U S E R G U EXPOSÉ E8B BI-AMPLIFIED STUDIO MONITOR I D E
Introduction Congratulations on your purchase of the KRK Exposé E8B close-field reference monitors. We would like to welcome you to the ever-expanding family of satisfied KRK owners. The Exposé E8B is an extraordinary loudspeaker that is designed to perform exactly as its name suggests: expose the truth, enabling you to make informed decisions about the audio projects you work on.
Design Philosophy A studio monitor is a tool used to aurally “measure” the changes in an audio path. Ask any seasoned recording professional what they think makes a great studio monitor and you’ll get basically the same answers: “Accuracy, transparency, flat response, and the truth.” Simply put, recording engineers want the electrical signal entering their monitor to be reproduced mechanically by the transducers and they want this to occur without any degradation or compromise to the original signal.
Design Elements The Enclosure The contoured shape of the Exposé E8B enclosure creates a striking appearance; however, its design is every bit as functional as it is beautiful. More rigid than conventional rectangular designs, it improves the linearity of the bass response, and increases off-axis response, resulting in a wider sweet-spot. The E8B’s gently curved front baffle and wide-radius edges reduce the diffraction effects for better imaging.
The Woofer The E8B’s woofer construction is that of a multi-layered sandwich, consisting of two layers of Kevlar with a layer of Rohacell in between. Rohacell is a polymethacrylimide (PMI) hard foam that is used as a core material for sandwich constructions. Rohacell is an extremely lightweight material that, in addition to providing additional stiffness for the woofer’s construction, functions as a damping material to eliminate unwanted resonances.
C) HF Level Adjust This is a seven-position switch that adjusts the tweeter level through its entire frequency spectrum. The adjustments are in .5 dB steps and include the following gain settings:+1.0, +0.5, 0, -0.5, -1.0, -1.5, -2.0. It is recommended to set this control to 0 and listen carefully before adjusting to your preferences. D) LF Adjust This is a low frequency boundary adjustment switch designed to optimize linear bandwidth in your environment.
Installing Your Monitors A close-field reference monitor speaker, by definition, reduces room interaction. This is in contrast to the conventional stereo environment or the large monitor arrangement in a recording studio where sounds emanating from the speaker reflect off ceilings, walls, and floors—greatly impacting the sound quality in the process.
2-Channel Setup Close-Field Configuration: In a control room, the monitors are frequently placed on the meter bridge or in a close-field listening position. Initial placement starts by measuring out a simple equilateral triangle (all three sides equal in length) with the apex at the center of the listening position (as shown in Figure 1) as an “overlay” for the stereo installation. In this configuration, the Left and Right monitors are each placed at a 60º angle equidistant from the listening position.
Subwoofer Setup Begin by determining the best location for your subwoofer. If possible, the optimum set-up would look like the set-up in Figure 3; however, this setup may not be practical or possible in your room. Once you have set up your monitors, listen to some program material that you know contains low frequency information. Different locations may create a phase misalignment. Most subwoofers have a phase switch on them. Flip the phase switch.
Figure 4 7.1 Channel Surround Sound Setup The 7.1 channel surround sound setup adds two speakers to the sides of the mix position and is most similar to the actual surround sound configuration of cinema—with the difference being that cinemas commonly add additional side surrounds to compensate for the length of the theater.
The front Left and Right speakers typically form a wider triangulation (in relation to the mix position) than that of a 5.1 setup so as to more accurately replicate the fact that in cinema, the front speakers are not angled toward the center, but rather face straight out into the theater—as is also the case for the mix stage in film sound mixing. The Center channel loudspeaker is positioned directly in the center as is the case in a 5.1 surround setup.
Troubleshooting Problem: If there is no power, check to see if... • The power cord is plugged into both the IEC socket on the rear panel of the unit and into the AC mains. • Check to ensure the Voltage Select Switch for the AC Mains is set to match your location If the AC mains voltage is higher than the E8B’s selected voltage, it is possible that the fuse needs to be replaced. See the information that came with your monitor for more information. • The KRK logo is illuminated on the front panel of the E8B.
Problem: The sound quality changes… • Repeat the steps in the previous troubleshooting section above before continuing to the next steps. • Disconnect the signal cable at the monitor’s input connector. With power on, place your ear close to each driver (tweeter/woofer) and listen for noise (i.e., a slight hiss or hum). If there’s absolutely no sound whatsoever, it could be that one or more of the drivers (woofer, tweeter, or both) is at fault.
Specifications THE E8B POWERED STUDIO MONITOR Shielded Standard Drivers Tweeter: 1” AIBeMET Inverted Dome Woofer: 8” Dual Layer Kevlar w/Rohacell Input Type XLR (3-Pin) 10k )hm Balanced Pin1 = Ground Pin2 = (+) High Pin3 = (-) Low Controls Input Sensitivity: +6dB HF SHELF:+1.0dB to -2.0dB in 0.5dB increments. Shelved @ 10Hz. 7-Position Switch HF ADJUST:+1.0dB to -2.0dB in 0.5dB increments. Shelved @ 1.9Hz.
