Bowers & Wilkins CDS6 S3, Owner'S Manual

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English
Limited Warranty
Dear customer,
Welcome to B&W.
This product has been designed and
manufactured to the highest quality
standards. However, if something does go
wrong with this product, B&W
Loudspeakers and its national distributors
warrant free of charge labour (exclusion
may apply) and replacement parts in any
country served by an official B&W
distributor.
This limited warranty is valid for a period of
five years from the date of purchase or two
years for electronics including amplified
loudspeakers.
Terms and Conditions
1 The warranty is limited to the repair of
the equipment. Neither transportation,
nor any other costs, nor any risk for
removal, transportation and installation
of products is covered by this warranty.
2 This warranty is only valid for the
original owner. It is not transferable.
3 This warranty will not be applicable in
cases other than defects in materials
and/or workmanship at the time of
purchase and will not be applicable:
a. for damages caused by incorrect
installation, connection or packing,
b. for damages caused by any use other
than correct use described in the user
manual, negligence, modifications, or
use of parts that are not made or
authorised by B&W,
c. for damages caused by faulty or
unsuitable ancillary equipment,
d. for damages caused by accidents,
lightning, water, fire heat, war, public
disturbances or any other cause
beyond the reasonable control of B&W
and its appointed distributors,
e. for products whose serial number has
been altered, deleted, removed or
made illegible,
f. if repairs or modifications have been
executed by an unauthorised person.
4 This guarantee complements any
national/regional law obligations of
dealers or national distributors and
does not affect your statutory rights as
a customer.
How to claim repairs under
warranty
Should service be required, please follow
the following procedure:
1 If the equipment is being used in the
country of purchase, you should
contact the B&W authorised dealer
from whom the equipment was
purchased.
2 If the equipment is being used outside
the country of purchase, you should
contact B&W national distributor in the
country of residence who will advise
where the equipment can be serviced.
You can call B&W in the UK or visit our
web site to get the contact details of
your local distributor.
To validate your warranty, you will need to
produce this warranty booklet completed
and stamped by your dealer on the date of
purchase. Alternatively, you will need the
original sales invoice or other proof of
ownership and date of purchase.
Owner’s manual
Introduction
Thank you for choosing Bowers & Wilkins.
We are confident that you will enjoy many
years of listening pleasure from your
speakers, but please read this manual fully
before installing them. It will help you
optimise their performance.
B&W maintains a network of dedicated
distributors in over 60 countries who will be
able to help you should you have any
problems your dealer cannot resolve.
Unpacking
(figure 1)
• Fold the carton flaps right back and
invert the carton and contents.
• Lift the carton clear of the contents and
remove the inner packaging from the
speakers.
We suggest you retain the packing for
future use.
Operation
The CDS6 S3 is specifically designed as an
in-wall surround speaker for multi-channel
audio and home theatre installations.
Surround speakers generally fall into two
main types – those that one might describe
as 'normal' speakers – so-called
monopoles, where the sound comes from a
set of drive units mounted on the front of
the enclosure – and those that give a more
diffuse sound field, such as dipoles. Each
type has its advantages.
Most multi-channel music is recorded with
home entertainment in mind and is
monitored using monopole surround
speakers, whatever the multi-channel
recording format. This enables better
location of side and rear images, although
the formation of such images is never quite
as precise as it is between the front
speakers.
Most films are originally balanced for
cinemas, where a large number of speakers
spread around the auditorium are used to
create the surround sound field. In that
case there are more surround speakers
than there are discrete channels of
information and a less precise image is
created that gives an all-enveloping effect.
Dipoles and similar diffuse speakers are
better at recreating this type of sound field
in the home, but using fewer speakers to
do it. Image positioning with these types of
speaker is never as precise as it can be
with monopoles. However, they do have the
advantage of making it easier to balance
the system for a larger listening area.
You may well receive conflicting advice
from different sources on the best type of
surround speaker to use. The truth is that
there is no one perfect solution for all
situations and the final choice for any given
application will be influenced by several
criteria, some of which may have a degree
of conflict. The CDS6 S3 has the
advantage of offering a choice of both
monopole and dipole operation via a switch
located on the front baffle, behind the
removable grille. You may therefore choose
whichever type of operation best suits the
conditions of the listening room, the size of
audience and the type of programme being
played. Indeed, you may even change the
characteristic for different types of
programme and, as the total energy into
the room is the same in both modes, no
recalibration of the installation is necessary
when switching between them.
In monopole mode, only the two drive units
on the front face operate. In dipole mode,
the front tweeter is disconnected; the two
side firing drivers are brought into operation
and the crossover frequency to the bass
unit is lowered. The side units are
connected out of phase with one another,
which creates a wedge-shaped null zone at
right angles to the wall. If the listeners sit
within this zone, they become less aware of
the location of the speakers and hear more
reflected sound; hence the diffuse nature of
the sound field.
Positioning
Ascertain the optimum position for the
speakers before permanently fixing them in
place.
In order to successfully enable both modes
of operation, the speakers should be
placed so that the listeners sit within the
null zone of dipole operation.
5.1 format (figure 2)
Place each of the speakers to the side and
slightly behind the centre of the listening
area.
6.1 and 7.1 formats (figure 3)
We recommend the use of 4 surround
speakers, even when using a 6.1 format.
Place the side speakers in line with the
centre of the listening area.
Place the rear speakers behind the listening
area within the angle limits shown in the
diagram.
All formats
The surround speakers will normally be
placed approximately 60cm (2 ft) above ear
height. (figure 4) Higher positions may be
used if necessary and the CDS6 S3 may
readily be fitted into a cavity ceiling if
desired.
The speakers are handed in terms of which
side the positive and negative dipole lobes
are projected. Indication is via an arrow on
the label at the back of the speaker, which
points towards the positive lobe. (figure 5)
To optimise the smoothness of sounds
panning from the front of the room to the
2