GOLD NOTE XS-85 3 Way Floorstanding Speaker User Manual

: June 10, 2024
: GOLD NOTE

GOLD NOTE XS-85 3 Way Floorstanding Speaker

Thank you for purchasing one of our units and welcome into the Gold Note world, where we turn High-End audio and music into a new experience.
Maurizio Aterini, founder of Gold Note

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATIONS

PLEASE NOTE

Do not disassemble any part of the product.
Do not use any part of the product for other purposes.
For service and problems of any kind, contact qualified Gold Note personnel.
Protect the product from rain, humidity and keep away from heat sources, electric and electronic motors etc. The power cord supplied must be used only on this unit.
Gold Note does not have responsibility for any improper use of this unit.

GENERIC INFORMATION

Read these instructions and store them.
Heed all warnings.
Follow the instructions.
Do not use this apparatus near water.
Clean only with a dry cloth.
Do not block the ventilation openings and install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Do not install near heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.
Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarised or grounding-type plug: a polarised plug has two blades with one wider than the other.
A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety.
If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet. or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.
Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.
Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus.
When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.
Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel only. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way (such as when the power cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture) and in any case when the apparatus does not operate normally or has been dropped.

This appliance has a serial number located on the rear panel.
Please record the model and serial number and retain them for your records.

CAUTION!
To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove cover (or back). No user- serviceable parts inside. Refer only to qualified Gold Note service personnel for service.

WARNING!
To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose this appliance to rain or moisture.

GOLD NOTE – Information on the correct management of waste from household Equipment pursuant to the European Directive 2012/19/EU
The crossed-out wheelie bin symbol shown on the equipment or its packaging indicates that the product, at the end of its useful life, must be collected separately from other waste to allow its proper treatment and recycling. The user must therefore deliver, free of charge, the end-of-life equipment to the centres for the separate collection of waste electrical and electronic equipment, or return it to the dealer in accordance with the procedures established by the legislation.
The appropriate separate collection of discarded equipment allows for proper recycling, treatment and environmentally compatible disposal, helping to avoid the possible dispersion of hazardous substances and negative effects on the environment and health, favouring the reuse and/or recycling of the materials of which the equipment is composed of. Illegal dumping of the product by the user involves the application of administrative sanction provided for by the legislation in force. We invite you consult the current legislation and the measures adopted by the public service operating in your country or territory.

PACKAGE CONTENT

2x XS-85
8x SPIKE FEET
8x SPIKE PADS
1x ALLEN KEY
20x M4x40mm SCREWS with washers
1x USER MANUAL

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

MAIN FEATURES

Full-range, 3-way design with rear double
bass reflex port
Frequency response:
30 – 30000 Hz
Sensitivity:
89dB SPL 2,83V/1m
Nominal Impedance:
4Ω semi-resistive
Tweeter:
1“ silk dome driver
Midrange:
2 x 6“ Nextel treated paper cones
Woofer:
2 x 9“ Nextel treated paper cones
Suggested power amplifier:
min. 30W
Max power handling:
300W RMS
Crossover:
200Hz and 2200Hz @ 12dB/Oct.
Connectors:
Gold Note Rhodium binding posts

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

Dimensions:
357mm W x 1280mm H x 665mm D
Weight:
Kg. 180/pr. net
Kg. 200/pr. boxed

UNBOXING AND ASSEMBLY

Repeat each step for both speakers.

STEP 1
Open the Foot box and gently remove the foot from the box, then place the Mid- range and Woofer boxes on the floor and open them.
STEP 2
Gently turn the Woofer box upside down paying attention the flaps are all open, then lift the box.

STEP 3
Take the foot as shown in the picture above and use the guides to correctly position the foot on the woofer cabinet.
Insert the supplied spikes in the threaded holes of the foot board as shown in the picture.
Secure the foot to the woofer cabinet with 6 screws as shown in picture with the allen key supplied.

STEP 4
Once the foot is assembled, pay extreme care in turning the cabinet and make sure to protect it with soft material to avoid damaging the surfaces.
Do not use the reflex pipes to move the speaker, eventually handle only the external flange to avoid any damage to the reflex assembly.
STEP 5
Following the image above, place the midrange cabinet on the woofer cabinet.
STEP 6
Remove all the screws from the back of the midrange cabinet, then remove the vented aluminium back grille as shown in the picture.

STEP 7
Secure the midrange cabinet and the woofer cabinet to each other with the four M4x40 Allen screws supplied, as shown in the picture.
STEP 8
Connect the midrange speak-on cable to the connector of the woofer cabinet: insert it and turn clockwise in order to lock it in place correctly.
STEP 9
Place back the vented aluminium back grille on the mid-high cabinet and gently secure all its screws supplied.

CONNECTING THE LOUDSPEAKERS

STANDARD CONNECTION

BI-WIRING CONNECTION

POSITIONING THE LOUDSPEAKERS

The dimensions of your listening room don’t have as much of an effect on the audio quality as the position of the loudspeakers so we recommend placing them carefully. The better the positioning, the better the focus and the sound stage will be.
Managing reflective surfaces is a key factor to get the best out of your loudspeakers, especially because the sound waves carry enough energy to bounce off surfaces twice, affecting the sound performance of the system greatly.
Depending on the size of the room and the materials, the first reflection can create a 25m/s delay disturbing the sound.
Reflections creating delays between 40 and 80m/s are less important as they contribute to creating the so-called ambience.
Therefore it is very important to mitigate reflections resulting in 25m/s delays.
We recommend placing the loudspeakers as far as possible from the sidewalls and covering the floor in front of them with carpets if possible. Ensuring the loudspeakers are located at the same distance from the walls to the sides as the one at the back (symmetrical layout) can be highly beneficial.

WALL MATERIAL

Thick walls provide good control over the bass extension as well as acoustic insulation.
Dry and thin walls can vibrate, therefore they are usually to be avoided or treated accordingly.

CEILING

High ceilings tend to offer better results, with an ideal constant height of 2,50m to 3,60m.
Vaulted ceilings can be difficult to deal with as they act as a magnifier lens for specific frequencies.
If the ceiling is not flat but at an angle, we recommend to position the loudspeakers closer to the side where the ceiling is lower while the listening point should be where the ceiling is higher.

FLOOR

Marble and hard-stone floors are difficult to manage due to the reflections they create.
Carpeted floors can also prove difficult because of how they absorb the sound waves. Wooden floors tend to perform well in most cases.
In any case, floors can be easily treated with a 2/4cm thick carpet placed in front of the loudspeakers.

SIDE WALLS

You should avoid naked side walls around the system as well as hanging carpets.
Hanging objects, such as framed pictures and paintings, are usually okay if they come without glass protections and are located symmetrically on both sides of the loudspeakers. Treating the walls with wall sound traps and diffusers tends to give the best results.

REAR WALL

The rear wall is generally to be treated as the sidewalls, taking measures to facilitate sound diffraction using sound traps or diffusers (such as bookshelves, bookcases and record racks).

OPPOSITE WALL

If your listening room is small in size and the system is too close to the opposite wall, it’s worth considering treating the wall with thick curtains or other diffusers.

WINDOWS AND DOORS

Windows and doors will most likely produce vibrations when the music is playing. It’s best to avoid rooms with windows, doors and other glass surfaces in corners or at the center of the side walls. If that’s not possible, treatment should be applied to prevent overwhelming reflections. If using curtains, it’s recommended to opt for lighter materials to allow some of the sound waves to travel through it and bounce off the surface.

FURNITURE

Avoid furniture with a large quantity of glass and/or doors and drawers. Open shelf furniture usually works quite well. If possible, avoid placing racks and flat surfaces between the loudspeakers and the listening point as they might reflect heavily the high and midfrequencies.

AUDIO RACKS

Audio racks are greatly influenced by their design and the material used so, depending on these factors, it might be best to place them between the speakers or to the side of the system. The Gold Note Galileo rack features a special curved design to effectively diffracting the sound waves and can therefore be placed between the loudspeakers.

SUBWOOFER

Subwoofers generate sound waves that behave similarly to the waves created by the loudspeakers so they should be placed keeping in mind the principles listed here.

LOUDSPEAKERS SETUP

If possible, try to follow these rules to place the loudspeakers in their initial setup. From here, you can then perform listening tests to fine-tune the position of each loudspeaker and improve the focus and soundstage perceived from the listening point.
The distance between the loudspeakers and the listening point should be approximately the same as shown in the picture below. In the same way, the distance between each loudspeaker and the closer sidewall should be approximately the same as the distance between them and the back wall.

If this is not possible, then it’s crucially important to adjust the position and angle of the loudspeaker to find the preferred balance between a wide soundstage and focussed sharp details.

PRODUCT REGISTRATION

We recommend to register the unit on our internet website within 15 days from the purchase at www.goldnote.it/product-registration If the unit is not registered correctly or has been purchased from a different country of the purchaser home address the unit will not be covered by any warranty and the registration will be refused.
Please note that the warranty does not cover in any case: Tubes, Phono Cartridge Stylus and Batteries.

WARNING
Gold Note products should only be opened, serviced and inspected by certified Gold Note technicians and dealers. Work performed by unqualified personnel may cause serious damage or personal injury.
Opening of the product by non-authorised personnel will void the guarantee.
In this case, contact your dealer to be advised on how the fault can be solved. Do not return any object directly to the factory or to the distributor without being authorised to do so.

WARRANTY

All Gold Note products come with a warranty against defective materials and workmanship.
Any service and inspection must be carried out by a Gold Note dealer or distributor so in case you need any assistance with this product, please contact the seller.

PLEASE NOTE
Descriptions and technical characteristics may vary at any time and without notice.

TROUBLESHOOTING

PROBLEM	CAUSE	SOLUTION
The loudspeakers make a humming noise.	The loudspeakers are not correctly
grounded.	Check that the system and the rest of the room is grounded

correctly.
The interconnect input and/or output cables are not shielded.| Always use shielded cables.
The music is out of phase.| The speaker terminals (negative/positive poles) are inverted on the amp or on the speaker.| Switch completely off the amplifier, then connect the speaker cables correctly.
One or more drivers are not working.| The bridges are not well connected to the speaker terminals (binding posts).| Check that the bridges are well connected.
The speaker cables are not well connected to the speaker.| Check that the cables are well connected.
The amplifier or the sources are not working correctly| Check that all the components of the system are working and correctly wired.

CLEANING THE UNIT

With EXTREME care use ONLY water or detergents for delicate surfaces with a very soft cloth to sweep dust and remove stains.
Any acid or not extremely soft cloth will irreversibly damage the unit. Do not use alcohol.