Monitor Audio Bronze Series Manual

Also See for Bronze Series:

Owner's manual (134 pages)

Owner's manual (14 pages)

Owner's manual (12 pages)

Table of Contents

Contents

1 Plinth Fixing
2 Spikes and Feet
3 Setting Up
4 Fixing the Bronze FX to a wall
5 Connecting Speaker Cables
- 5.1 Bare Wire Connection
- 5.2 Banana Plugs
6 Wiring
7 Grilles
8 Port bungs
9 Specifications
10 Documents / Resources
- 10.1 References
- 10.2 Download manual

Monitor Audio Bronze Series Manual

Plinth Fixing

(Bronze 5 & 6 only)

The Bronze 5 & 6's are provided with plinths to improve stability and acoustic response. The plinths are secured in place by using the supplied bolts.
Plinth Fixing
Before you fit the plinth ensure the floor area is clear of any hard/sharp objects. To fit the plinth turn the cabinet over so that the bottom is facing upwards. Place the plinth onto the cabinet and line up the bolt holes in the plinth with the inserts in the cabinet. Using the bolts, secure the plinth to the cabinet. Tighten them up gradually at first and ensure the plinth is fitted securely to the cabinet. Fit the feet/ spikes to the plinth before turning the loudspeaker back over.

Spikes and Feet

The floorstanders from the Bronze Series come with spikes and separate rubber feet. The spikes are to be used on carpeted floors and the rubber feet for use on hard floors where spikes are not appropriate.

The spikes screw into the threaded inserts on the underside of the plinth. If you do not wish to use the plinth, spikes can be fixed directly into the bottom of the cabinet. Ensure there are no trailing cables where the speakers will be sited.
Spikes and Feet

warning NOTE: When used without the plinth the stability of the cabinet will be reduced.

When used on hard floor, the rubber feet simply push into the same inserts that would usually be occupied by the spikes.

Setting Up

2 Channel Positioning

When used in a 2 channel system, the listening position and the loudspeakers should form an equilateral triangle. The speakers should be positioned approximately 6 - 10 feet (1.8 - 3m) apart. They ideally need to be between 8 - 18 inches (20 - 45cm) away from the rear and 3 feet (~1m) from the side walls.

Experimentation is strongly advised when initially setting up your speakers, as environments and personal preference differ with each installation. If there is not enough bass, for example, try moving your speakers closer to a wall. The opposite, if there is too much bass. Also see the information refering to Port Bungs. If you are losing stereo imaging, try 'toeing' them in slightly. The sound should appear to originate from the centre point between the speakers, not the actual speakers themselves.

AV Positioning

In the following pages, there are illustrations showing optimal positioning and some suggested room layouts for AV applications.

The front, and in some cases rear, floor standing and stand mount speakers should be positioned approx 6 - 9 feet apart (1.8m - 2.5m) and start with them about 10 inches (25cm) from the wall.

If the sound is too bass heavy or there is bass boom from the room when playing music (without a subwoofer), try moving the loudspeakers slightly further away from the wall(s) or adjusting the crossover frequency settings for the speakers and/ or sub. Also try changing the sub's position. If this is not possible, then try the supplied port bungs (not included in the Bronze-FX or Centre).

The Bronze Centre should be positioned so that it is pointing at the viewing position and at approximate ear height. If it is below or above ear height, use some rubber feet (small feet supplied) to angle it slightly.

The Bronze FX's should be positioned in accordance with the below illustrations and instructions, and approx 2 feet (60cm) to the bottom of the speaker above ear height when in your listening position.

warning NOTE: When using 2 pairs of Bronze FX in a 7.1 system, you need to use the RIGHT hand speaker for the rear surround right and the LEFT hand speaker for the rear surround left. Your side surround speakers will then be set with the RIGHT speaker on the left wall and LEFT speaker on the right wall. This is because of the tweeter phasing.

Setting up the Bronze FX

The Bronze FX's are paired, but specifically, right hand and left hand units. Of which both can be configured to bi-pole (normal operation) or di-pole modes. The factory setting is bi-pole.

In bi-pole mode, all speaker units (mid/ bass unit and tweeters) are in phase. This feature is designed for when the Bronze FX is set up as a rear/surround speaker in a typical 5.1 channel system, or alternatively in a 7.1 channel system without a second pair of FX's for rear/ surround duties.

In di-pole mode, the front firing tweeters are out of phase with the other tweeter and mid/bass unit. It is best to implement this configuration when using two pairs of FX's as part of a 7.1 channel system, with the FX's taking up positions on the side and rear walls. Please note that they are left and right handed. This is not an issue when used in bi-pole mode. It is essential that they are positioned correctly if used in a 7.1 channel system. Please refer to the positioning section and the following images. In all cases experimentation is advised to get the best set up for you.
Setting up the Bronze FX - Step 1
5.1 system with surround speakers on the side wall (floorstanding/ stand mounters can also be used).

warning NOTE: Before changing your Bronze FX's from bi-pole mode to di-pole mode, please ensure that the amplifier is turned off. This protects the amplifier and speakers.

Setting up the Bronze FX - Step 2

Fixing the Bronze FX to a wall

You will need to determine where the Bronze FX's will be fixed and the structure of the wall. For safety reasons, if you are unsure of your ability to provide a secure and safe fixing, do not attempt to fix these speakers to your wall, please obtain the services of a competent and qualified trades person.

Ensure that there are no water pipes or electricity cables running behind where the wall brackets are going to be secured. Work from secure steps and avoid trailing wires.

warning We do not supply wall fixing screws and plugs with the Bronze FX. Please use suitable fixings for the type of wall construction the Bronze FX's will be fixed to.

To assist in fixing the Bronze FX's to the wall, we would recommend using the wall fixing template enclosed within the packaging carton.

Connecting Speaker Cables

Bare Wire Connection

Unscrew the binding posts and pass the bare wire through the through-hole. Tighten the binding post to clamp the wire in place.

Banana Plugs

Remove the red and black plastic plugs from the terminals and insert the banana plugs into the standard 4mm holes that are revealed. Pliers may be required to gain purchase on the plugs.
Connecting Speaker Cables - Banana Plugs

Wiring

Single Wiring

Connect a single set of cables to the terminals on the back of your speaker. It is perfectly acceptable to connect to the top, bottom terminals or even diagonally (experimentation is advisable to achieve the preferred results).

warning NOTE: When using this method you must KEEP the terminal links in place.
Wiring - Single Wiring

Bi-Wiring

This method can be carried out with the Bronze 2, 5 and 6 speakers. Connect two sets of cables to the top and bottom terminals (positive to positive and negative to negative) from single output of your amplifier.

warning NOTE: When using this method the terminal links MUST be REMOVED.
Wiring - Bi-Wiring

Bi-Amping

This method can be carried out with the Bronze Series 2, 5 and 6 speakers. Connect a set of cables to the top terminals from one amplifier and the bottom set on the second amplifier.

warning NOTE: When wiring this method the terminal links MUST be REMOVED.
Wiring - Bi-Amping

Grilles

All the Bronze Series speakers are supplied with grilles, covered in acoustically transparent cloth. They are contained within the separate card packaging. Grilles are held invisibly in place using magnets built into both the grille and the cabinet (Bronze FX grilles attach using pegs and sockets).

When fitting, ensure they are correctly orientated with the badge at the bottom, and offer up to the cabinet. The magnet should pull the grille into position.

Each FX speaker is supplied with 3 separate factory fitted grilles. To remove them, carefully prize them away from the cabinet with the tips of your fingers.

Remove all fitted grilles before attempting to lift or move the loudspeaker.

Port bungs

Care must be taken not to insert the port bungs too far into the port, as this may result in the foam bung being lost inside the cabinet.

If the loudspeaker is to be installed in a small room, typically 9 sqM ( 80 sqFT), or a room known to reproduce accentuated bass response, it may be desirable to fit port bungs. However, experimentation is recommended with positioning of the loudspeaker in the room prior to fitting. To optimise a loudspeakers performance, ensure it is not positioned too close to a wall or near the corners of a room (refer to the suggestions in the "Setting Up" section). If room aesthetics or layout predetermine speaker positioning, or experiencing the presence of accentuated bass, please move on and read point 1 for the Bronze 1 and 2 and point 2 for the Bronze 5 and 6.

Where bookshelf/ stand-mount speakers (Bronze 1 & 2) are to be sited in close proximity of less than 8 inches/ 20cm to a rear wall (such as on a bookshelf, positioned in a cabinet or on a stand close to a wall), we recommend fitting port bungs to the ports. This will reduce the bass 'boom' and assist the loudspeakers to reproduce their best performance under these environmental conditions.
Where floor-standing loudspeakers (Bronze 5 and 6) are to be sited in close proximity of less than 18 inches/ 45cm to a rear wall, we recommend fitting the port bungs. This will reduce the bass 'boom' and assist the loudspeakers to reproduce their best performance under these environmental conditions.

What is Bass Boom?
Bass 'Boom' (sometimes termed as overhang) is generally caused when bass energy from the loudspeaker 'excites' room modes and causes an accentuation at a particular frequency, or number of frequencies. When fitting port bungs the overall bass extension will not be reduced, however bass energy/ output around the port tuning frequency will be reduced. This has the effect of reducing bass 'boom' while increasing bass clarity and apparent agility. Experimentation is highly recommended.