Serial Numbers____________________________________ Handcrafted by: ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ This product is certified to meet the requirements of the European Union (EU) Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive (89/336/EEC).
Table of Contents Introduction………..………….……………………………………………………..…………………….5 2 Unpacking Instructions………………………………………………………………………..…………..6 Introduction……….…….………………………………………………………..….6 Contents………….….…………………………………………………………..…...6 2.1Opening the Container……………………………………….……………………………….7 2.2 Installing the Grilles……………………………………………….………………………….8 Orientation of the Felt Anti-Diffraction Mask……….………….………….……....8 2.3 Replacing Grille Pins………………………………………………………………………….
9 Accuracy of Bass Reproduction..……………………………………………………………………..29 Introduction…………………………….……………………….………………….29 9.1 Sensitivity to Time-Related Information………………………………………………….29 “Fast Bass”…………………………………………………………………………29 9.2 Rationale…………………………………………………………………………………..30 Anechoic Frequency Response vs. In-Room Frequency Response………………30 9.3 Measurements of Audio Equipment………………………………………………………31 A Correlation with Amplifier Measurements……………………………………..
1. Introduction Your new Avalon Acoustics Ascendant loudspeakers represent a true breakthrough in the development of moving-coil loudspeakers intended for accurate music reproduction. Upon initial listening, the immediacy and presence of a live performance becomes instantly apparent. The intent is to closely reproduce the original musical event, as opposed to creating a "spectacular" sonic character which can impress upon first listening, but fail to satisfy over a long period of time.
2. Unpacking Instructions Introduction Your Avalon Acoustics loudspeakers were shipped in a heavy-duty crate to ensure their safe arrival. It is recommended to save this crate for possible future use. Due to the weight of the speakers, it will require two persons to un-crate them and position them for listening. Please arrange for your dealer or other friend to assist in this project.
2.1 Opening the Crate The crate features a one-piece top assembly, which is fastened to the crate bottom with screws around the lower perimeter. To unpack, remove the screws and lift the upper portion of the crate straight up (this will require two people). Next, slide each speaker part way off of the crate base so that the plastic bag can be unfastened from the enclosure bottom. Stand the speaker up and the bag can be slid off the top. Please refer to Figure 2. Figure 2.
2.2 Installing the Grilles The grille assemblies are behind a panel on the outside of the speaker crate. Remove the screws securing the panel, and then carefully pull the grilles straight out. The grilles are installed with friction fasteners and press into place on the speaker cabinets. Please see Figure 2.2. Orientation of the Felt Anti-Diffraction Mask The grille assembly includes a felt anti-diffraction mask.
2.3 Replacing Grille Pins The grille pins installed on the grille assemblies are fragile and can be easily damaged. Should any of the pins break, you may replace them using the following procedure. I. Place the grille assembly face-down on a padded surface (a towel or carpeting). 2. Remove the damaged grille pin by pulling it straight out with a small pliers or similar tool. Please refer to figure 2.4.
5. Place the exposed end of the grille pin in the open mounting hole. Check to insure that the grille cloth is not trapped between the pin and frame. Use a small hammer and gently tap the new grille pin in place. Then, pull the insertion tool off the new pin and verify that the pin flange is flush with the surface of the grille. Please refer to Figure 2.6. WARNING: Grille pin breakage may result if the grille cloth becomes trapped between the pin and frame during installation. Figure 2.
3. Wiring Instructions Introduction The crossover is encapsulated in a chamber in the bottom of the speaker cabinet, minimizing the effect of vibration on the components. The Ascendant is equipped with a high-quality binding post for connecting the speaker cables. Spade lugs designed for #10 screws are recommended for cable termination. Connecting the Speaker to the Amplifier 1. Place the speaker in its approximate location. 2.
4. Break-in Period Your new Avalon Acoustics loudspeakers have an initial break-in period. They will not perform to their full sonic potential when first installed in your system. This is due to a residual polarization of the dielectric materials used in the crossover capacitors and internal wiring. (See note 1) As music is played through the loudspeakers, the electrical signal will gradually anneal these materials.
5. Maximizing Performance These details are imperative to obtaining optimum results from your Avalon Acoustics loudspeakers. Break-in The break-in period is critical to maximizing sonic performance and should take place before other adjustments (see the discussion on page 12). The break-in should begin with three to six hours of quiet music, followed by 200 to 300 hours of loud and dynamic source material.
Toe-in Adjusting the toe-in angle of the speakers is useful in tailoring the sound to best match the characteristics of your system and listening room. When the speakers are facing straight forward, they tend to create a large, expansive sound-stage, painted with broad brush strokes. As they are rotated toward the listening position, the image becomes more compact, with increased focus, creating a greater sense of intimacy.
First Reflection Points Since the ear/brain system tends to integrate the sounds arriving within a 10 millisecond time window, it is important to control the early reflections arriving from the side walls to the listening position. A hard-surfaced wall can produce a strong frequency-dependent reflection that can interfere with the reproduced sound-stage, as well as change the perceived tonal balance of the system. Therefore, damping these first reflection points is strongly recommended.
6. Care of Your Avalon Loudspeakers Cabinet Your Ascendant loudspeakers are finished with a high quality furniture lacquer. This is a modern finish which is beautiful yet durable, and requires only minimal attention. The speaker should be dusted with a soft, non-abrasive cloth. Using the supplied furniture cream or equivilent and a lint free polishing cloth carefully wipe the cabinet. Grille Assembly The grille assembly may be removed from the cabinet and gently vacuumed to remove dust.
7. Warranty Your Avalon Acoustics loudspeakers are warranted against defects in workmanship and materials for a period of three years, provided that the enclosed registration card is returned to the factory within seven days of the purchase date. If the registration card is not returned within the seven day period, this warranty is null and void, and you will not be notified of future updates.
3. Avalon Acoustics reserves the right to inspect any products which are the subject of any warranty claim prior to repairing or replacing. Final determination of warranty coverage lies solely with Avalon Acoustics. Any products which conform to this warranty shall be repaired or replaced by Avalon Acoustics as soon as possible following receipt of the product and claim, but in no event later than 30 days after receipt of the product.
8. Room Acoustics and Speaker Position Introduction The listening room forms the final link of the playback system, as important as any other component in the chain. Just as an otherwise superb system is handicapped by an inferior pre-amplifier (for example), so can a well-matched system be hindered by poor room acoustics. It is not necessary to listen to your system in a specially-designed sound chamber in order to enjoy it.
An Optical Analogy Let us use an optical analogy to aid our understanding of acoustics. Imagine that you are in a room that is lit only by a candle in its center. There is a uniform amount of light cast in all directions. If a large mirror is held closely to candle, one half of the room becomes darkened, while the other half receives twice as much light. This is because there are effectively two candles now illuminating that half of the room, the real candle, and the virtual (or reflected) candle.
8.1 Standing Waves The parallel surfaces of most listening rooms can lead to a potential problem in the low frequencies. A sound wave can be repeatedly reflected from opposing surfaces, back and forth. If the distance between the surfaces is an integral multiple of one-half the sound wavelength, a standing wave will be set up. This means that the incident and reflected waves combine with each other so that a stationary pattern of high and low sound pressures is established in the room.
8.2 Flutter Echo These same parallel, reflective surfaces can also produce a different audible problem. If there is little absorption at higher frequencies, a musical transient containing high frequencies, such as a hand clap or the strike of a percussion instrument, can be heard bouncing repeatedly between the surfaces. Called flutter echo (or slap echo), these multiple reflections can obscure musical detail.
It is not necessary to acoustically treat the entire room to achieve good results. Strategic treatment of specific locations can realize considerable benefits. Remember that when sound waves reflect from a flat surface, the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence, just as a mirror reflects light waves. Therefore, the most important location for sound absorbing material is the point where the sound waves reflect to the listener (see Figure 8.2). Figure 8.
8.4 Bass reinforcement By bass reinforcement, we mean the effect of the room boundaries on the propagation of sound. It is widely known that speaker placement relative to the floor and walls can affect the relative amount of bass that the system produces. To make this interaction more clear, let us refer to the optical analogy of the candle. Similarly to the way that the mirror reflected the light of the candle, so can the surfaces near the loudspeaker reflect the sound waves back into the listening room.
By properly selecting the distances to each surface, we can extend the in-room bass response of the speaker much deeper than its anechoic response. Please see Figure 8.5. This is because the bass reinforcement provides a boost which is complementary to the bass roll-off that would be present in an anechoic chamber. Figure 8.5 - Anechoic response, and in-room response with the speaker placed 4.6 feet from the rear wall, and 3.0 feet from the side wall.
Figure 8.7 - In-room response when the speaker is placed 2.3 feet from the side wall, and 3.9 feet from the rear wall. Figure 8.8 - In-room response when the speaker is placed 3.6 feet from the side wall, and 6.6 feet from the rear wall. 8.5 Summary of Recommendations Now that we have looked at some of the common problems of listening rooms, as well as their remedies, let us summarize our findings and recommendations.
about the only common item that can absorb a meaningful amount of energy is heavily upholstered furniture. Another effective means of absorption is the use of sonic traps. • High Frequency Absorption and Room Symmetry Since flutter echo is a high-frequency effect, it becomes much easier to manage potential problems in this area. Almost any item attached to the walls will be less reflective at high frequencies than the bare walls themselves.
of depth enhances the feeling of involvement when listening, due to the three-dimensional solidity of images. Therefore, it is more important to have a greater distance from the speakers to the rear wall than to the side walls. Typically, this is easier to achieve if the speakers are placed along the short wall of the listening room. 8.6 A Listening Room Example In order to make these points more clear, an example of a room layout is given in Figure 8.9, illustrating the principles we have given.
9. Accuracy of Bass Reproduction Introduction We have all had the experience of listening to speakers with poor bass quality. Perhaps the bass was muddy, or ill-defined. Possibly the bass was exaggerated or bloated. These distortions are distracting and keep us from enjoying the full measure of the performer’s intent. Concerning the reproduction of low frequencies, Avalon Acoustics pursues a different design goal than most other speaker manufacturers.
9.2 Rationale There is an old saying, "There's no such thing as a free lunch." There are many trade-offs in speaker design, as in almost any area one can think of. In this case, the trade off is between transient response and anechoic frequency response (the speaker's frequency response in an anechoic chamber). Almost all manufacturers have chosen to sacrifice transient response for improved anechoic frequency response.
9.3 Measurements of Audio Equipment It should be recognized that measurements are not the final arbiter of sound quality of audio components. Often times a measurement standard has evolved because it is easily performed, or because it is easily repeatable, or it has shown some link to certain audible characteristics. Unquestionably, it is the latter criterion which is the most important one.
Loudspeaker Measurements Returning to loudspeakers, a similar situation has developed. Although nobody listens to music in an anechoic chamber, loudspeaker measurements are commonly performed in them.(3) Although various proposals have been made for performing low frequency measurements in a more realistic setting, there has been no agreement as to what that setting should be. Loudspeakers continue to be measured in a test chamber that is equivalent to the absence of any room at all.
Briefly, the interaction of the dispersion pattern of the speaker with the reflective surfaces in the room (and the variation of both with frequency) creates an in-room frequency response that may vary markedly from the anechoic response. 9.4 Listening Qualities We have seen how many speaker systems store resonant bass energy, resulting in ringing and poor transient accuracy.
other. Thus, two woofers with the same frequency response will necessarily exhibit the same time (phase) response. However, many crossover networks display non-minimum phase response, and will thereby alter the phase response of the woofer in the speaker system. Transient Response Effects A speaker with poor transient response will store energy, releasing it after the initial musical transient has passed. This causes a loss of detail and obscures important musical information.
electric bass will prove to be a consistent low-frequency source. The difference between direct injection and miking of the speaker/amplifier is easily audible with high-quality speakers. 10. Features • Advanced light weight driver diaphragm materials minimize energy storage and time-domain distortion. • Each driver individually tested and matched for optimum performance. • Smooth, wide polar response for superlative imaging capabilities.
11. Specifications Driver Complement I " Proprietary composite dome tweeter 2- 7" Nomex-Kevlar composite cone woofer Impedance 4 ohms (3.6 ohms minimum) Frequency Response 28Hz to 25kHz (+/- 1.
Notes 37
