INSTALLATION PREPARATION - FINISHED CEILING
When the sub will be installed into a finished ceiling, please follow these instructions carefully:
1. Determine Placement
Determine where in the ceiling the speaker will be placed using the recommendations under SUBWOOFER PLACEMENT. Pay careful attention
to the section on avoiding obstructions.
2. Locate Obstructions
Find the joists nearest the desired speaker mounting location. The use of a good stud-finder tool is highly recommended for this procedure.
Make sure that there are no joists or obstructions where you plan to install the speaker. Read “Checking for Obstructions” under the section
SUBWOOFER PLACEMENT.
3. Mark the Hole
Place the cut-out template at the location you have decided to place the speaker. Use a few pieces of
tape or small tacks to hold the template in place. Trace an outline on the ceiling with a pencil.
4. Cutting the Hole
CAUTION: This is the most important part of the entire installation. If you are not certain whether
or not an obstruction exists behind the desired mounting area, you should start by cutting a small
hole in the center of your penciled mounting hole with a drywall saw. Cut at a 45˚ angle towards the
inside of the hole (Diagram 1). Cutting the small hole at this angle will make drywall repair much
easier as the piece cut out can be installed neatly back into the hole. Once you have determined
there are no obstructions in your desired mounting location, start cutting the finished hole at a 90˚
angle to the ceiling surface.
2
INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your purchase of the Proficient ICS11 Ceiling Subwoofer.
The ICS11 is designed to maximize the listening experience in
a home theater or distributed audio system. Reading this manual will help you understand the importance of placement and crossover
calibration, that the optimal balance of volume, frequency response and dispersion can be achieved.
Placing the ICS11 within 3 feet of a corner in the room will result in increased bass output at frequencies that may be desirable for
home theater use. Placement beyond that point will result in smoother, more even bass performance, which is more suitable for music.
Ultimately, the best placement of the ICS11 subwoofer is one that allows it to produce a neutral, uncolored sound.
The ICS11 has 175 watts power handling, with a frequency response of 30Hz to 120Hz. We recommend using the ICS11 with the
Proficient M3 180 watt high-current mono amp with built-in crossover network. It’s important that a quality amplifier-crossover
combination be used for precise detail and a smooth transition from the low frequencies of the other speakers down into the sub-bass
range. As a Proficient installer, you’ll be able to preset the crossover for just the right pass point.
When using the ICS11 with an A/V receiver with an LFE output that connects to the M3 or equivalent amplifier, follow the receiver
manufacturer’s instructions for crossover adjustment. The size of the woofers in the system’s front left and right speakers will dictate the
choice of the best crossover point in the receiver. The larger the woofers, the lower the adjustment. When making the adjustment, it’s
best to listen either to music you’re familiar with or the test tones from the receiver. However, in some receivers the selection of certain
surround modes automatically switches the crossover to a default point.
SUBWOOFER PLACEMENT
Before installing your sub you should consider the placement carefully, taking into account the location electrical, plumbing, and other fixtures.
Placement in ceiling: Before mounting your ICS11 you should consider what affects the room (and the location of the speaker in that room) will
have upon the amount of bass augmentation you would like to achieve. You many want to consider the location of the satellites as well since
the same principles will apply to the bass from those speakers.
The music we hear as bass is made up of frequencies that have long to very long wavelengths (6ft. to 50ft.). Therefore when a speaker is placed
into a room, its position in the room will affect the amount of bass perceived by the listener. In other words placing the speaker in some area
of a room will result in more bass than in other areas of the same room. The more surfaces (wall, ceiling, floors) a speaker is placed next too,
the more bass you will hear. An in-wall/in-ceiling speaker mounted in the center of a wall (or ceiling) will gain 3dB of bass if it is moved up the
wall (across the ceiling) to where it is adjacent to the ceiling (wall). You can then gain 3dB additional bass by moving the speaker to the corner,
where the intersection of three surfaces occurs.
The result is that a speaker placed in a corner will have up to 6dB more apparent bass than the same speaker mounted in the center of a wall or ceiling.
INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS - SPEAKER WIRE
Prior to the actual installation of the subwoofer, it will be necessary to run cables to the speaker location. Use 16AWG (min) two-conductor
stranded speaker wire for runs up to 150 feet, 14AWG up to 400 feet and 12AWG up to 1,000 feet.
Diagram 1