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English
Owner's manual
Dear customer,
Thank you for choosing Bowers &
Wilkins.
At B&W, we have always followed John
Bowers' original philosophy of combining
the art and science of acoustic design to
create simply a better product, the
objective always being to get the
maximum amount of enjoyment and
fulfilment from listening to music or
watching movies.
The original Nautilus 800 Series
contained a raft of new technologies that
propelled it to being probably the best
selling high-end speaker range in the
world.
Since then, our team of research and
development engineers have been
striving to improve performance still
further. Here is a short summary of what
you will find new to this Series.
Bass cones throughout now feature a
sandwich construction of carbon fibre
skins bonded to a Rohacell foam core.
Rigid diaphragms are best for
reproducing bass frequencies and this
new construction allows us to thicken the
cone section, without suffering increased
mass. The extra thickness makes the
cone a more effective barrier to any
residual sound generated inside the
cabinet, giving tremendous dynamics and
timing to the bass, with the secondary
effect of cleaning up the midrange.
The FST midrange drive unit receives a
new chassis – stronger, yet maintaining
the maximum open area behind the
diaphragm to minimise reflective
obstruction and allow the free flow of air.
The response of all B&W tweeters
extends well into the ultrasonic region –
important to realise the potential of
SACD and DVD-A recordings. Now, the
top models in the Series feature diamond
dome tweeters. They're difficult and
expensive to manufacture, but they take
the response all the way to 80kHz in a
smooth manner, superior to most so-
called supertweeters.
Cr
ossover design – getting the signal to
the drivers with the minimum of
degradation and blending them
seamlessly together – has long been
regarded as something of a black art. For
this Series, our engineers have taken a
sideways look at some of the traditionally
held views of filter design and bent the
rules a little. The result is imaging with
unsurpassed perspective and stability.
These are speakers of the highest calibre
and it's worth taking care with the set up
of your system, so please take time to
study this manual. Further information
can be found in the FAQ and Technology
sections of our web site www.bowers-
wilkins.com.
Environmental Information
All B&W products are
designed to comply with
international directives
on the Restriction of Hazardous
Substances (RoHS) in electrical and
electronic equipment and the disposal of
Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment (WEEE). These symbols
indicate compliance and that the
products must be appropriately recycled
or processed in accordance with these
directives. Consult your local waste
disposal authority for guidance.
How to use the manual
This manual covers all the passive
speakers in the 800 Series. Even if some
of the information does not immediately
concern you, having it all in one place
will help you in the choice of extra
models you may require to expand your
system at a later date.
Each of the sections carries an
identification number and you will be
guided to the relevant sections by
navigation instructions. marked with an
f arrow. Some text, applicable to only
certain models, is indicated by a vertical
line to the left.
Topic f Go to
Check the contents 1
Positioning your speakers 2
Mounting your speakers 3
Connecting your speakers 4
Fine tuning 5
Running-in period 6
Ancillary equipment 7
Aftercare 8
1 CHECK THE CONTENTS
Different accessories are packed
according to model. Use the chart of
figure 1 to check the contents for your
particular model.
Contact your dealer if ther
e ar
e any
missing items.
2
POSITIONING
Stray magnetic fields
If you are using speakers in a home
theatre set-up and you are using a CRT
screen (a traditional tube television or
back projector), make sure the picture is
not going to be distorted by stray
magnetic fields from the drive unit motor
systems. The following dedicated centre
speakers are magnetically shielded
because their application requires them
to be placed right next to the screen:
HTM1D
HTM2D
HTM3S
HTM4S
All other speakers in the Series should
be placed at least 0.5m (20-in) from such
scr
eens. Some television brands are
particularly sensitive to magnetic fields
and may require extra spacing. Plasma
and LCD screens are not affected and
front projectors are usually well away
from the speakers anyway.
Application f Go to
Front left and right 2.1
Front centre 2.2
Surround 2.3
2.1 FRONT LEFT AND RIGHT
If you're only interested in audio and not
movies, space the speakers apart
approximately the same distance as you
sit from them. This means that the
included angle is about 60º. This applies
whether or not you are using a centre
speaker.
Apart from the dedicated on-wall model
SCMS, the balance of the speaker is
more natural if the speakers are at least
0.5, (20-in) from the rear wall. This also
helps to improve the impression of
perspective. (figure 2)
If you are only concerned with 2-channel
audio, having the speakers further apart
can lead to what is known as the hole-in-
the-middle effect, where it's difficult to
generate a stable phantom central
image. If you have a centre speaker, you
can space the left and right speakers
further apart. All that happens is that the
image widens. It's just like being closer
to the performance.
If you have to space the speakers further
apart because of domestic constraints,
the central image can often be improved
if you toe the speakers in towar
ds the
centre of the listening area. This can also
help the perception of the central image
for any listeners sitting away from the
centre line of the installation. (figure 3)