Mackie HD1531 Owner's Manual - Page 7
Placement - weight
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Owner's Manual Placement WARNING: Installation should only be done by an experienced technician. Improper installation may result in damage to the equipment, injury or death. Make sure that the loudspeaker is installed in a stable and secure way in order to avoid any conditions that may be dangerous for persons or structures. The HD1531 speaker is designed to sit on the floor or stage. It may also be pole-mounted via the built-in socket on the bottom of the cabinet. Be sure the pole is capable of supporting the weight of the HD1531. The HD1531 may also be flown horizontally or vertically via its 12 integrated fly points. Check to make sure that the support surface (e.g., floor, etc.) has the necessary mechanical characteristics to support the weight of the loudspeaker(s). When pole-mounting loudspeakers, be sure that they are stabilized and secured from falling over or being accidentally pushed over. Failure to follow these precautions may result in damage to the equipment, personal injury, or death. You can create a horizontal array by placing the cabinets side-by-side. However, you should have a good understanding of the relationship between the splay angle (the angle between the facing sides of the cabinets), the on-axis power, and frequency cancellation effects between cabinets. When two cabinets are positioned vertically sideby-side, the actual splay angle is 20º (determined by a 10º angle on each cabinet side). As the splay angle increases toward the angle of horizontal coverage (90º for the HD1531), the on-axis power decreases, but the frequency response becomes smoother as the comb-filtering effects (caused by the interaction in the area of double-coverage) decrease. As with any powered components, protect them from moisture. Avoid installing the loudspeaker in places exposed to harsh weather conditions. If you are setting them up outdoors, make sure they are under cover if you expect rain. Room Acoustics The HD1531 loudspeakers are designed to sound neutral; that is, to reproduce the input signal as accurately as possible. • Avoid placing loudspeakers in the corners of a room. Doing so increases the low frequency output and can cause the sound to be muddy and indistinct. • Avoid placing loudspeakers against a wall. This, too, increases the low frequency output, though not as much as corner placement. However, this is a good way to reinforce the low frequencies, if so desired. • Avoid placing the speakers directly on a hollow stage floor. A hollow stage can resonate at certain frequencies, causing peaks and dips in the frequency response of the room. It is better to place the loudspeakers on a sturdy table or stand designed to handle the weight of the HD1531. • Position the loudspeakers so the high-frequency drivers are 2 to 4 feet above ear level for the audience (make allowances for a standing/dancing in the aisles audience). High frequencies are highly directional and tend to be absorbed much easier than lower frequencies. By providing direct line-of-sight from the loudspeakers to the audience, you increase the overall brightness and intelligibility of the sound system. • Highly reverberant rooms, like many gymnasiums and auditoriums, are a nightmare for sound system intelligibility. Multiple reflections off the hard walls, ceiling, and floor play havoc with the sound. Depending on the situation, you may be able to take some steps to minimize the reflections, such as putting carpeting on the floors, closing draperies to cover large glass windows, or hanging tapestries or other materials on the walls to absorb some of the sound. However, in most cases, these remedies are not possible or practical. So what do you do? Making the sound system louder generally doesn't work because the reflections become louder, too. The best approach is to provide as much direct sound coverage to the audience as possible. The farther away you are from the speaker, the more prominent will be the reflected sound. Use more speakers strategically placed so they are closer to the back of the audience. If the distance between the front and back speakers is more than about 100 feet, you should use a delay processor to time-align the sound. (Since sound travels about 1 foot per millisecond, it takes about 1/10 of a second to travel 100 feet.) Room acoustics play a crucial role in the overall performance of a sound system. Here are some additional placement tips to help overcome some typical room problems that might arise: Keep in mind that the Contour EQ is a great way to compensate for some of these issues. Owner's Manual