Specifications

M&K Sales Training Outline
page 19
May 98
http://www.mksound.com
The preferred connection from a surround sound amp or controller
is from the subwoofer output jack. This may be called SUBWOOFER
OUT, MONO, LOW PASS, CENTER WOOFER, etc. This connection
usually insures that a full bass signal is fed to the subwoofer. Never
use the CENTER CHANNEL OUTPUT jack.
If your component has no subwoofer output jack, connect the Sub-
woofer to the front Left and Right channel speaker outputs with speaker
wires. VERY IMPORTANT: When the Subwoofer is connected with
speaker wires and the controller is in Pro-Logic mode, the Center
channel WIDE/NORMAL switch MUST be set to the NORMAL mode.
If the switch is set to the WIDE mode, the bass content of the Center
channel will not be fed to the Subwoofer, and you will lose a significant
amount of bass.
With 5.1 channel systems, make certain that the bass from ALL
channels is fed to the subwoofer(s). Set all speakers to the SMALL or
Normal setting. Be sure that you do not send only the LFE (Low Fre-
quency Effects channel) to the subwoofer. This channel contains only
special bass effects, not the normal bass content.
A critically important factor in achieving excellent multichannel sound
is timbre-matching. On film soundtracks, specific sounds are often
moved from left to right or from front to back. When speakers repro-
ducing these sounds have dissimilar characteristics, there is an au-
dible discontinuity when the sound shifts from one speaker to another.
Timbre-matched speakers have very similar tonal characteristics
and sound, which come from three critical elements: similar or identi-
cal drivers; similar or identical crossovers; and similar or identical fre-
quency response. In full M&K systems, these elements have been
addressed. You can be assured that the system can achieve the full
potential of Home Theatre sound.
The other factor crucial to achieving excellent Home Theatre perfor-
mance is level-matching the three front and two surround channels.
This is even more important than timbre-matching.
We strongly recommend that you purchase a Radio Shack Sound
Level Meter (buy the analog meter, not the digital one, available for
less than about $40), and use it to measure the output of the speakers
by pointing the unit's microphone at each speaker, at the same dis-
tance, when playing the test tones generated by your processor or
receiver. DON'T CALIBRATE LEVELS BY EAR!
When using identical front speakers and amplifiers with speakers at
about equal distance, when you get a different reading from different
channels, don't automatically set the channels to different levels. These
different readings are probably the result of limitations of that type of
meter measurement technique. Identical speakers with identical am-
plifiers should be set to the same level, at least within 1 or 2 dB.
Connecting a subwoofer to a
surround sound receiver or
processor
Timbre-matching
Home Theater setup with M&K Speakers
Channel balancing