Niles Audio Speaker System CM5HD 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  
CM5HD  
HIGH DEFINITION  
CM6HD  
HIGH DEFINITION  
CM8HD  
HIGH DEFINITION  
®
B L E N D I N G H I G H F I D E L I T Y  
®
A N D A R C H I T E C T U R E  
 
Limited Warranty  
Niles Audio Corporation ("NILES") warrants its loudspeaker products to the original purchaser  
to be free of manufacturing defects in material and workmanship for a period of five years  
from date of purchase.  
This Warranty is subject to the following additional conditions and limitations. The Warranty  
is void and inapplicable if NILES deems that the product has been used or handled other than  
in accordance with the instructions provided by the manufacturer, including but not limited to  
damage caused by accident, mishandling, improper installation, abuse, negligence, or normal  
wear and tear, or any defect caused by repair to the product by anyone other than NILES or an  
authorized NILES dealer.  
To obtain warranty service, take the unit to the nearest authorized NILES dealer, who will test  
the product and if necessary, forward it to NILES for service. If there are no authorized NILES  
dealers in your area, you must write to NILES and include your name, address, model and  
serial number of your unit, along with a brief description of the problem. A factory Return  
Authorization Number will be sent to you. DO NOT RETURN ANY UNIT WITHOUT FIRST  
RECEIVING WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION AND SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS FROM NILES.  
If the above conditions are met, the purchaser's sole remedy shall be to return the product to  
NILES, in which case NILES will repair or replace, at its sole option, the defective product  
without charge for parts or labor. NILES will return a unit repaired or replaced under warranty  
by shipping same by its usual shipping method from the factory (only) at its expense within the  
United States of America. THERE ARE NO OTHER WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT  
LIMITATION, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FIT-  
NESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE PRODUCT.  
REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT AS PROVIDED UNDER THIS WARRANTY IS THE EXCLUSIVE  
REMEDY OF THE CONSUMER/PURCHASER. NILES SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR  
ANY INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT PROVIDED  
(OR PROHIBITED) BY APPLICABLE LAW.  
Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages,  
so the above limitation may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and  
you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.  
For the name of your nearest authorized NILES dealer contact:  
NILES AUDIO CORPORATION  
P.O. BOX 160818, Miami, Florida 33116-0818.  
Please fill in your product information and retain for your records.  
Model____________________________________________________________________________________  
Serial No._________________________________________________________________________________  
Purchase Date_____________________________________________________________________________  
 
22  
WARRANTY REGISTRATION CARD  
Model Purchased__________________________________________________________________________________  
Serial Number___________________________________________________________________________________  
Date Purchased (month/day/year)_________________________________________________________________  
Dealer Name and Location________________________________________________________________________  
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K Miss  
K Mr.  
K Mrs.  
K Ms.  
Name____________________________________________________________________________________________  
Address_________________________________________________________________________________________  
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City_________________________________________________________State______________Zip______________  
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  
Age:  
Musical tastes:  
What magazines do  
you read?  
Do you. . .?  
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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. ___________________  
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Alternative  
Classical  
Country  
Jazz  
New Age  
Popular  
R&B  
Rock  
Other______________  
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Own a Town House/  
Condominium/Co-op  
Rent an Apartment  
Rent a House  
J
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Income:  
Who will install the  
product?  
J
J
J
J
J
J
J
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  
Are you interested in  
receiving literature on  
other Niles products?  
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Custom Installer  
Electrician  
Friend  
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Myself  
Yes  
No  
How did you hear  
about Niles?  
Which factor(s) influ-  
enced the purchase of  
your Niles product?  
Are there products/  
capabilities that you  
would like to see  
introduced?  
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Architect/Developer  
Custom Installer  
Direct Mail  
Occupation:  
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Arts/Entertainment  
Business Owner  
Engineer  
Finance/Accounting  
General Office  
Management  
Professional  
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Student  
Tradesperson  
(Please check all that  
apply)  
Friend/Family  
In-Store Display  
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Magazine Ad  
Mail-Order Catalog  
Newspaper Ad  
Product Brochure  
Product Review  
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Ease of Use  
Price/Value  
Product Features  
Quality/Durability  
Reputation  
Style/Appearance  
Warranty  
 
Introduction  
The HD or High Definition group of perfect anywhere that quality of sound is  
ceiling mount Loudspeakers offers speak- the most important consideration. Each  
ers expressly designed for superior sonic model features Niles’ patented two-piece  
quality. They employ advanced technolo- no-strip speaker wire terminal which  
gy components designed to extract the reduces installation time.  
subtle nuances in recorded music or the  
thunderous action in a movie. They are  
Features and Benefits  
Injection Molded TCC Woofer with  
Butyl Rubber Surround  
No-Strip Speaker Terminal  
Niles patented No-Strip terminal enables  
The CM High Definition series loudspeak- speakers to be connected without stripping  
ers employ a newly developed cone mate- the speaker wire. No-Strip terminals elimi-  
rial that combines injection molded nate fumbling with wire strippers and input  
polypropylene with talc, carbon and terminals. They are color coded and sim-  
ceramic stiffening agents. The result is a ply plug into the crossover circuit boards  
cone that offers extreme stiffness and light on the back of Niles speakers, resulting in  
weight for accurate, dynamic response. positive in-phase connections every time.  
Additionally, the woofer employs a vented  
Moisture, UV Resistant Construction  
pole piece for increased bass linearity and  
The CM5HD, CM6HD and CM8HD loud-  
a Butyl Rubber Surround for improved  
speakers are suitable for use in high mois-  
midrange damping and clarity as well as  
ture environments. The drivers are resis-  
moisture resistance.  
tant to moisture and UV exposure; the  
Pivoting Fluid-Cooled Ultra-Wide  
Dispersion Tweeter in Custom  
Pivoting Coaxial Enclosure  
grille is made of powder-coated alu-  
minum. However, the speakers are not  
waterproof and direct contact with water  
The CM High Definition series Teteron should be avoided.  
Tweeter employs a tri-laminate design  
Engineered for Ceiling Placement  
consisting of an inner textile layer which  
forms the dome, a high damping layer to  
kill unwanted resonances and an outside  
layer of urethane to add stiffness and pre-  
vent breakup modes. The result is a trans-  
parently clear, sweet, natural sounding  
tweeter which still maintains extended fre-  
quency response.  
The CM5HD, CM6HD and CM8HD have  
been specifically designed and tuned for  
optimum 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.  
The tweeter can pivot up to 20° within its  
mount allowing for perfect alignment of  
the high frequencies, optimum perfor-  
mance and without the diffraction distor-  
tion typical of traditional pivoting tweeters.  
contined on next page  
 
2
Installer Selectable Acoustic  
Fine Tuning  
4 or 8 ohm Selectable Impedance  
The dual voice coil feature of the  
CM5HD, CM6HD and CM8HD gives the  
installer flexibility to select the speaker’s  
impedance — 4 ohms for systems where  
maximum current transfer and output  
level is desired; 8 ohms for systems utiliz-  
ing multiple speaker pairs where amplifier  
loading is a consideration.  
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.  
MicroPerf Grilles  
Hole Saving Bracket  
The CM5HD, CM6HD and CM8HD  
employ Niles exclusive MicroPerf grille  
Available as an optional accessory, CM5  
Series, CM6 Series and CM8 Series New  
Construction Brackets can be installed as a  
“hole-saver” before the drywall goes up.  
The drywall contractor cuts the holes as  
the drywall is installed, reducing installa-  
tion time and minimizing the chance for  
lost wires.  
construction. the exceptionally tight  
hole pattern provides acoustic trans-  
parency at all audio frequencies and  
enables the speaker elements to remain  
invisible. MicroPerf grilles can also be  
painted to blend seemlessly with the  
surrounding decor.  
Easy Installation  
The CM5HD, CM6HD and CM8HD  
employ a bracketless mounting system in  
existing ceilings. Simply cut a hole in the  
mounting surface, remove the grille from  
the speaker, connect the wires and place  
the speaker in the hole. Then tighten the  
four mounting “dogs” via the front panel  
screws. The dogs first swivel 90°, then  
clamp the speaker frame to the drywall as  
you tighten the screws.  
 
3
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  
Miami, Florida 33116-0818  
 
Specifications  
CM8HD  
Driver Compliment  
8" injection-molded TCC (talc, carbon and  
ceramic filled) with rubber surround  
1" fluid-cooled ultra-wide dispersion  
tri-laminate Teteron tweeter in a custom  
pivoting coaxial enclosure  
Recommended Amplifier Power  
10 to 150 watts per channel  
Nominal Impedance  
4 or 8 ohm selectable  
Frequency Response  
40Hz to 21kHz, +/- 3dB (on axis)  
Tweeter Adjustment  
Up to 20° pivot angle  
Sensitivity  
90dB for 2.83 volts of Pink Noise  
Overall Exterior Frame Dimensions  
10-5/8" diameter  
Depth Behind Wall  
4" deep (based on /2" drywall)  
Wall Cut-Out Dimensions  
9-1/2" diameter  
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.  
Connectors accommodate 12 to 20 gauge  
stranded wire.  
 
19  
Installation Considerations  
Recommended Amplifier Power  
is playing loudly, a small amplifier will  
For satisfactory performance, we recom- run out of power very quickly. When an  
mend an amplifier with a power rating of amplifier runs out of power it creates dam-  
10 to 100 watts for the CM5HD; 10 to aging “clipping” distortion. A large ampli-  
125 watts for the CM6HD and 10 to 150 fier will play at the same volume without  
watts for the CM8HD. 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.  
Incorporating a Local Volume Control  
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 CM5HD, CM6HD  
and CM8HD tweeter is  
housed in a custom  
designed, low diffraction  
enclosure, pivots up to  
20° to provide optimum  
high frequency coverage  
20  
The CM5HD, CM6HD  
and CM8HD include  
easy access, baffle  
mounted tone  
controls that enable  
you to accommodate  
varying room  
acoustics  
 
4
In a multiroom system there is one indis- building contractor, or the local building  
pensible device for true convenience—a and inspection department.  
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.  
Incorporating Remote Control  
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  
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.  
Niles makes a wide range of high perfor-  
mance indoor and outdoor volume con-  
trols. They are available in Standard or  
®
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.  
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 CM5HD, CM6HD and CM8HD  
speakers to your receiver or amplifier. For  
most applications, we recommend you  
use 16 or 18 gauge stranded wire. For  
wiring runs longer than 80 feet we recom-  
mend 14 gauge stranded wire. The no-  
strip terminals of the HD speakers will  
accommodate 12 to 18 gauge wire.  
®
programmable Niles IntelliPad to be  
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.  
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  
professional audio/video installer, your  
Insulation Behind The Speaker  
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.  
Introduction  
 
5
Specifications  
CM6HD  
CM5HD  
Driver Compliment  
Driver Compliment  
6-1/2" injection-molded TCC (talc, carbon  
and ceramic filled) with rubber surround  
5-1/4" injection-molded TCC (talc, carbon  
and ceramic filled) with rubber surround  
1" fluid-cooled ultra-wide dispersion  
tri-laminate Teteron tweeter in a custom  
pivoting coaxial enclosure  
1" fluid-cooled ultra-wide dispersion  
tri-laminate Teteron tweeter in a custom  
pivoting coaxial enclosure  
Recommended Amplifier Power  
10 to 125 watts per channel  
Recommended Amplifier Power  
10 to 100 watts per channel  
Nominal Impedance  
4 or 8 ohm selectable  
Nominal Impedance  
4 or 8 ohm selectable  
Frequency Response  
50Hz to 21kHz, +/- 3dB (on axis)  
Frequency Response  
60Hz to 21kHz, +/- 3dB (on axis)  
Tweeter Adjustment  
Up to 20° pivot angle  
Tweeter Adjustment  
Up to 20° pivot angle  
Sensitivity  
Sensitivity  
89dB for 2.83 volts of Pink Noise  
88dB for 2.83 volts of Pink Noise  
Overall Exterior Frame Dimensions  
9-1/8" diameter  
Overall Exterior Frame Dimensions  
8-1/8" diameter  
Depth Behind Wall  
3-3/4" deep (based on 1/2" drywall)  
Depth Behind Wall  
3-3/8" deep (based on 1/2" drywall)  
Wall Cut-Out Dimensions  
8" diameter  
Wall Cut-Out Dimensions  
6-7/8" diameter  
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.  
Connectors accommodate 12 to 18 gauge  
stranded wire.  
Connectors accommodate 12 to 18 gauge  
stranded wire.  
 
18  
Operation  
Listening at Higher Volumes  
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.  
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.  
Cleaning  
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.  
 
17  
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  
Speaker Placement  
Although the CM5HD, CM6HD and  
CM8HD have extensive ability to compen-  
sate for unusual placements with their  
unique pivoting tweeters and acoustic fine-  
tuning switches; placement is still the pri-  
mary tool for satisfying your particular lis-  
tening needs. In the following section, we  
discuss how speakers should be placed  
and how tweeters should be directed and  
how the acoustic fine-tuning switches  
should be set for different purposes.  
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).  
Tweeters should be directed at the listen-  
ing position.  
Placement for Varying  
Figure 4  
Make sure the sound will not be blocked  
In this example,  
the speakers  
could be  
Direct tweeter  
placed five to  
towards listener  
10 feet apart,  
since the listen-  
er is 10 feet  
back from the  
speakers  
Critical  
Listening  
Position  
10'  
5'  
10'  
Direct tweeter  
towards listener  
 
6
Listening Positions  
speakers can be placed near corners to  
If you want the freedom to sit anywhere in create more reflected sound. By directing  
a room facing any direction, and/or find the tweeters to point away from the listen-  
that you prefer the “all around you” sound er, so they create as much reflected sound  
of some car stereos to a conventional as possible, you emphasize the ambient  
“sound stage” facing you, consider the effect. The more reflected sound there is  
speaker placement techniques profession- in the room the stronger the ambient  
al installers use in restaurants and bars. effect at low volumes. You should use  
They place speakers in an array around moderation, however, otherwise the com-  
the listening area, so that the music is promise becomes too one sided and at  
always surrounding you, regardless of the high volumes, the sound will be blurred  
direction you face.  
and less distinct.  
Placement for Home Theater  
Rear Applications  
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).  
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” soundtrack to enve-  
lope 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!  
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  
®
Amplifiers which enable one room to be  
A single pair of CM5HD, CM6HD or  
CM8HD 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 sev-  
eral. Create as many reflections as possi-  
ble 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 lis-  
tener creating still more reflections and  
thus more “surround sound” effect.  
wired in stereo while other rooms are  
wired in mono! Consult your local Niles  
dealer for more information.  
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  
ambient or “all around you” effect). The  
 
7
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.  
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”  
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.  
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).  
Painting the Speakers  
1. Stand half way between the speakers.  
All models may be painted. The plastic  
will readily accept most paints.  
2. Play some music with the amplifier  
or radio set to Mono.  
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.  
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  
 
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  
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.  
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).  
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).  
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.  
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.  
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).  
Figure 15 Setting the Impedance Jumper.  
Figure 16 No-Strip Speaker Wire Terminal.  
 
15  
However, as you move the speaker far- is built into a typical surround sound  
receiver or amplifier. Niles makes a num-  
ber of Systems Integration Amplifiers with  
proprietary features that make them  
uniquely suited to enhance a good sur-  
round sound system. Consult your local  
Niles dealer for more information.  
ther away from the listener, both the  
reflected and the direct sound will dissi-  
pate, 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 reason-  
ably high volume levels.  
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.  
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 CM5HD, CM6HD and CM8HD  
loudspeakers it is easy to add another pair  
without affecting the decor of the room.  
However, you will need to use a much  
more powerful amplifier than that which  
Figure 5  
Varying Listening Position  
Figure 6  
Surround Sound  
 
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.  
Installation  
Fundamentals  
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.  
Before you drill any holes, mount the  
speaker brackets in the desired speaker  
locations and mount open backed J-boxes  
where the in-wall volume controls and  
stereo equipment will be.  
Scheduling and Preparation  
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 cause 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.  
• 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.  
Drilling  
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 5  
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 5).  
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  
 
9
Figure 12  
Installation in  
Existing Construction  
IMPORTANT: Before you cut into any  
wall, review the sections on running  
wire and speaker placement.  
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.  
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.  
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.  
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.  
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  
CM5HD, 4-3/4" for the CM6HD and  
5-3/8" for the CM8HD (this allows for  
the extra width of the mounting dogs).  
Poke the “L-shaped” wire into the pilot  
hole and turn it in a complete circle  
and move it into the ceiling cavity to  
make sure you have approximately  
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 12)  
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.  
 
14  
The wings and brackets have centering  
lines to simplify placement of the speakers.  
Installation in New  
Construction  
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 10)  
Insulating the Ceiling Cavity  
If feasible, fill the ceiling cavity with insu-  
lation at this point.  
Mounting The New Construction  
Bracket  
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.  
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 Figure11)  
To install the bracket, first attach the  
QuickSnap new construction wings to  
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.  
Figure 10  
Figure 11  
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  
of your contractor.  
when you look at the painted wall board,  
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.  
Try to line the holes up perfectly, because  
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!  
Pulling the Cable  
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.  
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.  
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.  
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 6).  
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-  
 
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 information.  
Choose the route with the  
fewest potential obstacles.  
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  
Figure 8.  
Stereo  
Location  
Figure 6  
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 7).  
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 7  
 
11  
Figure 8  
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 hole in the drywall you can  
use the drywall you cut as the patch.  
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 stan-  
dard drywall “joint tape” and “joint com-  
pound” to hold the patch in place, let dry,  
sand surface and touch-up the wall with  
paint. (See Figure 9).  
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 9 Diagram of ceiling speaker cut-out with ceiling joists notched for wire run.  
 
12  
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. 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 specifica-  
tions of Niles products. Additional information can be obtained on-line. Printed in Taiwan.  
DS00291ATW  
Printed in Taiwan  
 

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