Owner's Manual
Amplifier Distortion -
#1
Threat to your
New
Speakers!
Amplifier distortion
is
the
principal
cause
of
speaker
damage
. When listening
at
loud
levels
your
amplifier
may
run
out
of
clean
power. It will
then
begin
to
produce
speaker
-
damaging
distorted power.
This
will
damage
any
brand
of
speaker
very quickly!
More
powerful
amplifiers
are
actually
safer -
For
example
: A
40
Watt/channel
amplifier
will
have
substantial distortion
above
40
Watts. If driven
to
50
Watts, this
amplifier
will
deliver
speaker-damaging
distorted
power!
But a l
00
Watt/channel
amplifier will
have
very
low
distortion
below
l
00
Watts. Therefore,
when
the
speaker
requires
50
Watts, this
more
powerful
amplifier will
deliver
clean
power
and
speaker
damage
is
less
likely
to
occur
. (See your
Golden
Ear Technology
dealer
for amplifier
recommendations
.)
Volume
Setting
Do
not
be
fooled
by
the
Volume setting
of
your
system. It only adjusts listening level - it
is
not
a "
power-output"
dial.
The
amount
of
amplifier
power
actually
used
at
a
given
Volume setting
depends
solely on
the
nature
of
the
source
material
you
are
listening
to
(at
a
given
Volume setting a
quiet
section
of
music will use
less
amplifier
power
than
a loud section). With
typical
material,
the
rated
output
power
of
many
receivers/amplifiers
is
often
reached
when
the
Volume
is
set
to
around
-1
0dB, or
between
the"
11"
and"
l
o'clock"
settings with
an
analog
control
(with bass/
treble
and
loudness controls
not
used - otherwise
rated
power
may
be
reached
at
even
lower
Volume settings).
Remember
, all amplifiers
produce
distortion
when
operated
beyond
their
rated
output
power.
The
resulting
distortion will
damage
all speakers! If
you
listen
at
loud
levels,
be
careful
to
listen for
the
point
of
audible
distortion -
if
the
speakers
begin
to
sound distressed, turn
the
Volume
down
or your speakers
and/or
amplifier(s) will
be
damaged!
This
type
of
damage
constitutes
abuse
and
is
not
covered
by
the
warranty. If
louder
volumes are
desired, consider a
more
powerful
amplifier.
There
is
Actually a
Limit!
Even with these safer,
more
powerful
amplifiers, there
is
a
point
at
which
you
could
have
more
power
than
the
speaker
can
handle.
At
that
point
you
will
overpower
the
speaker
and
damage
it.
At
loud
levels
do
not
increase
bass/treble controls from zero
and
ensure
that
all
loudness/contour/bass
EQ
buttons
are
off
(otherwise
rated
output
power
will
be
reached
at
even
lower
volume
control
settings).
The Right Amount of Power
A
power-range
rating
is
given
in
the
specifications
as
a
guide
to
indicate
the
approximate
minimum
and
maximum
power
input
of
your
GoldenEar
lnvisa® speakers. Amplifiers
that
meet
or
even
exceed
the
speaker's
power-range
rating
are
recommended
as
their
greater
power
reserves
provide
better
sound. But always use
the
speakers within their
power-range
rating
to
prevent
damage
-
that
is,
keep
listening levels
below
the
point
of
obvious
audible
distortion.
Setting
Bass
and
Treble Controls on Receiver or Amplifier
Normally
we
recommend
that
you set
the
"Bass"
and
"Treble" controls
on
flat (or
off
,
or
0 dB). Same applies for a
graphic
equalizer;
we
recommend
that
you
leave
it flat (or off) .
This
will
give
you
the
most
accurate
and
natural
sound. If
you
want
more
bass, raise
your
subwoofer
's "Level"
control
(or raise
the
subwoofer
level on you're
a/v
receiver),
keeping
in
mind
that
even
a little turn
of
the
knob
can
make
a
big
difference
in
the
sound.
The
reason
for this
recommendation
is
that
we
have
discovered
what
is
often
thought
to
be
improper
sounding speakers
is,
in
fact,
a
problem
caused
by
the
use
of
tone
controls. When
in
doubt,
leave
them
out
(flat); this almost always
results in
the
best possible
and
most natural sounding system
performance.
Go/denEar
Technology
I NVI SA 600
MANU
AL 3