1/28/2015
Model zA1.1 Electrostatic Hybrid Loudspeaker Passive Version
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WNER
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ANUAL
Page 1: ...1 28 2015 Model zA1 1 Electrostatic Hybrid Loudspeaker Passive Version OWNER S MANUAL ...
Page 2: ...y in PDF form in order to save trees and not burden people with even more paper than they are already barraged with If you d like a printed copy and do not have a color printer there are FedEx Office and Staples stores nearly everywhere that can do the printing job at low cost you can email them the file or bring it to them on a disk or thumb drive We hope this is alright with everyone ...
Page 3: ... and metal surfaces 8 Grill cloth 8 Warnings 8 Quick Start 9 A good starting setup 9 Tips 10 Connecting and Powering 12 Binding Posts 12 Cables 12 Power Cords 12 Powering 13 Setup Details 15 Stereo Image 15 Room Compensation 16 Exaggerated Treble 16 Exaggerated Bass 16 Room Boom and Suck Out 16 Features and Specifications 18 Warranty 21 ...
Page 4: ...TE REGULATORY COMPLIANCE AND THUS RENDER THE SPEAKERS UNSUITABLE FOR HOME USE THIS INCLUDES KEEPING THE GRILLS INTACT WARNING JANSZEN SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY PHYSICAL DAMAGES OR INJURY THAT OCCURS AS A RESULT OF MISUSE DISASSEMBLY OR UNAUTHORIZED CHANGES OR MODIFICATIONS MADE TO THESE SPEAKERS WARNING CONTINUOUS EXPOSURE TO LOUD SOUND CAUSES HEARING DAMAGE WARNING AMPLIFIERS CAN DELIVER H...
Page 5: ...cular avoid spraying anything anywhere near the speakers 9 Power cords As with any power cords they should be routed so that they are not likely to be walked on or pinched by heavy objects It is also important to prevent access from animals or children that may chew or otherwise damage the power cords 10 Liquids Care should be taken not to spill liquids onto the speakers 11 Foreign objects Care sh...
Page 6: ...eral rule if you can feel the bass in your belly or if you have to shout to be heard by a person sitting next to you it might be too loud A pair of zA1 1 speakers can produce a peak SPL of over 105 dB even in a fairly large room 111dB in a small room and with some kinds of music a steady level over 100 dB is possible This can damage your ears permanently and fairly quickly If you hear ringing in y...
Page 7: ...quality sound level meter such as we use ourselves at modest cost Radio Shack also offers one There are also apps for smart phones that work as sound level meters and spectrum analyzers although they will probably miss the high frequency extremes due to microphone quality Follow the instructions for the device or app to make sure your readings are valid ...
Page 8: ...materials and techniques and are ready to bring you consistent unwavering performance for decades to come Please feel free to keep in touch with us letting us know anything you d like to tell about your listening experiences or about great amplifiers source gear or music that you have found suit you and the speakers particularly well We re also here to help with any setup challenges or other quest...
Page 9: ...ts long side with the flaps up which matches the this side up markings on the sides of the carton and slice through the tape to free the flaps We ll call this side the top 3 Remove the power cords 4 Bend the flaps back as far as possible If you are working alone the next steps will be easier if you tape the flaps down against the sides of the carton 5 Roll the carton completely over so that the to...
Page 10: ...tructions Grills The speakers are designed to offer optimal sound reproduction with the grills in place and they also help protect the electrostatic elements both from mechanical damage and from collecting particulates from the air The grills are permanently installed Any attempt to remove them will cause irreparable damage ...
Page 11: ...but do not spray anything directly onto the speakers Dampen a soft cloth with your solvent or solution of choice and wipe gently with that Grill cloth The grill cloth can be vacuumed directly with a brush attachment Warnings Do not spray anything near the grill cloth Any sort of cleaner or water mist can harm the speakers if it gets through the grill cloth The grills cannot be removed Any attempt ...
Page 12: ...fi in an attempt to standardize things In reality it makes little difference other than the obvious namely stage width Slightly toed out from your listening position so that their axes cross a foot or two behind you Distance from front wall o Stand mount Set the rear compensation switch to Stand mount Positioned close to the front wall with the rearmost corner between 24 and 32 inches 60 to 80 cm ...
Page 13: ...at said an 18W parallel 300B SET will somewhat surprisingly produce adequate volume levels for small ensemble music in a large room so if what you own now is a tube amplifier with relatively low power it s worth waiting until you hear it with these speakers before shopping for a new amplifier Tips The tweeter level changes quickly with control increases but very slowly to decreases For decreases t...
Page 14: ...ade using a Blumlein microphone arrangement a 90 angle between the speakers is best although this is hard to arrange in most rooms without sitting very close to the speakers which not everyone will want to do and where the drivers do not converge as well in time In many cases a very wide arrangement is just more enjoyable for the extra soundstage width and the image is always crisp enough to suppo...
Page 15: ...lly alright Note that the resistance inductance and capacitance of zip cord are at least ten times better than needed to avoid influence on the sound Note also that if hardware store wire is your thing two parallel runs of more commonly available 16 gauge wire is about the same as 13 gauge i e quite close to 12 gauge We offer well made cables at a reasonable price These are 12 gauge heavy jacketed...
Page 16: ...ed without concern for converting adapting the voltage Powering As implied in the previous section the speakers must be powered to obtain sound from the electrostatic elements You may note that there is an on off power switch The speakers may be left powered on at all times without harm but if they will be left idle for an extended time or if the air often contains smoke or other contaminants it i...
Page 17: ...corded ambiance with well conserved phase information a potential drawback is the perception of a closed in soundstage extending only from one speaker to the other The airLayer option comprises a high grade dome tweeter mounted on one side of each speaker restricted to about a 2 kHz to 6 kHz frequency range firing sideways toward its near side wall The purpose of bouncing some sound off the side w...
Page 18: ... and the listening position On the other hand there is a strong argument that this angle was simply made up for no good reason other than memorability and everyone should use whatever they want It is very important to avoid the use of a high backed chair that will reflect unwanted sound into your ears with practically no delay even when the headrest appears to be made of soft sound absorbent mater...
Page 19: ...s the cure for this and the topic is covered well in many places on line and in print You can also try reversing the positions of the speakers placing the even serial numbered unit on the left and the odd on the right then aiming them so their axes cross a couple or a few feet ahead of your listening position rather than behind it By aiming the speakers more at the far side walls than the near one...
Page 20: ... 15 degrees relative to the walls or both Fore and aft adjustment of the listening triangle will also have an effect By changing one s seating height one can get one s ears more or less away from where the floor ceiling mode has its strongest effect One can either retain the horizontal positioning of the speakers thus moving your ear height in lock step with the speaker height or tilt the speaker ...
Page 21: ...t order 500 Hz far below the disturbance sensitive hearing region of 1 kHz 3 kHz entire midrange and treble carried by the electrostatic elements minimum phase operation through crossover region Secondary partial crossover 1st order at 5 kHz limits upper treble from half width of ESL panel controls dispersion and flattens response without an electrical rolloff network airLayer rolls off 2nd order ...
Page 22: ...roperly damped unlike see through electrostatics Introduces absolutely no midrange or treble coloration and distortion is far below audibility Will not lose its tension or degrade over time o 1 5 way tweeter mid design controls horizontal dispersion and eliminates electrical EQ network Woofers o Two identical 18 cm 7 low mass alloy cone extra low distortion low inductance high resolution drivers w...
Page 23: ...ted or conducted noise to affect your other components Weight 16 kg 35 lbs each Dimensions 43 cm high x 20 cm wide x 33 cm deep 17 H x 8 W x 13 D Heirloom quality materials and finishes used throughout for lifetime operation yet all are recyclable Designed engineered and made in the USA Warranty 5 years on all components against defects in materials and manufacturing Modular construction and simpl...
Page 24: ...mage shall be reported to JansZen either verbally in text graphically or photographically as required to accurately convey the description iii At JansZen s sole discretion the damaged goods may be returned to JansZen for inspection or inspected on site if this is in accordance with the shipping freight company s policies iv At JansZen s sole discretion the damaged goods may be repaired or replaced...
Page 25: ...or repaired units will assume the remaining warranty period or 90 days whichever is longer IV Satisfaction warranty If the buyer wishes to return the speakers within 30 days of acceptance for any reason they may be shipped to JansZen at the buyer s cost in its original condition and packing materials If there is no damage traceable to the owner the refund will be in full If there is such damage re...