Arcam 888 Owners Manual

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Arcam Model 882, 884, 886, 888 Loudspeakers

Instructions for use

introduction

Thank you for buying Arcam loudspeakers. These loudspeakers have been
designed to produce a high standard ofsound reproduction at an anrdable price.
Although suitable for use with any good quality hi~ti equipment, the speakers are an
excellent sonic and physical match for the rest of the Arcam range ofhi-fi electronics.

Installation instructions

Positioning

For optimum results these speakers should be positioned 15 to 40mm from a
rear wall and at least éOcnis (2 feet) from any side all.

The final sound will ofcourse depend on the acoustics ofthe listening room,
and experimentation with speaker positioning and furnishings is definitely worthwhile.
As a starting point we suggest that the speakers should be placed 2.4-3m (8-10 feet) apart
with their backs IOcnis (4 inches) from the rear wall. The bass output may then be raised
or lowered by moving the speakers closer to or further away from the wall Toeing-in
the speakers, so that their axes crossjust in front ofthe listener may also be beneficial to
treble balance and stereo imagery.

The more rigidly a speaker is held, the better it will sound. On floor standing
models (886, 888) we recommend fitting the threaded spikes prodded into the
loudspeaker base. For best performance, the smaller 882, 884 models should be used on
stands wherever possible. Use rigid metal stands of30-60cms (12-34 inches) height.
Properly damped types that do not "ring" when tapped with a pencil, either by virtue of
construction, or by filling with dry silver sand, will bring out the best in the loudspeaker.

It is also possible to obtain a good sound balance when shelfmounting. The
rear of the loudspeakers should be no less than 5cm from the wall to allow fi-ee flow of arr
from the reflex port and it should be mounted at least 4cm from a corner and 60cm from
the floor (these distances may be interchanged if more convenient).

Speaker Cables

The speakers should be connected to the amplifier using good quality, high
purity copper cables with a cross sectional area ofat least 1mm2 per conductor. Solid
core cables or those with surface only conductors are pamcularly suitable. Bell wire and
Very cheap or giveaway speaker cables should be avoided e they are a false economy and
can badly degrade the sound quality. Neither do we recommend the use offat, heavil}~
smnded cables, as these often impart a harsh and hx'ny sound to the 5y5tem.

The cable runs to the two speakers should be ofroughly equal length and yet as
short as practicable ( a long run ofspeaker cable always sounds worse than a short one).
The usual care should be taken over speaker phasing. Both loudspeakers should be
connected to the amplifier with the same phase (black to black and red to red). All
speaker cables will be colour coded or have some physical identificau'on (such as a small
"rib" along one wire) to aid correct phasing.

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l C :1 . TREBLE
l 3
l 1 . 3 .

L: :7 BASS

/ 27/ /,

NORMAL WIRING Bl-WIRING I Bl-AMPING

Bi-wiring

Bi-Wiring loudspeakers is a cost eEecd\'e \vay ofimproving the sound quality of
hi-fi system. The bi-wiring principle involves electrically isolating the treble and bass
sections ofthe loudspeaker's crossover network and bringing out the connections to the
{our terminals on the loudspeaker. The use ofsepamte cables to each halfofthe crossover
then enables the complete isolation of the signals fed from the amplifier to the treble and
bass speaker units. A reduction in low level inter-modulation and crosstalk effects is
achieved, resulting in a cleaner sound with improved imaging and separation of
instruments.

To bi-\vire a loudspeaker you must remove the two links between the pairs of
red and black terminals on the rear ofthe speaker and then connect two separate cable
runs to the bass and treble inputs, These cables should then be connected together at the
amplifier's output terminals. This may be done by connecting bOth cables into a single

pair of4nim plugs or by making common bare wire or spade connections to the terminals.

Bi-amping

Bi~amping is a similar principle to bi-wiring, except that two stereo amplifiers
are used to drive the loudspeakers instead ofoner To bi-amp, connect the n'eble units to
one ofthe amplifiers outputs, and the bass units to the other amplifier. Both amplifiers
must be fed from a common stereo signal and must be ofequal gain. Arcam models such
as the Delta 290 and Delta 2901 are ideal for this application, Bi-amping 03ers a further
improvement over bi-wiring, as separate amplifiers are dedicated to treble and bass
frequency bands, with less internal intermodulation effects occurring in each amplifier.

You must remove the links on the rear oftlae loudspeakers for bi-
amping, otherwise you will damage your amplifiers. Care must also be taken to
ensure that all individual loudspeaker unitC are connected in the same phase (i.e. connecr
temiinak RED to RED and BLACK to B;°iCK). Ifthis is not done serious frequency
response deviations will result.

Power Handling

Arcam loudspeakers are designed to reproduce recorded music under normal
domestic conditions \Ve do not recommend nor warrant them for use in any form of
sound reinforcement application or at distothéques, parties or other forms of speaker
demolition contest.

Beating this in mind the loudspeiter will perform well and safely \n'th hi-fi
amplifiers rated at between approximately 40 and 150 units per channel However care
must always be taken to avoid amplifier overload or "clipping". lfyou hear distortion
from the loudspeakers, then reduce the volume level at once, as this is a clear sign of
overload Apart fi'om possible damage to the amplifier this can and does damage
loudspeakers In this respect an overdriver; low powered amplifier is much more likely
to cause damage than a properly used high powered one.

SPECIFICATION

Model No. 882 884 886 888
Frequency range SOHz-ZZkl-lz 45H2-22kHz 40Hz~22kHZ 40H2-22kl-lz
Drive unit Systenl 2 way 3 way 2 way 3 way
Sensitivity 1W at 1m 88dB 85dB 88dB 88dB
Nominal Impedance éohms oohms 60hms 6ohms

Compatible amplifier ~l(]-12()\X/ 4C-150W 40-1 50W 40-200W

\Veight each 39kg 8ng 11.2kg 13.7kg
Height (mm) 381 557 841 966
Width (mm) 216 216 216 216
Depth (mm) 247 A 267 299