Audiosource AS8C In-Ceiling Speakers User’s Manual

: June 12, 2024
: Audiosource

Table of Contents

Audiosource AS8C In-Ceiling Speakers
Introduction
Preparing for your Installation
Installing the Speakers
Painting the Speaker
Recommended Speaker Wire Gauges
Specifications
Two-Year Limited Warranty
Customer’s Support
FAQs
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Audiosource AS8C In-Ceiling Speakers

Introduction

This product is designed to reproduce the audio portion of your home entertainment environment with accuracy and detail that will satisfy the most discriminating listener.

Preparing for your Installation

Gather the necessary tools for your installation. You will need the following tools:

A Keyhole or Drywall Saw
A Phillips Screwdriver
Masking Tape
A Pencil
A Bubble or Laser Level
A Tape Measure
A Stud Finder (recommended)
Your ASSc.speakers

Placement

Plan your speaker placement carefully. Make certain that electrical, plumbing and any other services will not interfere with the ceiling where you plan to place your speakers. The AS8c speakers can be mounted in the walls or in the ceiling, but are typically used in ceilings.

The speakers should be located so that they provide even coverage at your listening position. The distance between the speakers should not be greater than the distance from the speakers to the listening position. (See Fig. 1) If the room’s dimensions or furniture placement prevent adhering to this requirement, the tweeters in the AS8c speakers can be ~wiveled to aim them at the desired listening position.

New Construction

If you are installing your speakers in new construction before the finished walls go up, AudioSource offers a Pre-Construction Bracket, Part #NCCS that provides a stable frame that can be fastened to the wall studs or ceiling joists on 16″ or 24″ centers. This allows the sheetrock or other surface covering to be installed and clearly leave the opening for the AS8c speakers. The NCCS is sold in pairs

Existing Construction

In most modern buildings the ceiling joists are positioned on 16″ centers, providing a space between the joists of approximately 143/8″. The AS8c requires a mounting hole 95/8″ in diameter. Additionally, you should allow an extra 3/4″ clearance in all directions behind the ceiling surface to allow room for the doglegs that retain the frame to the ceiling surface to swing into position.

Use a stud finder to locate the joists behind the ceiling surface. Also, you should now check for obstructions like cross bracing in front of and behind the desired speaker location.

After the selection of the mounting location, mark the hole to be cut out. A template is provided in the speaker box. Locate and align the template, then mark it with a pencil on the ceiling surface. If you are unsure whether there are obstructions behind the ceiling surface where the speakers are to be mounted cut a small hole in the center of your marked mounting location. Holding your drywall saw at a 45-degree angle (See Fig. 2) cut a square hole that you can use to locate any obstructions, should they exist.

The 45-degree wedge shape of the removed surfacing material will make replacement, if necessary, a much easier task and yield a better finish when patching the work.

Once it has been determined that there are no obstructions cut the hole to mount the speaker using the drywall saw at a 90-degree angle to the ceiling surface. Cover the raw edges·of the wallboard with masking tape (See Fig. 3). This will prevent the back pressure of the speaker from blowing loose gypsum dust out and onto the painted ceiling surface after installation. Do not allow the tape to extend more than 1 /4″ beyond the edge of the hole into the room. The frame of the AS8c will cover and hide the tape. $Audiosource-AS8C-In- Ceiling-Speakers $6$$

Next, you Will want to run your speaker wire to your speaker locations. A UL- rated CL3 speaker wire is recommended when running wire inside your walls. In many areas, it may be required by code. When running your speaker wire you should avoid having the speaker wire run parallel to the 11 OV power lines to avoid picking up hum and interference from the power service. If the speaker wire needs to cross a 11 OV power line at a right angle this is acceptable and should not create a problem.

If you are uncomfortable with running the speaker wire yourself in existing construction, it is recommended that you retain a qualified custom home installation specialist or electrician.

Installing the Speakers

Installation Tip! To further enhance the performance of your AS8c speakers, the ceiling joist cavity where you plan to place your speakers can be stuffed with a generous quantity of fiberglass insulation. If uninsulated, stuff the area in front of and behind the speaker opening with 6″ thick insulation to a depth of approximately 2 feet beginning 1 foot in front of and 1 foot behind the speaker opening. If the insulation is foil or paper-backed, face the backing away from the AS8c speaker. The addition of this insulation will help to prevent the unwanted transfer of the uninsulated ceiling. It is now time to connect the speaker wire to the AS8c.

Your speaker wire is usually coded to identify each conductor as either positive or negative. This can be by color coding, or one conductor may have a printed marking or at least a rib along one edge that you will not find on the other. Identify which type of polarity coding your wire is using. You must carefully observe that the positive terminal of the speaker output on your amplifier is connected to the positive terminal of the AS8c speaker. Likewise, the negative terminal of the amplifier’s speaker output should be connected to the negative terminal of the AS8c speaker. $Audiosource-AS8C-In-Ceiling- Speakers $7$$

Next, make sure that the doglegs are positioned inside the frame of the speaker. $Audiosource-AS8C-In-Ceiling-Speakers $8$$

With the grill removed, place the speaker in the ceiling opening. Make sure that the speaker wire is not hanging against the speaker where it can vibrate and rattle as the speaker reproduces your audio program. Next, one at a time, turn each of the four screws that operate the doglegs counterclockwise a few turns until you feel the dogleg is loose from its resting position. Now turn the screw clockwise until you feel the dogleg . contact the wall surface.

Tighten all four of the mounting screws in the same manner until the speaker is properly aligned and held tight to the wall surface.

Caution: Do not over tighten!

Painting the Speaker

Two paint shields are included in each AS8c speaker package. Place the paint shield inside the frame to protect the speakers. You can now safely paint the speakers’ frame to match your wall surface if you desire. When painting the grill caution should be taken to ensure that paint does not clog or congest the perforated openings in the grill. This would prevent proper operation of the grill by restricting the airflow from the individual drivers in the speaker.

Aiming the Tweeter

Use your fingertips, placed carefully at the plastic edges of the tweeter housing.

Using gentle pressure swivel the tweeter to aim the axis of the tweeter toward the listening area. You can use a piece of music with a solid center imc1ged vocalist to assist in correctly aiming the tweeter When the tweeters are properly aligned for the listening area you will hear a coherent and stable center image from your listening position. It is usually sufficient to aim only the tweeter as it handles the frequencies that control the direction of individual sounds in your audio program material.

Removing the AS8c Speaker

Should it ever become necessary to remove the AS8c speaker from the ceiling, simply remove the grill and turn the four mounting screws counter-clockwise until you feel the doglegs lock out of position in their resting flange. The speaker should easily come out of the wall for service or replacement.

Recommended Speaker Wire Gauges

The resistance of the speaker wire in your installation can cause your speakers to perform at less than their optimum quality level. Excess resistance caused by using an undersized speaker wire can result in a loss of detail and definition in the bass region of your audio program, as well as, a loss of dynamic range. Over extremely long wire runs you may even experience a loss of high-frequency amplitude in the audio signal. To prevent this effect in your installation we have recommended speaker wire gauges that should not exceed 0.5 ohms resistance over the recommended length of wire run.
For the AS8c speakers we suggest the following minimum speaker wire gauge be used:

50′ or less • 16 Gauge 2-Cond. CL3
50′ -150′ – 12 Gauge 2-Cond. CL3
150′ – 200′ – 10 Gauge 2-Cond. CL3 $Audiosource-AS8C-In-Ceiling-Speakers $11$$

Specifications

Woofer: 811 Poly Cone with Butyl Rubber Surround
Tweeter: Pivoting 25mm Ferro-Fluid Cooled Tweeter
Frequency Response: 40Hz to 20kHz -3d8
Impedance: 8 ohm
Sensitivity: 88dB / 2.83v/1 m
Power Capacity: 100 Watts Peak
Outer Dimension: 10.75″ (273mm) diameter
Cut Out Dimension: 9.6″ (236mm) diameter
Mounting depth: 3.6″ (92mm)

Two-Year Limited Warranty

AudioSource a division of Phoenix Gold International, Inc. warrants this product against defects in materials and workmanship for a limited period of time. For a period of two (2) years from the date of original purchase, we will repair or replace the product, at our option, without charge for parts. Customer must pay for all labor charges associated with the removal and re- installation of speakers for the limited period and all parts and labor charges after the limited warranty period expires The limited warranty period for factory refurbished products expires after ninety (90) days from the date of the original purchase. This limited warranty applies only to purchases from authorized Phoenix Gold Retailers or Distributors. This limited warranty is extended only to the original purchaser and is valid only to consumers in the United States.
Consumers are required to provide a copy of the original sales invoice from an authorized Phoenix Gold Retailer or Distributor when making a claim against this limited warranty. This limited warranty only covers failures due to defects in materials or workmanship that occur during normal use. It does not cover failures resulting from accident, fire, flood, misuse, abuse, neglect, mishandling, misapplication, alteration, faulty installation, modification, service by anyone other than Phoenix Gold, or damage that is attributable to Acts of God. It does not cover the costs of transportation to Phoenix Gold or damage in transit. The customer should return their defective product, freight prepaid and insured, to Phoenix Gold International, Inc. only after receiving a Return Authorization.

Repair or replacement under the terms of this warranty does not extend the term of this warranty. Should a product prove to be defective in workmanship or material, the consumer’s sole remedies will be repair or replacement as provided under the terms of this warranty. If the defective product is discontinued Phoenix Gold International, Inc. may replace the product with an equivalent or superior product at its option. Any cost of re-installation or repair of wall or ceiling surface is the sole responsibility of the customer and that cost shall not be the responsibility of Phoenix Gold International, Inc. Under no circumstances shall Phoenix Gold be liable for loss or damage, direct. consequential or incidental, arising out of the use of or inability to use the product. There are no express warranties other than those described above.