Thiel Audio Products PowerPlane Power Requirements, Grille, Painting the Front Panel, Service

POWER REQUIREMENTS

It is important to have enough power to play at the level you desire without distortion. If high sound levels are desired, the PowerPointÕs are designed to be used with amplifiers rated up to 200 watts per channel (into 8 ohms). If you play the speakers more loudly than the volume the amplifier can cleanly produce, the amplifier will produce overload (clipping) distortion. The sound will become compressed, strained, and in extreme cases, obviously distorted. This distortion is actually non-musical additional energy and since it is concentrated in the high frequency region where the speaker is least able to handle it, tweeters can be damaged in extreme cases.

Keep in mind that sound quality is usually much more important than sound quantity. There can be large differences in the sonic performance of two amplifiers of equal power, and this is more important than large differences in power. Most everyone will be happier with a 100 watt amplifier of high sonic quality than a 200 watt amplifier of mediocre sonic quality. For this reason, we feel there is no substitute for listening in making your amplifier decision.

The question Òhow much power do I need?Ó does not have the simple answer most people expect because it is not determined only by the loudspeakerÕs efficiency, but also by the volume desired and the size of the room. If all three factors are average, about 100 watts per channel is required. Each factor can raise or lower this amount by about three times.

1)Usually, people who ÒdonÕt like music loudÓ can decrease their power to about one-half. Also, people who like music loud should increase their power by 2 times or more. Most people fall within a normal range.

2)A speaker with a low efficiency of 84 dB/W-m will require twice the power of an average 87 dB/W-m speaker and one with a high rating of 90 dB/W-m will require only half the power of an average speaker. The PowerPlane is of above average efficiency (89 dB) and therefore requires less than an average amount of power for average volume levels.

3)A small room will need less power for a given loudness level than a large room. A very small room of 1000 cu ft (11' x 11' with an 8' ceiling) will require about half the power of an average size room. A large room of 6000 cu ft (20' x 30' with a 10' ceiling) will require twice the average power. If the listening room is connected to another room by a large open area, the required power will increase, but not by the amount of the combined room volume. If the room has a ÒdroppedÓ ceiling with light panels, the ceiling will be almost transparent acoustically and the space above the ceiling should be added. If the panels are heavy they will act as a more normal ceiling.

In conclusion, a person who doesnÕt like to play music very loudly and has a small room can get quality sound with the PowerPlane with as little as 30 watts whereas a person who sometimes likes to play loudly and has a large room may need 200 watts or more.

GRILLE

The PowerPointÕs grille is magnetically attached to the cabinet and can be removed by gently prying the grille forward. The PowerPlane grille can be made more opaque for visual reasons, but with a small amount of sonic degradation, by adding the included ÒscrimÓ to the back of the grille. To install the scrim, first remove the metal grille and apply a coating of spray adhesive to the rear of the grille. After the adhesive becomes tacky, press the scrim to the grille starting at the center and working outward making sure the scrim adheres to the grille everywhere it makes contact.

PAINTING THE FRONT PANEL

The PowerPlane is shipped with an off-white finish, but can be painted any desired color. To paint the speaker, first remove the grille and then the driver trim ring by removing the six mounting screws. Place the mask over the driver, then place the trim ring on top of the mask. Painting should be done prior to installing the scrim, as mentioned above.

SERVICE Painting mask placement

If your speaker system requires service, contact your authorized THIEL dealer. If you need to contact THIEL, service information and technical support is available at (606) 254-9427, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, or via e-mail at service@thielaudio.com.