placed so that listeners are sitting in the NULL of their radiation pattern, halfway in between the speakers. In other words,
contrary to normal practice, the drivers (which are covered by the grilles) point at the front and rear walls of the room,
NOT at the listeners.
This configuration prevents listeners from localizing the surround speakers as a direct source of sound. Instead, the
listeners are enveloped by a diffuse ambient soundfield, hearing only indirect sound reflected from various room sur-
faces.
Therefore, the grilles should point towards the front and rear room walls, with the cabinet side that is a plain wood
panel "pointed" at the listeners, and the side with the speaker input terminals and the mounting brackets facing the clos-
est side wall.
a. POSITION RELATIVE TO SEATING
The SS-500 speakers should be located
adjacent to the seating position. If there is one row of
seats, the SS--500s should be located directly to the
left and to the right of this row of seats. See Figure 1.
If there are multiple rows of seats, then the SS-500s
should be located directly to the left and right of the
geometric center of the listening area. See Figure 2.
The effective null of the speakers is rather wide, so
the enveloping characteristic covers a reasonably
broad area.
If the SS-500s cannot be located exactly adja-
cent to the seating area, it is better for them to be
located slightly towards the back of the room, behind
the listening positions, rather than in the front of the
room, between the listening position and the screen.
b. HEIGHT
In general, the SS-500 should be located near the ceiling. Placement above the listeners' heads is very important,
with the cabinet's bottom at least two feet above a seated listener's head. In fact, if at all possible, the speakers should
be located above a standing listener's head, so that people walking around the room will be unable to localize them.
Remember that this speaker should produce an enveloping, non-directional sound, so there is no requirement that
it be located in any way near to the listeners.
4. INSTALLATION OF YOUR SS-500 SPEAKERS
Your M&K SS-500s can be installed in a variety of ways. Choosing the correct location, however, is extremely
critical. READ SECTION 5 (page 6) BEFORE DECIDING WHERE TO INSTALL YOUR SS-500s.
They can be placed on tall stands (not supplied by M&K); shelves or bookcases; or more permanently mounted
using brackets or a ceiling suspension system. To make their installation as easy as possible, we have provided integral
flush-mount brackets that allow you to install the SS-500 quickly and securely.
Your SS-500 speakers have two flush-mount wall brackets attached to each cabinet, mounted on the side that sits
against (or closest to) the side wall. Enclosed with your speakers is a kit consisting of four matching brackets that attach
directly to the wall, as well as all necessary mounting screws and drywall inserts.
In order to use these brackets, first see the enclosed template, and follow these instructions. The initial step is to
determine where you will locate your SS-500s. See Section 4 (page 5), for guidelines on where to locate the speakers.
Then, using the template sheet enclosed, mark holes on the wall where the brackets will be permanently mounted.
Ideally, one set of these holes should go into a wall stud, to give you the greatest strength. The size of the SS-500
cabinet, however, does not allow both brackets to go into conventionally spaced studs. If you will use a stud, locate
its center.
DIPOLE SURROUND SPEAKER
Left
Center
Right
Left
Surround
Right
Surround
FIGURE 2
4
