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W A T C H   D

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W n e r

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A n u A l

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W i l s o n   A u d i o   S p e c i a l t i e s

er ensures the most seamless integration with your Wilson Audio loudspeakers. The 

WATCH Dog system is the only sub designed specifically to match the inherent quality 

of the Sophia, WATT/Puppy, MAXX, and, in many instances, the Alexandria X-2. 

Applications

One of Wilson Audio’s most important criteria in speaker development is that a 

speaker meets the accuracy and dynamic demands of studio monitoring, analytical 

hardware and software evaluation, and of course, critical music and theater soundtrack 

listening. The WATCH Dog has been designed to deliver all of the speed, dynamics, and 

musical accuracy to satisfy even the most demanding music lovers. 

The WATCH Dog has  been engineered to take full advantage of today’s multi-

channel surround formats, including the latest AC-3 (Dolby Digital) and DTS (Digital 

Theater Systems) formats.   

It will provide years of satisfaction whether listening to two-channel audio, multi-

channel audio, or to the latest movie sound track.

Section 1.2 – WATCH Package

WATCH Center

Specifically designed to excel at center channel functions, WATCH Center is ex-

tremely dynamic with high sensitivity and robost power handling. Unlike most center 

channels, it provides listeners not only with optimal on-axis response, but also smooth, 

linear, off-axis performance. This is, in part, a result of Wilson PDC™ (Phase Delay 

Correction) technology first developed for the WAMM

®

 and X-1 Grand SLAMM

®

 sys-

tems and later applied to the rest of the Wilson Line. PDC allows for optimal tuning 

of a loudspeaker for various listening distances and heights and gives listeners much 

greater control over their sound.

The WATCH Center was designed from the ground up as a center channel. It is 

10

Summary of Contents for Watch Dog

Page 1: ...WAT C H D o g O w n e r s M a n u a l ...

Page 2: ...an d t h e Sales and Ma r ke ti ng Department The information co n t ain ed h erein is su bject t o ch an g e w ithout n oti ce Current Revision 3 0 If you are in n eed o f a mo re recen t man u al ple a se con tact your dealer The information in this manual is the so le pro per t y o f W ilso n Au dio Specialtie s Inc An y reproduction in whole or in pa r t wit h o u t t h e express wr it t en pe...

Page 3: ... n 2 1 P r e p a r a t i o n 1 5 U n c r a t i n g t h e W AT C H D o g 1 5 S e c t i o n 3 I n Y o u r R o o m 1 7 S e c t i o n 3 1 T h e W i l s o n A u d i o S e t u p P r o c e d u r e 1 9 F i n a l L i s t e n i n g R o o m S e t u p V o i c i n g 1 9 Z o n e o f N e u t r a l i t y 1 9 S e c t i o n 3 2 R o o m A c o u s t i c s 2 1 S l a p E ch o 2 1 S t a n d i n g W a v e s 2 3 C o m b F...

Page 4: ...d P r o c e s s o r 3 9 B y p a s s i n g T h e H i g h P a s s F i l t e r 3 9 U t i l i z i n g T h e H i g h P a s s F i l t e r 4 0 S e c t i o n 4 3 I n i t i a l S e t u p S u m m a r y 4 1 S u m m a r y 4 1 S e c t i o n 5 1 W ATC H D o g S p i k e s 4 5 S e c t i o n 6 C a r e o f t h e F i n i sh 4 7 S e c t i o n 6 1 C a r e o f t h e F i n i sh 4 9 D u s t i n g t h e W AT C H D o g 4 9...

Page 5: ...I n f o r m a t i o n 5 7 S e c t i o n 8 1 W a r r a n t y I n f o r m a t i o n 5 9 L i m i t e d W a r r a n t y 5 9 C o n d i t i o n s 5 9 R e m e d y 6 0 W a r r a n t y L i m i t e d t o O r i g i n a l P u r ch a s e r 6 0 D e m o n s t r a t i o n E q u i p m e n t 6 1 M i s c e l l a n e o u s 6 1 ...

Page 6: ...Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s ...

Page 7: ...S e c t i o n 1 I n t r o d u c t i o n ...

Page 8: ...WAT C H D o g O w n e r s M a n u a l 8 Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s ...

Page 9: ...the Wilson Controller active crossover The Controller s comprehensive control allows the WATCH Dog to be optimized for both music and multi channel applications even within the same system The Controller s adjustments allow critical setup ensuring the best possible perfor mance in a wide range of rooms and with a variety of speakers The fact is you haven t truly experienced home theater until you ...

Page 10: ...tage of today s multi channel surround formats including the latest AC 3 Dolby Digital and DTS Digital Theater Systems formats It will provide years of satisfaction whether listening to two channel audio multi channel audio or to the latest movie sound track Section 1 2 WATCH Package WATCH Center Specifically designed to excel at center channel functions WATCH Center is ex tremely dynamic with hig...

Page 11: ...w heights Unlike most surround speak ers WATCH Surround is more than a noisemaker It brings accuracy dynamics and emotion to your theater and with its gorgeous Wilsongloss finish it looks right at home on your wall The greatest challenge for any wall mount loudspeaker is accounting for the del eterious interaction with the wall and ceiling as well as degradation caused by the mount itself This cau...

Page 12: ...id erations with superior sonic quality It is this approach that distinguishes Wil son Audio products As a part of a truly high end multi channel system or in a music system the WATCH products offer unparalleled performance quality of build and longevity Wilson Audio delivers a product that maintains the strictest structural tolerances durability and reliability You will have consistent repeatable...

Page 13: ...S e c t i o n 2 U n c r a t i n g y o u r WAT C H D o g ...

Page 14: ...WAT C H D o g O w n e r s M a n u a l 14 Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s ...

Page 15: ...is positioned be tween the casters on the bottom of the WATCH Dog The WATCH Dog will not roll out of the crate with this packing material in place 2 Rotate the crate so that the WATCH Dog is upright 3 While one person holds the crate another person should gently roll the WATCH Dog out of the crate Be careful not to scratch the sides of the painted enclosure 4 Move the WATCH Dog into the desired lo...

Page 16: ...Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s ...

Page 17: ...S e c t i o n 3 I n Yo u r R o o m ...

Page 18: ...WAT C H D o g O w n e r s M a n u a l 18 Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s 18 ...

Page 19: ...om acoustics and their interactions with loudspeakers While we will also outline some detailed suggestions on the setup of the WATCH Dog we strongly suggest that you have your local Wilson Audio dealer perform the final speaker voicing with you Wilson dealers are specially trained in setting up Wilson loudspeakers and will ensure that you realize the full value of your purchase What follows is an ...

Page 20: ...precisely localize the exact origin of your voice When you hear this transition you have entered the inner edge of the Zone of Neutrality Place a piece of tape on the floor to mark this location Although it will vary from room to room the zone in most rooms begins between two and a half to three feet from the rear wall 4 Continue to walk slowly away from the rear wall After some distance usually o...

Page 21: ...the wall and becomes wider If you were to extend the inner and outer boundaries of the Zone for the sidewalls and the front wall behind the speakers they would intersect After you complete this proce dure for the other loudspeaker you will now have two rectangles one on the floor on either side of the room Section 3 2 Room Acoustics Note The following section contains general information on room a...

Page 22: ...eflective nature only occasionally interrupted by curtains wall art or drapes The best but least prac tical solution to eliminate slap echo is nonparallel walls This is because rather than support slap echo nonparallel walls allow the sound to diffuse This approach can be accounted for during the construction process For existing rooms slap echo can also be controlled entirely by the application o...

Page 23: ...en sound Some diffusers due to their construction create narrow midrange peaks and suck out the warmth region Do not use diffusers on the wall behind the speakers or on the sidewalls directly beside the speakers It is our experience that all of these room treat ment devices should be used judiciously Standing Waves Another type of reflection phenomenon is standing waves Standing waves cause the un...

Page 24: ...to leak out of the room through windows and doors In general placement of the speaker in a corner will excite the maximal number of standing waves in a room and is to be avoided for most direct radiator full range loudspeaker systems Some benefit is achieved by placing the stereo pair of loudspeak ers slightly asymmetrically in the listening room This is so the standing waves caused by the distanc...

Page 25: ...he comb filter effect will notch out portions of the audio spectrum at lin early spaced intervals Subjectively comb filter effect evidences itself as follows Added roughness to the sound Reduction of harmonic richness Smearing of lateral soundstage image focus and placement Comb filter effects are often caused by side wall reflections They are best con S e ct i o n 3 I n Y o u r R o o m Figure 3 C...

Page 26: ...apping the wall with the palm of your hand or stomping on the floor Most rooms exhibit mid bass boom when struck The loudspeaker playing in the room also ex cites these resonances To give you an idea of what the perfect wall would sound like imagine rapping your hand against the side of a mountain Structural wall resonances generally occur in the low to mid bass frequencies and add a false fullnes...

Page 27: ...om coloration Custom designed bass traps such as perforated Helmholtz resonators provide the greatest degree of low frequency control Section 3 4 Your Room Room Shapes Standing waves are pressure waves propagated by the interaction of sound and op posing parallel walls This interaction creates patterns of low and high acoustical pres sure zones that accentuate and attenuate particular frequencies ...

Page 28: ...ooms the preferred speaker position for spatial placement and midrange resolution would be on the longer walls Bass response would be reinforced by speaker placement on the short walls In many cases L shaped rooms see Figure 4 offer the best environment for speaker setup Ideally speakers should be set up along the primary longest leg of the room They should fire from the end of the leg short wall ...

Page 29: ...ows work best as this will allow a single chair to be positioned in the center This approach will also provide the best overall sound for the greatest number of seats Speaker Placement Versus Listening Position The location of your listening position is as important as the careful setup of your Wilson Audio loudspeakers The listening position should ideally be no more than 1 1 to 1 25 times the di...

Page 30: ... wall not closer A very important aspect of speaker placement is how far from the back wall to place the speakers The closer a loudspeaker is to the back wall the more pronounced the low bass energy and centering of the image will be However this comes at a defi nite reduction in stage size and bloom as well as a deterioration of upper bass quality You must find the proper balance of these two fac...

Page 31: ...e Center channel as mea sured from the tweeters should be equal in their relationship to the listening position This maintains the time coherence of the three front loudspeakers Ultimately the Cen ter channel phase delay correction will be made via the sliding tweeter module Wilson recommends that the Center channel be positioned as centrally between the Left and Right speakers as possible Using t...

Page 32: ...et Leave the casters on the Dog as you move it to its desired location The ideal position of the WATCH Dog subwoofer is somewhat dependent on its primary use In home theaters where the WATCH Dog is used as the Low Frequency Effects LFE Channel it may be located in a variety of positons depending on architec tural considerations In general the lower frequency range will be reinforced by room bounda...

Page 33: ... l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s S e ct i o n 3 I n Y o u r R o o m is very important to time align the WATCH Dog in the room using the Phase Control on the Controller see Controller owner s manual 0 ...

Page 34: ...Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s ...

Page 35: ...S e c t i o n 4 S e t u p o f y o u r WAT C H D o g ...

Page 36: ...WAT C H D o g O w n e r s M a n u a l 36 Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s 36 Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s 36 Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s ...

Page 37: ...og to be optimized in the time domain within the listening environment Correct Phase setup of the WATCH Dog see Controller owner s manual allows proper integra tion in the time domain between the WATCH Dog and the main loudspeakers resulting in greater frequency linearity dynamic impact sound stage accuracy and speed Successful integration with the main loudspeakers is more easily achieved when th...

Page 38: ...information on critical setup Section 4 2 Connecting The WATCH Dog Home Theater The WATCH Dog can be connected in a variety of ways depending on your system needs It can be used as the LFE Low Frequency Effects channel for a dedicated home theater system or it can be used to extend the bass in a two channel music system In systems where it is desirable to use the WATCH Dog with both surround modes...

Page 39: ...oying the Wilson Controller is recommended see also the Controller owner s manual for further details Bypassing The High Pass Filter In systems where the main speakers are full range the WATCH Dog can be con figured more successfully without the use of the High Pass Filter There is a normal bass roll off that occurs naturally in your listening room This effect acts like a six dB per octave low pas...

Page 40: ...ass colorations When used in a music system the subwoofer integrates more consistently with the main speakers when placed behind the plane of the speakers or in a corner of the room behind the main speakers If your are using your Passive Dog in conjuction with a Wil son Controller careful setup using the Phase control and the Low and High Pass filters see Controller owner s manual is necessary to ...

Page 41: ...able They neither sample nor pro cess the sound in a completely analogous manner see Figure 7 Summary In summary for optimal tonal balance accuracy resolution of low level detail and soundstaging performance the WATCH Dog Passive Subwoofer should be positioned as outlined in this section By following the guidelines in this manual your new WATCH Dog Passive Subwoofer can provide you with a lifetime...

Page 42: ...42 Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s WAT C H D o g O w n e r s M a n u a l ...

Page 43: ...S e c t i o n 5 S p i k i n g T h e WAT C H D o g ...

Page 44: ...WAT C H D o g O w n e r s M a n u a l 44 Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s 44 Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s ...

Page 45: ...ace visible through the acoustic port Make sure the Allen key end is facing downward 2 Screw the acoustical diode onto the bolt until it fits snugly against the bottom of the WATCH Dog Do not overtighten 4 Screw the spike with nut all the way in until it just touches the bolt Do not tighten the nut at this time 5 Repeat steps 1 through 4 with the other spikes 6 Using a bubble level adjust the spik...

Page 46: ...Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s ...

Page 47: ...S e c t i o n 6 C a r e o f t h e F i n i s h ...

Page 48: ...WAT C H D o g O w n e r s M a n u a l 48 Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s ...

Page 49: ... gently whisk off any remaining loose dust Shake out the dust cloth Dust the finish using linear motions in one direction parallel to the floor Avoid using circular or vertical motions Because the paint requires a period of several weeks to fully cure we recommend that no cleaning fluids such as glass cleaners be used during this initial period of time When the paint is fully cured heavy fingerpri...

Page 50: ...components have been broken in for some period of use Wilson Audio breaks in all woofers and mid range drivers for approximately 12 hours All drivers are then tested calibrated and matched for their acoustical properties In your listening room expect 25 to 50 percent of break in to be complete after two hours of playing music at normal listening levels Ninety percent of break in is complete after ...

Page 51: ...re just a few of the important ele ments of adhesives A highly cross linked thermo set adhesive is used for the construction of the enclosure It was also chosen for its excellent bond strength solvent resistance hard ness and optimum vibrational characteristics Section 6 3 Depth of Design WATCH Dog s compellingly authentic performance and lasting value are achieved through careful implementation o...

Page 52: ... S p e c i a l t i e s the world Finally like all Wilson products the WATCH Dog is hand crafted with me ticulous attention to detail with an unwavering commitment to excellence Thus the WATCH Dog will impart to her owner beauty and pleasure for many years to come ...

Page 53: ...S e c t i o n 7 S p e c i f i c a t i o n s ...

Page 54: ...WAT C H D o g O w n e r s M a n u a l 54 Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s ...

Page 55: ...e Dog Specifications Enclosure Type Passive Dog Woofer Nominal Impedance Sensitivity Overall Dimensions Weight Front Ported 12 5 inch dual spider 8 ohms 89 dB 1 watt 2 83v at one meter Height 26 7 8 68 26 cm with spike Depth 25 1 8 63 82 cm Width 18 42 72 cm 211 lbs 95 7 Kg 281 crated 127 5 Kg ...

Page 56: ...Passive WATCH Dog Dimensions WAT C H D o g O w n e r s M a n u a l 56 Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s ...

Page 57: ...S e c t i o n 8 Wa r r a n t y I n f o r m a t i o n ...

Page 58: ...WAT C H D o g O w n e r s M a n u a l 58 Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s ...

Page 59: ...ly installed by the Wilson Audio dealer that sold the product to the customer FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH EITHER REQUIREMENT NO 1 OR REQUIREMENT NO 2 WILL RESULT IN THE WARRANTY PERIOD BEING LIMITED TO A PERIOD OF 90 DAYS ONLY Conditions This Limited Warranty is also subject to the following conditions and limitations The Limited Warranty is void and inapplicable if the product has been used or handled...

Page 60: ...Dealer within the Warranty Period for service or repair of the product without charge for parts or labor which service or repair at the Dealer s option shall take place either at the location where the product is installed or at the Dealer s place of business or 2 if purchaser has timely sought service or repair and the product cannot be serviced or repaired by the Dealer then purchaser may obtain...

Page 61: ...ip for the same time peri ods as if the product had originally been bought for immediate resale to the retail cus tomer Wilson Audio products are warranted for a period of 90 days unless extended to 5 years as provided above by return and filing of completed Warranty Registration at Wilson Audio within 30 days after product delivery to customer and the product was professionally installed by the W...

Page 62: ...WAT C H D o g O w n e r s M a n u a l 62 Wi l s o n A u d i o S p e c i a l t i e s ...

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