TiK CENTER (serv.man2) - JBL Audio User Guide / Operation Manual. Page 2

INTRODUCTION

Excellence is an exclusive quality. It's so easy to recognize, yet so
difficult to attain.

JBL craftsmen have been involved in the art of sound for more than
a generation – signal and source, wood and fabric, transducers and
acoustics – all of it.

Today these craftsmen continue to perform to the most rigid
standards any craftsmen can submit to: those imposed upon
themselves.

JBL loudspeakers are carefully engineered instruments, pains-
takingly crafted and assembled to watchmaker standards. JBL
enclosures express the excitement of creative design; they are ele-
gant, rigid and flawlessly finished. JBL transducers and electronics
offer what has been characterized by devoted music listeners as
“the incomparable JBL sound”.

JBL Ti Series loudspeakers are the ultimate expression of over 50
years experience creating loudspeakers that are the first choice of
professionals worldwide. This experience, teamed with an extensive
development program of comparisons, experiments, testing and
listening, has resulted in loudspeaker systems displaying truly
exceptional performance.

By following the few simple suggestions contained in this booklet,
you can look forward to superb high fidelity reproduction that will
retain its clarity and realism year after year.

UNPACKING

The packing material of your Ti speakers has been designed to
protect the loudspeakers from any damage due to rough handling
during shipment. We strongly suggest that you keep the packing
material for future purposes, in case you are moving or your 
loudspeakers should require service.

PLACEMENT

The listening room and the location of the loudspeakers within the
room affects bass level and bass response, imaging, clarity and
overall quality of sound. No other single factor has the same level of
effect on the final sound quality. The acoustics of the listening room
are determined by the dimensions of the room, its construction and
the furnishings it contains. Rooms that have different dimensions 
for ceiling height, length and width will give a more even, balanced
sound than rooms where the dimensions are equal to each other,
especially at low frequencies. This is important, especially at low
frequencies, as the room dimensions determine the pattern of
standing waves within the room.

The construction of the room, wooden floors, wood wall panelling,
plasterboard or brick will affect the reproduction of low frequencies,
with “soft” walls, floors and ceilings resulting in a loss of bass energy
in the room, because the low frequencies are “leaked” out. On the
other hand solid walls, floors and ceilings like brick and concrete
may cause problems by increasing the level of reverberation time at
low frequencies giving a boomy, fat sound.

At middle and high frequencies furniture, carpets and curtains all
have a damping effect that might be desirable, depending on the
actual acoustics and your listening preferences.

Ideally, there should be a reasonable balance between the
absorptive material and sound reflecting surfaces. If there are two
large reflecting surfaces facing each other, the “bounce” between
them will make sounds run together and the music will lack
definition. Large flat surfaces should be broken up with bookshelves,
drapes, screens or tapestries.

Consult your JBL Ti Series dealer for further information regarding
the use of products or materials designed to control certain acoustic
problems caused by room size, shape or construction. In many
cases, significant improvement in performance can be achieved by
careful attention to room acoustics.

Your JBL Ti speakers are able to give a very satisfying sound in a
great variety of listening rooms when set up in an even sided 
triangle with respect to the listener. However, a careful setup 
procedure will always be rewarding, and for best results we
recommend placement well away from the boundaries of the room
with preferably minimum 0.75 m (30 in) distance to the wall behind
the speakers, and 0.75-1 m (30-40 in) distance to the side walls.

A good guideline is to start by concentrating on the tonal balance of
the sound, aiming for the most neutral reproduction. When the
desired tonal character is achieved, efforts should be directed
towards the recreation of the sound stage – the imaging.

The tonal balance is roughly determined by the distances to the
walls of the room in combination witht the specific acoustic proper-
ties of the room. Placement close to walls gives a reinforcement of
lower frequencies compared to placement well away from room
boundaries. Movements of the loudspeaker to give good tonal
balance requires relatively large movements, typically 0.20-0.30 m
(8-12 in).

When a satisfying balance is found, a proper sound stage and stereo
localization is developed by smaller movements of the loudspeaker
in combination with angling towards the listening position.
The Ti speakers are supplied in mirror imaged pairs that will help
build an impressive sound stage due to their asymmetrical shape.
The Ti speakers do not come as specific left or right enclosures. We
strongly recommend experimentation in order to find the most
satisfying overall sound. Attention to every detail of the setup will be
beneficial in terms of improved sound quality.

The JBL Ti 2K should be placed on a rigid and open, preferably
heavy stand of approximately 40-60 cm (16-24 in) height. A
dedicated stand for the Ti 2K is available from your JBL Ti Series
dealer. The JBL Ti 6K and Ti 10K have provisions for the mounting of
spikes at the bottom of the speakers. The spikes can be mounted in
threaded inserts located beneath the rubber feet at the bottom of
the speakers. The benefit of spikes will very often be a more
accurate, tight and dynamic bass reproduction, and a more stable
and precise stereo image. The reason behind this is that the spikes
provide a tighter mechanical coupling between the loudspeaker
enclosure and the floor, whether hardwood, concrete or brick. 
Your authorized JBL dealer will be happy to help you obtain the best
possible performance from your JBL speakers.

INSTRUCTION MANUAL