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Avalon Acoustics OPUS Ceramique Loudspeaker User Manual

Avalon opus ceramique loudspeaker user guide
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M us ic al M as t er piec es

Serial Numbers ____________________

_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
This product is certified to meet the requirements of the European Union (EU)
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive (89/336/EEC). Because the
permanent magnets attached to the loudspeaker drivers produce magnetic fields,
it is recommended that the product not be positioned in very close proximity to
computer monitors or television sets.
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Summary of Contents for Avalon Acoustics OPUS Ceramique Loudspeaker

  • Page 1: Serial Numbers

    M us ic al M as t er piec es Serial Numbers ____________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ This product is certified to meet the requirements of the European Union (EU) Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive (89/336/EEC). Because the permanent magnets attached to the loudspeaker drivers produce magnetic fields, it is recommended that the product not be positioned in very close proximity to computer monitors or television sets.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    8 Room Acoustics and Speaker Position........
  • Page 4 9 Accuracy of Bass Reproduction ..............34 Introduction ...34 9.1 Sensitivity to Time-Related Information ...35 "Fast Bass"...

  • Page 5: Introduction

    1 Introduction The Opus Ceramique was conceived as an alternative to our award winning original Opus. Designed specifically for moderate sized listening rooms, the Ceramique presents a taught and coherent soundfield, free of stored energy. Staging of exceptional clarity and harmonic structure is achieved through innovations in crossover technology and the use of low mass drivers, all utilizing the same ceramic diaphragm material.

  • Page 6: Unpacking Instructions

    2 Unpacking Instructions Introduction Your Avalon Acoustics loudspeakers were shipped in a heavy-duty crate to ensure their safe arrival. It is recommended to save this crate for possible future use. Due to the weight of the speakers, it will require two persons to un-crate them and position them for listening. Please arrange for your dealer or other friend to assist in this project.

  • Page 7: Opening The Crate

    (this will require two people). Next, slide each speaker part way off of the crate base so that the plastic bag can be unfastened from the enclosure bottom. Stand the speaker up and the bag can be slid off the top.

  • Page 8: Installing The Grilles

    2.2 Installing the Grilles The grille assemblies are behind a panel on the outside of the speaker crate. Remove the screws securing the panel, and then carefully pull the grilles straight out. The grilles are installed with friction fasteners and press into place on the speaker cabinets. Please see Figure 2.2.

  • Page 9: Replacing Grille Pins

    2.3 Replacing Grille Pins The grille pins installed on the grille assemblies are fragile and can be easily damaged. Should any of the pins break, you may replace them using the following procedure. 1. Place the grille assembly face-down on a padded surface (a towel or carpeting). 2.
  • Page 10 4. Carefully pull the grille cloth away from the frame mounting hole. The mounting hole must be clear of all obstacles during pin installation. 5. Place the exposed end of the grille pin in the open mounting hole. Check to insure that the grille cloth is not trapped between the pin and frame.

  • Page 11: Wiring Instructions

    #10 screws are recommended for cable termination. Connecting the Speaker to the Amplifier 1. Place the speaker in its approximate location, then lay the speaker on its side, using a soft surface to avoid scratching the finish.
  • Page 12 INPUTS From Amplifier Figure 3.1 - Bottom view of the speakers showing the connections from the amplifier to the loudspeaker. Check to insure the correct polarity (positive lead connected to the (+) terminal and negative lead connected to the (-) terminal.

  • Page 13: Break-In Period

    4 Break-in Period Your new Avalon Acoustics loudspeakers have an initial break-in period. They will not perform to their full sonic potential when first installed in your system. This is partially due to a residual polarization of the dielectric materials used in the crossover capacitors and internal wiring.

  • Page 14: Maximizing Performance

    5 Maximizing Performance These details are imperative to obtaining optimum results from your Avalon Acoustics loudspeakers. Break-in The break-in period is critical to maximizing sonic performance and should take place before other adjustments (see the discussion on page 13). The break-in should begin with three to six hours of quiet music, followed by 200 to 300 hours of loud and dynamic source material.

  • Page 15: Toe-In

    However, the coupling effect of the Apex™ couplers will be reduced. Once you have located the proper position and toe-in angle for your Avalon Acoustics loudspeakers, place the couplers under the speaker bases. It is easiest to install the couplers with the assistance of a friend.

  • Page 16: First Reflection Points

    First Reflection Points Since the ear/brain system tends to integrate the sounds arriving within a 10 millisecond time window, it is important to control the early reflections arriving from the sidewalls to the listening position. A hard-surfaced wall can produce a strong frequency-dependent reflection that can interfere with the reproduced sound-stage, as well as change the perceived tonal balance of the system.

  • Page 17: Care Of Your Loudspeakers

    6 Care of Your Loudspeakers Cabinet (Hardwood Finish) Avalon Acoustics’ hardwood finished loudspeakers are supplied with a special polish and two lint-free polishing cloths, in order to properly care for the high quality furniture lacquer. The following polishing instructions should be observed: IMPORTANT: Use the supplied furniture polish ONLY.

  • Page 18: Warranty

    Avalon Acoustics. The performance curves of the drivers in each pair of loudspeakers are kept on file at the factory. This enables Avalon Acoustics to supply an exact replacement unit, ensuring continued operation at the highest level of performance. The defective driver must then be returned to the factory for inspection to determine the status of the warranty claim.

  • Page 19: Warranty Statement

    2. Purchaser must return the product, packaged in the original shipping carton, freight prepaid 3. Avalon Acoustics reserves the right to inspect any products which are the subject of any warranty claim prior to repairing or replacing. Final determination of warranty coverage lies solely with Avalon Acoustics.
  • Page 20 6. The above warranty is the sole warranty given by Avalon Acoustics, and is in lieu of all other warranties. All implied warranties, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose shall be strictly limited in duration to five years from the date of...

  • Page 21: Room Acoustics And Speaker Position

    8 Room Acoustics and Speaker Position Introduction The listening room forms the final link of the playback system, as important as any other component in the chain. Just as an otherwise superb system is handicapped by an inferior pre-amplifier (for example), so can a well-matched system be hindered by poor room acoustics.

  • Page 22: An Optical Analogy

    An Optical Analogy Let us use a visual analogy to aid our understanding of acoustics. Imagine that you are in a room that is lit only by a candle in its center. There is (approximately) a uniform amount of light cast in all directions. If a large mirror is held closely to candle, one half of the room becomes darkened, while the other half receives twice as much light.

  • Page 23: Standing Waves

    8.1 Standing Waves The parallel surfaces of most listening rooms can lead to a potential problem in the low frequencies. A sound wave can be repeatedly reflected from opposing surfaces, back and forth. If the distance between the surfaces is an integral multiple of one-half the sound wavelength, a standing wave will be set up.

  • Page 24: Flutter Echo

    8.2 Flutter Echo These parallel, reflective surfaces can also produce a different audible problem. If there is little absorption at higher frequencies, a musical transient containing high frequencies, such as a hand clap or the strike of a percussion instrument, can be heard bouncing repeatedly between the surfaces.

  • Page 25: Early Reflections

    8.3 Early Reflections Another situation that can reduce the subjective quality of reproduced sound is the presence of early reflections. By early reflections, we are referring to reflected sound waves that reach the listener within 10 to 20 milliseconds of the direct signal from the loudspeaker. When a reflected sound reaches the listener more than 40 milliseconds later than the direct sound, the reflection is heard as a discrete echo.

  • Page 26: Avoiding Early Reflections

    (3 meters) longer than the direct path from speaker to listener (see Figure 8.1). This means that if the speaker or listener is placed closer than about 5 feet to a wall or other surface, that surface should be covered with sonically absorbent material.
  • Page 27 Since the floor is within 5 feet of the speaker, it is best to have a carpeted floor to absorb floor reflections. A thick, dense carpet and pad will absorb lower frequencies more effectively than a thin one. Due to their complex structure, carpets and pads of natural materials, such as wool and jute, will exhibit a more uniform absorption over the frequency spectrum than synthetic materials will.

  • Page 28: Bass Reinforcement

    By bass reinforcement, we mean the effect of the room boundaries on the propagation of sound. It is widely known that speaker placement relative to the floor and walls can affect the relative amount of bass that the system produces.
  • Page 29 Figure 8.3 - Change in frequency response resulting from placement of speaker 3.3 feet from a reflective surface (relative to an anechoic environment). Figure 8.4 - Same conditions as above, except speaker is 6.6 feet from the reflecting surface. Note how the cancellation and reinforcement occur at lower frequencies.
  • Page 30 There are typically three reflective surfaces near each speaker: the floor, the rear wall, and the side wall. Each of these surfaces produces its own reflection, and hence its own cancellation and reinforcement. By properly selecting the distances to each surface, we can provide a uniform and extended bass response.

  • Page 31: Summary Of Recommendations

    8.5 Summary of Recommendations Now that we have looked at some of the common problems of listening rooms, as well as their cures, let us summarize our findings and recommendations. Flutter Echo and Standing Waves These situations are the result of the room having parallel, reflective surfaces. The potential problems are independent of the audio system, and need to be addressed at the source.

  • Page 32: Speaker Placement

    Speaker Placement Although your Avalon Acoustics loudspeakers may be placed in a wide variety of positions relative to the walls of the room, it is still wise to experiment a bit to achieve optimal results. The suggested minimum distances for the Opus Ceramic are 3 feet from one wall (side or rear), and 5 feet from the other (all distances are measured to the center of the woofer cone).

  • Page 33: A Listening Room Example

    In order to make these points more clear, an example of a room layout is given in Figure 8.5, illustrating the principles we have given. DRAPERIES SPEAKER SPEAKER Figure 8.5 - Example listening room. The area around the speakers is free of objects that would produce early reflections.

  • Page 34: Accuracy Of Bass Reproduction

    When it comes to the reproduction of low frequencies, Avalon Acoustics pursues a different design goal than most other speaker manufacturers. Specifically, we believe that the complete absence of stored resonant energy is of paramount sonic importance.

  • Page 35: Sensitivity To Time-Related Information

    "fast bass" to the use of a light diaphragm or the use of a powerful energizing system. fact, it is not how fast the diaphragm can be set into motion that imparts a speaker with "fast" bass. Rather, it is how fast that motion can be stopped, how quickly the stored energy can be dissipated, that results in the sensation of "fast"...

  • Page 36: Rationale

    Almost all manufacturers have chosen to sacrifice transient response for improved anechoic frequency response. At Avalon Acoustics, we have chosen to pursue a goal of complete freedom from resonances and stored energy to ensure transient accuracy. We feel that the resulting gain in areas not traditionally measured results in audibly superior overall performance.

  • Page 37: Measurements Of Audio Equipment

    One doesn't listen to resistors, one listens to loudspeakers, and the load that the speaker presents to the amplifier is nearly always highly reactive (varies with frequency). The eight-ohm resistive load has developed as a standard because it somewhat approximates a speaker load, is easily reproducible by different testing facilities, and it represents something of a lowest common denominator.

  • Page 38: Loudspeaker Measurements

    Both of these methods are equivalent to anechoic measurements below the frequency at which the speaker baffle appreciably changes the acoustic load to the woofer, typically between 100 and 200 Hz.

  • Page 39: Designing For Accurate Bass Reproduction

    With the computer model, it is quite easy to change the position of the speaker in the room, or other parameters of the model. In this way, a composite picture can be created of a wide variety of rooms and speaker locations.

  • Page 40: Frequency Response Effects

    A speaker with excessive in-room bass response can create these effects. On the other hand, a speaker system with rolled-off bass can shrink the size of instruments, turning...

  • Page 41: Transient Response Effects

    Transient Response Effects A speaker with poor transient response will store energy, releasing it after the initial musical transient has passed. This causes a loss of detail and obscures important musical information. Also associated with poor transient response is a narrow-band resonance, which can emphasize specific notes.

  • Page 42: Conclusion

    At Avalon Acoustics, we design all of our speakers to minimize resonance and stored energy, thereby ensuring transient accuracy. As you listen to music on Avalon...

  • Page 43: Features

    10 Features Advanced ultra-light weight ceramic driver diaphragm materials minimize energy • storage and time-domain distortion. Each driver individually tested and matched for optimum performance. • Smooth, wide polar response for superlative imaging capabilities. • Moderate impedance characteristic allows for ideal interface with any amplifier. •...

  • Page 44: Specifications

    11 Specifications Driver Complement Sensitivity Impedance Frequency Response Recommended Amplifier Power Wiring Methods Dimensions Weight 1" concave ceramic dome tweeter 3 1/2" concave ceramic dome midrange 9" concave ceramic dome woofer 87 dB (2.83V, 1 meter) 5 ohms nominal (4.5 ohms minimum) 28Hz to 24kHz (+/- 1.5 dB, anechoic) 30 to 300 watts Two position terminal block, designed to...

  • Page 45: Notes

    12 Notes...

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