SS-150THX satellite speaker
page 3
1. INTRODUCTION
Congratulations! Your new M&K SS-150
THX
Tripole surround speaker will give you years of unmatched
enjoyment and excitement while listening to your favorite musical and audio/video sources, whether in Dolby Digital
or other discrete multichannel digital systems, Dolby Pro-Logic, or your processor's enhanced stereo modes.
We encourage you to read this owner’s manual, as there is a great deal of information provided here to help you
get the best possible performance.
If you have any questions about your speaker system, please contact your M&K dealer or call the M&K factory
directly at (310) 204-2854, from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday through Friday. We will be happy to help
you with any question, no matter how simple or complex it may be.
2. THE HOME THX AUDIO SPEAKER SYSTEM
Your choice of an M&K Home THX Audio speaker system assures you of achieving the state of the art in home
theatre music and video reproduction. The precise and exacting standards developed by Lucasfilm's Home THX
division assure that you will hear every element of film sound — from the softest brush of an object against an actor's
clothing to the awesome impact of effects such as an exploding planet — with the same sonic quality heard by the
film's director and sound designer as they created the final mix of sound on the studio's dubbing stage.
To do this in a home environment requires different equipment and standards than are found in a THX motion
picture theatre. The standards developed for Home THX Audio are critically important to achieving the following
performance attributes:
- wide frequency range, extending to the limits of audibility
- smooth, naturally balanced overall sound
- excellent dialog intelligibility
- wide dynamic range with extremely low distortion
- well-matched timbre (tonal balance) between front speakers and surrounds
- precise localization of specific sounds (as in special effects)
- envelopment by ambient soundfield (without any localization of individual speakers to distract from the action
on-screen
- superb performance with musical sources
The unsurpassed quality of your M&K Home THX Audio speaker system means that all of the excitement and
emotional involvement of films and music will be brought to life in your home. Turn down the lights, and let the
experience begin!
3. THE TRIPOLE SURROUND SPEAKER
The Tripole is a new concept in surround channel speaker design, offering the performance aspects of two
different types of speakers. Think of it as a dipole surround speaker that includes a very high quality direct radiating
speaker in the same cabinet.
The speaker can operate in two modes: Tripole and Dipole. You can select these modes by inserting or removing
a jumper on the back of the speaker. They also can be accessed by using an external amplifier switchbox (not available
from M&K). See Section 7 on Page 8 for more information. The mode you should use is dependent on your room
environment, the source material you are playing, and your personal preference.
As a Dipole (the THX configuration), it radiates sound mostly from its left and right baffles, which are at a 15
degree angle to the front baffle. Some sound (in the midbass region) is produced by the front woofer driver.
As a Tripole, the front baffle drivers (direct radiator) operate full range. The side Dipole drivers also operate, so
sound is radiated on three axis. This means that the speaker can simultaneously produce a directional stereo image
in the surround channels
and an enveloping sound that wraps around the listeners. The directional qualities and stereo
imaging may be preferred for playing back the "split" (stereo) surrounds of 5.1 channel discrete digital recordings
The Tripole mode is not necessarily better than the Dipole mode for 5.1 channel material.
We strongly recommend experimentation to see which mode works best in your listening environment.
