PSB ALPHA Owner's Manual

ALPHA
OWNER'S GUIDE
Thank you for your purchase. The speakers in our Alpha series are designed to deliver high
performance in many uses, and we hope they add much enjoyment to your listening life.
I. F F OUR S S IMPLE S S TEPS F F OR A A Q Q UICK S S TART:
See Figures 1 and 2
A. Attach the supplied adhesive backed bumpers near the corners of the speaker's bottom
surface to protect the finish of speakers and furnishings.
B. Position main s s peakers as symmetrically as possible, at a comfortable distance from your
seating position—slightly closer to each other than they are to you. If you have bought a
single speaker to use as a center c c hannel for movie sound, position it, preferably, directly
above or, less desirably, underneath your TV screen. (Keep its front as much in line as
possible with the front of the picture.) Position surround s s peakers, preferably, on the side
walls a foot or more behind your seating area and at least two feet above where your ears
will be when you are seated. If you want maximum image localization, aim surround
speakers at your seating position. You can also place the speakers on the rear wall, and/or
place them to radiate them less directly. (See Section II.)
C.
Using standard lamp "zip cord" (18 gauge) wire or better, connect the Red (positive) bind-
ing post of each speaker to the Red terminal of your signal source on that channel.
Similarly, connect Black (ground) on each speaker to Black on that channel's signal source.
(If the output of the signal source is via a proprietary cable with a jack at one end, connect
the color-coded wires at the other end of the cable to the speaker's similarly-coded posts.)
Be s s ure t t o f f ollow c c olor-c c oding t t o m m ake s s ure t t hat y y our s s peakers a a re " " in p p hase" f f or
smoothest s s ound w w ith d d eepest b b ass.
D.
Setting the volume low to start with, turn on your signal source, find a comfortable volume,
and enjoy the sound. (And remember to read through the rest of these brief instructions to
get maximum enjoyment.)
II. MORE O O N S S PEAKER P P OSITIONING
A. Main S S peakers:
The three factors to adjust according to your own tastes—keeping in mind that you are the
judge and the one(s) to be satisfied—are:
www.psbspeakers.com (888) 772-0000
1. The c c loser y y ou p p lace s s peakers t t o r r oom s s urfaces, t t he g g reater t t he p p roportion o o f b b ass i i n
their s s ound, because of the "focusing" effects of nearby surfaces on lower, longer-
wavelength frequencies. Positioning the speakers near the intersection of two sur-
faces (wall and wall, wall and floor, or wall and ceiling) will produce more apparent
bass than placing them near a single surface (a wall or floor or ceiling). The greatest
apparent bass will result from placement near the intersection of three surfaces—in a
room corner, near the floor or ceiling, where there will be a reinforcing effect which is
somewhat uneven, like that of a megaphone.
2. Distances o o f s s peakers f f rom t t he w w all c c an m m ake a a g g reat d d ifference i i n t t he f f requency b b al-
ance, s s onic s s paciousness, a a nd d d efinition i i n t t heir s s ound, because of changes in the
number, strength, and particular frequencies of secondary reflections from surfaces.
The sound will generally have greater spaciousness, especially depth, if they are out at
least a foot from the nearest wall.
3. Small c c hanges i i n p p ositioning m m ay m m ake a a b b ig d d ifference i i n s s ound q q uality. Because of
the varying relationships of the dimensions of a room and their relation both to where
you place the speakers and where you sit, the wavelengths of sound and their interac-
tion both with you and with the room can vary a great deal. There can be sharp
increases or decreases in the relative loudness of different frequency bands, greatly
amplifying or almost nullifying whole ranges. Since Alphas are small and easy to
position, it's easy to experiment with small, incremental changes until you are satis-
fied.
B. Surround S S peakers
Begin with the knowledge of the above factors about main speakers, and re-check our
Quick Start instructions about surround placement. Then modify things as needed for your
convenience and the surround effect that works best for you. If you want maximum local-
ization and definition, you probably will want to aim the speakers toward your seating area,
both horizontally and vertically. If you prefer the surround effect to be more diffused rather
than pinpointed, aiming the speakers somewhat away from your ears probably will be more
satisfying. You may want even to place them to reflect their sound off the sides or rear of
your room rather than have them radiate toward you. Side-wall positioning, slightly behind
you as specified in our Quick Start tips, is preferable to most listeners, but rear-wall place-
ment can work well—especially for bouncing the sound off the side walls.
C. About W W all-M M ounting f f or S S urround a a nd O O ther U U ses
The Alpha's rear baffle incorporates a keyhole slot for direct wall-mounting. There are also
¼ x 20 brass inserts and screw bosses which can easily secure speakers to OmniMount,
Vogel Sat 5, and other brackets.
III. PROTECTING Y Y OUR S S PEAKERS
A. First a a nd f f oremost, r r espect y y our s s peaker's l l imits. N N ever t t urn u u p t t he v v olume a a ll t t he w w ay t t o
see h h ow l l oud y y our s s ystem w w ill p p lay. And avoid larger-than-life playback of music or
movies, especially in a room of ample size.