Spica TC-50 Manuale utente

SPICA

TC-50

OWNERS

MANUAL

CONTENTS

Manual

Organization

Introducti

Basic

Setup

Deta

Fine

Points

Technical Specifications

Warranty

1601

PASEO

PERALTA

PAGE

SANTA

FE,

NEW

MEXICO

87501

MANUAL

ORGANIZATION

Assuming

you

are anxious to

start

listening to

music

through

your

new

TC-50s

right

away,

this

manual

has

been

organized to

first

help

you

get

your

system

and

running quickly (Basic Setup),

and

then perform

some

of the fine-tuning

procedures that are necessary for

optimum

performance

(Setup

Detail).

order

avoid

unnecessary

detail

for those of

you

who

are replacing the speakers in

your

present system, information

choosing

optimum

location for the

TC-50s

left

out of the Basic

Setup

section,

and

covered

depth

Setup

Detail.

you

are setting

your

system

for the

first

time or

new

location,

would

wise

you

read

this

section before

setting

up.

The

section

Fine

Points

treats

avariety of topics,

such

amplifiers, speaker wire,

and

few

other goodies.

Should

you

have

any

questions,

call

your

dealer or

drop

anote

-we're here

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

NTRODUCTI

Thanks

for choosing the

SPICA

TC-50

speaker system.

Your

new

TC-50s

are

among

the

most

sophisticated

compact

speakers available,

and

will provide

you

with

many

years of listening pleasure.

The

creative

use

of computer aided design

and

optimization

have

yielded solutions that are unobtainable

from

'classical'

engineering techniques,

and

the

TC-50

is the elegant

result.

are confident

that

you

will

than pleased with

this

affordable addition to

your

system.

Check

make

sure

that

you

received

one

each

of the following materials.

Te-50

speakers (the

box

will feel rather

light

these are missing)

>product

registration

card

this

manual

Notify

your

dealer immediately

any

of these are missing.

Some

the 'tools'

you

need

for setup are:

MEASURING

TAPE

(for physical placement)

WIRE

STRIPPERS

RAZOR

BLADE

(optional, for speaker wire prep)

HELPFUL

FRIEND

(optional, for general purposes)

additional benefit of the

advanced

design concepts incorporated into the

TC-50s,

many

aspects of

their

setup

and

integration into

your

listening

room

are

well-defined, eliminating

much

of the

trial

and

error

approach

commonly

encountered

setting

speaker systems.

Although

parts of the setup procedure

are

somewhat

technical,

have

made

every

effort

to present

them

simply

possible. Please read

and

follow the instructions carefully.

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

BASIC

SETUP

Turn

off

your

power

amplifier or receiver.

Most

specialty speaker wires

come

already prepared for connection. If

you

are

using

conventional wire, then, using wire strippers or arazor blade,

strip

3/4"

the insulation

from

the wire,

twist

the strands of the

~ire

together

tightly,

and

form

hook

shape

the

exposed

wire ends.

Loosen

the

red

plastic

insulating

knob

the

back

panel of the

TC-50

turning

counter-clockwise a

few

turris.

Bring

the 11+11 lead of the speaker

wire

to the red post

and

place

around

the post

that

the

hook

wraps

clockwise

around

the post.

Turn

the

knob

clockwise

tight

you

can

hand.

not

use

pliers

any

tools to tighten the

knob,

might

strip

the threads.

Repeat

this

process for the black

II_II

binding post,

and

then again for the

other

TC-50.

NOT

ALLOW

BARE

WIRE

FROM

ONE

INPUT

TOUCH

THE

OTHER

INPUT

ITS

BARE

WIRE

LEAD.

Serious

damage

your

amplifier will

result

you

do.

the amplifier manufacturer's instructions regarding speaker wire

connection to the amplifier,

making

sure

that

the 11+11 output of

each

channel

is connected

the

red

input

each

TC-50.

Orient the

TC-50s

that

they point

directly

your

favorite listening

area.

This

is sometimes referred to

IItoeing

them

•

Avoid

placing the

speakers

opposite sides of the

room

facing

each

other,

possible.

When

powering

up.your system,

make

ahabit to always turn

your

receiver

or amplifier

last.

When

shutting the

system

off,

turn the

volume

control

down

all

the

way

and

turn the amplifier off

first.

This

practice will

avoid

possible

damage

to the

TC-50s

caused

the

POpS

and

clicks

that

some

pieces of audio

equipment

put out

when

turned

off.

Breaking

Every

mechanico-electrical device

has

a'break-inlperiod, during

which

the

moving

parts

become

supple

and

the

electrical

parts

become

stable.

For

the

TC-50s,

this

takes place gradually over the

first

eight hours of

use.

During

this

period,

you

will notice

that

the

sound

becomes

sweeter,

natural,

and

spacious.

One

way

of breaking

them

leave

your

system

while

you

are, for instance,

away

work

for the

day,

using

radio station

program

material, with the system playing

amoderate

volume.

When

you

return

the evening,

most

of the break-in will

completed.

Your

system

now

ready for use.

Some

aspects of

its

performance

can

fine-

tuned,

however,

and

highly

recommend

that

you

take

this

opportunity to read

the

rest

this

manual,

that

you

might

gain the

maximum

sonic benefit

that

the

TC-50s

have

to offer.

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

SETUP

DETAIL

Whl_Bother?

Unlike

the other

components

your

audio system,

how

well the speakers

perform

dependent

part

upon

their

placement,

both

within the

room

and

with respect

your

optimum

listening location.

'In

no'rmal

use, sometimes

you

will

sitting

listening to the music,

virtually,participating

every

nuance,

while

other

times

you

will

using the

system

for

background

music, not giving

your

complete attention.

These

two

circumstances

relate

directly

to the

two

placement

considerations mentioned. Proper placement of the speakers within

your

room

will

acheive the

most

natural

and

consistent tonal balance throughout the

room.

Proper

placement of the speakers with respect to

your

chosen

listening seat will

acheive the

most

lifelike

stereo

imaging.

The

goal

of proper speaker placement

is to optimize the performance of

each

of these parameters.

recommend

that

you

favor those guidelines

that

correspond to the conditions

which

you

will

using

the speakers the

most.

Obviously,

there will

other considerations to take into account

your

setup,

such

aesthetics

and

maximizing

the available space. Since

you

are

aware

of those for

your

room

than

are,

will concentrate our

recommen-

dations

obtaining the best performance

from

your

system.

What

Put

Speakers

While

the

TC-50s

may

perform

satisfactorily

when

placed

ashelf against a

wall, they

were

designed

perform

their

best

when

placed

rigid stands

away

from

the walls.

When

choosing astand,

look

for:

>Rigidity.

'Flexibility

not desirable here.

Freedom

from

resonances.

Some

rigid stands ring like abell

when

tapped.

Proper

height.

This

explained

detail

below.

>Provision for,additional

dampening.

Some

stands provide

access to allow

the tubes to

filled

with

sand

or lead shot,

which

can

beneficial.

Spikes

top

and

bottom.

They

will

improve

the coupling of the speaker to

the stand

and

floor,

improving

bass

response

and

overall

clarity.

The

Hercules

stand,

made

Chicago

Speaker

Stand,

was

designed specifically for

the

TC-50,

and

is highly

recommended.

Placement

Within

the

Room

The

methodology

behind

room

placement is basically simple

geometry

-finding the

line

between

two

points, measuring

how

long

the line

is,

comparing

to the

length

other related lines,

and

on.

These

lines, or paths

will call

them,

all

originate

one

of the speakers,

and

eventually arrive

your

ears,

that

is,

your

listening seat.

Some

them

are

direct

paths

from

'the speaker to

your

ears, while

some

them

are

reflective

paths,

bouncing

off of the floor or

walls before arriving

your

ears.

will

using these terms

the explana-

tions that follow.

The

direct

paths primarily affect the

imaging

abilities

your

system, while

the relective paths affect the tonal balance, especially in the bass

and

lower

midrange.

There

are 4

major

reflective paths

any

room,

off of the following

surfaces:

>Floor.

This

one

normally the shortest path,

and

hence

causes the

most

problems. Carpeting helps a

lot.

The

wall

behind the speakers.

The

nearest side wall.

The

wall

behind the listening position.

The

ceiling

not

much

of a

problem,

because our hearing

basically

oriented to horizontal perception. A

low

ceiling

would

definitely

acandidate

for the

list,

though.

Generally speaking, the

TC-50

should

least

one

foot

away

from

the rear

wall,

and

far

possible

from

the side walls.

Most

importantly, the

reflective paths (see

above)

off of

each

of these surfaces should

unequal

possible.

The

smoothest possible tonal balance throughout the

room

acheived

when

this

can

done.

Equally

important

that

the speakers

placed symmetrically within your

room.

For

example,

one

speaker

3feet

away

from

its

side wall, then the other

speaker should also

placed 3feet

away

from

the side wall nearest

it.

Figure 1

the next

page

shows

example

of symmetrical placement with

unequal

path lengths,

viewed

from

above.

One

situation

avoid is placing aspeaker in acorner of the

room

equal

distance

from

~he

side

and

rear walls.

This~ill

make

your

system

sound

'tubby'

or bass-heavy,

and

not

very

spacious

all.

The

'out

the

open'

the

speaker placement

is,

the

open

and

spacious the

sound

will

be.

Another

problem

related to

what

are called 'standing waves'.

Most

rooms

are

rectangular in shape, with three sets of

parallel

surfaces.

Imagine,

you

will, three

strings,

each

stretched

between

the

opposing

surfaces

your

room,

and

each

having

the

same

amount

of tension applied. If

you

were

pluck

these

strings, they

would

produce

sound

three

different

tones, with the lowest tone

being

produced

the longest string.

The

tones

that

correspond to the

dimen-

sions of your

room

are supported

the surfaces,

just

the strings.

These

tones will

have

atendency

accentuated

your

room,

compared

to others.

Furthermore,

one

of the

reflective

paths

the

same

length

one

your

room's

dimensions,

that

tone

accentuated

even

more.

Hence

the importance of

having

varied path lengths in

your

setup geometry.

common

question

whether the speakers should

set

along a

long

or short

wall

the

room.

smaller

room$,

where

the longest distance

between

opposing

walls is

feet

or less, setup

along

the.long wall will probably give the best

results.

larger

rooms,

setup

along

ashort wall

preferable.

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FIGURE

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Unequal

Path

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FIGUF.~E

THE

IMAGINARY

PERPENDICULAR

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l:l.-a_~.~ment

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LJ.?!~n)

ng_~o_s

phase-coherent systems

(as

life

general),

TIMING

THE

ESSENCL

And

matters pertaining to

sound,

time translates

directly

into distance,

because

sound

moves

through

air

agiven speed.

the introduction to

this

section,

hinted

the

fact

that,

while

smooth

tonal balance

can

acheived

over

wide

range

your

room,

the

magic

of nearly holographic

imaging

can

only occur

one

point

space.

order to reproduce astable

and

lifelike

stereo

image

with the

TC-50s,

two

things are necessary:

The

distance

from

each

TC-50

your

listening position should

the

same.

The

height

and

tilt

each

speaker

should

the

same,

and

adjusted

according to the instructions

that

follow.

Here's

how

it.

For

convenience

explanation,

will

refer

your

listening position

achair.

Find

the point

ear height

the center of

your

chair,

and

mark

with a

piece of

masking

tape.

Using

atape measure, find the distance

from

one

TC-50

your

mark.

Find

the distance to the other

TC-50,

and

move

toward or

away

from

you

until

is the

same

distance

the

first

TC-50.

for the height

and

tilt,

take a

peek

Figure

shows

aline

drawn

perpendicular to the

back

of the

TC-50

from

apoint halfway

the cabinet.

The

object is to

have

this

line point right

your

ears

when

seated

your

chair.

This

happens

automatically

when

(a)

the distance

from

this

point

the cabinet

to the floor

the

same

the distance

from

your ears to the floor,

and

(b)

the

TC-50s

are placed

flat

surface.

Lets

see

this

the case.

Measure

the distance

from

the floor

the point

your chair

that

you

marked

earlier.

Measure

the distance

from

the floor to the point halfway

the

back

of the

TC-50

cabinet.

If the

two

measurements

are the

same

(within, say,

one

half inch),

tilt

necessary,

and

you

can

skip the

rest

this

section.

Now,

there is

such

line

the

TC-50

cabinet,

and

you

would

have

thought

were

nuts

had

put

one

there.

So,

instead,

will

use

the

bottom

th~

cabinet

our

sight-line,

which

happens

parallel

this

line,

and

apply

aIfudge-factorlto

make

work.

Because

they are widely available

and

perform

well,

will

assume

that

you

are

using fixed-height speaker stands with adjustable

cone

points

the speaker

mounting

surface.

These

cone

points

can

used

tilt

the speaker

slightly

forward or

backward

needed.

tilt

forward,

raise

the rear

set

cone

points; for

backward

tilt,

raise

the front set.

the manufacturers

instructions for

making

this

adjustment. If

your

TC-50s

are

set

shelves or

other pieces of furniture,

you

can

tilt

the speakers

(if

necessary) without

harming

the surface of your furniture

using small pieces of

modeling

clay,

obtainable

toy stores

and

crafts

shops.

Using

your

measuring tape, find the point

your

chair

that

7.5

inches

below

the point

you

marked

previously,

and

mark

with apiece of tape.

Sighting

along

the

bottom

edge

of the

TC-50

cabinet, adjust the

tilt

the speaker

that

the point

just

marked

your

chair lines

directly

with

it.

Repeat

this

procedure for the other

TC-50.

FINE

POINTS

you

have

followed the setup instructions

order,

your

setup

now

complete.

Spend

some

time

sitting

and

listening

avariety of

music

through

your

new

system.

Notice

how

different the quality of

each

recording

is,

how

easy

to pick out individual voices

and

instruments

even

complex

material,

how

warm

and

rich the

sound

is,

and

how

totally

unfatiguing the

TC-50s

are to

listen

through.

With

well recorded

music,

the

magic

of the

TC-50

becomes

evident

its

ability

to reproduce

warm,

natural tonal balance while

the

same

time

presenting a

realistic

image

of the

space

that

the

music

was

recorded in. If

you

are using the

TC-50

conjunction with astereo

video

cassette system, you're

for areal

treat!

Amplifiers

The

job of the

power

amplifier, whether

aseparate

component

or part of a

receiver,

basically twofold. First, to

make

the signal

coming

from

your

source (record,

CD,

whatever) strong,enough

(and

without distortions of

any

kind) to cause

sound

come

out of the speakers.

Second,

must

able to

overcome

the constantly changing

electrical

conditions (called

limpedance'

'load')

that

aspeaker presents to

amplifier.

Although

beyond

the

scope

this

manual

to discuss

why,

fact

that

some

amplifiers

this

better

than others.

Here

are

some

things to

look

for

when

comparing

power

amplifiers

and

receivers:

Hjgh

instantaneous current capacity.

Wide

full

power

bandwidth.

>Constant

damping

factor over the widest possible frequency range.

, >

Low

transient

intermodulation distortion

(TIM).

This

much

important

than the usually

quoted

harmonic

distortion.

>Compatability with speaker

impedances

of 4

ohms

less.

How

much

power

you

will

need

depends

how

loud

you

like to play

your

music.

For

soft to

normal

volume

levels,

watts will

just

fine. If

you

really like to 'wick

up'

sometimes, then the

power

available, the

better.

Most

damage

to speakers

happens

because of

insufficient

power

being

available for the

volume

level

being

demanded.

With

percussive music,

not

uncommon

that

the

peak

power

required will

exceed

the average

power

afactor

of ten or

more!

illustrate

the point,

let's

say

your

watt amplifier

cruising along delivering 7watts average

the

TC-50s.

Along

comes

apassage

where

the

drummer

smacks

cymbal

and

kicks his bass

drum

the

same

time

that

everyone

else

the

band

coming

down

hard

anote.

watts

would

needed

to reproduce

cleanly, but only

are there.

The

result

is something

that

not only

sounds

grundgy,

but

also builds

heat in the

woofer

and

tweeter of the

TC-50.

that

happens

few

times aminute, well, everything

starts

sounding

fuzzy,

and

your speakers

need

repairing.

The

moral

is:

have

power

than

you

need

playas

loud

you

want

to,

and

use

with

discression.

When

using the

TC-50

with receivers

that

allow for switching

between

two

sets of

speakers,

you

wish

have

both

sets

the

same,

only

low

volume

levels.

Your

unit

may

not

able to safely handle the load of

both

sets of

speakers

higher

power

levels,

and

damage

could

result

both

the receiver

and

the speakers.

Generally speaking, separate

components

tend to

perform

better

than integrated

receivers.

There

are

some

wonderful

exceptions to

this

rule,

however;

consult

your

dealer for further information.

Sp~ak~_Wi

Although

their

cost

may

seem

high, quality speaker wire

makes

asignificant

contribution to the

total

performance of your system, especially

the distance

between

power

amplifier

and

speaker

great.

The

usual 'zip cord' will tend to

make

the system

sound

dull

and

lifeless

the

trebles,

mushy

the bass,

and

generally

hamper

the amplifier's

ability

to control the speaker.

There

are quite

number

of excellent speaker wires available, with

appearing

all

the time.

Wires

from

companies

such

Straight

Wire,

Kimber

Cable,

and

others, provide

excellent performance at reasonble cost.

Ask

your dealer for advice.

Use

the

shortest

length

wire possible

between

amp

and

speakers.

For

systems

set

for careful

listening,

both

speaker wires should

the

same

length.

Unequal

length wires

can

create subtle (or not-so-subtle,

depending

your attentiveness) imbalances

tonal 'colors'

and

dynamics

between

the

two

speakers.

How

Wide

Thou

Art

How

far

apart the

TC-50s

are

relative

how

far

away

from

them

you

are

sitting

affects the imaging performance of your system.

The

wider they are apart, the

wider the 'soundstage' will

be.

The

closer they are, the

better

will

the

resolution of

imaging

detail

within the soundstage, i.e.

between

the speakers.

The

goal

to find the balance point

between

these

two

imaging

characteristics

that

suits

your

tastes.

good

place

start

make

the distance

between

the speakers equal

two-

thirds

of the distance

from

your listening position to the speakers,

and

play

around

with spreading

them

apart

and

bringing

them

closer together until

you

find

what

you

like.

Remember

also

that

moving

the speakers

alters

the pattern of

reflective

paths discussed

the

Setup

Detail section,

tonal balance

may

affected somewhat

••••

System

Polarity

Suppose

you

were

standing

front of amirror

that

turned everything reflected

upside

down.

Lthe features of the

image

would

there, but they

would

inverted.

This

avisual analogy of

what

'called Polarity.

The

audio

industry

has

not established

any

polarity standards,

some

pieces of equipment

invert the signal

passes through them,

and

others

not.

argued

some

that,

since the inversion

status

each

record,

CD,

etc.

unknown,

proper system

polarity

unimportant.

For

those of

you

who

feel

that

is,

here's

how

it.

order

determine the

polarity

of your system,

you

must

find out

which

pieces

your system invert the signal,

and

which

ones

not.

This

information

sometimes given in

owners

manuals. Otherwise,

you

can

contact

,your

dealer or

the manufacturer, or

look

AUDIO

Magazine's

Annual

Equipment

Directory (in

each

year's October issue),

which

lists

the inversion

status

some

units.

Once

you

have

this

information,

its

easy to determine the polarity of your system

and

correct

it,

necessary,

reversing the connections of the speaker wires to

each

TC-50.

Make

list

numbers

that

correspond

each

piece of equipment

your

system, including everything

from

the source to the speaker outputs of your

receiver or

power

amplifier.

the unit inverts, give

avalue of

does

not, give

avalue of

For

VCRs

and

players,

probably safe to

assume

that they

not invert.

Now

add

all

the

numbers.

If the

result

even

number

or 0,

your

system

is positive

polarity,

and

change

is required.

If the

result

odd

number,

you

should reverse the connections to

each

TC-50

its

input terminals.

Subwoofers,

Loudness

Switches,

and

Rumble

Filters

There

is alimit to the

amount

deep

bass

that

any

compact

speaker

can

reproduce.

you

find

that

you

live

with

the bass control boosted quite a

bit,

you

may

want

to consider

adding

subwoofer

to your system.

The

so-called 'loudness' control

found

receivers

(and

some

preamps)

intended to

make

the perceived tonal balance of

music

sound

natural

when

played

low

volume

levels.

When

engaged,

the loudness control boosts the

extreme

bass

and

trebles.

When

playing

your

system

medium

high

volume

levels,

MAKE

SURE

THE

LOUDNESS

CONTROL

SWITCHED

OFF.

you

are:

>playing arecord

that

badly

warped,

>playing

your

system

VERY

loud, or

>boosting the bass a

bunch

with

your

bass

tone control,

then

you

should consider

engaging

the

rumble

filter

your

preamp/

receiver

has

one.

Other

than

that,

there

really

reason to

use

it.

For

further information

system

setup

and

perfnrmance,

recommend

that

you

read

Laura

Dearborn's

"Good

Sound"

Quill paperback).

is enjoyable

and

informative reading,

and

picks

where

manuals

such

this

must

leave off•••

TECHNICAL

SPECIFICATIONS

Sealed

box

Hz,

Total Q.78

kHz

6.5" treated paper

cone

impregnated

cloth

dome

4th order

Bessel

response

Computer

derived, approx. 1st order response

ohms

nominal,

minimum

3.6

ohms

kHz

Both

drivers positive

84dB

@1watt, 1meter

watts continuous

program,

100

watts

peak

13(33.0)W

15.5(39.4)H 11.6(29.5)0

20(9.07)

each

System

Type

System

Resonance

/ Q .

Frequency

Response

(-3dB):

Woofer

Tweeter

Woofer

Crossover

Tweeter

Crossover

Input

Impedance

Polarity

Sensitivity

Power

Handling

Size

inches(cm)

Net

Weight

lbs(kg)

WARRANTY

When

purchased

from

authorized

SPICA

dealer,

SPICA

warranties the

TC-50

free

from

mechanical

defects for five

(5)

years

from

the date of purchase.

This

warranty is valid for the original purchaser only.

Your

sales receipt is

your

proof of purchase.

Items

covered

under

warranty will

either

repaired or

replaced at

SPICAs

option.

This

warranty excludes

damage

caused

user abuse,

carelessness,

and

fault

conditions

associated equipment.

SPICA

reserves the

right to

make

final determination of warranty coverage.

SPICA

makes

other

warranties,

either

expressed or implied.

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