Altec Lansing A7 User manual

Owner’s Manual

030519 A7 Owner's Manual ii

Table of Contents

Introduction ...........................................................................................................1

Unpacking.............................................................................................................2

Components .........................................................................................................3

Assembling ...........................................................................................................4

Placing Stereo Loudspeakers ...............................................................................6

Connecting............................................................................................................7

Specifications........................................................................................................8

Warranty ...............................................................................................................9

030519 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 test, 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.

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

reputation. A legend 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.

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.

030519 A7 Owner's Manual 2

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 to the pallet.

Step 3

Use snips to cut the straps holding the cardboard-

encased speaker to the pallet.

Step 4

Open top of box and then slide the box up off of

the speaker. The grill and horn mounting

brackets are packaged separately inside the

shipping box.

Step 5

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 Packaging Material

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

need the packaging material to properly repackage the loudspeaker for transit.

030519 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 enclosure is hand made

from 13 layer Baltic Birch and covered with a durable

black splatter finish.

Low Frequency Woofer – 15” Model 515-8G

Molded cone. 8 ohm impedance.

High Frequency Sectoral Horn – Model 511B

Die cast aluminum 90° X 40° sectoral horn.

High Frequency Compression Driver –

Model 902-8T

Aluminum diaphragm. 8 ohm impedance.

Front & Rear Mounting Brackets

Used to mount the horn assembly on top of the

loudspeaker cabinet.

Crossover Network – Model N-900A

900 Hz high quality air-core inductor with low-loss

polypropylene capacitors. The dial adjusts the

relative loudness of the high frequency driver.

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. ALTEC ships the A7

jumpered for mono wiring. Simply remove the jumpers for

bi-amplification. Binding posts accept either spades or

banana plugs.

Grill

Fabric grill with metal ALTEC logo which inserts into the

bass reflex port.

Manual

This document which contains product use and warranty information.

030519 A7 Owner's Manual 4

ASSEMBLING

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

If you would prefer to keep the horn assembly positioned inside of the cabinet,

please proceed to the next section “Placing Stereo Loudspeakers”.

Step 2

Remove the rear panel by using a 5/32” hex key to remove the bolts around the

perimeter of the rear panel. Be aware that the crossover network is attached to

the rear panel and that wires connect the crossover network to the drivers in the

cabinet. Take care not to apply tension to those connecting wires.

Step 3

Reach in behind the high frequency horn assembly and disconnect the wires.

Step 4

Support the horn assembly during removal. Using a 3/8” socket or wrench, gently

remove the nuts, washers and bolts holding the horn assembly inside the

cabinet. Keep track of the nuts, washers and bolts for later use.

Step 5

Attach the front mounting bracket to the pre-drilled holes on top of the

loudspeaker using the supplied bolts.

Step 6

Attach the horn mounting bracket to the sectoral horn to create the horn

assembly.

Step 7

Position the horn assembly on top of the cabinet over the pre-drilled holes. Using

a 3/8” socket or wrench, attach the horn assembly to the cabinet using the same

bolts, washers and nuts.

Step 8

Unscrew the plug on the top of the rear panel. Thread the high frequency horn

assembly wires through the unplugged hole on the top of the rear panel.

030519 A7 Owner's Manual 5

Step 9

Reattach the rear panel by using a 5/32” hex key to replace the bolts around the

perimeter of the rear panel.

Step 10

Reconnect the horn assembly wires as before, ensuring that the dark (blue) wire

is connected to the negative terminal and that the light (yellow) wire is connected

to the positive (+) terminal. The positive (+) terminal is marked and is on the right

side of the terminal block. Improper wiring of the horn assembly may result in the

speakers being out of phase.

Step 11

Insert grill over the bass reflex port.

030519 A7 Owner's Manual 6

PLACING STEREO LOUDSPEAKERS

If the speakers are too closely spaced, as in a single enclosure that houses two

speakers only a few feet apart, the time and intensity difference is so small that

spatial quality is severely limited. Except in a very small room, eight feet is

considered minimum spacing between speakers for good stereo.

In a two-channel system, good stereo listening begins a distance in front of the

speakers equal to their separation, and continues for twice this distance. For

example, if the speakers are placed 8 feet apart, the best listening area extends

from 8 to 16 feet in front of the speakers.

030519 A7 Owner's Manual 7

CONNECTING

IMPORTANT: Check your Amplifier’s Impedance and Power

Specifications

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

handle continuous input power levels of up to 200 Watts RMS.

Do not connect this loudspeaker to an amplifier rated at more than 200 Watts

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

IMPORTANT: Wire Size

High quality commercial 14 AWG, stranded, insulated wire may be used for

connection of this ALTEC loudspeaker. This is considered minimum size wire for

speaker/amplifier connections up to 30 feet. For wire runs longer than 30 feet, 10

AWG or larger wire is recommended. The binding posts on this ALTEC

loudspeaker accommodate either banana plugs or spade connectors, although

bare wire can also be used.

Step 1

For bare wire without banana plugs or spade connectors, strip ½” of insulation off

of both ends of the speaker wire if it has not already been done.

Step 2

Connect one end of the marked wire (usually marked with a colored pattern on its

insulation) to the positive (+) speaker terminal post. If using spade connectors or

bare wires, tighten the nut down securely.

Step 3

Connect one end of the non-marked wire to the negative (-) speaker terminal

post. If using spade connectors or bare wires, 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 (+) 8Ω

terminal on the amplifier.

Step 6

Connect the second non-marked wire to the negative (-) 8Ωterminal on the

amplifier.

Step 7

Power up the amplifier and enjoy the great ALTEC sound.

030519 A7 Owner's Manual 8

SPECIFICATIONS

Frequency response

±10 dB

35 Hz to 22 kHz

Low frequency roll-off

-3 dB

54 Hz

System power capacity

Rating based on test signal of

continuous pink noise, per IEC

spectrum for two hours duration.

200 W

Sensitivity

1 watt at 1 meter

97 dB

Nominal impedance 8 ohms

Crossover frequency 900 Hz

Nominal coverage 90° horizontal, 40° vertical

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 54 inches

Net system weight 170 lbs

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