THESE NOTES MUST BE READ IN
CONJUNCTION WITH THE CASA
I N S TA L L ATION MANUAL. A FULL COPY
OF WHICH IS AVAILABLE AT
h t t p : / / c l a r i t y. b w s p e a k e r s . c o m
IN T R O D U C T I O N
Thank you for purchasing B&W Active
Ceiling Mount (ACM™) speakers.
Since its foundation in 1966, the
continuing philosophy of B&W has been
the quest for perfect sound re p roduction. It
is our policy to make sure the advanced
f e a t u res pioneered on one product are
incorporated into others we manufacture r.
The ACM™ range incorporates woven
K e v l a r
®
cone mid/bass drive units for
lowest coloration and maximum definition.
H o w e v e r, no matter how good the
speakers themselves, they must work well in
the listening room and time spent on
planning the installation will reap the
re w a rd of many hours listening pleasure .
Please read through this manual fully. It
will help you optimise the perf o rmance of
the system.
UNPACKIN G
( f i g u re 1)
• Fold the top carton flaps right back and
i n v e rt the carton and contents.
• Lift the carton clear of the contents.
• Remove the inner packing
f rom the pro d u c t .
Check the contents:
• 2 x Frame/baffle with drive unit,
amplifier and swing out dogs
• 2 x Loudspeaker grille
• 1 x Alignment template
• 2 x Paint mask
We suggest you retain the packaging for
f u t u re use. Remove the grilles from the
frames and, to avoid damage, keep them
in their plastic bags (and preferably in the
c a rton) away from the work area until you
a re ready to fit them.
PO SI T I O NING –
NEW CONST RUCTION VER S US
RE T R O FI T
Check that there is no conflict with other
ceiling installations
(pipe work, air
conditioning, power-cabling etc.).
In existing construction, use a stud-finding
tool to map the area accurately and a pipe
detector to scan the proposed installation
position. Avoid installing the speakers in
the same cavity of the ceiling as flimsy
ducting, which may be induced to rattle.
The speakers are designed to operate
satisfactorily in a wide range of cavity
volumes, ideally above 15 litres (0.5 cu ft).
The speakers are balanced for half-space
mounting (i.e. flush in a ceiling or soff i t ) .
Placement near a wall/ceiling junction or
in a corner is to be avoided as it may give
rise to too much bass and a boomy quality
to the sound. If possible, keep the
speakers more than 0.5m (20in) from the
ceiling edges.
The following sections give guidance on
optimum positioning, but this may be
modified in line with domestic constraints.
Normal Ceiling Applications
For distributed sound, mount the
loudspeakers in the ceiling. The spacing
will depend on the height of the ceiling
and the level of sound re q u i red. More
speakers played at a lower volume will
give better clarity.
Wa rning: the ACM™ speakers produce a
static magnetic field that extends outside
the speaker boundary. As such they should
not be placed within 0.5m (20in) of
equipment that may be affected by such a
field, e.g Cathode Ray Tubes in TVs and
Personal Computers.
DAMPING THE CAV I TY
Loosely fill the whole section of the ceiling
cavity with wadding. Fibreglass and
mineral wool matting supplied for heat
insulation are suitable, but not closed cell
foam or expanded polystyrene. Check
t h e re is no debris that may fall into the
speaker
(especially in ceiling mount
s i t u a t i o n s ) .
I M P O RTA N T: YOU SHOULD CHECK THAT
THE INSTA L L ATION ITSELF AND THE
M ATERIALS YOU USE MEET THE LOCAL
FIRE AND BUILDING REGULAT I O N S .
FI TT ING THE FRAME
New Construction
Fit the separately available pre-mount kit
(PMKc65 for ACM™ 65, PMKc80 for
ACM™ 80.) to the studding before the
d rywall panels are fitted, following the
i n s t ructions supplied with the kit. The
d rywall panels should be fitted up to the
p re-mount frame and plastered over.
Existing Construction
Push out the slots in the template pro v i d e d .
Position the template on the ceiling as
re q u i red. Mark along the inside edges of
the slots and cut out the apert u re neatly.
All Me t h o d s
( f i g u re 2)
Position the frame in the ceiling and scre w
in the 4 screws visible from the front of the
frame. These screws swing out clamping
dogs that locate behind the dry w a l l .
E n s u re that they have located properly and
tighten the screws. A certain amount of
flexing of the frame is allowed to take up
the unevenness in the mounting surface, but
do not over tighten the screws as excessive
d i s t o rtion of the frame may occur.
CUSTOMI SIN G
The frame and grille have paintable white
semi-matte finish, ready if necessar y to be
refinished to match you own decor. Fit the
paint mask before re-finishing. Do not
refinish the drive units or baffle are a
behind the grille. Avoid touching the drive
units, as damage may re s u l t .
