XTZ SA-1 - Installation and Placement Tips

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- While observing an SPL meter (or listening to the mid-bass level), have an assistant adjust the
“PHASE” switch between 0° and 180° and observe any change in mid-bass level near the crossover
frequency. Set the control to the position with the highest/loudest amount of bass.
- Play a test signal (e.g. pink noise) through only 1 speaker at a time. If using your receiver, you may
need to enter it’s setup mode to perform this function.
- Place an SPL meter in your typical listening position, approximately at ear height (use of a tripod may
be required), and set to “C” weighting and “Slow” response (if those settings are available)
- Adjust volume to a modest level -typically 75-85dB (loud enough to clearly hear, but not excessively
loud)
- Adjust controls as necessary to play the same test tone through each speaker and subwoofer/-s in the
system, 1 speaker at a time.
- Adjust the individual channel gain/trim of your equipment to obtain the same SPL reading from each
NOTE
A home theater receiver may walk you through portions of this procedure. Follow any instructions from your
receiver’s owner’s manual as applicable to your system setup. Once nished, listen to some familiar music and
movie tracks. Minor adjustment of the levels may be desired. Do not be afraid to experiment with adjustments
and try di󰀨erent EQ settings to nd what may improve the sound in your system and room the best!
Volume, phase and crossover frequency (also placement of listening position and placement of the sub) are
depending on each other, if one of these parameters is change the other are also changed. I.e. if the crossover
frequency is changed it also inuences the volume and phase, so they need to be compensated for this e󰀨ect.
In a room there is never any absolute correct phase over the whole frequency range, phase needs to be set
to arrange the best result over the whole frequency range.
There are limitations on how well the bass management works in a receiver/processor. The settings for the
subwoofer/-s might need to be adjusted manually either on the subwoofer/-s OR preferably in the receiver/
processor. For some cases when having only one “SUBWOOFER” output jack and multiple subwoofers and
the subwoofers are not placed symmetrically in the room (e.g. having an opening on one side of the room) you
might need to apply di󰀨erent settings for the “PHASE”, “VOLUME” and EQ setting on the subwoofers. There
is also the option to use one of our measurement systems Room Analyzer II / II Pro. They are excellent tools
when optimizing and setting up subwoofer/-s or other speakers in a system. Do not be afraid to experiment
with slight adjustments to nd what may improve the sound in your system and room the best way.
Do not hesitate to contact us at info@xtz.se for questions about settings. We are happy to assist you in
optimizing your system!
The following points contains common information on loudspeaker placement and installation. These are
general rules, so there are exceptions.
How do i achieve
the best sound?
No matter how good the equipment is, in the wrong listening environment it will inevitably sound bad. There
are some basic rules concerning a proper loudspeaker installation:
Reections
Carpets, curtains and soft furniture absorb mid range and high frequency sounds, and this is normally
preferable. Big empty areas, on the contrary, reect the sound which might lead to a blurry and unprecise
sound. Apart from coloring the sound, also the perspective of the sound will deteriorate. Reections in the
room can roughly be compared to the reections that cause ghost pictures on a TV screen.
Amplication of
bass frequencies
A loudspeaker that is placed near a wall, ceiling or oor will amplify lower frequencies in a sometimes not
desirable way (since it may lead to an indistinct sound reproduction). This amplication becomes even more
obvious if the loudspeaker is placed near a corner. Thus, for a sound as clear as possible, the loudspeaker
should be placed at least 30 cm (about 12 inch) away from the wall.
Some constructions are designed to be placed close to a wall.
Furniture
Be aware that furniture may vibrate creating bad sound at loud bass levels.
Room dimension
Quadratic rooms or rooms where the length is exactly twice as long as the width should be avoided, since
they may create unwanted resonances.
Cables
Try to keep the cables as short as possible. By its electrical parameters, a long cable will have a bigger
inuence on the sound than a short one. It may also work as an antenna picking up various signals that may
become a constant noise. Make sure that all connections are clean and free from oxidation. All connections
should be mechanically stable, both power, signal and loudspeaker cables. Signal cables should be separated
from other cables.
Practice of sound / Installation and placement tips