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Loudspeaker Series
User Manual
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Emotiva X-Ref Series premium loudspeakers Contents Introduction .........................................................................................3 About This Manual ..............................................................................4 Features .............................................................................................5 Unpacking...........................................................................................6 The Emotiva X-Ref Series loudspeaker ....
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Introduction Thank you for purchasing Emotiva X-Ref Series premium loudspeakers. The X-Ref Series, designed in cooperation with renowned loudspeaker designer Vance Dickason, represents the culmination of years of research into optimized loudspeaker design. With the X-Ref Series, you are getting advanced design, premium features, quality construction, and superb sound. All of the members of the X-Ref Series share the same basic features, including our exclusive low-resonance 1” silk dome twe
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About This Manual This manual will provide you with all the information you need to achieve great performance, accurate sound, and many years of reliable service from your X-Ref Series speakers. We suggest that you read through the entire manual; we kept things as short and direct as possible. Even if you’re an expert user, you will probably find some interesting information and useful suggestions. If you’re really in a hurry to get started, please read the Quick Start section (on page 8);
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Features The Emotiva X-Ref Series of loudspeakers were designed to deliver premium performance and superior sound at a reasonable price. All members of the X-Ref Series are voiced to work perfectly together and share similar features, including: • Our Exclusive low-resonance 1” silk dome tweeter for crystal clear highs and perfectly integrated midrange • Emotiva’ s specially designed long throw cone mid/woofers; with proprietary blended-pulp cones, die-cast frames, butyl rubber surrounds,
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Unpacking Your X-Ref Series loudspeakers were carefully packed and should reach you in perfect condition. If you notice any shipping damage or other issues when you unpack them, please contact Emotiva immediately. Gently remove your X-Ref loudspeakers from the packing carton and remove all wrappings and shipping material. Avoid pressing directly on the front of the drivers or dropping any bits of packing material into the port opening. It is important to save the box and all packing materia
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The X-Ref Series Loudspeaker (model shown is the XRT-6.2 Tower) Nested Array™ driver alignment Proprietary Exclusive low- blended-pulp cone resonance long throw 1” silk dome tweeter mid/woofer Rear Panel Bi-amp terminal links Low-diffraction slot-loaded port Base Carpet spikes Page 7
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Quick Start To get the most from your X-Ref loudspeakers, we urge you to read the entire manual. If you just can’t wait to hear how great your X-Ref loudspeakers sound, this section will cover the basics you need to get started. • Find a secure location for your X-Ref loudspeakers. • Before using the X-Ref Tower models, attach the base plates with the included screws. If you’re using them on a soft surface (like carpet), we strongly suggest using the carpet points (also included). • If you’
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Preparation Attaching the base (XRT Tower models only) Each X-Ref Tower model ships with an attractive base. The base is not only decorative, but makes the X-Ref Towers much more difficult to tip over, and provides a mounting place for the included carpet spikes if you choose to use them. We strongly urge all X-Ref Tower owners to use the bases. Position the base with the raised center area facing the speaker (with the side of the base with the countersunk holes away from the speaker); inse
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Attaching the mounting plate (XRS Surrounds only) The X-Ref Surrounds can be wall-mounted using the convenient (and included) mounting plate. The mounting plate is attached to the wall with screws or drywall fasteners; two screws are then inserted into the back of the XRS Surround. Do NOT screw the screws fully into the back of the speaker; the screw heads must remain raised to engage the keyways in the plate. You then simply press the XRS against the mounting plate (so the screw heads on t
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Speaker Placement Speaker placement is often a compromise between optimum performance, personal preference, and site requirements. The following guidelines will serve as a starting point to help you decide where to place your X-Ref speakers to get the best sound. Remember that the “best” location is the one that works best for you, with your music, in your home. We suggest you read both of the following sections; advice about stereo speaker placement also applies to multi-channel systems an
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The X-Ref Monitors usually work best when placed on stands or strong shelves at a height which places the listener’s ear level with the center of the speaker (between the tweeter and woofer). If your X-Ref Monitors are to be placed lower or higher than ear height, they may sound better if tilted slightly up or down. If placed above head height, you may achieve better results by mounting them upside down (tweeter towards the bottom). The X-Ref Surrounds are intended to be used as surround spe
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Positioning your X-Ref Series speakers for home theater use Although the goal is always to achieve the best overall listening experience, because more speakers are required for home-theater than for stereo, you are more likely to encounter practical constraints on where they can be located. Various surround-sound systems and standards also recommend slightly different speaker placement for optimum performance. When listening to most music, the surround speakers are primarily used for ambience
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The X-Ref Monitors are typically placed on stands or strong shelves, at a height which places the listener’s ear level with the center of the speaker (between the tweeter and woofer), and can be used as mains in a smaller system or as surrounds in a larger system. If your X-Ref Monitors are to be placed above or below ear height, they may sound better if tilted slightly up or down. If placed above head height, you may achieve better results by mounting them upside down. The X-Ref Surrounds
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The figure on the previous page shows one suggested configuration for a fantastic surround-sound system. X-Ref XRT-6.2 Towers are used for the Front Left and Front Right speakers, positioned approximately in an equilateral triangle with the listening position, with the tweeters offset towards the center. An XRC-6.2 is used for the Front Center channel, placed on a stand on the shelf below the center of the screen, tilted upwards, with the tweeter offset towards the top. The Towers are posit
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Connections Connecting your X-Ref Series speakers to a power amp or receiver Although the X-Ref Series speakers have no special connection requirements, the following suggestions may be helpful: • Always use high-quality speaker wire of reasonable gauge (16 gauge or heavier) • If you must use thinner wire, try to keep the length as short as possible • Be careful to wire both (or all) speakers “in phase” (the plus/red terminal on each speaker to the plus/red terminal on your amp) • Try to use w
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Bi-wiring and passive bi-amping Most X-Ref loudspeakers offer removable bi-amp terminal links. By removing these links, you can access the high-frequency and low-frequency sections of the speaker separately and take advantage of the improvements in sound quality offered by bi-wiring or passive bi-amping. Bi-wiring is when you use a single amplifier channel for each speaker, but run separate speaker wires from the amplifier to the high-frequency and low-frequency sections of the speaker. Bi-
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Passive bi-amping your X-Ref speakers Bi-amping is when you use separate amplifiers to power the high-frequency and low-frequency section of each loudspeaker. Most listeners agree that bi-amping produces a significant improvement in sound quality. Because the load on each amplifier is reduced, and both the amplification and the high-current signal paths for the high-frequencies and low-frequencies are kept entirely separate, the result is cleaner sound. The X-Ref series speakers permit pas
