any speaker system. If you like your music LOUD, consider getting an amplifier with at least 50 watts per channel.

Too much power:

There’s nothing wrong with driving your Russound speakers with as much as 80 watts per channel—the extra power helps them achieve quick musical transients found in digital recordings. However, you must remember to restrain yourself and not get too heavy-handed with the volume control (or remote buttons). If the music begins to sound dis- torted or you hear a “clacking” sound during bass notes, back off! The clacking is caused by the woofer’s voice coil trying to come out of its socket.

Transients:

Loud, deep THUMPS, caused when your system is turned on/off, or when the tonearm is dropped too hard on a record (if you still use those great classics), can seriously damage any loudspeaker including your Russound Contractor models. Also remember to turn your system off before dis- connecting any hook-up cables. When they’re pulled out, a huge burst of low frequency hum often occurs if the system is still on.

First, consult the owner’s manual that came with the amp or receiver. It should tell you the minimum speaker impedance during simultaneous operation. On some models the manual will recommend that only two pairs of 8-ohm speakers be used at the same time. Others might allow one set of 8-ohm speakers and one set of 4-ohm impedance speakers. A few extremely powerful receivers and power amplifiers may even allow two sets of 4-ohm speakers.

If you can’t readily determine this information, consult the dealer where you purchased the amplifier, or call the manufacturer of the product in question. Next, determine the impedance of your other speakers. It’s often printed on the back of the enclosure near the connection termi- nals, or you can consult the speaker’s owner’s manual.

If your other speakers are rated at 4 ohms, some amplifiers may experi- ence difficulty driving both 4-ohm sets at once and shut off intermit- tently when the volume control is turned up. In this case, you should operate only one set of speakers at a time or keep the volume extremely low.

Another option is to purchase a speaker selector such as the Russound SS-4.2 and SS-6.2 series or a PRO series speaker selector. These are designed to maintain impedance control allowing your amplifier to work efficiently.

INSTALLING DURING NEW CONSTRUCTION

Installing speakers when a house is being built is far easier than doing it later. Russound offers Speaker Rough-In Brackets for round and rectan- gular speakers . The bracket is designed to provide the drywall installers with a cut-out for the In-Walls. Each kit comes with two brackets, (one is required per speaker). The brackets are nailed/screwed onto the wall studs. Once the house/room is completed, you can install the speaker.

•When it comes time to put up the dry wall, make sure the speaker cut-out hole doesn’t extend farther than 1/4” from the sides of the mounting frame.

•After the wallboard is put up, install the speakers as previously detailed in this manual.

MORE ON SPEAKER WIRES AND AMPLIFIER IMPEDANCE

Not all amplifiers or receivers can safely operate two sets of speakers at
once. If you intend to use your Russound Contractor speakers at the	Figure 9
same time as your main speakers or if you intend to hook up two pairs	New construction
of speakers and use both at the same time, it’s important to consider	rough-in bracket
both the impedance of the speakers and the capabilities of the amplifier	placement for ceiling
you’re using. Russound makes a complete line of products from	speaker
Impedance-Matching Volume Controls to Impedance-Matching Speaker
Selectors. Ask you Russound dealer for details or contact Russound Sales
at 603-659-5170.

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