SARASTRO
OWNER’S MANUAL
R.5.0
March 2005
VERITY AUDIO
PAGE 6
on its respective isolating platform. Your upper-module,
isolating platform and lower-module should now align and
match perfectly.
At the back of your Sarastro, there are three sets of binding post
connectors. One at the bottom of the lower-module, one at the
top of the lower module and one at the bottom of the upper-
module. Screw all the connector posts halfway-in before
installing cables. Speaker cables should always be installed
according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. When
connecting your Sarastro, make sure that the polarities are
respected at both ends. The positive polarity is clearly
identified by a red dot located on each connector set. If your
power amplifier(s) has(ve) multiple output impedance-taps, the
eight-ohm taps usually provide a better match.
The Sarastro can be either single wired, biwired or biamped.
Single Wire
This is the easiest and cheapest way to connect the Sarastro as
you only need one set of speaker cables and one set of
amplifiers. Connect one set of speaker cable from your
amplifier to the lower-module bottom binding-posts, then jump
the lower-module upper binding-posts to the upper-module
binding-posts by using the short speaker jumpers included with
the Sarastro. Do the same for the second Sarastro.
Biwire:
Even though it’s a more expensive approach, many audiophiles
prefer to biwire their loudspeakers. There are two ways to
biwire your Sarastro.
Method no. 1:
Connect one set of speaker cable from your amplifier to the
lower-module binding-posts, then one set of speaker cable
from the lower-module binding-posts to the upper-module
binding-posts. Do the same for the second Sarastro. Some
people may rather connect the upper module first and jump
with the lower-module. You will have to experiment to find
out which way you like most.
Method no. 2:
Connect one set of speaker cable from your amplifier to the
lower-module binding-posts and a second set of speaker cable
from your amplifier to the upper-module binding-posts. Do the
same for the second Sarastro.
The second method should give better results but may require
two sets of long speaker cables.
Biamp:
This is the most expensive approach but sometimes the one
that will give the highest level of performance. To biamplify,
you need four monoblocks or two stereo amplifiers. It is highly
recommended to use all-identical amplifiers. Using different
amplifiers may mismatch the upper-module and lower-module
gains and impair seriously the overall performance. Please
consult your dealer or a Verity Audio specialist to get further
assistance.
Connect each binding post to their respective amplifier outputs
using individual speaker cables. Make sure that the left and
right channels are respectively connected to the left and right
loudspeakers.
In any case, we recommend using the best quality speaker
cables and amplifier(s). Make sure that none of the speaker
cables, connected to the upper module, touches the 15-inch
woofer surround. To avoid that, it is good practice to attach
together both cables with a velcro strap.
Room Placement
Indoors, acoustic intelligibility is of great concern for a variety
of reasons. It requires low background noise levels and “good”
acoustical design. In any room, the reverberant sound pressure
level increases as the acoustic power increases and decreases
as sound absorption in the room increases and / or sound
power flows from the room. The sound field in a room is
composed of two parts, the direct field and the reverberant
field.
The complex theories of physical acoustics, the uncertainties
in predicting the property variations of both natural and
manufactured room materials, and the none negligible effects
of painting, sealing, bracing, furring, and draping all keeps the
specification and prediction of room acoustics from being an
exact science. Adding together, loudspeaker characteristics, the
auditory personal taste, and ergonomics, makes, by practical
means, the equation impossible to solve. The frequent need to
evaluate the final result by listening rather than by purely
quantitative methods gives acoustical tuning a somewhat
subjective aspect.
Nevertheless, knowing what the Sarastro is capable of, will be
your major asset in establishing the best setup for your
loudspeaker. Here are a few simple rules that will guide you.
A good setup will give you fast transients from bottom-end to
top-end, proper image height and a wide and deep soundstage.
Having that in mind, the following guidelines are based on our
own experience with the Sarastro. We recommend you to start
with these and later on, after getting familiar with your
Sarastro, bring your own modifications that will optimize your
setup.
Please note that the below specified distances are all relative
to the center of the Sarastro 11-inch woofer.
Install your Sarastro at 4 feet (122 cm) from the front wall and
space them apart by a distance of 10 feet (3.0 meters). To get
the best performance, we highly recommend being seated at a
Over tightening the connectors could cause
permanent damage
