Niles Audio Speaker CM6PR User Manual

I N S T A L L A T I O N  
&
O P E R A T I O N G U I D E  
M O D E L S  
CM5PR  
PERFORMANCE  
CM6PR  
PERFORMANCE  
Niles Audio  
Corporation  
®
12331 S.W. 130 Street  
Miami, Florida 33186  
Tel: (305) 238-4373  
Fax: (305) 238-0185  
© 2001 Niles Audio Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Niles, the Niles logo, and Blending  
High Fidelity and Architecture are registered trademarks of Niles Audio Corporation.  
MicroPerf is a trademark of Niles Audio Corporation. Kaladex is a registered trademark of  
DuPont Teijin Films. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.  
Because we constantly strive to improve our products, Niles reserves the right to change  
product specifications without notice. The technical and other information contained herein  
is not intended to set forth all technical and other specifications of Niles products. Additional  
information can be obtained on-line. Printed in Taiwan. DS00290ATW  
B L E N D I N G H I G H F I D E L I T Y  
®
Printed in Taiwan  
A N D A R C H I T E C T U R E  
 
WARRANTY REGISTRATION CARD  
Introduction  
Model Purchased__________________________________________________________________________________  
Serial Number___________________________________________________________________________________  
Date Purchased (month/day/year)_________________________________________________________________  
The PR or Performance group of suited as primary speakers in bedrooms,  
ceiling mount loudspeakers offers speak- dens or living rooms, as main or surround  
ers expressly designed for an optimum speakers in home theaters. Each model  
balance of performance and value. They features Niles’ patented two-piece no-  
employ high performance components strip speaker wire terminal which reduces  
and materials that make them perfectly installation time.  
Dealer Name and Location________________________________________________________________________  
__________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Features and Benefits  
Dr.  
Miss  
Mr.  
Mrs.  
Ms.  
Talc-Filled Polyproylene Woofer with  
Butyl Rubber Surround  
ply plug into the crossover circuit boards  
on the back of Niles speakers, resulting in  
positive in-phase connections every time.  
Name____________________________________________________________________________________________  
The CMPR Performance series loudspeak-  
ers employ a high performance woofer  
made of vacuum formed polypropylene  
with talc added for stiffening. The resulting  
cone offers low mass, good damping and  
superb musicality. Additionally, the  
woofer employs a Butyl Rubber Surround  
for improved midrange clarity as well as  
moisture resistance.  
Address_________________________________________________________________________________________  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________  
City_________________________________________________________State______________Zip______________  
Moisture, UV Resistant Construction  
The CM5PR and CM6PR loudspeakers are  
suitable for use in high moisture environ-  
ments. The drivers are resistant to moisture  
and UV exposure; the grille is made of  
powder-coated aluminum. However, the  
speakers are not waterproof and direct  
contact with water should be avoided.  
Telephone (___________)___________________________________________________________________________  
Please take a moment to fill out our warranty registration card. The information helps us to  
get to know you better and develop the products you want  
3/4" Fluid-Cooled Ultra-Wide  
Engineered for Ceiling Placement  
The CM5PR and CM6PR have been  
specifically designed and tuned for opti-  
mum performance when mounted in a  
ceiling. The custom designed low diffrac-  
tion tweeter housing is mounted coaxially  
to avoid the “venetian blind” effect com-  
mon with ceiling speakers that employ  
sub-baffles as tweeter mounts. The 20°  
tweeter pivot angle ensures optimum  
high-frequency coverage.  
®
Dispersion Kaladex Tweeter in  
Custom Pivoting Coaxial Enclosure  
The PR Performance series Kaladex®  
Tweeter employs DuPont’s latest material  
technology to produce a dome tweeter  
with exceptional frequency response and  
low distortion. Highs are crystal clear and  
extended without the harshness often  
associated with polycarbonate designs.  
Age:  
Musical tastes:  
What magazines do  
you read?  
Do you. . .?  
Under 25  
25-34  
35-44  
45-54  
55 & over  
(Please check all that  
apply)  
Own a House. If yes,  
how many square feet?  
__________________  
1._____________________  
2. ___________________  
3. ___________________  
Alternative  
Classical  
Country  
Jazz  
New Age  
Popular  
Own a Town House/  
Condominium/Co-op  
Rent an Apartment  
Rent a House  
Income:  
Who will install the  
product?  
Under $24,999  
$25,000-$34,999  
$35,000-$44,999  
$45,000-$59,999  
$60,000-$74,999  
$75,000-$99,999  
Over $99,999  
R&B  
Rock  
Are you interested in  
receiving literature on  
other Niles products?  
The Kaladex® tweeter can pivot up to 20°  
within its mount. This allows for perfect  
alignment of the high frequencies and opti-  
mum performance without the diffraction  
distortion endemic to other speaker brands  
utilizing traditional pivoting tweeters.  
Custom Installer  
Electrician  
Friend  
Myself  
Other______________  
Installer Selectable Acoustic  
Fine Tuning  
Yes  
No  
How did you hear  
about Niles?  
Installers can select to de-emphasize the  
bass or treble by 2dB to accommodate  
reflective surfaces and corner loading.  
This selection is accomplished via baffle-  
mounted controls that are accessible after  
the speaker has been installed.  
Which factor(s) influ-  
enced the purchase of  
your Niles product?  
Are there products/  
capabilities that you  
would like to see  
introduced?  
____________________  
____________________  
____________________  
____________________  
____________________  
____________________  
Architect/Developer  
Custom Installer  
Direct Mail  
Occupation:  
Arts/Entertainment  
Business Owner  
Engineer  
Finance/Accounting  
General Office  
Management  
Professional  
Sales/Marketing  
Student  
Tradesperson  
(Please check all that  
apply)  
Friend/Family  
No-Strip Speaker Terminal  
In-Store Display  
Interior Designer  
Magazine Ad  
Mail-Order Catalog  
Newspaper Ad  
Product Brochure  
Product Review  
Retail Salesperson  
Niles patented No-Strip terminal enables  
speakers to be connected without stripping  
the speaker wire. No-Strip terminals elimi-  
nate fumbling with wire strippers and input  
terminals. They are color coded and sim-  
Ease of Use  
Price/Value  
Product Features  
Quality/Durability  
Reputation  
Style/Appearance  
Warranty  
contined on next page  
 
2
MicroPerf Grilles  
4 or 8 ohm Selectable Impedance  
The CM5PR and CM6PR employ Niles The dual voice coil feature of the CM5PR  
exclusive MicroPerf grille construction. and CM6PR gives the installer flexibility to  
The exceptionally tight hole pattern pro- select the speaker’s impedance — 4 ohms  
vides acoustic transparency at all audio for systems where maximum current trans-  
frequencies and enables the speaker ele- fer and output level is desired; 8 ohms for  
ments to remain invisible. MicroPerf systems utilizing multiple speaker pairs  
grilles can also be painted to blend seem- where amplifier loading is a consideration.  
lessly with the surrounding decor.  
PLEASE FILL OUT THE  
WARRANTY REGISTRATION  
CARD ON THE REVERSE SIDE,  
DETACH, AND MAIL TO:  
Niles Audio Corporation  
Warranty Registration Dept.  
P.O. Box 160818  
Hole Saving Bracket  
Easy Installation  
Available as an optional accessory, CM5  
The CM5PR and CM6PR employ a brack-  
Series and CM6 Series New Construction  
etless mounting system in existing ceilings.  
Brackets can be installed as a “hole-saver”  
Simply cut a hole in the mounting surface,  
before the drywall goes up. The drywall  
remove the grille from the speaker, con-  
contractor cuts the holes as the drywall is  
nect the wires and place the speaker in the  
installed, reducing installation time and  
hole. Then tighten the four mounting  
minimizing the chance for lost wires.  
Miami, Florida 33116-0818  
“dogs” via the front panel screws. The  
dogs first swivel 90°, then clamp the  
speaker frame to the drywall as you tight-  
en the screws.  
 
3
Installation Considerations  
Recommended Amplifier Power  
run out of power very quickly. When an  
For satisfactory performance, we recom- amplifier runs out of power it creates dam-  
mend an amplifier with a power rating of aging “clipping” distortion. A large ampli-  
10 to 100 watts for the CM5PR and 10 to fier will play at the same volume without  
125 watts for the CM6PR. Curiously, most distorting. See the section on operating the  
speakers are not damaged by large ampli- speakers for more information about clip-  
fiers but by small amplifiers. If your system ping distortion.  
is playing loudly, a small amplifier will  
Figure 1  
The illustration shows how a  
typical CM loudspeaker  
mounts into a ceiling.  
New Construction Bracket serves as a  
“hole saver” when drywall has not  
been applied. It is not necessary when  
retrofitting to existing ceilings.  
Knockout wire tie allows the wire to be  
secured to the bracket throughout the  
new construction process. It knocks  
out cleanly when the speaker is  
installed.  
New construction wings  
instantly snap into the  
bracket without screws.  
Dogs swivel 90°, then  
clamp the speaker  
frame to the drywall.  
Frames are molded with a  
slight texture to assure  
good paint adhesion.  
Wings are scored for  
easy size trimming.  
Mounting screws tighten the  
“dogs”, clamping the speaker  
to the drywall.  
Brackets and wings  
attach to the ceiling joists  
with nails or screws.  
Rust-proof aluminum grilles make the CM  
series perfect for moist environments.  
Figure 2  
Figure 3  
The CM5PR and  
CM6PR tweeter is  
housed in a custom  
designed, low  
20°  
The CM5PR and  
CM6PR include  
easy access, baffle  
mounted tone  
controls that enable  
you to accommo-  
date varying room  
acoustics  
diffraction enclosure,  
pivots up to 20° to  
provide optimum  
high frequency  
coverage  
 
19  
4
Incorporating a Local Volume Control  
professional audio/video installer, your  
In a multiroom system there is one indis- building contractor, or the local building  
pensible device for true convenience—a and inspection department.  
Specifications  
local volume control. It enables you to  
adjust the volume of the speakers without  
If your stereo system operates with a wire-  
leaving the room.  
CM5PR  
CM6PR  
Incorporating Remote Control  
Driver Compliment  
5-1/4" talc-filled polypropylene woofer  
with butyl-rubber surround  
Driver Compliment  
6-1/2" talc-filled polypropylene woofer  
with butyl-rubber surround  
less Infrared (IR) remote control, consider  
Plan to wire the system so that each pair the advantages of installing a Niles Infrared  
of speakers has its own volume control Extender System. Niles manufactures a  
built into the wall (think of a volume con- number of concealable IR sensors and wall  
3/4" fluid-cooled ultra-wide dispersion  
3/4” fluid-cooled ultra-wide dispersion  
trol as a dimmer switch for sound).  
mounted keypads which send a copy of  
your hand-held remote command via a  
wire to your main equipment location,  
where it is repeated to your stereo system.  
The wire is typically installed with the  
speaker wire, since the speaker signal and  
the IR signal will not interfere with each  
other. This makes almost no difference to  
the installation time, and the cost of the  
recommended IR control cable (West Penn  
D291 or equivalent) is reasonable.  
®
®
Kaladex tweeter in a custom pivoting  
Kaladex tweeter in a custom pivoting  
coaxial enclosure  
coaxial enclosure  
Niles makes a wide range of high perfor-  
mance indoor and outdoor volume con-  
trols. They are available in Standard or  
Recommended Amplifier Power  
10 to 100 watts per channel  
Recommended Amplifier Power  
10 to 125 watts per channel  
®
Decora style cover plates (just like your  
light switches and dimmers). Volume con-  
trols are connected in line with the speak-  
er, so you must connect the wire from the  
amplifier to the volume control and then  
from the volume control to the speaker.  
Nominal Impedance  
4 or 8 ohm selectable  
Nominal Impedance  
4 or 8 ohm selectable  
Frequency Response  
65Hz to 20kHz, +/- 3dB (on axis)  
Frequency Response  
60Hz to 20kHz, +/- 3dB (on axis)  
Tweeter Adjustment  
Up to 20° pivot angle  
Tweeter Adjustment  
Up to 20° pivot angle  
Speaker Wire  
The correct routing for IR control cable is  
to home run an IR control cable from the  
main equipment location beside the  
speaker wire to the planned volume con-  
trol location; and then on to the proposed  
sensor location. The combination of IR  
control cable and speaker wire enables a  
Use 2-conductor speaker wire when con-  
necting CM5PR and CM6PR speakers to  
your receiver or amplifier. For most appli-  
cations, we recommend you use 16 or 18  
gauge stranded wire. For wiring runs  
longer than 80 feet we recommend 14  
gauge stranded wire. The no-strip termi-  
nals of the PR speakers will accommodate  
12 to 18 gauge wire.  
Sensitivity  
88dB for 2.83 volts of Pink Noise  
Sensitivity  
89dB for 2.83 volts of Pink Noise  
Overall Exterior Frame Dimensions  
8-1/8" diameter  
Overall Exterior Frame Dimensions  
9-1/4" diameter  
®
programmable Niles IntelliPad to be  
Depth Behind Wall  
3-3/8" deep (based on 1/2" drywall)  
Depth Behind Wall  
3-3/4" deep (based on 1/2" drywall)  
installed at a later date (the IntelliPad has a  
convenient speaker mute feature in addi-  
tion to automating and controlling your  
stereo system). An IR sensor is best placed  
where it is convenient for you to point the  
hand-held remote. Both an IntelliPad and  
an IR sensor can be connected in one  
room with one home run IR control cable.  
Wall Cut-Out Dimensions  
6-7/8" diameter  
Wall Cut-Out Dimensions  
8" diameter  
When you run wire inside walls, special  
jacketing (CL-2 or CL-3) is required to  
both protect the wire and for fire preven-  
tion. In some areas conduit is required.  
For a trouble-free installation, low voltage  
wire such as speaker wire must be run in  
accordance with the National Electrical  
Code and any applicable provisions of the  
local building code. If you are unsure of  
the correct installation techniques, wire  
jacket or type of conduit to use, consult a  
Wiring Requirements  
Wiring Requirements  
We recommend 16 to 18 gauge stranded  
wire for up to 80 feet, 14 gauge stranded  
wire for up to two hundred feet.  
We recommend 16 to 18 gauge stranded  
wire for up to 80 feet, 14 gauge stranded  
wire for up to two hundred feet.  
Insulation Behind The Speaker  
Connectors accommodate 12 to 18 gauge  
stranded wire.  
Connectors accommodate 12 to 18 gauge  
stranded wire.  
For best performance from your speakers  
lay a batten of fiberglass insulation  
(example: R-19 un-batted insulation) on  
top of the speaker. Try to keep the same  
amount of insulation for each speaker,  
particularly in the same room, for consis-  
tent bass response.  
TECH TIP  
Wire size is expressed by  
its AWG (American Wire  
Gauge) number. The lower  
the number, the larger the  
wire, i.e. 12 AWG is physi-  
cally larger than 14 AWG.  
 
5
18  
Make sure the sound will not be blocked  
or reflected off of furniture or other  
objects. You should have a direct line of  
sight with the front of the speaker. To  
determine the best position, measure the  
“listening” distance between the ideal lis-  
tening position (your favorite chair or  
couch) and the location in which you plan  
to install the speakers. Try to place the  
speakers so that they are equally distant  
from your listening spot and at least one  
half of the listening distance apart (this  
maintains a large pleasant stereo “image”).  
In home theater applications where there  
is a center channel you may choose to  
space the left and right main speakers far-  
ther apart for a “bigger than life” sound  
Operation  
Speaker Placement  
Listening at Higher Volumes  
Introduction  
It requires more power to achieve a reason-  
able volume of sound in a large room than  
it does in a small room. It is possible (even if  
you are not a teenager) to turn the volume  
so high that the amplifier runs out of power.  
This creates “clipping” distortion.  
Although the CM5PR and CM6PR have  
extensive ability to compensate for unusu-  
al placements with their unique pivoting  
tweeters and acoustic fine-tuning switch-  
es; placement is still the primary tool for  
satisfying your particular listening needs.  
In the following section, we discuss how  
speakers should be placed and how tweet-  
ers should be directed and how the  
acoustic fine-tuning switches should be set  
for different purposes.  
Clipping distortion makes treble sound  
very harsh and unmusical. When you hear  
harsh sounding treble from any good  
speaker, turn the volume down immedi-  
ately! Those harsh sounds are masking  
some much more powerful ultra-high-fre-  
quency sound spikes which will quickly  
damage any fine loudspeaker. You are  
much less likely to damage a speaker with  
a large amplifier because it will be very  
loud indeed before it produces any clip-  
ping distortion.  
Placement for Critical Listening  
If you like to imagine that the band or  
orchestra is playing in front of you as you  
listen to music, or you are very conscious  
of clarity, detail and the textures of the  
individual instruments, or you listen criti-  
cally to movie soundtracks or music  
videos in your home theater, you will  
need your speakers placed so that they are  
optimized for critical listening. Here are  
some guidelines to make the process of  
placement quick and easy.  
®
with Dolby encoded movies and TV  
shows. However, for combined music and  
movie usage stay within the good place-  
ment zone for music. For example; if you  
are ten feet back from the speakers, the  
speakers should be between five and ten  
feet apart (See Figure 4).  
Cleaning  
Tweeters should be directed at the listen-  
ing position.  
You can clean the speaker with a damp-  
ened soft cloth or paper towel. If the  
speaker is mounted high up on a wall or  
ceiling, use a broom to gently brush it off.  
Figure 4  
In this example,  
the speakers  
could be  
Direct tweeter  
placed from  
towards listener  
five to 10 feet  
apart, since the  
listener is 10  
feet back from  
the speakers  
Critical  
Listening  
Position  
10'  
5'  
10'  
Direct tweeter  
towards listener  
 
17  
6
Placement for Varying  
Listening Positions  
ent or “all around you” effect). The speak-  
ers can be placed near corners to create  
more reflected sound. By directing the  
tweeters to point away from the listener,  
so they create as much reflected sound as  
possible, you emphasize the ambient  
effect. The more reflected sound there is  
in the room the stronger the ambient  
effect at low volumes. You should use  
moderation, however, otherwise the com-  
promise becomes too one sided and at  
high volumes, the sound will be blurred  
and less distinct.  
results will be obtained by using a spray  
gun or airless sprayer, thinning the paint  
(prevents clogging of the grille holes), and  
by applying several light coats instead of  
one heavy one.  
If you want the freedom to sit anywhere in  
a room facing any direction, and/or find  
that you prefer the “all around you” sound  
of some car stereos to a conventional  
“sound stage” facing you, consider the  
speaker placement techniques profession-  
al installers use in restaurants and bars.  
They place speakers in an array around  
the listening area, so that the music is  
always surrounding you, regardless of the  
direction you face.  
Speaker Phase  
Speaker wire has two conductors. One  
conductor is attached to the negative (-)  
terminals and one conductor is attached  
to the positive (+) terminals of both your  
speaker and your amplifier. Usually, the  
wire is marked for your convenience.  
There are different ways wires are marked:  
a stripe on one wire, a ribbed area of one  
conductor you can only feel, different col-  
ors of metal wire on each conductor, or  
there might be a fabric strand or string  
wound into one of the conductors. Of  
course, there are some wires which  
appear completely identical. Be careful, or  
you might make a mistake.  
Figure 17  
Tightening the  
mounting “dogs”  
The rule of thumb is to add one pair of  
speakers for every 100 to 200 square feet  
of listening area. Curiously, this is not so  
that you can play the music louder, but so  
that you can play it softer! When you  
have only one pair of speakers in a large  
room you will notice that when the sound  
is perfect in one part of the room, it is too  
loud near the speakers. By placing more  
than one pair in the room you will avoid  
these “hot spots” of loud sound and you  
will create more sonic ambiance while  
maintaining clarity and a rich sound  
everywhere (See Figure 5).  
Placement for Home Theater  
Rear Applications  
9. Setting the Bass and Treble cut switch-  
es. Listen to a well-recorded piece of  
music at the user’s favorite listening  
position. a) Listen for bass boominess,  
particularly when the speaker is placed  
near a corner. Use the -2dB Bass cut to  
correct. b) Listen for treble harshness or  
ringing, particularly when the speakers are  
placed in a room without carpet/ Use the  
-2dB Treble cut switch to correct.  
In a home theater, the goal is to reproduce  
the experience of a great movie theater in  
our homes. The biggest difference  
between the two is the rear or surround  
speaker array in a commercial theater.  
Here, it is not uncommon to see twenty or  
thirty speakers around the audience. This  
huge array of speakers assures that you  
will feel completely surrounded by the  
ambient soundtrack of the movie. Film  
makers try to use the “surround” sound-  
track to envelope you in the environment  
on screen. They will place background  
music, rain sounds, traffic noise, etc. on  
the “surround” soundtrack. In a home  
with a single pair of speakers it is easy for  
the jungle sounds to sound like they are  
“in the middle of your head” just like  
headphones!  
If you make a mistake, one speaker will be  
playing “out-of-phase” with the other  
speaker. An out-of-phase pair of speakers  
work against each other and the sound of  
the two speakers playing together will be  
lacking in bass and be “phasey” sounding.  
If you suspect the sound is not right and  
you cannot see any markings on the wire,  
try this simple test:  
10.Install the grille into the speaker. The  
grilles should fit snugly. If you have diffi-  
culty fitting them in, try loosening the  
mounting dog screws (excessive tighten-  
ing can distort the shape of the frame  
holding the grille in place).  
You can make listener position still less  
critical by using mono rather than stereo.  
This can be difficult to achieve with nor-  
mal stereo amplifiers. However, Niles  
manufactures Systems Integration  
Painting the Speakers  
1. Stand half way between the speakers.  
All models may be painted. The plastic  
will readily accept most paints.  
®
Amplifiers which enable one room to be  
2. Play some music with the amplifier  
or radio set to Mono.  
wired in stereo while other rooms are  
wired in mono! Consult your local Niles A single pair of CM5PR or CM6PR  
dealer for more information.  
The speakers must be masked prior to  
painting them. The inside circular portion  
of the hole template can be used as a  
paint mask. Remove the outside portion of  
the template by gently pulling along the  
perforation. Affix the mask to the front of  
the speaker using a piece of tape. Fold the  
tape onto itself to form a double-sided  
loop. Affix the tape to the tweeter and  
place the mask onto the speaker.  
3. Listen to the richness of the bass and  
the loudness of the sound.  
Loudspeakers, properly placed, can create  
a very convincing simulation of an array  
of speakers. If you place them near a hard  
reflecting surface you can make one pair  
of speakers sound like several. Create as  
many reflections as possible by placing  
the speakers near a corner so that the  
adjoining walls will act as a powerful  
reflector. Direct the tweeters so that sound  
is pointed away form the listener creating  
In smaller rooms or rooms that are infre-  
quently used, you typically can’t justify  
the expense of more than two speakers.  
Try to bracket the room with the two  
speakers. Diagonal placement is a very  
effective way to stretch the coverage pat-  
tern of two speakers. You can also com-  
promise between direct sound (for detail  
and clarity) and reflected sound (the ambi-  
4. Turn off the amplifier and reverse the  
connections on one amplifier chan-  
nel only.  
5. Repeat the listening test with the  
same setting of the volume control.  
When the sound has a richer bass  
and is slightly louder the speakers are  
working together or “in-phase”.  
The grilles should be painted before they  
are installed. For all models, the best  
 
7
16  
6. Insert the no strip terminal into the  
corresponding socket on the rear of  
the speaker. Push it down until it locks  
in place. The terminal will only fit in  
the socket in one direction. If the ter-  
minal does not properly seat, reverse  
the terminal  
still more reflections and thus more “sur- amplifier than that which is built into a  
Final Installation in New  
or Existing Construction  
1. If it is possible to lay a batt of insulation  
into the ceiling cavity do so. Remember  
to use equal amounts of insulation for  
each speaker.  
typical surround sound receiver or ampli-  
fier. Niles makes a number of Systems  
Integration Amplifiers with proprietary  
features that make them uniquely suited  
to enhance a good surround sound sys-  
tem. Consult your local Niles dealer for  
more information.  
round sound” effect. However, as you  
move the speaker farther away from the  
listener, both the reflected and the direct  
sound will dissipate, requiring more  
power from your surround sound amplifier  
channels. If the surround sound system  
you are using has a small five or ten watt  
amplifier for the rear speakers, stay within  
five to eight feet of the listening location. If  
you are using a 25 to 50 watt amplifier  
you can mount the speakers 10 to 15 feet  
away from the listening location and still  
achieve reasonably high volume levels.  
7. On both models, there are four clamps  
or mounting “dogs” which hold each  
speaker in place. The dogs are tight-  
ened via four front-baffle screws. To  
install the speaker, first rotate the dogs  
inward. Insert the speaker into the  
cutout and tighten the dogs by turning  
the screws clockwise. DO NOT OVER-  
TIGHTEN THESE SCREWS. Over-tight-  
ening the clamps may make the grille  
difficult to install. (See Figure 17).  
The Boundary Effect  
Corners can affect the bass response of the  
speaker powerfully! This is called the  
boundary effect. You will emphasize par-  
ticular bass frequencies and cancel out  
other bass frequencies when you place  
speakers close to the wall/ceiling bound-  
ary or a corner wall boundary. This can  
make the speaker sound excessively  
boomy and inaccurate to some listeners,  
while to others it just seems like more bass  
sound. A good rule of thumb is if you  
always listen to your current pair of speak-  
ers with the bass turned up, you’ll enjoy  
corner placement. If you keep your tone  
controls at neutral, try to keep the speak-  
ers at least two or three feet from the  
boundaries of the room.  
2. Check the position of the Impedance  
Jumper on the crossover PC board.  
Choose the 4 ohm position if you are  
using an amplifier capable of drawing a  
4 ohm load and you have only one pair  
of speakers connected. Otherwise, use  
the 8 ohm position (See Figure 15).  
In large or unusually shaped rooms, using  
multiple speakers might be the only way to  
achieve a good effect. In large or unusual-  
ly shaped rooms this might be the only  
way to achieve a good effect. If you like  
to listen to music surround modes which  
emulate concert hall acoustics, more than  
two surround speakers will prove extraor-  
dinarily effective (See Figure 6). With  
Niles CM5PR and CM6PR loudspeakers it  
is easy to add another pair without affect-  
ing the decor of the room. However, you  
will need to use a much more powerful  
3. Separate the speaker wire so that at least  
two inches of each conductor are free.  
NOTE: The screws will be easier to turn if  
you “prime” them first. Before installing each  
speaker, turn the screws in and then turn  
them back out to their original positions.  
4. Open the no-strip terminal by applying  
pressure to the red and black levers until  
an audible “click” is heard.  
5. Insert one unstripped wire fully into the  
black and one into the red terminal. Pay  
attention to the markings on the wire.  
Each speaker must be connected to the  
amplifier in the same way. If unsure,  
see “Speaker Phase” located on the fol-  
lowing page. Squeeze the red and black  
levers until they click signifying that  
they have locked into the wire. Check  
to make sure that the knife assembly  
inside the no strip connector has prop-  
erly pierced the wire (See Figure 16).  
8. Direct the Tweeter. The tweeter is  
directed by gently pushing on the edge  
of the tweeter grille. It will move 20° in  
any direction. For critical listening point  
the tweeter to the user’s favorite listen-  
ing position minimizing reflections from  
the side walls. For surround sound or  
low volume background listening cre-  
ate more reflections and thus more  
ambience by directing the tweeter  
towards the side walls. See Speaker  
Placement on Page 6.  
Figure 5  
Varying Listening Position  
Figure 6  
Surround Sound  
Figure 15 Setting the Impedance Jumper.  
Figure 16 No-Strip Speaker Wire Terminal.  
 
15  
8
Side-by-side wiring is unavoidable in par-  
ticular spots in every house, just move the  
speaker wire route away as soon as possi-  
ble. If construction forces a side by side  
run for more than ten feet, install metal  
conduit or shielded speaker wire. Low-  
voltage wires such as doorbells, inter-  
coms, telephone, security, or television  
cannot cause interference or hum on your  
speaker wires, so you can safely run all of  
them at the same time, through the same  
holes, side-by-side.  
Figure 14  
Installation  
Installation in  
Fundamentals  
Existing Construction  
IMPORTANT: Before you cut into any  
wall, review the sections on running  
wire and speaker placement.  
Running the Speaker Wire in New  
Construction  
If you have doubts about whether you are  
capable of installing a Niles ceiling mount  
loudspeakers, consult a Niles dealer or  
professional installer. They have special  
tools, techniques, and experience to make  
the impossible possible. The installer can  
provide you with an estimate before any  
work is done.  
1. When determining the location of the  
speaker cutout keep in mind that the  
mounting dogs will extend 3/4" beyond  
the cutout. make sure that you do not  
place the edge of the cutout directly  
next to a ceiling joist. Locate the joists  
using a stud sensor or hand-knocking.  
Before you drill any holes, mount the  
speaker brackets in the desired speaker  
locations and mount p-rings or open  
backed J-boxes where the in-wall volume  
controls and stereo equipment will be.  
5. If you are cutting drywall use a  
sheetrock or keyhole saw. Cut the hole  
with the saw at a 45° angle. That way,  
the drywall section can be replaced  
cleanly if there is an unseen obstruction  
behind the wall. BE VERY CAREFUL  
NOT TO SAW THROUGH EXISTING  
WIRES, PIPES, OR STRUCTURE. IF  
YOU FEEL EXTRA RESISTANCE AS  
YOU ARE CUTTING, STOP.  
Scheduling and Preparation  
2. Once you have determined a possible  
position for the cutout, drill a 1/8” pilot  
hole just barely through the ceiling  
(1/2” to 5/8” deep in most homes)  
about an inch below the center of your  
proposed speaker location. BE VERY  
CAREFUL NOT TO DRILL THROUGH  
EXISTING WIRES, PIPES, OR STRUC-  
TURE. IF YOU FEEL ANY EXTRA RESIS-  
TANCE AS YOU ARE DRILLING, STOP.  
Plan to schedule the speaker wiring after  
the electrical wiring is finished. That way  
you can avoid wire routes which could  
potentially induce hum over the speaker  
wire. The basic rules are:  
Safety First!  
Wear gloves, safety goggles and head pro-  
tection when drilling. Avoid nails, they ruin  
bits and they can create injury. Pay particu-  
lar care when using “hole-hogs” and other  
powerful electric drills; the torque of the  
drill when suddenly stopped by a nail can  
break the wrist of a strong man.  
• Never run speaker wire through the  
same hole as an electrical cable.  
• Never run speaker wire into the same  
J-box as electrical cable.  
6. If you are cutting into a plaster ceiling,  
use masking tape to outline your pen-  
ciled circle and use a razor to score the  
plaster down to the lath beneath. Then  
use a chisel to remove all of the plaster  
within the taped outline. To actually cut  
the lathe, two methods are used profes-  
sionally; sawing with a metal cutting  
blade on a sabre saw is the quickest  
and the riskiest. Sawing a lathe with a  
sabre saw can easily vibrate plaster off  
the ceiling in a completely distant loca-  
tion creating more patchwork. If you  
have the patience, use a pair of tin snips  
to slowly nip away at the lath instead.  
There is little risk with this method, it is  
just time consuming.  
Drilling  
3. Cut a foot-long piece of coat hanger.  
Bend the wire (creating a right angle)  
leaving 4-1/8" at one end for the  
CM5PR and 4/3/4" for the CM6PR (this  
allows for the extra width of the mount-  
ing dogs). Poke the “L-shaped” wire  
into the pilot hole and turn it in a com-  
plete circle and move it into the ceiling  
cavity to make sure you have approxi-  
mately 3-3/4" of depth. If the wires  
movement is obstructed by anything, fill  
the hole(s) with spackle and try another  
location. (See Figure 14)  
• Avoid running the speaker wire beside  
the electrical cable. Keep your speaker  
cable at a distance of at least 18"-22"  
from any electrical power cable.  
Use a bit that is large enough for the wires  
you plan to run. An auger bit is the pre-  
ferred bit for rough-in wiring. It will actu-  
ally pull itself through the wood, so that  
the drill motor, not you, does most of the  
work. You may be drilling a lot of holes,  
so this is an important consideration.  
Figure 7  
Always drill the holes in the center of the  
stud. If you have to notch the stud or drill  
the hole closer than one inch from the  
edge of the stud, protect the wire with a  
nail plate (See Figure 7).  
4. If the coat hanger moves freely in a com-  
plete circle, hold the supplied template  
up to the ceiling surface. Outline the cir-  
cular cutout on the ceiling surface with a  
pencil. Drill starting point with a 1/4" bit.  
When drilling holes in ceiling joists drill  
in the center of the joists and try to locate  
the hole near the end of the joist. DO  
NOT drill through a “gluelam” or any  
load bearing beam without the direction  
of your contractor.  
 
9
14  
The wings and brackets have centering  
lines to simplify placement of the speakers.  
Try to line the holes up perfectly, because when you look at the painted wall board,  
Installation in New  
Construction  
it makes pulling the wire much easier. A  
good technique is to snap a chalk line  
across the face of the studs or against the  
bottom of the ceiling joists. Then work  
backward so that you can always see the  
holes you have already drilled. Paying  
careful attention to this will save you a lot  
of time later on!  
plaster, or paneling is only the skin of the  
wall. Behind the skin is the skeleton; two-  
by-four wood or metal “studs” running  
vertically from the floor to the ceiling in  
walls and two-by-six or larger “joists” run-  
ning horizontally in the ceilings and  
floors. In between the studs and the joists  
is the space for the wiring and plumbing  
of your home.  
Screw one side of the assembled bracket  
with wings to the joist using one of the  
supplied screws. Level the bracket. Screw  
the other side of the bracket/wing assem-  
bly to the joist. Two screws on each side  
make for a very secure installation. Secure  
the wire to the bracket using bracket’s  
wire tie. The drywall installers will cut the  
drywall to the exact size of the bracket.  
(See Figure 12)  
Insulating the Wall Cavity  
If feasible, fill the wall cavity with insula-  
tion at this point.  
Mounting The New Construction  
Bracket  
Pulling the Cable  
The hole saving bracket enables a faster  
and cleaner final installation of the speak-  
er. It forces the drywall installer to cut out  
the speaker hole for you and provides  
wire ties for the speaker wire, reducing the  
risks of accidental loss or movement of the  
wire. In addition, it enables you to align  
your speakers with other ceiling fixtures  
with great accuracy since you can really  
see exactly where the speaker will be.  
Pull the cable in sections (from the stereo  
to the volume control, from the volume  
control to the speaker). Start with the  
longest sections and use left over wire to  
complete the short sections. If you plan to  
pull many rooms at the same time through  
a central route, walk off the distance to  
each destination, add a generous fudge  
factor for turns and other obstacles, then  
cut off each section so that you have a  
bundle of wires you can pull at once.  
Exterior walls are different. They must  
insulate the house from the heat and cold  
outside, so they are stuffed with insulation.  
The national building code requires that  
the hollow wall space in exterior walls be  
broken by a horizontal stud placed  
between the vertical studs. This “fire  
blocking” makes it very difficult to retrofit  
long lengths of wire. In some areas of the  
country the exterior walls are constructed  
of solid masonry, and have no hollow  
space for speakers or wires.  
Concealing Speaker Wire for a  
Future Installation  
Attach the speaker wire in a loop between  
the ceiling joists and carefully mark the  
exact location of the wire on a set of  
plans. Ask the general contractor to inform  
the drywall installers that the speaker wire  
loops are concealed for future installa-  
tions. (See Figure13)  
To install the bracket, first attach the  
QuickSnap new construction wings to  
Whenever you run the wire further than  
four and one half feet from a hole in a stud  
or joist (open attic space, going up walls,  
etc.), fasten the wire to the joists or studs  
using cable clamps or appropriately sized  
wire staples. The wire should not have  
large sags in it, nor should it be too tight.  
Try to protect the wire from being stepped  
on in attics or other unfinished crawl  
spaces. There are guard strips, raceways  
and conduits which can be used to protect  
the cable. Consult the local building code  
for special requirements in your area.  
the bracket by snapping them into the  
sides of the bracket. The wings can be  
shortened by breaking them along the  
scored lines if the length will interfere with  
corner or eaves.  
Start by examining all the possible routes  
you might take to run the speaker wire  
from the speaker to the volume control  
and back to the stereo. Use a stud sensor  
or other device to locate the internal struc-  
ture of the wall. You want to avoid all  
studs or joists. A typical route would be:  
from the speaker location in the ceiling,  
across the attic, then down through a top  
plate (the horizontal 2x4 or 2x6 laid  
across the vertical studs) to the volume  
control location, back up to the attic,  
across the attic, and finally down another  
wall plate to a J-Box in the wall behind the  
stereo system itself (See Figure 8).  
Figure 12  
Figure 13  
Concealing Speaker Wire  
in Existing Walls  
This is actually a fairly simple task if you  
restrict your choice of speaker locations  
and wire routes to the interior walls or  
ceilings of your home. Interior walls in  
almost all North American residences are  
hollow, so that it is easy to flush mount  
speakers into them and route new speaker  
cable around the house. What you see  
Identify where all of your electrical,  
phone, and TV wiring is likely to be and  
plan to route around it all. You can acci-  
dentally induce 60Hz hum on your speak-  
ers if you run your speaker wire right  
beside electrical wire for more than a few  
feet. Try to keep speaker wire running par-  
The optional hole saving brackets are installed  
and the speaker wire is attached to the bracket.  
The speaker wire is looped and hung on two  
nail attached to the joists securing it for  
future use. Make sure the location is noted  
on house plans.  
 
13  
10  
Figure 10  
When you don’t have access  
above or below the wall, try  
to estimate the existing wire  
and pipe locations from the  
positions of electrical outlets  
and plumbed fixtures on both  
sides of the wall. Take a look  
at the outside of your house  
too, sometimes conduit,  
vents or drain pipe will be  
visible that give useful infor-  
mation. Choose the route  
with the fewest potential  
obstacles.  
In traditional wood stud/drywall construc-  
tion you should first cut the hole for the  
speaker and utilize the large hole to auger  
across the (through the ceiling joists) for as  
far as your drill bit will take you.  
Sometimes, you will need to use the  
“notching” technique to reach areas your  
drill bit won’t reach or to turn corners (e.g.  
to go down the wall when there is not an  
accessible attic). Don’t make an irregular  
hole in the drywall. If you carefully cut a  
rectangular hatch in the drywall you will  
make your patch at the same time you cut  
your hole. Notch the bottom of the joists  
and run the wire through the notches.  
Protect the wire with nail plates. Once  
you’ve run your wire replace the hatch you  
cut using standard drywall “joint tape” and  
“joint compound” to hold the patch in  
place, let dry, sand surface and touch-up  
the wall with paint. (See Figure 11).  
Speaker  
Location  
Volume  
Control  
Location  
If your house is built on a  
slab or you are wiring  
between two finished floors,  
look for baseboards which  
could be removed and  
replaced with the wire  
behind them. Doorjambs can  
be removed and often have  
enough space for speaker wire all the way  
around the door (See Figure10).  
Stereo  
Location  
The door jamb has been removed and the  
speaker wire concealed between the wall and  
the jamb. Nail plates are installed to protect  
the wire and the door jamb is replaced  
Figure 8  
allel to power cables at least three feet  
away. To find exactly where an electrical  
cable is routed, try inspecting the inside of  
the wall by turning off the breaker for a  
particular power outlet or switch, remov-  
ing the cover plate and switch or recepta-  
cle, and shining a penlight into the wall. If  
you have access to an attic or basement  
space you can quickly see which part of  
the wall space is free of obstructions (See  
Figure 9).  
Sometimes, an under-the-carpet run is  
possible (there are special flat speaker  
wires made for under-the-rug wire runs).  
As a last resort, heating and air condition-  
ing vents can be used as wire raceways for  
plenum rated wire (check your local  
building codes, some municipalities  
require conduit).  
Unobstructed space  
for speaker wiring  
Figure 9  
Figure 11 Diagram of ceiling speaker cut-out with ceiling joists notched for wire run.  
 
11  
12  

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