1
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for purchasing B&W Custom Ceiling
Mount (CCM™) speakers.
Since its foundation in 1966, the continuing
philosophy of B&W has been the quest for
perfect sound reproduction. Inspired by the
company’s founder, the late John Bowers, this
quest has entailed not only high investment in
audio technology and innovation but also an
abiding appreciation of music to ensure that the
technology is put to maximum effect.
It is also our policy to make sure the advanced
features pioneered on one product are
incorporated into others we manufacture. The
CCM™ range incorporates woven Kevlar
®
cone
mid/bass drive units for lowest coloration and
maximum definition.
However, no matter how good the speakers
themselves, they must work well into the listening
room and time spent on planning the installation
will reap the reward of many hours listening
pleasure. Please read through this manual fully.
It will help you optimise the performance of
the system.
B&W distribute to over 50 countries worldwide
and maintain a network of dedicated distributors
who will be able to help should you have any
problems your dealer cannot resolve.
UNPACKING
(figure 1)
• Fold the top carton flaps right back and invert
the carton and contents.
• Lift the carton clear of the contents.
• Remove the inner packing from the product.
Check the contents:
• 2x Baffle with drive units, crossover
• 2x Frame with swing out dogs
• 2x Loudspeaker grille
• 1x Alignment template
• 2x Paint mask
We suggest you retain the packaging for future
use. Remove the grilles from the wall frames and,
to avoid damage, keep them in their plastic
bags (and preferably in the carton) away from
the work area until you are ready to fit them.
POSITIONING – NEW
CONSTRUCTION VERSUS RETROFIT
Check that there is no conflict with other in-wall
installations (pipe work, air conditioning, power-
cabling etc.). In existing construction, use a
stud-finding tool to map the wall construction
accurately and a pipe detector to scan the
proposed installation position. Avoid installing
the speakers in the same cavity of the wall as
flimsy ducting, which may be induced to rattle.
The speakers are designed to operate satis-
factorily 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 soffit).
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
required. More speakers played at a lower level
will give better clarity.
Home Theatre Surround Speaker
Applications
The sound from surround speakers should be as
diffuse as possible. This ensures that the frontal
audio image is not distorted by changes of
listener position or head movements. The
speakers should generally be placed behind and
0.6m (2ft) or more above ear height. Ceiling
mounting often gives good results in this
application. The orientation is less important in
this application than in other cases.
WARNING
:
The CCM™ speakers produce a
static magnetic field that extends outside the
cabinet 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 WALL CAVITY
In addition, 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 that there is no
debris that may fall into the speaker (especially
in ceiling mount situations).
IMPORTANT: YOU SHOULD CHECK THAT THE
MATERIALS YOU USE MEET THE LOCAL FIRE
AND BUILDING REGULATIONS.
FITTING THE WALL FRAME
New Construction
Fit the separately available pre-mount kit –
(PMKc ™50 for CCM™50, PMKc ™65 for
CCM™65, PMKc™80 for CCM™80) to the
studding before the drywall panels are fitted,
following the instructions supplied with the kit.
The drywall panels should be fitted up to the
pre-mount frame and plastered over.
Existing Construction
Push out the slots in the template provided.
Position the template on the ceiling as required.
Mark along the inside edges of the slots and cut
out the aperture neatly.
All Methods
(figure 2)
Position the frame in the ceiling and screw in the
4 screws visible from the front of the frame.
These screws swing out clamping dogs that
locate behind the drywall. Ensure that they
have located properly and tighten the screws.
A certain amount of flexing of the frame is
allowed to take up unevenness in the mounting
surface, but do not over tighten the screws as
excessive distortion of the frame may occur.
CUSTOMISING
The frame has a paintable white semi-matte
finish, ready if necessary to be re-finished to
match your own decor. Fit the paint mask before
re-finishing. Do not re-finish the drive units or
baffle area behind the grille. Avoid touching the
drive units, as damage may result.
CONNECTIONS
All connections should be made with the
equipment switched off.
The terminals accept bare wires. Connect the
red (+ve) terminal to the positive terminal of
the amplifier and the black (-ve) to the negative.
Failure to observe correct polarity will result
in ill-defined panning of sounds and strange
phase effects.
When choosing cable, keep the total electrical
impedance (out and back) below the maximum
recommended in the specification. Ask your
dealer for advice, as the optimum cable will
depend on the length required. Cut off excess
length and tie down loose cable to prevent
rattles.
HF Controls
The switch on the front baffle (on the rear for the
CCM™50) provides a boost or cut in the
speaker’s high-frequency output. Use it to adjust
the high-frequency level to compensate for
severely off axis positioned speakers or heavy
wall coverings (Boost) or speakers positioned in
highly sound reflective rooms (Cut). In addition
the tweeter assembly on the CCM™65 and
CCM™80 can be swivelled to adjust the off
axis treble response by “aiming” the tweeter
towards the listening area.
