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Avalon Acoustics AVALON ASCENDANT User Manual

Avalon ascendant user's manual
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Serial Numbers____________________________________
Handcrafted by:
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 AVALON ASCENDANT

  • Page 1 Serial Numbers____________________________________ Handcrafted by: _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ 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

    Introduction………..………….……………………………………………………..…………………….5 2 Unpacking Instructions………………………………………………………………………..…………..6 Introduction……….…….………………………………………………………..….6 Contents………….….…………………………………………………………..…...6 2.1Opening the Container……………………………………….……………………………….7 2.2 Installing the Grilles……………………………………………….………………………….8 Orientation of the Felt Anti-Diffraction Mask……….………….………….……...8 2.3 Replacing Grille Pins………………………………………………………………………….9 3 Wiring Instructions………………………………………………………………………………………11 Introduction…………………….…………….…………………………………….11 Connecting the Speaker to the Amplifier……….…………….………………….…11 4 Break-in Period…………………………………………………………………………………………...12 5 Maximizing Performance…….……..……………………………………………………………….…..13 Grille Assemblies……………………………………………………………………13 Speaker Placement and Symmetry………………………………………………….13 Toe-In……………………………………………………………………………….14 Apex...
  • Page 4 9 Accuracy of Bass Reproduction..……………………………………………………………………..29 Introduction…………………………….……………………….………………….29 9.1 Sensitivity to Time-Related Information………………………………………………….29 Rationale…………………………………………………………………………………..30 A Correlation with Amplifier Measurements……………………………………..31 9.4 Listening Qualities………………………………………………………………………..33 Frequency Response Effects……………………………………………………...33 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………...34 10 Features………..……………………………………………………………………………….……..35 11 Specifications………..…………………………………………………………………………….….36 Notes………………………………………………………………..…………………………………37 Bass”…………………………………………………………………………29 Anechoic Frequency Response vs. In-Room Frequency Equipment………………………………………………………31 Measurements………………………………………………………32 Reproduction………………………………………32 Distortions……………………………………………………..33 Effects……………………………………………………….34 “Fast Response………………30...

  • Page 5: Introduction

    As a new owner of this Avalon Acoustics product, you can be assured that you possess one of the few great loudspeakers the audio industry...

  • 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.

  • Page 7: Opening The Crate

    Opening the Crate The crate features a one-piece top assembly, which is fastened to the crate bottom with screws around the lower perimeter. To unpack, remove the screws and lift the upper portion of the crate straight up (this will require two people).

  • Page 8: Installing The Grilles

    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.

  • 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. Place the grille assembly face-down on a padded surface (a towel or carpeting).
  • Page 10 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. Use a small hammer and gently tap the new grille pin in place. Then, pull the insertion tool off the new pin and verify that the pin flange is flush with the surface of the grille.

  • Page 11: Wiring Instructions

    3. Wiring Instructions Introduction The crossover is encapsulated in a chamber in the bottom of the speaker cabinet, minimizing the effect of vibration on the components. Ascendant is equipped with a high-quality binding post for connecting the speaker cables. Spade lugs designed for #10 screws are recommended for cable termination.

  • Page 12: 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 due to a residual polarization of the dielectric materials used in the crossover capacitors and internal wiring. (See note 1) As music is played through the loudspeakers, the electrical signal will gradually anneal these materials.

  • Page 13: Maximizing Performance

    Speaker Placement and Symmetry Selecting the proper room position for your Avalon Acoustics loudspeakers can dramatically improve their performance. The following points highlight the fundamental concepts in loudspeaker positioning from the in-depth...

  • Page 14: Toe-In

    Apex Couplers Supplied with your Avalon Acoustics loudspeakers are six Apex couplers, used to couple the speakers to the floor, thereby minimizing time-smearing resonance effects. The result is an increase in focus and solidity of the sonic images.

  • Page 15: 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 side walls 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 16: Care Of Your Avalon Loudspeakers

    Care of Your Avalon Loudspeakers Cabinet Your Ascendant loudspeakers are finished with a high quality furniture lacquer. This is a modern finish which is beautiful yet durable, and requires only minimal attention. The speaker should be dusted with a soft, non-abrasive cloth. Using the supplied furniture cream or equivilent and a lint free polishing cloth carefully wipe the cabinet.

  • Page 17: Warranty

    Acoustics product, or if the product ceases to properly function within the appropriate warranty period from the date of factory shipment, the unit will be repaired or replaced by Avalon Acoustics or its authorized agent after receiving authorization from the factory or dealer.
  • Page 18 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...

  • Page 19: Room Acoustics And Speaker Position

    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 20: An Optical Analogy

    An Optical Analogy Let us use an optical 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 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 21: Standing Waves

    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. This means that the incident and reflected waves combine with each other so that a stationary pattern of high and low sound pressures is established in the room.

  • Page 22: Flutter Echo

    8.2 Flutter Echo These same 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. Called flutter echo (or slap echo), these multiple reflections can obscure musical detail.
  • Page 23 It is not necessary to acoustically treat the entire room to achieve good results. Strategic treatment of specific locations can realize considerable benefits. Remember that when sound waves reflect from a flat surface, the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence, just as a mirror reflects light waves. Therefore, the most important location for sound absorbing material is the point where the sound waves reflect to the listener (see Figure 8.2).

  • Page 24: Bass Reinforcement

    8.4 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. To make this interaction more clear, let us refer to the optical analogy of the candle.
  • Page 25 By properly selecting the distances to each surface, we can extend the in-room bass response of the speaker much deeper than its anechoic response. Please see Figure 8.5. This is because the bass reinforcement provides a boost which is complementary to the bass roll-off that would be present in an anechoic chamber. Figure 8.5 - Anechoic response, and in-room response with the speaker placed 4.6 feet from the rear wall, and 3.0 feet from the side wall.

  • Page 26: Summary Of Recommendations

    Figure 8.7 - In-room response when the speaker is placed 2.3 feet from the side wall, and 3.9 feet from the rear wall. Figure 8.8 - In-room response when the speaker is placed 3.6 feet from the side wall, and 6.6 feet from the rear wall.

  • Page 27: 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 Ascendant are two feet from one wall (side or rear), and four feet from the other (all distances are measured to the center of the woofer cone).

  • Page 28: A Listening Room Example

    of depth enhances the feeling of involvement when listening, due to the three-dimensional solidity of images. Therefore, it is more important to have a greater distance from the speakers to the rear wall than to the side walls. Typically, this is easier to achieve if the speakers are placed along the short wall of the listening room. 8.6 A Listening Room Example In order to make these points more clear, an example of a room layout is given in Figure 8.9, illustrating the principles we have given.

  • Page 29: Reproduction

    Possibly the bass was exaggerated or bloated. These distortions are distracting and keep us from enjoying the full measure of the performer’s intent. Concerning 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 30: Rationale

    At Avalon Acoustics, we have chosen to pursue a goal of complete freedom from resonances and stored energy to ensure transient accuracy. Although this results in a slight sacrifice in one traditionally measured area, we feel that the resulting gain in areas not traditionally measured results in audibly superior overall performance.

  • Page 31: Equipment

    9.3 Measurements of Audio Equipment It should be recognized that measurements are not the final arbiter of sound quality of audio components. Often times a measurement standard has evolved because it is easily performed, or because it is easily repeatable, or it has shown some link to certain audible characteristics.

  • Page 32: Measurements

    Loudspeaker Measurements Returning to loudspeakers, a similar situation has developed. Although nobody listens to music in an anechoic chamber, loudspeaker measurements are commonly performed in them.(3) Although various proposals have been made for performing low frequency measurements in a more realistic setting, there has been no agreement as to what that setting should be.

  • Page 33: Listening Qualities

    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 the same stand-up bass into a cello-sized instrument.

  • Page 34: Effects

    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 Acoustics loudspeakers, your enjoyment of the music will grow as you hear the full measure of low-frequency detail, without exaggeration, and come close to the heart of the artist's intent.

  • Page 35: Features

    electric bass will prove to be a consistent low-frequency source. The difference between direct injection and miking of the speaker/amplifier is easily audible with high-quality speakers. Features • Advanced light weight driver diaphragm materials minimize energy storage and time-domain distortion. •...

  • Page 36: Specifications

    Specifications Driver Complement Impedance Frequency Response Recommended Amplifier Power Wiring Methods Dimensions Weight I " Proprietary composite dome tweeter 2- 7" Nomex-Kevlar composite cone woofer 4 ohms (3.6 ohms minimum) 28Hz to 25kHz (+/- 1.5 dB, anechoic) 50 to 200 watts Two position binding post 37"...

  • Page 37: Notes

    Notes...

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