Speaker Placement
The AIM Series 2 speakers can be used in a wide
variety of home theater and distributed audio
installations.
Installation Considerations
Before installing your speakers, you should consider
the placement carefully, taking into account the
location of electrical, plumbing and other fixtures,
as well as studs. Contact your dealer for assistance
if you are not sure of the best locations in your
particular room or home environment.
Surface Preparation
For unfinished ceilings and walls, a new
construction bracket (available from your dealer)
may be installed prior to drywall where a speaker
will be located.
For finished ceilings and walls, mark the cut-out using the template included in the box. CAUTION: If you
are not certain if an obstruction exists behind the desired mounting area, you should start by cutting a
small hole in the center of your penciled mounting hole. Cut with your blade at a 45˚ degree angle to
the surface material pointing inward towards the center of the hole (See Figure 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 place. Insert a rigid wire through the hole to locate any obstructions. Once you have determined
that there are no obstructions in your desired mounting location, cut the finished hole at a 90˚ degree
angle.
Speaker Installation
Prior to actual installation of your AIM Series 2 speakers, it will be necessary to run speaker wire
(recommended 14 gauge, two-conductor cable) to the speaker locations.
1. Remove the magnetically attached grille.
2. Attach the speaker wire, observing the proper polarity with your amplifier, + to + and – to -.
3. Make sure the correct amplifier channel is connected to the correct, speaker, (left channel of the
amplifier is connected to the left speaker, and the right channel is connected to the right speaker).
On dual tweeter speakers (for example, the AIM273DT), either channel may be attached to either
terminal set, however, be sure the polarity (+ and -) is correct for each channel or the performance
of the speaker will be seriously affected, as one channel will cancel out the other.
4. Make sure the mounting feet are turned inward to clear the ceiling or wall opening, and insert the
speaker. Tighten the mounting screws on front of the baffle. CAUTION: Over tightening may warp the
baffle, crack the wall surface, cause flange to distort, and make installation difficult.
5. After all your speaker adjustments have been made, install the grille back into place.
Speaker Adjustments
NOTE: The speaker adjustments below are featured on select models only.
The woofer rotates and pivots up to 15° in almost any position. Simply apply pressure with fingertips to
the outer surface of the Pivot Ball and move the speaker to the desired position.
Once the woofer is positioned, pivot and rotate the ARC Tweeter Array™ and WavePlane™ to further
adjust the direction of the sound into the room toward the listening area. The ARC Tweeter Array and
WavePlane rotate as one unit up to 359°. You may further pivot the ARC Tweeter Array an additional 12°
by pushing gently on its edges.
The acoustic compensation switch labeled TREBLE allows for 6dB of tweeter adjustment. The factory
setting is set at 0dB (neutral) of treble. If you desire less treble, slide the switch to the - position for -3dB of
treble, if you desire additional treble, slide the switch to the + position for +3dB of treble. Slide the switch
to the middle position if you choose to keep the frequency at a neutral level.
The acoustic compensation switch labeled VOICE provides for additional definition at critical midrange
frequencies. This is typically activated for home theater center speaker applications. Select the +
position to enhance the vocal range of the actors, select the o position to keep the frequency at a
neutral level.
SR Models feature an acoustic compensation switch labeled SURROUND which allows for a more
diffused sound or more direct sound to be created from the speaker. Use the <> (Diffuse) setting when
using the speaker as a “side effects loudspeaker”, and use the >< (Direct) setting when using the
speaker as a “rear effects loudspeaker”.
Painting the Grilles
We recommend that you paint your grilles prior to installation. If you decide to paint them in the future,
it is best to remove them by simply detaching them from the speaker. When painting your grilles, great
care should be taken not to clog the holes, as this will greatly reduce sound quality of the speaker.
Before painting the grilles, remove the cloth material under grille, then place it back into position after
painting. SpeakerCraft recommends only light spray painting using five parts thinning agent to one part
paint. Do not paint the grilles while they are attached to the speaker. If it is necessary to paint the cloth
material under the grille, follow the same procedure used for painting the grilles.
Congratulations on selecting SpeakerCraft AIM Series 2 architectural
loudspeakers for your audio Installation. Thousands of hours of mechanical
and acoustical engineering, along with over 38 years of architectural
loudspeaker business acumen, have gone into the creation of what you
have in front of you. In addition to the unrivaled sound quality and the
virtually unlimited sound directivity and control offered by the AIM Series 2, we
guarantee a lifetime of worry-free listening from this speaker.
(Figure 2)
EXPLODED VIEW
359°
Woofer (pivots 15°)
WavePlane
ARC Tweeter Array
SIDE VIEW OF CEILING
First Cut
Second Cut
(Figure 1)
12°