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APL-220, APL-500, & APL-800

SELF-POWERED FULL-RANGE
SPEAKER SYSTEM MANUAL

Apogee Sound International

Specifications subject to change without notice.
55-0048-0

D 07

Summary of Contents for APL-220

Page 1: ...APL 220 APL 500 APL 800 SELF POWERED FULL RANGE SPEAKER SYSTEM MANUAL 2001 Apogee Sound International Specifications subject to change without notice 55 0048 01D 0711 ...

Page 2: ...lectrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet 10 Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs convenience receptacles and the point where they exit from the apparatus 11 Only use attachments accessories specified by the manufacturer 12 Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time 13 Refer all servicing to qualified servic...

Page 3: ...n 7 AC Power Requirements 9 Audio Signals 14 Amplifiers 15 Installation 16 Signal Processing 18 Using the APL 220 500 and 800 23 Troubleshooting Field Repairs 32 Accessories 35 Troubleshooting Chart 36 Amplifier Back Panel 37 Line Drawings 39 Specifications 42 Warranty Information 43 3 ...

Page 4: ...unit contains no user serviceable parts Repairs should be performed only by factory trained service personnel Francais Pour réduire le risqué d électrocution débrancher la prose principale de l haut parleur avant d installer le cable d interface allant à l audio Ne rebrancher le bloc d alimentation qu après avoir effectué toutes les connec tions Branchez l haut parleur dans une prise de courant à ...

Page 5: ...asser noch Fremdkörper in das Innere den Lautsprecher eindringen Keine Objekte die Flüssigkeit enthalten auf oder neben die unterbrechungsfreie Stromversorgung stellen Um ein Überhitzen dem Lautsprecher zu verhindern das Gerät vor direk ter Sonneneinstrahlung fernhalten und nicht in der Nähe von wämeab strahlenden Haushaltsgeräten z B Heizgerät oder Herd aufstellen Im Inneren diesem Lautsprecher h...

Page 6: ...iesgo de sobrecalentamiento no exponga la inidad a los rayos directos del sol ni la instale cerca de artefactos que emiten calor como estufas o cocinas Este altoparlante contiene niveles de voltaje peligrosos en potencia No intente desarmar la unidad pues no contiene piezas que puedan ser repar das por el usuario Las reparaciones deben efectuarse únicamente por parte del personal de mantenimiento ...

Page 7: ...eby reduc ing cable losses to nearly zero Introduction Apogee Powered Loudspeaker Systems are highly engineered products that combine advanced technology amplifiers sophisticated signal processing and state of the art drivers housed in rugged roadworthy loudspeaker enclo sures They are suitable for a wide variety of applications ranging from portable use for shows and events in all types of venues...

Page 8: ...k and easy all key circuitry is self contained and factory interconnected There is no longer a need for the time consuming mount ing and wiring of processors and amplifiers in outboard rack enclosures Powered speakers save valuable truck and stage space previously allocated for amplifier racks Load ins and load outs are quicker and easier than with conventional systems Powered speakers weigh less ...

Page 9: ...nnection PowerCon connectors are durable inexpensive and readily obtainable The AC PowerCon cable assembly provided with your APL 220 500 or 800 is equipped with an AC mains plug compatible with the power service in the country of sale If you need to change this plug or to construct special pur pose power cables the wiring must follow the convention shown in Figure 2 9 AC Power Requirements Figure...

Page 10: ...require sufficient current for proper operation and the amplifiers designed into Apogee powered loudspeakers are no exception Chart 1 shows the required current for one APL 220 500 and 800 at two standard international working voltages 120 240V AC Because current drain is ultimately a function of the program source Chart 1 shows both the theoretical maximum and what can be expected under typical h...

Page 11: ...C this equates to 8 0 Amperes whereas at 240V AC the current demand is only 3 Amperes to produce the same amplifier power Power Wattage is simply voltage RMS times current RMS or P V x I You can easily calculate the power demand at any line voltage by using the following formula P V I For example if the line voltage is 208V AC a single APL 500 at maximum power 720 Watts will draw 3 46 Amperes 720 ...

Page 12: ...t to provide adequate power to the powered loud speaker by choosing appropriate cable sizes A drop in voltage across the power cable will cause the intelligent power supplies to draw more current thereby causing the voltage to decrease even more If the voltage drops below 90V AC or 190V AC damage may occur to the unit Chart 3 shows voltage drop as a percentage of the nominal working voltage for ty...

Page 13: ... 7 275 4 2 8 4 12 6 16 8 275 2 1 4 2 6 3 8 4 300 4 6 9 2 13 8 18 4 300 2 3 4 6 6 9 9 2 10 AWG 120V AC 10 AWG 240V AC Length in Feet 5A 10A 15A 20A Length in Feet 5A 10A 15A 20A 25 0 2 0 5 0 7 1 0 25 0 1 0 2 0 4 0 5 50 0 5 1 0 1 4 1 9 50 0 2 0 5 0 7 1 0 75 0 7 1 4 2 2 2 9 75 0 4 0 7 1 1 1 4 100 1 0 1 9 2 9 3 8 100 0 5 1 0 1 4 1 9 125 1 2 2 4 3 6 4 8 125 0 6 1 2 1 8 2 4 150 1 4 2 9 4 3 5 8 150 0 7 1...

Page 14: ...en to insure that the signal source is capable of driv ing the group of powered loudspeakers For example ten APL 500 speakers present a 1k ohm load to the signal source This is well within the capability of most line level output drivers but depending on the output impedance of the source some loss in level may occur The formula to calculate such loss is For example let s say you re driving ten AP...

Page 15: ...ency driver and the other channel is used for the high frequency driver hence the term bi amped These amplifiers and power supplies use numerous proprietary design fea tures that result in extremely low distortion high reliability and a very low heat by product No fans are used or needed eliminating the risk of a mechanical device becoming noisy during a quiet performance due to bear ing wear or c...

Page 16: ...some simple precau tions should be followed These include 1 Maintain Proper Air Flow The APL 220 500 and 800 are convection cooled devices Convection cooling is more dependable than forced air cooling because fans are often unreliable and require high maintenance Apogee s APL 220 500 and 800 do not need filter changes to protect the circuitry from contamination by dust and dirt The aluminum heat s...

Page 17: ...erate ambi ent temperatures this will not usually cause a problem However it is prudent to test the system under maximum power conditions at the highest ambient temperature that will be encountered in order to verify if cooling is adequate to prevent system shutdown Since the temperature of the heat sink will increase over time as the system is used this test should be conducted for a time period ...

Page 18: ...es to extend the bass response well below that of a conven tional enclosure of a similar size All circuits in the audio path utilize the high est quality most up to date semi conductor technologies available today The processor is the key to the extraordinary sound quality of the loud speaker system Unlike generic crossovers either digital or analog the APL processor was carefully designed in tand...

Page 19: ...ng at it The compensation circuit is similar to the pre emphasis and de emphasis circuits used for decades in analog tape recorders Only in the case of the HF driver instead of reducing tape noise distortion is reduced The de emphasis side of the equation is really the mechanical function of the driver s HF roll off and the pre emphasis is the EQ compensation circuit The resultant reduction in dis...

Page 20: ...that they only engage when driver non linearity or driver damage would otherwise occur However when a limiter is pushed well past its threshold of engagement to the point where it is continually in circuit by nature it increases the duty cycle of the program material This happens because as the limiter decreases peak amplitudes RMS values increase causing the drivers to heat beyond normal Addition...

Page 21: ... the desired position before the speaker system is flown or oth erwise placed in a location where it is difficult to access The High Pass Filter Switch significantly reduces the amount of low frequen cy energy the speaker system will reproduce and thus should not be used indiscriminately NOTE If an APL 220 500 or 800 is installed in a difficult to access location and it s determined that the switc...

Page 22: ...r low frequency amplifier output can be useful in troubleshooting a system The two buttons are labeled Ch1 and Ch2 Channel 1 is the high frequency amp and Channel 2 is the low Mute is enabled when the button is out It is important to confirm that both buttons are depressed un muted before deploying the speaker into a location where it will be difficult to reach in order to un mute a channel 10 Ind...

Page 23: ...y are highly effective when single units or pairs are deployed as a basic PA system for live music track playback and the spoken word And because they are designed to be modules in a larger system they can be arrayed with additional units to form a large concert class system The three models array smoothly in both the vertical axis and the horizon tal axis We call this bi planar arrayability and i...

Page 24: ... acoustical conditions of the venue that the system will be operated in and the model of subwoofer If the full range system already has substantial low frequency capability as do theAPL 220 500 or 800 there will be a certain amount of overlap between the full range and subwoofer systems causing an energy build up in the over lap region Depending on the desired results and the room acoustics this e...

Page 25: ... in near ly all cases the polarity of the subwoofer should be normal that is the same as the APL 220 500 and 800 See Figure 5 NOTE A positive signal applied to pin 2 of the XLR input connector will result in a positive wavefront appearing at the front of an Apogee Subwoofer if the Phase Reverse Switch is set in the normal position This is also true for the APL 220 500 and 800 i e they produce a po...

Page 26: ...ull range speaker system in the overlap region eliminating the low frequency build up It behaves similarly to the 80 Hz high pass switch supplied on Apogee full range powered loud speakers but provides a steeper 24 dB octave roll off c The Subwoofer can be switched out of phase with the full range system This will cause a deep cancellation through the overlap region and is not rec ommended It may ...

Page 27: ...duces the maximum cancellation in one setting and the maximum addition in the opposite setting With the switch set for maximum acoustic addition the two systems should be in time and in phase with one another You will have preserved optimum impulse and phase response and can now filter out any objectionable mid bass overlap with an equalizer 4 Absolute Phase Quite a bit has been written about abso...

Page 28: ...that no parts are exposed It is made out of high grade aluminum and is fastened to the enclo sure with stainless steel screws The stand fitting see figure 7 allows the APL 220 500 or 800 to be placed safely and securely on a tripod or mast style stand fitting that uses a standard 1 5 inch outside diameter O D pipe A metric stand fitting sized to receive a 35mm O D pipe is also available For safety...

Page 29: ...up plied from the factory never use generic screws purchased at a hardware store they are unsafe for this application Nutplates are circular steel plates with a welded 3 8 16 threaded fastener in the center designed to accept 3 8 16 threaded bolts also available in Metric M 10 version Each nutplate can sustain a straight line of force load of 2500 lb before failure An APL 500 weighs 80 lb so if on...

Page 30: ...ely be discarded where they won t be found and re used by someone else In particular forged eyebolts shackles pins and other high carbon steel components are susceptible to fracture if they fall even a few feet onto a hard surface like a concrete floor Play it safe and do not use any questionable components or materials The optional Aeroquip fittings provide a convenient way to suspend the APL 220...

Page 31: ... and easily adjusted vertically and horizontally Figure 8a Adjustable Rigging Beams that support a pair of speakers and allow a con tinuously adjustable horizontal splay angle Figure 8b Modular Arrayable Rigging System MARS rigging frames for building larg er arrays make it easy to add or subtract speakers as needed for changing requirements Figure 8c Please consult your Apogee dealer for more inf...

Page 32: ...an fail in such a way that they continue to reproduce sound but their output becomes noticeably distorted The latter is usually due to deformation of the voice coil resulting in the coil rubbing against the gap In either case driver replace ment is warranted To verify if a driver has failed listen to the system at a moderate level and compare it to another speaker of the same model that is known t...

Page 33: ...peakers in an array After the driver is connected place it carefully over the opening and rotate it to align its holes with the eight threaded inserts in the enclosure Then install the fasteners being careful to tighten them gradually in a cross pattern so as to equalize the force placed on the driver s rim Do not over tighten the fasteners or the driver s rim may become warped Two to three foot p...

Page 34: ...e required test equipment performance may be seriously degraded Replace the compression driver with a new or rebuilt unit by reversing the procedure described above Once the enclosure is fully reassembled test it to verify that it is operating properly by comparing it to a speaker of the same model that is known to be performing properly 2 Processor Amplifier Removal Replacement Before attempting ...

Page 35: ...dule Normally the processor should not be removed under field conditions The circuit boards use SMT devices and cannot easily be repaired If the proces sor is determined to be malfunctioning we recommend replacement of the entire processor assembly Apogee manufactures useful accessories for the APL 220 500 and 800 These include Road Cases Protective Cordura Covers AC Power Cables Rigging Hardware ...

Page 36: ... headphone test set to determine if the source is clean If the source is clean try installing an XLR ground lift adapter to the input cable The audio sounds compressed or distorted and the limit lights are NOT registering Check the input source with an alternate speaker amplifier or a headphone test set to determine if the source is clean Check to be sure the input cable is properly mated Listen t...

Page 37: ...gee APL Full Range Speaker 1 Power Switch 2 Main AC Protection Fuse 3 AC Input Connector Neutrik Powercon NAC3FCA 4 AC Line Voltage Selection Switch 5 AC Output Connection Neutrik Powercon NAC3FCB 1 2 3 4 5 Amplifier Back Panel ...

Page 38: ... System Protection Indicator 3 Amplifier Clip Indicator 4 System Power Indicator 5 Volume Control 6 Ch 2 Mute Switch LF Channel 7 Ch 1 Mute Switch HF Channel 8 Balanced Line Audio Input XLR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 9 10 Balanced Line Audio Loop through XLR High Pass Filter Engagement Switch ...

Page 39: ...39 APL 220 SELF POWERED COMPACT SPEAKER Line Drawings ...

Page 40: ...40 APL 500 SELF POWERED ARRAYABLE SPEAKER ...

Page 41: ...41 APL 800 SELF POWERED ARRAYABLE SPEAKER ...

Page 42: ...roat HF both Ferrofluid treated 500 WRMS LF 500 WRMS HF 75 lb 34 kg 115V AC or 230V AC selection switch on back panel Neutrik Powercon connector 80 lb 36 2 kg 94 lb 42 6 kg 80 Hz 12 dB octave 100 ms integration time long duration protection 3 to 5ms fast acting transient protection XLR active balanced 50k ohms with loop through output connector 125 dB cont 131 dB peak 1m 126 dB cont 132 dB peak 1m...

Page 43: ...OUND INTERNATIONAL MAKES NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND EXPRESS OR IMPLIED AND ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE HEREBY DISCLAIMED AND EXCLUDED Before returning products for warranty or non warranty repair or replacement call the Customer Service Department to obtain a factory issued Return Merchandise Authorization RMA number and make sure the fre...

Page 44: ...50 Spring Street Ramsey NJ 07446 USA Tel 201 934 8500 Fax 201 934 9832 www apogeesound com ...

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