FURTHER READING
Acoustech Ceiling Speakers are designed
to last the life of your home – if you follow a
few simple rules.
The main “killers” of a loudspeaker system
are 1) too little power at high volumes, 2)
too much power at high volume, 3)
transient thumps.
Not enough power
It’s a surprising fact, but far more speakers
are damaged by too little power than by too
much! When an amplifier runs out of power
while trying to re-create musical peaks, it
causes a form of high frequency distortion
called clipping. In moderate amounts,
clipping simply makes the music sound
terrible. In greater quantities over a period
of time, it can damage or destroy the
tweeters (high frequency reproduction
speakers) in any speaker system. If you
like your music LOUD, consider getting an
amplifier with at least 60 watts per channel.
Too much power
There’s nothing wrong with driving your
Acoustech Speakers with a high power
amp – the extra power helps them achieve
quick musical transients found in digital
recordings. However, you must remember
to restrain yourself and not get too heavy-
handed with the volume control (or remote
buttons). If the music begins to sound
distorted or you hear a “clacking” sound
during bass notes, back off! And naturally, if
the internal protection circuits are
intermittently shutting off the tweeter, you’re
exceeding its safe power input level.
Transients
Loud, deep THUMPs, caused when you
turn your stereo on or off, can seriously
damage any loudspeaker including your
Acoustech ceiling models. It’s always a
good practice to turn the volume down (or
press the MUTE button if your receiver has
one) when changing sources (such as
changing from tuner to CD player input).
Also remember to turn your system off
before disconnecting any hook-up cables.
When they’re pulled out, a huge burst of
low frequency hum often occurs if the
system is still on.
Cleaning
Acoustech Ceiling Speakers are covered
with a durable finish which can be cleaned
with soap and water or spray cleaners.
Avoid the use of ammonia-based cleaning
products, however. If you’ve painted the
grilles and frames, follow the paint
manufacturer’s cleaning instructions.
A QUICK
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
Before returning your Acoustech Ceiling
Speaker for service, it’s a good idea to
check out these simple remedies first.
No sound from the speaker
1. Incorrect source selected on receiver or
preamplifier.
2. Mute button pressed on receiver.
3. Wrong speaker output selected – many
receivers have an “A” and “B” speaker
switch. Make sure it’s in the right
position.
4. Un-secure connection at either the
speaker or amplifier – double check
them.
5. Balance control turned all the way left or
right – return it to center.
6. Surround mode not turned on and/or
surround level too low.
7. Bad connecting cable between sound
source and amplifier – try a new cable.
8. Defective speaker - contact your Acous-
tech dealer or call 1-877-558-4242.
Intermittent sound from speaker or
speaker plays initially but then shuts off.
1. Short circuit at either the amplifier or
speaker connectors is activating the
amp’s protection circuits – double check
connections, making sure no stray
strands of wire from one conductor are
touching the other.
Speakers plays but sound is mixed
with hum
1. It could be a faulty patch cord. If so,
there will be hum from your main
speaker system as well as from your
Acoustech Ceiling Speakers. Assuming
you didn’t have hum in your system
before, one or both of the speaker wires
has been run too close to internal AC
house wiring. Re-route it so that it stays
at least 2 feet away from AC power
wiring when running parallel.
Speaker plays but sound is muffled and
“strained.” Amplifier may shut off if
volume is raised too far.
1. Too thin a gauge of wire has been run
too far a distance between amp and
speaker. Make sure that you have
followed our suggestions as to wire
gauge versus overall distance.
When volume is turned up to a high
level, the treble cuts in and out.
1. The Acoustech Ceiling Speaker features
a special protection circuit which
electronically disconnects the tweeter if it
starts getting too hot. Turn down your
amplifier and make sure to read the
section of this manual titled
“Taking
care of your new in-ceiling speaker”
which starts on this page.
TAKING CARE OF YOUR
NEW IN-CEILING SPEAKER
MORE ON AMPLIFIERS AND
IMPEDANCE
Not all amplifiers or receivers can safely
operate two sets of speakers at once. If you
intend to use your Acoustech Ceiling
Speakers at the same time as your main
speakers or if you intend to hook up two
sets of Acoustech Ceiling Speakers and
use both at the same time, it’s important to
consider both the impedance of the
speakers and the capabilities of the
amplifier you’re using.
First consult the owner’s manual that came
with the amp or receiver. It should tell you
the minimum speaker impedances during
simultaneous operation. On some models,
the manual will recommend that only two
pairs of 8 ohm speakers be used at the
same time. Others might allow one set of 8-
ohm speakers and
one set of 4-ohm impedance speakers. A
few extremely robust receivers and power
amplifiers may even allow two sets of 4-
ohm speakers.
If you can’t readily determine this
information, consult the dealer where you
purchased the amplifier, or call the
manufacturer.
Next, determine the impedance of your
other speakers. It’s often printed on the
back of the enclosure down near the
connection terminals, or you can consult
the speaker’s owners’ manual.
Acoustech Ceiling Speakers are rated at 8
ohms impedance. In general, this means
that most amplifiers will allow you to
simultaneously operate one Acoustech
Ceiling Speaker and one other set of 8-ohm
loudspeakers – or two sets of Acoustech
Ceiling Speakers.
If your other speakers are rated at 4 ohms,
some amplifiers may experience difficulty
driving both sets at once and shut off
intermittently when the volume control is
turned up.
In this case, you should operate only one
set of speakers at a time or keep the
volume extremely low.
INSTALLING ACOUSTECH
SPEAKERS DURING NEW
CONSTRUCTION
Needless to say, installing speakers when a
house is being built is far easier than doing
it later.
• If possible run speaker wires after AC
wiring is in place to avoid induced hum
caused by close parallel proximity.
• Secure speaker wires in place along the
run with insulated staples only and be
careful not to pierce the insulation. Allow
a bit of slack for expansion of building
materials.
• Needless to say, the actual speakers
should not be installed until the wall board
is in place. In the meantime, leave
several feet of wire coiled up and secured
to the back side of the speaker opening.
• When it comes time to put up the drywall,
make sure the speaker cut out hole
doesn’t extend farther than the sides of
the mount- ing frame.
• After the wallboard is put up, install the
speakers as detailed on pages 5-6 of this
manual.
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