Paradigm Prestige 15B Manual - Page 5

GENERAL TIPS Break-In Although Paradigm Prestige speakers sound great "out of the carton," they will sound even better once they are "broken in." Allow them to play for several hours before you begin any critical listening. NOTE: If your speakers have been transported or stored in the cold, let them warm to room temperature before use. Cleaning Prestige speakers have a durable premium finish. To clean, use a damp soft cloth. Do not use a strong or abrasive cleaner. Avoid getting any part of the speaker system wet. Do not place wet objects (drinking glasses, potted plants, etc.) on top of the speakers-if allowed to soak in, even a small amount of water may permanently damage the speaker enclosure. PREVENTING SPEAKER DAMAGE Paradigm Prestige speakers are efficient and can be driven to loud listening levels with moderate amplifier power. They are also able to handle the output of very powerful amplifiers. To prevent damage to your speakers, please read the following guidelines before hooking them up. Amplifier Distortion - The #1 Culprit! Amplifier distortion is the principal cause of speaker damage. When listening at loud levels your amplifier may run out of clean power. It will then begin to produce distorted power several times greater than its rated output power. This will damage any brand of speaker very quickly! (Ask your Dealer for amplifier recommendations.) More Powerful Amplifiers are Safer A 40 watt/channel amplifier will have substantial distortion above 40 watts. If driven to 50 watts, this amplifier will deliver distorted power-which will damage the speaker! A 100 watt/channel amplifier will have substantial distortion above 100 watts, but very low distortion below 100 watts. Therefore, when the speaker requires 50 watts, this more powerful amplifier will deliver clean power and speaker damage is less likely to occur. Volume Control Do not be fooled by the Volume Control of your receiver/preamplifier. It only adjusts listening level-it is not a "power-output" dial. The amount of amplifier power actually used at a given Volume Control setting depends solely on the nature of the music you are listening to. At a given Volume Control setting a quiet section of music will use less amplifier power than a loud section. With typical pop-rock, jazz or large scale classical music, the rated output power of many receivers/amplifiers is often reached when the Volume Control is between the "11 and 1 o'clock" settings (with bass/treble and loudness controls not used-otherwise rated power may be reached at even lower Volume Control settings). 3