S A F E T Y I N F O R M A T I O N
3
13.
Overload
– It is best not to connect the speaker to an amplifier that can
deliver more than 400W/channel into 8 Ohms. We cannot guarantee against
the possibility that transients delivered by such amplifiers will cause serious
damage that requires service.
If the amplifier is capable of delivering excessive voltage, then any brief
transient can ruin the electrostatic elements. In other words, if the amplifier
can ruin the elements, then it probably will at some point, even when always
playing “not loud”. This can happen from a power-on or power-off transient,
a cable pulled or inserted while the amplifier is on, scraping across even just
one groove on an LP, jarring a microphonic component or cable,
switching
the preamp to a louder source while it is playing, performing tests that
involve sine wave sweeps or impulse signals,
etc.
We can detect this type of damage easily, and it will void the warranty.
14.
YOUR EARS
– Distortion and compression are what make ordinary
speakers seem loud when the volume goes up, but electrostatic speakers do
not do this.
Because your zA1.1’s are capable of producing high sound pressure levels
(SPL) without distortion or compression, it is easy to exceed safe loudness
without noticing. As a general 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 your ears soon after or within a day or so of listening to
loud music, you have damaged your ears, perhaps slightly, but permanently. It
is also possible to damage your ears even without hearing ringing.
It is important to know --
No one notices the usual bits of hearing loss right away after each
overexposure. It adds up over time.
If you don't avoid exposure to loud
sound, then at a relatively young age, music will sound dull, or certain notes
will be missing, or you will hear constant noise in your ears, and you will have
trouble understanding what people are saying, first in noisy places like
restaurants, and then everywhere. If you think you may already have hearing
loss, it’s never too late to stop making it worse.
15 minutes
is the NIOSH and CDC 2002 recommended
maximum
exposure time to a steady SPL of 100 dB
. The time limit is 4 hours at 85
dB. This 4 hour time limit is cut in half for each additional 3 dB in loudness: 2
hours at 88 dB, 1 hour at 91 dB, and so on.
SO PLEASE BE CAREFUL and you will not hurt
your ears and thus
your future enjoyment of music.