Altec Lansing A7 User manual

S/N:

MADE IN USA

Limited Edition

OWNER'S

MANUAL

ii ■A7 Owner’s Manual

warranty

30-DAY PRODUCT RETURN WARRANTY

If for any reason you decide that this A7 loudspeaker is not what you were expecting (including cabinet

cosmetics), you may return it to us using the original packaging material within 30 days of receipt.

For additional information and to receive a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA), please contact

ALTEC using the information below.

ONE-YEAR WARRANTY ON DRIVERS, NETWORK, AND BINDING POSTS

If you encounter any loss of functionality in the drivers, network, or binding posts due to manufacturing

defects within one year of receipt, please contact ALTEC using the information below. Replacement parts

and installation instructions will be mailed to you along with a pre-paid shipping box for returning the

malfunctioning parts.

This one-year warranty does not cover cabinet cosmetics not reported to ALTEC during the first 30 days

after receipt.

IF YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE

Your ALTEC loudspeaker is a precision instrument, responding with high accuracy to the variations in electric

current produced by other components in your system. Extraneous noise such as hum, rumble, or hissing do

not originate in the loudspeaker. If you experience difficulty in realizing the fine performance built into your

ALTEC loudspeaker, you may contact us directly.

CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS

Altec Lansing Technologies, Inc.

535 Routes 6 & 209, Milford, PA 18337-0277

800-ALTEC-88 Toll-Free Technical Support

570-296-4434 • Fax 570-296-6887

[email protected]

EUROPE

13 Rue Beaumont, L-1219 Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Tel: +352 26 15 76 36 • Fax: +352 26 15 76 26

ASIA/PACIFIC

25 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui Kowloon, Hong Kong

(852) 2735-7331 • Fax (852) 2730-7748

ALTEC, ALTEC LANSING, the Altec Lansing logo, the swirl design, the Voice of Theatre are registered trademarks or trademarks

of Altec Lansing.

Table of Contents

WARRANTY .................................... ii

INTRODUCTION .............................. 1

UNPACKING .................................. 2

COMPONENTS ................................ 3

ASSEMBLY .................................... 4

SPECIFICATIONS ............................ 6

A7 Owner’s Manual ■1

Introduction

ALTEC loudspeakers have been the standard of the professional recording,

broadcast and theatre industries. These ALTEC loudspeakers are handcrafted and

tested to meet ALTEC's standards—the most rigid in the industry.

In 1945, Altec introduced an amazing series of two-way speaker systems to the

world of motion picture entertainment. Their success was instantaneous!

Following prolonged competitive tests, this series of speaker systems became the

only commercially available sound for motion pictures approved by the Research

Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . . . thereby,

establishing the “Voice of the Theatre” as the “standard” of the entire industry.

(1966 Altec Lansing Product Catalog)

The Voice of the Theatre. Known by name. Known by sight. Known by reputation.

Alegend in its own time. Once an exclusively professional product, overwhelming

demand forced its being made available to those who insist upon its unparalleled

presence and efficiency for their homes. The only way to duplicate the excitement

inherent in the sound of the theatre - the Voice of the Theatre.

Excitement . . . drama . . . realism . . . emotion . . . Adjectives that describe the

ways you feel during the film experience. The experience of sight - and of sound.

The experience that is the Voice of the Theatre - a legend in its own time. (1975

Altec Lansing Product Catalog)

The legacy of the A7 is a famous one. Starting life purely as a cinema playback

unit, it was soon in demand for use as a studio monitor and home reproducer.

Many engineers still swear by the A7, and have made it their standard of

comparison for everything audio. Very versatile and efficient, the A7 is ideally

suited for use wherever good projection over long distances of wide-response

material is required. (1975 Altec Lansing Federal Product Catalog)

2■A7 Owner’s Manual

unpacking

IMPORTANT: PROTECT THE LOUDSPEAKER

The loudspeaker cone assemblies are fragile and should not be touched.

STEP 1: Before removing the protective shipping material, look for obvious

signs of shipping damage such as severely crushed corners or deep

punctures that may have marred the speaker cabinet. If severe

damage has occurred, immediately contact the shipping company

to file a claim.

STEP 2: Using a knife, carefully cut away any plastic which is holding the

cardboard-encased speaker on the pallet.

STEP 3: Use metal snips to cut the metal straps holding the cardboard-

encased speaker on the pallet.

STEP 4: Remove the top cardboard cap.

STEP 5: Using a knife, carefully cut on the dotted line printed along one

corner of the cardboard. Only cut deep enough to penetrate

the cardboard.

STEP 6: Remove the protective cardboard, foam, and plastic

packaging material.

IMPORTANT: USE CAUTION WHEN MOVING THE LOUDSPEAKER

Because each A7 weighs approximately 200 pounds, use caution when moving

the loudspeaker to avoid personal injury. Use multiple people or a dolly and

protective blankets when moving the loudspeaker off of the pallet and to its

final location.

IMPORTANT: RETAIN THE PALLET AND PACKAGING MATERIAL

If there is a need to return the loudspeaker under warranty conditions, you will

need the pallet and packaging material to properly repackage the loudspeaker

for transit.

A7 Owner’s Manual ■3

components

The following components are contained in the A7 loudspeaker's

shipping container.

CABINET — MODEL 828

This A7 Loudspeaker cabinet is hand made from

13 layer Baltic Birch and covered with a durable

black splatter finish.

The prime reason for an enclosure or baffle is to

separate the sound radiated from the rear of a

low frequency loudspeaker diaphragm or cone

so that it does not cancel the radiation

generated by the front of the cone. The

enclosure is designed as a component of an

acoustical system. A properly designed cabinet

cannot make a poorly designed loudspeaker

operate satisfactorily, nor can a well designed

loudspeaker perform efficiently when housed in

an inferior enclosure.

LOW FREQUENCY WOOFER - 15” MODEL 515.

HIGH FREQUENCY COMPRESSION DRIVER - MODEL 902.

HIGH FREQUENCY SECTORAL HORN - MODEL 511B

90° X 40° Sectoral Horn.

NETWORK - MODEL N-900A.

BINDING POSTS - CARDAS ACBP-S

Two pair. Non-magnetic, billet Brass, short binding post, Rhodium over Silver

plate. Billet brass nut, Gold plate. Glass filled nylon insulator. We ship the A7

jumpered for mono wiring. Simply remove the jumpers for bi-amplification.

Binding posts accept either _” spades or banana plugs.

MANUAL

This document which contains product use and warranty information.

4■A7 Owner’s Manual

assembly

IMPORTANT: FINISH ASSEMBLY BEFORE CONNECTING TO AMPLIFIER

For protection, this A7 loudspeaker is shipped with the horn assembly fixed inside

the cabinet. For optimum sound quality, follow the assembly steps below for

repositioning the horn assembly on top of the loudspeaker cabinet.

STEP 1: Support the horn assembly during removal. Using a 5/32" allen

wrench, gently remove the allen screws, and washers holding the

horn assembly inside the cabinet. Keep track of the provided lock

nuts, washers and screws for later use.

STEP 2: Attach the front and rear support brackets to the horn utilizing the

allen screws, washers and lock nuts provided. This will require the

5/32" allen wrench and a 7/16" wrench or socket.

STEP 3: Position the horn/bracket assembly on top of the cabinet over the

pre-drilled holes. Using a 5/32" allen wrench, reattach the horn

assembly to the cabinet using the same allen screws,.

STEP 4: Attach the Blue and Yellow wires extending from the top of the

back panel to the positive and negative terminals of the Model 902

compression driver.Yellow is connected to the Positive terminal and

Blue to the Negative terminal.

WIRING

IMPORTANT: CHECK YOUR AMPLIFIER'S IMPEDANCE AND POWER

SPECIFICATIONS

This A7 loudspeaker has an 8 Ohm (_) input impedance and is designed to handle

continuous input power levels of up to 125 Watts RMS.

Do not connect this loudspeaker to amplifier speaker terminals which are rated at

less than 8 Ohms (_); significant damage to the loudspeaker could result.

Do not connect this loudspeaker to an amplifier rated at more than 125 Watts

RMS per channel; significant damage to the loudspeaker could result.

A7 Owner’s Manual ■5

assembly (cont.)

IMPORTANT: WIRE SIZE

Ordinary commercial 18-guage, stranded, insulated wire may be used for

connection of ALTEC loudspeakers. This is considered minimum size wire for

speaker/amplifier connections up to 30 feet. For wire runs longer than 30 feet,

16-guage or larger wire is recommended.

STEP 1: Strip 0.5" of insulation off of both ends of the speaker wire if it has

not already been done.

STEP 2: Insert the bare end of the marked wire (usually marked with a

colored pattern on its insulation) into the hole in the positive (+)

speaker terminal post. Tighten the nut down securely.

STEP 3: Insert the bare end of the second wire into the hole in the negative

(-) speaker terminal post. Tighten the nut down securely.

STEP 4: Lay out the wire over to the amplifier.

STEP 5: Connect the other end of the marked wire (refer to step 2) to the

positive (+) 8Ωterminal on the amplifier.

STEP 6: Connect the second wire to the negative (-) 8Ωterminal on the

amplifier.

STEP 7: Power up the amplifier and enjoy the great ALTEC sound.

6■A7 Owner’s Manual

specifications

FREQUENCY RESPONSE

±10 dB 45 Hz to 20 kHz

LOW FREQUENCY ROLL-OFF

-3 dB 54 Hz

SYSTEM POWER CAPACITY 125 W

Rating based on test signal of

continuous pink noise, per IEC

spectrum for two hours duration.

SENSITIVITY 97 dB

1watt at 1 meter

NOMINAL IMPEDANCE 8 Ohms

CROSSOVER FREQUENCY 900 Hz

NOMINAL COVERAGE 90° horizontal, 40° vertical

HALF-SPACE REFERENCE EFFICIENCY 3.2%

MAXIMUM ACOUSTIC POWER OUTPUT 7acoustic watts

Sine wave input

SYSTEM POLARITY Positive voltage to RED produces

forward cone motion

BINDING POSTS Two pair. Jumpered for mono wiring.

Bi-amp capable. Accepts either spades

or bananas.

FINISH Black, abrasion resistant splatter

DIMENSIONS (W x D x H) 30 x 24 x 52 inches

NET SYSTEM WEIGHT 170 lbs

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