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Welcome.
We are delighted that you have decided to purchase a
product. have been manufacturing and devel-
oping the CRITERION series of loudspeakers since
1982. The speakers in this series have two characteris-
tics in common: all of them are transmission-line de-
signs, and all of th em have b een revolutionary new de-
velopments, placing them far ahead of their time.
TCI stands for Transmission-line Carbon fibre Impulse.
The Criterion TAL series has been revised and ex-
panded by the addition of three genuine High-End m od-
els. These TCI models are housed in extremely sophisti-
cated cabinets made of multi-layer laminated material
which is extremely strong and rigid, and highly resistant
to re sonance. The production process is very compli-
cated, but the result is beautiful and highly efficient cabi-
nets which offer unbeatable acoustic qualities.
The three TCI models continue the long tradition of Cri-
terion speakers: they a re pure High-End floor-standing
loudspeakers which have been developed without com-
promise. The primary aim was always this : musical re-
production to the highest possible standard of fidelity.
Achieving the aims we had set incurred enormous costs
in terms of developmen t and tooling; these are the mos t
sophisticated and innovative passive loudspeakers th at
have ever been built.
For outstan ding bass response and transient handlin g
the transmission-line princip le is quite simply superior to
all others, and in these speakers the linearity of the sys-
tem has been further improved and the extreme bass
response expanded still further.
For the mid-range spectrum we have developed a com-
pletely new driver, featuring incredible transient response
and virtually complete freedom from colora tion and dis-
tortion.
The treble range is becoming more and more critical as
new and better digital s ignal sources are developed; this
spurred us on to introduce more new developments: the
TCI 3 R features an ringradiator which has been further
developed and improved. Both the large models employ
a completely new development: a cu rved-membrane
electrostatic unit which is absolutely ideal for reproduci ng
high frequencies.
All this technology is packed into cabinets of incompara-
ble quality whose form follows the re quired function per-
fectly: the baffles are as narrow as possible, and all tran-
sitional areas are of subtle flowing shape. The sides and
back panels are sculpted, three-dimensional profiles, to
ensure that they are absolutely free of resonance whilst
providing the maximum possible internal volume for the
transmission line.
We are grateful to you for the faith you have s hown in
our company, and wish you many hours of pleasurable
listening with your TCI loudspeakers.

elektroakustik GmbH & Co KG

Contents

Seite
The cabinet 21
The transmission-line principle 22
The loudspeakers 23
Bass and mid-range drivers, ringradiator high frequency driver 23
The electrostatic treble unit 24
The valve output stage 24
The cross-over unit 25
Setting up 26
Wiring 27
Terminals, amplifiers 27
Standard connections, bi-wiring 27
Bi-amping (horizontal and vertical) 28
Direct pre-amplifier mode 29
Controls 30
Level adjustment (BASS / MID / TREBLE) 30
Mains switch 31
Additional controls on the TCI 1 RE 31
Safety notes 32
Environmental aspects, care and maintenance 33
Trouble-shooting 34
Specification 35