Help Establishing - Left v Right Surrounds

[RgrRW]

I have a pair of B&W DS6 Dipole Surrounds which the instructions say are "handed' left and right (it really does).
The instructions go on to identify the correct placement by referring to the terminals in the rear of the cabinet.

Unfortunately, the speakers were removed from their cabinets for in-wall mounting and now there is no way to visually identify which is which.

Does anyone know how to determine the 'hand' of a DS6 speaker ?

For your general interest, I also have the Matrix 804's, HTM, and 805's for the rest of the system.

Thanks for your help.

[aarsoe]

This may be a silly question - but how do you mount dipoles as in wall???

On my set there are not any markings describing the unit as left or right..

[RgrRW]

Mounting Dipoles

Not silly at all.

The DS6 can be recessed partially in the wall with brackets (ordered seperately from B&W). Basically you lose the plastic case and the speaker frame screws into the bracket. All that shows on the completed installation is the curved grill with a frame (the bracket) around it.

Looks alot better than the cases hanging on the wall.

Now if I could only get a decent answer on which is which as they appear identical.

[Aussie Geoff]

RgrRW,

Try this link to the Manual for the current DS6 S3 - there is no reference to Left Right difference and lots of references to how to set them up / orient them etc. I suspect that the manual is right and they are identitcal.

I have seen some installed with the B&W Logo both to to the front - I don't know if this was done by mooving the logo OR thats how you tell the left right...

Now if you have the older DS6 Model (manual here)then there is a handedness which is easy to tell.

C O N N E C T I O N S (figure 2)
All connections should be made with the equipment turned off.
To ensure the correct dipolar soundfield, the speakers are handed left and right. When each speaker is positioned at the correct side of the room, the positive terminal (coloured red) is nearer the screen.
Connect the red (+ve) terminal to the positive terminal of the amplifier and the black (-ve) to the negative (figure 2). Failure to observe correct polarity will result in ill-defined panning of sounds and strange phase effects. Slots are provided in the cabinet back for leading out surface cable.
When choosing cable, keep the total electrical impedance (out and back) below the maximum recommended in the specification. Ask your dealer for
advice, as the optimum cable will depend on the length required.
NOTE: Certain power amplifiers cause a polarity reversal between input and output. Ensure the polarity convention for all the amplifiers you use is consistent, if ill-defined sound panning and strange phase and frequency effects are to be avoided. Amplifiers carrying the Lucasfilm THX symbol are required to be non-inverting.
P O S I T I O N I N G (figure 3)
These surround speakers conform to the specifications of Lucasfilm’s Home THX audio system and differ from most conventional speakers in that they have a dipolar radiation pattern.
The sound is projected mainly backwards and forwards - with drive units mounted on opposite sides of the cabinet. Sound radiated in one direction has
the reverse polarity to that radiated in the opposite direction. In a plane at right angles to these two lobes, the sound is substantially cancelled out. This is the so called null plane.
The speakers are used with the null plane directed towards the listeners, who therefore hear very little direct sound. Most of the sound they hear has been
reflected off the surfaces of the room and is diffuse in nature. This gives the enveloping and atmospheric sound field that is necessary for good Home THX
and Dolby Pro Logic reproduction.
The speakers should ideally be mounted on or close to the side (walls of the room and in line with the centre row of listeners. Keep the speakers a least
0.5m (20in) from the ceiling and over 1m (40in) clear of the rear walls. For the best atmospheric effect mount the speakers above the head of the listeners.
As with all speakers some experimentation will reward the listeners with the optimum performance.
A “Keyhole” mounting slot is provided in the rear baffle of the DS6 to facilitate wall mounting. A shelf stand is also provided where wall mounting would prove difficult.
NOTE: The DS6 produces a static magnetic field that extends outside the cabinet boundary. As such The DS6 should not be placed within 0.5m (20in) of equipment that may be affected by such a field, e.g. Cathode Ray Tubes in TVs and Personal Computers.

Geoff

[RgrRW]

'Handed' Speakers

Geoff:

Look at the top of the left column on pg 2. Apparently the Series 3s are 'handed' as well. However, they have an arrow molded into the case.

My problem is that the red and black terminals referred to in my instructions are on the back of the plastic 'cabinet' that has been removed. The speaker frame is mounted to a bracket that allows the domed speaker front to protrude from the wall but it doesn't have that 4" cabinet.

What I have are just 2 wires (with spade connectors) coming out of the crossover. I can ID the pos (brown) and neg (blue) but there is no way to tell which speaker frame came from which cabinet. In other words, I can mount either of the speaker frames back in either of the cabinets and hook the brown lead to the red terminal.

Even tech support at B&W USA was no help. He didn't have a series 1 to take apart. Basically, his answer was get the polarity right and forget about it.

I'll just putthem back in the wall and swap them side to side and see if there is any difference.

Thanks for the S3 instructions. They are good for placement advice.


By the way, you also helped me work out a purchase decision over in the Rotel site. I finally decided on the 1095/1080 but when I ordered it the dealer came back and told me the 1095 was back ordered and he had no ship date. I said the hell with it and got the 1075/1080 which I understand is your setup. I think the 1095 was overkill on the back channels anyway. I'm looking forward to setting it all up. Thanks again

rgrrw

[Aussie Geoff]

RgrRW,

Ah - now I understand your problem...

THis is hard - with the backs off etc you will need BW UKs tech support (they are great and provide support all the way back for 20 years). The email you want is info@bwspeakers.com or try their tech support web page (which is also quick) at http://www.bwspeakers.com/index.cfm/...ocal.contactus.

Make sure you cover the series 1 and the back's removed information...

PS - I'm 99% confident that the actual backs are identical and if you connect the Positve wire to the Red termnial on each back you are then able to use the Red / Black instructions from Rotel for placement - IE they care about the polarity etc looking at the manual - and the wires from the crossover will (as you point out) show the polarity...

Geoff

[RgrRW]

Geoff:

Thanks again. I'll try B&W uk.

Except for maintaining the correct polarity, and relative seating position to the drivers, I still don't understand what could possibly matter as to which speaker goes on which wall. Maybe UK will shed some light.

G'day.

[RgrRW]

I got the answer!

Thanks to Mike at B&W (USA) I got an answer to the left/right hand problem.

Each of the 3 drivers are connected with different colored wires. The side driver with the red and black wires should face the front of the room.

Thank you Mike, aarsoe & Geoff.