WISDOM LS4 Bi-Amplified Coaxial Planar Magnetic Loudspeaker Owner’s Manual
- June 9, 2024
- WISDOM
Table of Contents
WISDOM LS4 Bi-Amplified Coaxial Planar Magnetic Loudspeaker Owner
Introduction
Congratulations on purchasing your Wisdom Audio system. It incorporates many design features engineered to give you decades of pleasure and performance. Many of these design choices are uncommon among loudspeaker manufacturers and bear some explanation. See the following section entitled “Overview” for more information. Our unique driver designs and our emphasis on achieving real- world performance account for the “system” approach taken. These are not speakers that are simply connected to speaker wires and promptly forgotten. We recognize that setting up a Wisdom Audio system can be a bit more involved than connecting a common set of loudspeakers, which is why we recommend that our systems be engineered and calibrated by Factory Personnel. Your Wisdom LS4 loudspeakers are specifically designed to avoid the compromises inherent in conventional speaker designs. There are no passive crossover components inside the speaker. Instead, there are direct connections from the amplifiers to their respective High-Pass and Low-Pass drivers and an external active crossover is used, such as the ones inside of our Wisdom SA-DSP (Digital Signal Processing) Amplifiers. It is truly a “system” design, and not merely a collection of loudspeaker drivers in a box. Please contact us to learn which products/amplifiers/ surround processors outside of our DSP Amplifiers will work with our speakers and subwoofers. [email protected]
Overview
Your Wisdom Series LS4 loudspeakers take advantage of several critical technologies to deliver a level of performance that has never been available in a loudspeaker that intruded so modestly on your living space. In fact, this level of performance has rarely been attained, regardless of the space and budget at one’s disposal. Since several of these technologies cannot readily be found elsewhere, we will take the time to describe them in more detail than would be necessary for more conventional designs. Our planar magnetic drivers use an advanced, thin film membrane to move the air. This film can respond instantly to the smallest detail in the signal. It has vastly less inertia than traditional “cone & dome” drivers, so the signal is never blurred in any way. One of the most remarkable things about the sound of well-designed planar magnetic speakers is their lack of thermal or dynamic compression. There are several reasons for this: The lightweight diaphragm responds quickly to even the smallest signals yet is robust enough to handle a great deal of power. The voice coil is laid out at and is exposed to the air on both sides; the large resulting surface area dissipates heat extremely quickly and efficiently. Since heat does not build up in the voice coil (as it does in conventional dynamic drivers), the load seen by the amplifier does not change at high power levels. When you become accustomed to the sound of your new Wisdom Series LS4 speakers, conventional speakers sound a bit bland and lifeless. You may also discover yourself hearing details at even modest levels on the LS4 that were previously inaudible even at loud volumes on more conventional speakers. The “voice coil” in the planar magnetic driver is spread out over a large, at area that is exposed to the open air. As such, when a huge transient comes along, any heat that is generated is immediately dissipated. This compares quite favorably to other designs in which the voice coil is buried inside a massive piece of metal, where the heat has effectively no place to go. The excellent heat dissipation of these drivers makes them remarkably reliable. Planar magnetic speakers can handle a great deal of power without undue stress or audible strain. In fact, for a given size, they can handle many times the power of a traditional dynamic driver. Because the conductor of a planar magnetic driver is essentially a long, thin wire, it presents a purely resistive load to the amplifier. This is comparable to the simple test loads that amplifier companies use when measuring their amplifiers to show how terrific they are. As such, you can be assured that your amplifiers will sound and work their best. Many speakers include a mid-bass “bump” in their response to give the illusion of going deeper in the bass than they actually do. Unfortunately, this “bump” makes blending them seamlessly with a high-quality subwoofer almost impossible. The Wisdom Series LS4 has been designed to optimally crossover at 80 Hz which is the most common bass management transition used to integrate with subwoofer(s).
Line Source Speakers
Almost all loudspeakers radiate sound into the room as imperfect “point sources”. This means that most of the energy they put into the room expands as an everenlarging sphere, as though emerging from a single point in space. This results in a multitude of reflections from the ceiling and floor that can degrade sound quality.
By contrast, the Wisdom Series LS4 speakers radiate sound as a “line source”. The sound moves into the room as an expanding cylinder, rather than as an expanding sphere — as though from a vertical line suspended in space.
Line source speakers provide two significant advantages:
- Ceiling and floor reflections are minimized, resulting in greatly reduced interference, letting you hear more of the speaker and less of the room.
- The sound pressure level (SPL) throughout the room is much more evenly distributed, making it much easier to set the “right” volume, no matter where the audience is seated.
To achieve this highly desirable line source behavior, it is essential to have a tall and slim driver. (Simply stacking multiple “cone & dome” high frequency drivers does not create a proper line source. Instead, it creates a series of point sources, which end up interfering with each other). With Wisdom Audio’s planar magnetic technology, it becomes possible to have drivers that are extremely tall and slim. Because of this shape, the sound (even at high frequencies) is distributed uniformly across the width of the room from a driver that “looks” only less than an inch wide acoustically. However, the sound is launched in a much more directional way vertically. By minimizing early reflections from the ceiling and the floor, the clarity of the system is greatly enhanced. This is heard in both tremendous musical detail and in much- improved dialog intelligibility. For more detailed information on planar magnetic drivers and the difference between point source and line source speakers please visit wisdomaudio.com.
Unpacking and Installing the LS4
Your new Wisdom Audio Wisdom Series LS4 in-wall speaker is relative compact, but surprisingly massive compared to most installed speakers. Please exercise caution when unpacking your LS4 to ensure that you do not strain yourself from its (perhaps unexpected) weight.
- Remove the torx screws from the hinged lid of the crate with the supplied torx bit, which can be found in pouch on top of crate.
- Carefully lift the LS4 from its crate and place back side down on a furniture blanket on the floor (we recommend 3-4 people be involved in the step, as the LS4 weighs in at 250 pounds (about 113 kg).
- Next unbox the stand, assemble hardware, and tools from its crate and set aside.
- The LS4 will need to be elevated to install the stand. This can be accomplished by closing the crate and placing a furniture blanket on top of the crate. Then lift the LS4 on to the crate with the bottom overhanging by a few inches.
- Now install the stand using the supplied hardware and tools.
- Lift the speaker into its final position and connect the speaker cable to the + and – connectors on the rear of the speaker, paying attention to proper polarity.
The LS4 and Subwoofers
All Wisdom Series loudspeakers are optimized for use with subwoofers, with a crossover of 80 Hz. (This is the most common frequency below which subwoofers are used.) When properly installed in the wall, your LS4 has inherently a response to 80 Hz, without the common “bass bump” that characterizes most in- wall speakers and is placed there to yield the impression of “more bass” than there really is. This makes it easy to blend seamlessly with a high-quality subwoofer such as one of Wisdom Audio’s Regenerative Transmission Line™ (RTL™) subwoofers. You should set up your surround processor for a crossover of 80 Hz and set the LS4 speakers as “Small” in the speaker setup portion of your processor’s setup menu. Doing so ensures that all content below 80 Hz is directed to the subwoofer(s) for reproduction.
Care and Maintenance
To remove dust from the front of your LS4, use a feather duster or a lint-free soft cloth. To remove stubborn dirt and fingerprints from the grille, we recommend isopropyl alcohol and a soft cloth. Lightly dampen the cloth with alcohol first and then clean the grille of the LS4 with the cloth. Do not use excessive amounts of alcohol – there is no need for the cloth to be wet; merely damp is better. Never attempt to clean the drivers themselves.
Caution!
Do not touch the surface of the planar magnetic drivers, under any
circumstances. The thin film has been carefully pre-tensioned at the factory;
any subsequent contact can only damage it.
North American Warranty
Standard Warranty
When purchased from and installed by an authorized Wisdom Audio dealer, Wisdom Audio loudspeakers are warranted to be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use for a period of 10 years from the original date of purchase. Furthermore, the transducers (“drivers”) in your Wisdom Audio speakers are warranted to be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use for a period of 10 years from the original date of purchase.
Harsh Conditions Use
Wisdom Audio loudspeakers are designed for installation and operation in environmentally controlled conditions, such as are found in normal residential environments. When used in harsh conditions such as outdoors or in marine applications, the warranty is three years from the original date of purchase. During the warranty period, any Wisdom Audio products exhibiting defects in materials and/or workmanship will be repaired or replaced, at our option, without charge for either parts or labor, at our factory. The warranty will not apply to any Wisdom Audio products that has been misused, abused, altered, or installed and calibrated by anyone other than an authorized Wisdom Audio dealer. Any Wisdom Audio product not performing satisfactorily may be returned to the factory for evaluation. Return authorization must first be obtained by either calling or writing the factory prior to shipping the component. The factory will pay for return shipping charges only if the component is found to be defective as mentioned above. There are other stipulations that may apply to shipping charges. There is no other express warranty on Wisdom Audio products. Neither this warranty nor any other warranty, express or implied, including any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness, shall extend beyond the warranty period. No responsibility is assumed for any incidental or consequential damages. Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts and other states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion 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. This warranty is applicable in the United States and Canada only. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, please contact your local, authorized Wisdom Audio distributor for warranty and service information.
Obtaining Service
We take great pride in our dealers. Experience, dedication, and integrity make these professionals ideally suited to assist with our customers’ service needs. If your Wisdom Audio loudspeaker must be serviced, please contact your dealer. Your dealer will then decide whether the problem can be remedied locally, or whether to contact Wisdom Audio for further service information or parts, or to obtain a Return Authorization. The Wisdom Audio Service Department works closely with your dealer to solve your service needs expediently.
IMPORTANT: Return authorization must be obtained from Wisdom Audio’s Service Department BEFORE a unit is shipped for service. It is extremely important that information about a problem be explicit and complete. A specific, comprehensive description of the problem helps your dealer and the Wisdom Audio Service Department locate and repair the difficulty as quickly as possible. A copy of the original bill of sale will serve to verify warranty status. Please include it with the unit when it is brought in for warranty service.
WARNING: All returned units must be packaged in their original packaging, and the proper return authorization numbers must be marked on the outer carton for identification. Shipping the unit in improper packaging may void the warranty, as Wisdom Audio cannot be responsible for the resulting shipping damage. Your dealer can order a new set of shipping materials for you if you need to ship your loudspeaker and no longer have the original materials. There will be a charge for this service. We strongly recommend saving all packing materials in case you need to ship your unit someday. If the packaging to protect the unit is, in our opinion or that of our dealer, inadequate to protect the unit, we reserve the right to repackage it for return shipment at the owner’s expense. Neither Wisdom Audio nor your dealer can be responsible for shipping damage due to improper (that is, non-original) packaging.
Specifications
All specifications are subject to change at any time to improve the product.
- Frequency response: 80Hz – 20 kHz ± 2dB relative to the target curve
- Crossover frequency: 750 Hz
- Nominal Impedance: 4.25Ω per section
- Sensitivity: 100 dB/2.83V/1m
- Power handling, peak: >5000w
- Dimensions: Please visit our website
- Shipping Weight: 550 lbs. (250 kg)
For more information, see your Wisdom Audio dealer or contact:
Wisdom Audio
1572 College Parkway, Suite 164 Carson City, NV 89706 wisdomaudio.com [email protected] 775-887-8850
WISDOM and the stylized W are registered trademarks of Wisdom Audio. Wisdom Audio 1572 College Parkway, Suite 164 Carson City, Nevada 89706 USA TEL 775-887-8850 FAX 775-887-8820 wisdomaudio.com