Loudspeaker Setup - Infinity IRS Epsilon Owner's Manual

Epsilon
Loudspeaker Set-up
Maximum power
As a practical matter, there is no upper limit on the power of the amplifiers you can use with the Epsilon System. If you
always listen at moderate levels, you can easily end up with amplifier power you never use. If you often listen at
concert levels or beyond, then high power amplifiers (250W/ch and more) yield immediate dividends in dynamic range
and clarity.
Your Epsilon loudspeakers are capable of stunning sound pressure levels. If your music begins to sound bad at
elevated listening levels, and these are the levels you require your system to reproduce, more than likely you have
exceeded the capabilities of your amplifiers and not those of your Epsilon speakers.
Placing the amplifiers
Audiophiles often prefer to place the power amplifiers close to each loudspeaker, to eliminate power losses and
distortions that can result from long speaker cable runs. Many prefer to locate the amplifiers midway between the
speaker pair as a means of optimizing both proximity and aesthetics.
Placing the Servo Control Unit
The Epsilon SCU is best placed near your preamplifier/control unit, since the SCU contains controls which affect overall
sonic balance.
Servo feedback cable
The servo feedback cable supplied with each speaker is 50 feet (15m) long. It employs a special female 4-pin "XLR"
type audio connector at each end. The 50' length should be ample for most installations. If you need longer servo
feedback cables, please contact your dealer for assistance.
Cable lengths
Please do not cut or order any cables to a finished length until you have determined the exact locations for all of your
components. Cables that are too long rarely create problems (except for vastly too-long speaker cables), but cables
that are too short are one of life's sharper irritations.
LOUDSPEAKER SET-UP
Once you've unpacked the speakers and they are upright, you must perform several steps prior to connecting them for
use. These steps require access to the rear of each loudspeaker. If the initial positions you have selected for the
speakers do not permit easy access to their rear panels, set them in a position which gives you access for the following
set-up and for cable connections.
Battery Installation
Each Epsilon loudspeaker's high frequency driver crossover network capacitors are electrically biased with a DC voltage
supplied by two common alkaline 9V snap-top batteries, NEDA type 1604A. The DC bias supplied by these batteries
offers a subtle but important improvement in sound quality. While the speakers will seem to work normally without the
batteries installed, the best sound quality is achieved with the batteries in place.
The current drain from the batteries is extremely low, enabling them to last nearly as long as if they were sitting unused
on the shelf. For this reason, we recommend the use of "alkaline" batteries rather than ordinary carbon-zinc or "heavy
duty" zinc-chloride batteries, which have shorter shelf lives. Do not use rechargeable batteries of any kind.
At the bottom rear of each Epsilon, to the left of the input terminals, is a brass access panel held in place by four
knurled screws. This panel provides access to the battery compartments and to three switches that provide tonal
balance adjustments for the loudspeaker's EMIT, EMIM and LEMIM drivers.
10