S P E N D O R T H E AT R E
Advanced Set-up GuideAC1AC2DC12

A DVA N C E D S E T- U P G U I D E

AW1DS1INTRO

Thank you for purchasing Spendor Theatre products.
When properly installed, these loudspeakers will bringout the best in all your entertainment; delivering filmsoundtracks as their creators intended them to soundand reproducing music with outstanding clarity
and realism.
This guide is for the Spendor AC1, AC2, DC1 centre
channel products and the AW1 & DS1 wall mountproducts. To get the most out of your newloudspeakers, please read this guide thoroughly
before you begin installation.
To attain the best performance, Spendor recommends
that these products be installed by a Spendor
Authorised Retailer/Installer.

LO U D S P E A K E R P L AC E M E N T F O R D S 1
I N S T E R E O ( 2 . 0 ) O R S T E R E O & S U BWO O F E R ( 2 . 1 )LEFT AND RIGHT CHANNEL LOUDSPEAKERS
Place the left & right channel loudspeakers on thelistening wall, anywhere from 1.8m to 3m (5’10”- 9’10”)
apart and 0.8m (2’6”) to 1.2m (3’9”) from the floor,measured from the bottom of the cabinet. This roughly
corresponds to the height of your ears when you’reseated on a sofa or chair, to be level with the HF unit.

The main seated listening position should be between
2m (6’6”) and 3m (9’10”) away from the loudspeakers.
For optimum playback in a dedicated stereo set up,
mount the DS1 on the wall so the LPZ HF Unit is levelwith your ears when you are seated.

If possible, locate the speakers at least 0.5m (1’7”)
away from the side walls.

0.5m(1’7”)
Fromsidewall

1.8m - 3m(5’10”- 9’10”)Apart

0.8-1.2m(2’6”- 3’9”)
From the ground

SUGGESTED LEFT & RIGHT LOUDSPEAKER PLACEMENT

4A DVA N C E D S E T- U P G U I D E

0.5m(1’7”)
From
sidewall

0.8-1.2m(2’6”- 3’9”)
From the ground2m - 3m

(6’6”- 9’10”)

0.8-1.2m(2’6”- 3’9”)
From the ground

IDEALLY, THE HF UNIT SHOULD BE LEVEL WITH YOUR EARS IN THE SEATED POSITIONLO U D S P E A K E R P L AC E M E N T F O R 5 . 1 SY S T E M S
LEFT AND RIGHT CHANNEL LOUDSPEAKERSCENTRE CHANNEL LOUDSPEAKER

Place the left & right channel loudspeakers on either sideof the video screen, anywhere from 1.8m to 3m (5’10”9’10”) apart and 1.5m (4’11”) from the floor (whichroughly corresponds to the height of your ears when
you’re seated on a sofa or chair).

If possible, locate the centre loudspeaker at the same heightas the left & right loudspeakers (1.5m/4’11”) from the floor.

If possible, locate the loudspeakers at least 0.5m (1’7”)
away from the side walls.
The main seated listening position should be between
2m (6’6”) and 3m (9’10”) away from the loudspeakers.

If you must place the centre loudspeaker above or below
a video screen, we recommend placing it no more than
0.5m (1’7”) above or below the centre of the left and rightloudspeakers.
Keeping the loudspeakers within this window will maintainconsistent tonality between all 3 front loudspeakers.

0.5m(1’7”)
Fromsidewall

0.5m(5’10”- 9’10”)
Apart

1.5m(4’11”)
From theground

SUGGESTED LEFT, CENTRE & RIGHT FRONT LOUDSPEAKER PLACEMENT

6(1’7”)
Fromsidewall

1.8m - 3m

A DVA N C E D S E T- U P G U I D E

1.5m(4’11”)
From thegroundLEFT & RIGHT SURROUND CHANNEL LOUDSPEAKERS
The left & right channel surround loudspeakers shouldbe placed on the walls directly to the sides of the listening
position, between 1.5m (4’11”) and 2.1m (6’10”) off thefloor and 0.6m – 1.8m (1’1”-5’10”) behind thelistening position.

If placing the loudspeakers on the walls directly to the sidesof the listening position isn’t possible, you can mount themon the rear wall. Locate the loudspeakers directly to the left
and right sides of the listening position, between 1.8m(5’10”) and 3m (9’10”) apart and 3m apart.

0.6m - 1.8m
(1’1”- 5’10”)

1.5m - 2.1m
(4’11”-6’10”)

SUGGESTED SURROUND LOUDSPEAKER PLACEMENTLO U D S P E A K E R P L AC E M E N T F O R 6 . 1 & 7 . 1 SY S T E M
The surround back loudspeakers in a 6.1 or 7.1 channelsystem should be placed on the rear wall of the listening
room at the same height as the left and right surroundloudspeakers. Place the loudspeakers from 1.3m (4’3”) to
2.7m (8’10”) apart.

N.B. You can use any Spendor A-Line, D-Line and Classic
models in your Theatre system, for front left and rightchannel duties or rear surround duties. To achieve the best
performance or to talk about adding subwoofers, Spendor
recommends you consult with your Spendor Authorised
Retailer/Installer for more detailed advice.

RIGHT SURROUNDRIGHTFRONTRIGHTSURROUND
BACK1.3m - 2.7m

CENTRE(4’3”-8’10”)
Apart

LEFT
SURROUNDBACKLEFTFRONTLEFT SURROUNDSUGGESTED 7.1 CHANNEL LOUDSPEAKER PLACEMENT8A DVA N C E D S E T- U P G U I D E

LO U D S P E A K E R C O N F I G U R AT I O N
AV AMPLIFIER/RECEIVER SETTINGS
If you are using the Manual Setup Mode in your AV amplifier; select whether loudspeakers are present,
their reproduction capacity for low bass frequencies and the loudspeaker size.

Front: Set the front loudspeaker size.
Large: Use the large loudspeaker setting that can reproduce
very low bass frequencies.
Small: Use the small loudspeaker setting that has insufficient
playback capacity for very low bass frequencies.
Centre: Set the presence and size of the centre loudspeaker.
Large: Use the large loudspeaker setting that can reproduce
very low bass frequencies.
Small: Use the small loudspeaker setting that has insufficient
playback capacity for very low bass frequencies.

Surround: Set the presence and size of thesurround loudspeakers.
Large: Use a large loudspeaker that can reproduce very low
bass frequencies.
Small: Use a small loudspeaker that has insufficient playback
capacity for very low bass frequencies.
None: Select when the surround loudspeakers arenot connected.
Surround. Back: Set the presence, size and number ofsurround back loudspeakers.

None: Select when a centre loudspeaker is not connected.

Large: Use a large loudspeaker that can reproduce very low
bass frequencies.

Subwoofer: Set the presence of a subwoofer.

Small: Use a small loudspeaker that has insufficient playback
capacity for very low bass frequencies.

Yes: Use a sub­woofer.
No: Select when a sub­woofer is not connected
BAND

FREQUENCY

Sub bass

20-60 Hz

Bass

60-250 Hz

Low Midrange

250-500 Hz

Midrange

500-2,000 Hz

Upper Midrange

2,000-4,000 Hz

Presence

4,000-6,000 Hz

Brilliance

6,000-20,000 Hz

N.B. Subwoofers are specially designed to produce the lower
frequencies, including the lower register of the bass and theentirety of the sub-bass band frequency.
If you know your loudspeaker’s frequency range, set thecrossover point roughly 10 Hz above the lowest frequency
your loudspeakers can handle cleanly.
The most common crossover frequency recommended as agood starting point (and the THX standard) is 80 Hz.

None: Select when the surround back loudspeakers are
not connected.
N.B. For all other AV amplifier/receiver settings, please referto the owners manual for that product or for more detailed
advice, Spendor recommends you consult with your Spendor
Authorised Retailer/Installer.

RU N N I N G - I NYour Spendor loudspeakers will benefit from a period of‘running-in’. During this period, the stresses in the suspension
system will relax and stabilise. This period is dependent on
many factors and can vary from days to weeks depending on
how often and how loud you play your loudspeakers. This is
not a cause for concern; your loudspeakers will improve as
you use them during this initial period.
It is extremely important for the loudspeakers to be properly‘run in’ before you try and optimise the position, so don’t
subject them to an extended testing session as soon as
you’ve unboxed and connected them to the rest of yoursystem.
It is unlikely you will want to do this at any extreme volume
but be careful not to push them too hard straight away. Letthem ease in and don’t ask too much of them. Check thepower handling advice for your product.

CONNECTIONS
Set your amplifier to minimum volume and switch off
the power. The amplifier output marked RIGHT should
be connected to the loudspeaker on the right, and theamplifier output marked LEFT should be connected to theloudspeaker on the left. These instructions should be readin conjunction with your amplifier owner’s manual. Connecta twin conductor cable to the terminals on the rear of theloudspeaker.
Please refer to the instructions supplied with the DS1 for thecorrect way to wire the Neutrik speakON plug.
The positive (+ or red) terminal on your loudspeakermust be connected to the positive (+ or red) terminal on
your amplifier. The negative (- or black) terminal on the
loudspeaker must be connected to the negative (- or black)terminal on your amplifier.

AMPLIFIER

Check the connections periodically to make sure they are
secure. Some Spendor loudspeakers can be bi-wired ortri-wired.

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Loudspeaker cables can have a noticeable effect on soundquality. Choose a good quality cable with high purity
conductors and low-loss insulation. Ask your dealer foradvice on cables and connection options to suit your system.

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