Bowers & Wilkins CT800 manual

CT800 Series Installation Manual[...]

1 T able of Contents W arranty Owner’ s Manual Important Safety Instructions Introduction Environmental Information The Concept Planning the Installation Checking the Contents Speaker Position Surround Speaker Dispersion Mode Mounting the Speakers Installing CT8 DS Into a Drywall Installing CT8 DS to a W all Surface Connecting the System The Spea[...]

Dear customer , Welcome to B&W . This product has been designed and manufactured to the highest quality standards. However , if something does go wrong with this product, B&W Loudspeakers and its national distributors warrant free of charge labour (exclusion may apply) and replacement parts in any country served by an official B&W dist[...]

IMPORT ANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS The CT8 XO active crossover is a powered device. Before use, please read and heed the following instructions: Caution: T o reduce the risk of electric shock, do not dismantle the apparatus and do not expose the apparatus to rain or moisture. No user -serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified personnel. E[...]

19 Do not overload wall outlets, extension cords or integral convenience r eceptacles, as this can result in a risk of fir e or electric shock. 20 Never push objects of any kind into this product thr ough openings, as they may touch dangerous voltage points or short out parts that could result in a fir e or electric shock. Never spill liquid of a[...]

5 Thank you for purchasing a Bowers and Wilkins Custom Theatre system. Since its foundation in 1966, the continuing philosophy of B&W has been the quest for perfect sound repr oduction. Inspired by the company’ s founder , the late John Bowers, this quest has entailed not only high investment in audio technology and innovation but also an abi[...]

The CT 800 range comprises five products: CT8 LR A 3-way speaker intended for fr ont left and right channels, one placed in vertical orientation at each side of the screen. CT8 DS A full range surround speaker that may operate in either 2-way dipole or 3-way monopole mode. CT8 CC A 3-way centre channel speaker that is acoustically similar to the C[...]

Although the speakers are semi-active and require an active crossover , all power amplification must be separately sourced. Each CT8 LR, CT8 CC and CT8 DS requires two channels of power amplification, or three if used with a CT8 SW subwoofer . This allows the user maximum flexibility in choosing these components. The CT8 SW subwoofer , unlike th[...]

Safety W arning! A CT800 system is capable of producing very high sound pr essure levels. Prolonged exposure to high sound levels can lead first to temporary and later permanent hearing damage. Do not exceed recommended Leq (equivalent sound level) exposure levels, for example, those specified in ISO 1999:1990. Check the contents against Figure 1[...]

Surround speaker dispersion mode Surround speakers generally fall into two main types – those that one might describe as ‘normal’ speakers - so- called monopoles, where the sound comes from a set of drive units mounted on the front of the enclosure - and those that give a more dif fuse sound field, such as dipoles. Each type has its advantag[...]

Mounting the speakers For optimum performance, it is important that the speakers are firmly and securely mounted. All the speakers may be mounted dir ectly at floor level, but, as mentioned above, it can be beneficial to raise the position of the surround speakers and, if the screen is high, it may also be beneficial to do the same with the fro[...]

If it is desired to r emove the roller glides, use the T orx ® key supplied with the speaker to remove the retaining screws. An optional, spike foot kit is also available (Part No FP22359). The kit contains 4 heavy-duty feet that have 40mm (1.6 in) of vertical adjustment, allowing tilt up to 8 o if desired. This tilt is in addition to that offer e[...]

CT8 DS Only Installation into drywall (figure 12) So that it can be sunk into a standard drywall up to the level of the side-firing drivers, the CT8 DS has a relatively shallow cabinet for its height and is fr ont heavy . T o maintain stability , it is equipped with a bracket that enables the rear of the cabinet to be anchor ed either to a wall s[...]

CT8 DS only (cont’d) Installation to wall surface (figure 13) Using the front aspect template pr ovided, mark the centre line of the retaining bracket on the wall. The two angle brackets (A) from the kit ar e not required. Offer the wall bracket (C) to the wall and mark the scr ew positions at each end. Drill and plug the wall to take screws in [...]

CT8 DS only (cont’d) Continue for all cases Connect the signal and trigger cables to the speaker . Using the Allen key provided, r emove the aluminium facing plate on the front of the speaker , taking car e that the tweeter protection cover r emains in position. Fit the guide tubes (F) into the two through holes. Offer the speaker into position, [...]

Connecting the System The speakers All the speakers are provided with a comprehensive choice of connection methods. Binding posts accommodate 6mm (1/4 in) or 8mm (5/16 in) spades, 4mm banana plugs and bare wire ends and a Neutrik ® Speakon ® socket provides a pr ofessional industry standar d multiway connection that makes it easy to make a connec[...]

CT8 XO rear panel ON Front left/right channels ON Left surround channel ON Right surround channel ON Centre channel Figure 18 CT8 XO rear panel ON Front left/right channels ON Left surround channel ON Right surround channel ON Centre channel Figure 18 The CT8 XO crossover/equaliser The CT8 XO may be placed on a table or shelf or in a 19-in rack. If[...]

Description of controls The unit features a compr ehensive set of controls to tune the performance of each speaker according to the conditions of use. The response may be shaped by a combination of thr ee parametric equalisers, each having a level range of +4.5 / -12 dB, and low- and high-frequency contour contr ols, the effects of which are illust[...]

18 The DIP switches should be set as follows, where ON is down:        [...]

Configure the CT800 XO to the speaker Set Bank 1 Switches 2 & 3 to the type of speaker . Set Bank 4 Switches 1, 3 & 4 according to the number of subwoofers attached. The conditions of Switches 3 & 4 are irr elevant if Switch 1 is set to ON. Configure the unit to the gain of each power amplifier The refer ence gain is that of the powe[...]

Setting the Subwoofer gain Disconnect the speakers from the power amplifiers. Connect the MF/HF power amplifier to the Subwoofer output of the unit. Set the output level of the oscillator to zero and connect it to the appr opriate test input socket. Set the oscillator frequency to 25Hz. Set Bank 1 Switch 1 to ON. Set Bank 4 Switch 2 to ON. Set Ba[...]

Configure the equalisers Sensible correction of the in-room response requires the ability to measure the acoustic fr equency response of each speaker individually . The measurement microphone does not need to be expensive and suitable electret microphones ar e widely available. If the appropriate measuring equipment is not available, we recommend [...]

Procedure T o avoid errors from airbourne background noise and electrical interfer ence, switch of f all sources in the room such as air conditioning, refrigerators etc. Set Bank 1 switch 1 to ON to accept an input from the fr ont of the CT8 XO. Set Bank 2 switches 2 and 3 to OFF to disable the parametric equalisers. Set the Low- and High-frequency[...]

Place the microphone at the chosen measur ement position that is closest to the speaker under test (where it will measur e the highest sound pressur e level). Set the “Input Ch.1” slider to maximum. Set the “Output” slider to zero and switch on the test signal by clicking the button. Increase the output level until the “Input Ch.1” leve[...]

T o set this curve as a multiplier , press the F5 key . In this dialog box, select the file you just saved ( Average_r esp ) and, under ‘ Compensation of Level’ , check the ‘ T une EQ (multiply) ’ box as shown (figure 26). This curve is now the refer ence and all subsequent measurements will be multiplied by this response. Click OK. The g[...]

Set Bank 2 Switches 2 & 3 according to the number of filters r equired. Set the P (all) gain control (C3) to zer o. The markings on the filter control dials ar e approximate and for guidance only . Set the individual filter gain controls (C4, C7 & C10) to -14dB Set the individual filter Q controls (C5, C8 & C11) to appr oximately 4.[...]

Running In The performance of the speakers will change subtly during the initial listening period. If they have been stored in a cold environment, the damping compounds and suspension materials will take some time to recover their correct mechanical properties. The drive unit suspensions will also loosen up during the first hours of use. The time [...]

The speaker cabinet surfaces and the casing of the CT8 XO usually only requir e dusting. If you wish to use an aerosol cleaner , remove any speaker grilles first by gripping r ound the edges and gently pulling them away from the cabinet. Spray onto the cleaning cloth, not directly onto the cabinet. The grille fabric may be cleaned with a normal cl[...]

Specifications CT8 CC 3-way closed-box system 1x ø32mm (11⁄4 in) metal dome high-frequency 1x ø150mm (6 in) woven Kevlar ® cone FST TM midrange 2x ø250mm (10 in) carbon fibre/rigid foam sandwich cone bass -6dB at 23Hz and 40kHz 29Hz – 24kHz ±3dB on refer ence axis Within 2dB of reference response Horizontal: over 60 o arc V ertical: over[...]

Specifications Model Description Drive Units Frequency Range Frequency Response Dispersion Sensitivity Harmonic Distortion Nominal Impedance Crossover Fr equency Recommended Amplifier Power Max Recmmended Cable Impedance Dimensions W eight Finish CT8 DS 3-way monopole/2-way dipole selectable closed-box surround system 1x ø32mm (11⁄4 in) alloy [...]

Copyright © B&W Group Ltd. E & OE Kevlar is a registered trademark of DuPont Rohacell is a registered trademark of Röhm GmbH Printed in Canada. UK Group (UK Sales) T +44 1903 221 500 E uksales@bwgroup.com B&W Group North America T +1 978 664 2870 E marketing@bwgroupusa.com B&W Group (Asia) Ltd T +852 2 869 9916 E showroom@bwgroup.[...]