Speaker Phase; In One-Speaker Stereo Mode (Si Models Only) - Niles ROCK SPAEKER Installation Manual

speaker phase

Speaker wire has two conductors. One conductor is attached to the negative
(black) or (-) terminals and one conductor is attached to the positive (red) or (+)
terminals of both the loudspeaker and the amplifier. Usually, the wire is marked
for your convenience. There are different ways to mark the conductor; a stripe
on one wire, a ribbed area on one conductor that you can feel, different color
metal conductor wire inside the insulation, the insulation covering the conductor
might be different colors, or there might be a fabric string wound into one of
the conductors. Of course some cables make it difficult to determine which
conductor is which. Be careful to avoid mistakes. If you do, one loudspeaker
will be playing out of "phase" with the other loudspeaker. An out of phase pair
of speakers work against each other and the sound of the two speakers playing
together will be lacking in bass response and have a "phasey" sound quality. If
you suspect the sound is not right, check to make sure that the conductors on
each loudspeaker are attached the same on the loudspeaker and the amplifier. If
you cannot see any markings or determine if they are all attached the same, try
this simple test:

in one-speaker stereo Mode (si Models only)

1. Play some music with the amplifier or receiver set to Mono.
2. Stand in the middle of both speakers and about three feet away from them..
Listen to the richness of the bass and the loudness of the sound.
3. Turn off the amplifier and reverse the connections on one side of the speaker
only.
4. Repeat the listening test with the same setting of the volume controls. If the
current sound has a richer bass and is slightly louder than the previous sound,
the speakers are working together and are "in-phase". Leave the speakers
connected to the amplifier in this configuration. If the current sound is not
richer in bass or louder than the previous sound, turn off the amplifier and
reverse the connections of the wire you moved in step 3.
5. Check the phase between each speaker in the area by following the
procedures for two-speaker stereo mode. Remembering to change the phase
on both sides of the speaker when you perform step 4 of that procedure.
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