OUTLINE SUB 118 SP Self-powered sub-bass system User Manual

SUB 118 SP
Self-powered sub-bass system

OPERATING MANUAL

SAFETY REGULATIONS

Welcome to the Outline world! Congratulations on choosing SUB 118 SP as your sound reinforcement system. We recommend that you take your time to read this manual in order to better understand this product to guarantee its best use. It is important to remain at a suitable distance from the sound reinforcement system, particularly when it is used at high spl. SUB 118 SP has been designed for different kinds of venues and situations and, due to its performance, could cause hearing damage.
The safety precautions to follow are:

• The installation of SUB 118 SP requires that the persons involved are aware of the safety procedures to follow in this kind of situations;
• It is not recommended to use any material not expressly provided for by Outline;
• Protect the electrical parts dedicated to amplification, especially in case of risk of contact with rain or high humidity.

Outline declines any and all responsibility for damage or faulty operation caused by using SUB 118 SP in a different way from that expressly foreseen and specified:

• uncertified or unauthorized modification to any part of the system can damage the system, compromising its real efficiency and safety;
• always make sure to check the conformity of everything concerning the stability and safety of the system;
• it is advisable to carry out periodic inspections/ checks and any necessary maintenance of the systems, cables and the amplifiers before using them. In the event of wear or accidental damage of the components, Outline will provide specific support for their replacement;
• frequently check the conditions and correct operation of the tripods, wheel boards, and other fixing accessories.

Since the system is equipped with loudspeakers/ transducers that produce a static magnetic field, it is strongly advisable to keep any electronic devices or magnetic media of any type (computers, hard disks, magnetic card, etc) at a suitable distance (approximately 1 metre) from the loudspeakers.

DISPOSAL OF WASTE MATERIALS

The product is designed and manufactured with high quality materials and components, which can be recycled and reused. When this symbol of the crossed “wheelie” bin is attached to a product, it means that the product is covered by the European Directive 2012/19/EU and subsequent amendments. This means that the product must NOT be disposed of with other household-type waste.

Users are responsible for the disposal of their electric and electronic equipment, consigning it to an approved disposal facility. For further information on where it is possible to send equipment for recycling, contact your local distributor. Correct disposal of the old product will help to prevent potential negative consequences for the environment and people’s health.

CONFORMITY AND WARRANTY

All Outline electro-acoustic and electronic devices are in conformity with the provisions of EC/EU directives (as stated in our CE declaration of conformity).

The CE declaration of conformity is attached to the product warranty certificate and is shipped with the product.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM

Sub118 SP is a self-powered subwoofer for the reproduction of the low frequencies. Its single 18” neodymium direct radiation woofer with dedicated bass reflex ports ensures a frequency response down to 35 Hz.
Thanks to its design it is light, sturdy, and rigid. The Baltic Birch plywood cabinet in fact, in addition to ensuring resistance and control even at high vibration levels, has a number of handles that can also be used to lock the subwoofer with the wheel board for transport.
The curved front grille guarantees additional protection of the woofer, without compromising in any way its acoustic performance and without interfering with the ergonomics of the handles. Lastly, the M20 threaded points allow the use of the subwoofer with loudspeaker poles for Outline satellites.

The amplifier panel features a balanced analog input (with the link to split the input signal) and a power input (and link) with a Powercon True1 connector.
The overall power of the amplifier dedicated to the woofer (chapter 4) is 2400 W EIAJ.

WIRING

The electro-acoustic features of the components are dimensioned according to the criteria described above to obtain the best possible performance of the subwoofer in conditions of extreme reliability and very low distortion. It is enough to have an analog input signal and mains power for a ready-to-use subwoofer.
The wiring is very simple, as shown here under:

CONNECTORS SPECIFICATIONS

The cable used for the audio signal wiring from the source to the subwoofer input panel (chapter 4), is a classic audio cable with XLR 3-pole EIA-standard connector:

1. Ground
2. Positive
3. Negative

Alternatively, the input panel (with Combo connector) also accepts balanced 6.35 mm jack cables (TRS).

The cable used to connect to the amplifier DSP (chapter 4) integrated in the Sub118 SP is the USB cable with a type B connector.
For most users, the PC needs a USB type A connector on the other end of the cable.

CABLES AND PICTURES

| NAME / CODE| DESCRIPTION
---|---|---
| Power CON True 1/Powercord (EU)| 1.8 m professional power cable for the amplifier
| Type A / Type B USB cable| Connection cable between the DSP of the kit and the dedicated PC
| XLR bal. -jack 6,35 mm TRS| Approved connectors for the SUB118 SP input panel to use with external source signals

*Attention! Not included in the package!

AMPLIFICATION

The amplifiers are directly integrated into the Sub118 SP enclosures. The amplifier module is completely autonomous and designed to be immediately ready for use (plug & play) once connected to the power and wired to the other components of the system.
The Powercon True 1 connector guarantees stability and security against any small infiltration of external agents (IP 65) between power input and output.

The integrated DSP allows the management of the input audio signal. In fact, since the enclosure doesn’t have any passive crossover, the filters are all managed by the DSP. It is possible to choose between four different presets (chapter 5).
Below you will find all the elements and the potential offered by the management panel:

| Input and output power: input with Powercon True 1 connector and IP65 degree of protection, with an output to further power up another element in parallel at 220 V or 110 V.
---|---
| Analog signal input: Combo type connector (XLR / TRS jack 6,35 mm) for balanced analog signal.
Analog signal link: analog output for splitting the input signal, to forward it to another system.
| Potentiometer and LEDs: the system gain can be regulated with the dedicated potentiometer which can be set from – to +6 dB.
STATUS LED: if it is off, the system is down. If it is GREEN, the system is ready to play and standby mode is disabled. If it is CYAN the system is ready to play but standby mode is enabled. It is BLUE when system is in standby mode;
SIGNAL LED: when it is off there is no input signal, when the signal is present and the output level is in the linear range, it is GREEN. If it is YELLOW, the input signal is strong enough to engage the output limiter. If it is RED Input signal is too high;
CLIP/TEMP LED: when it is off the system temperature is ok and there is no signal clipping. A YELLOW clip/temp LED indicates high system temperature and the DSP will lower the clipping voltage level to reduce the output power and limit the increase of temperature. If it is RED, there is an output signal clipping.
By factory default the `standby mode’ is active. By pressing the preset select push-button for at least 3 seconds the user can toggle the standby mode: when active, after 15 minutes of no input signal (input level below -45 dBu) the SUB118-SP enters a low power operating mode (standby) and sends a signal to the power amplifier that turn off the output stages. The system turns back operating when the input signal level exceeds -45 dBu.
| USB input type B: USB port dedicated to DSP control through PC and Armonía Plus software (chapter 4.1).
| Preset selection: button for the selection of one of the four available presets (chapter 5). It is possible to see the active preset with the help of the dedicated LEDs.

DSP AND CONTROL THROUGH PC

The internal digital processor (DSP) integrated into the Sub118 SP amplification system, allows control over the input signal through the dedicated section available for advanced users by connecting to the DSP with a USB cable (type B/type A). If the PC has several USB ports it will be possible to connect two or more modules at the same time.

Before doing this connection, you need to download and install the ArmoníaPlus software (download at armonia.powersoft.it).
It is also necessary to download and install the dedicated Outline plug-in available in Armonía Marketplace.

For some computers, it will be necessary to install the VCP communication plug-in (www.silabs.com/products/development-tools/software/usb-to-uart- bridge-vcp-drivers).

After having logged in to your Marketplace account, you can download all the necessary plugins for your Outline systems.
Then add the desired kit by selecting “Add” > “Powered speaker” (Outline). In this way, once the system is connected to the PC (“Match”), you can have the desired control over it:

Afterwards, when clicking on it, a window appears where it is possible to modify the following parameters:

• Input EQ – it is possible to choose between different types of filters, for input signal equalization independent from the selected preset, ideal for circumstances and venues with particularly complex acoustics;
• Overall gain – level regulation independent from the level regulation on the amplifier, can be useful in case you want to set a digital “limit” of the final output volume;
• Delay and Polarity (up to 340ms) – delay and polarity change of the whole kit intended as a unique system and therefore useful in case of allignment with another system or kit.

If any of the parameters have been modified, it is possible to save these changes. If desired, the system will save the different changes (only in input) for each of the four available presets. To do this, it is enough to select the “Presets” window and click on the “save” button corresponding to the modified preset. The new settings will be automatically stored to the DSP memory of the connected SUB 118 SP.

In case you wish to restore the default presets, it is possible to download them directly at the following link: outline.it/download/Settings/SUB118-SP_DefaultPresets.zip. Once the preset to restore has been chosen, it will be necessary to import them one by one, by choosing the SUB (right click) from the Armonìa “Workspace” → “PAM” → “Import…”:

PRESETS AND USES

The great peculiarity of the SUB 118 SP enclosure is that when you have a power supply and an analog input signal, it is immediately ready for use in plug & play mode.
Having analyzed the various controls available on the amplifier and its DSP, it is important to underline that the whole system is controllable and settable even with minimum effort. In fact, depending on different needs and tastes, Outline has made available four presets that are potentially useful in any situation or venue. In detail:

| • Low-pass 80 Hz – frequency response of the woofer up to 80 Hz, for use with satellites that enjoy a response at low frequencies that combines well with this frequency cut of the SUB 118 SP, which will therefore deal mostly with the low and deep-low frequencies of the spectrum.
---|---
| • Low-pass 100 Hz – frequency response of the woofer up to 100 Hz, for use with satellites that need major support at low frequencies.
| • Punch – frequency response for a greater feeling of the “impact” of the woofer. Ideal for “disco” situations and musical contexts in which an aggressive presence of low frequencies is required and appreciated.
| • Sub-Cardio – configuration designed for application with two or three SUB 118 SP, which allows to concentrate the sound emission of the woofer that is quasi-omnidirectional by its nature, in a narrower field towards the venue, not to disturb the stage with unnecessary and excessive low grequencies (see the next chapter).

It is always possible to combine the available presets with a custom input EQ through ArmoníaPlus, as shown earlier.

SUB-CARDIO PRESET CONFIGURATION

As some experienced users might know, the control over the directivity at low frequencies is quite a complex matter and not always easily “tameable”, despite the studies done by numerous experts in acoustics and sound engineers over the years.
Outline offers the possibility to combine, in different ways, two or three SUB 118 SP enclosures by using the dedicated preset, following some necessary precautions.
It will be necessary to position the subs so that the cardioid configuration (and therefore the elimination of the low frequencies on the back) has the desired effect. Depending on the number of enclosures, here are some possible configurations with the instructions:

• SUB-CARDIO with two enclosures →  put the subs side by side as shown in the picture; one of them should be facing the stage (1) and the other one should be facing the venue (2), or stack them as in the drawing below, with the lower sub facing the stage (1) and the upper one facing the venue (2).
  Choose the preset #4 (Sub-Cardio) for the sub facing the stage (1), while for the sub facing the venue (2) it is necessary to choose the preset #1 (LP 80 Hz). Set the gain potentiometers of both amplifiers to 0 dB (see the picture above).

2 x Sub 118 SP Cardio side by side

2 x Sub 118 SP Cardio stacked

• SUB-CARDIO with three subwoofers → put the three subs side by side as shown in the drawing above, with the sub in the middle (2) facing the stage and the other two (1-3) facing the venue, or stack them as in the drawing on the right, with the sub in the middle (2) facing the stage and the other two (1-3) facing the venue. Choose the preset #4 (Sub-Cardio) for the sub in the middle (1) and set its gain potentiometer to +6 dB (max), while for the other two subs facing the venue (1-3) it is necessary to choose the preset #1 (LP 80 Hz).
  3 x Sub 118 SP Cardio stacked

APPENDIX – PERIODIC CONTROLS

All the loudspeakers, before the shipment, are fully tested at the end of the production line, but before the system is installed an overall check shall be performed to ensure that the system has not been damaged during the shipment. Periodic controls shall be performed at regular time intervals.

SPARE PARTS

As for all Outline products, there are spare parts available in case of component failures. For any other type of reparation it is necessary to contact Outline directly. Below you will find the spare parts and their relative item codes:

SUB 118 SP spares: woofer 18″, four rubber feet, amplifier module (with connection panel).

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

PERFORMANCE AND PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Input impedance: 4.5 kΩ balanced
Rated power: 2400 W EIAJ at 4 Ω
Cooling: Cooling Tunnel + Variable Speed Fan
Special feature: selectable input gain and preset
Maximum SPL Output|  18” woofer
Component Low| Bass-reflex
Loading Low| 142.5 dB SPL
Amplifier Input| Analog – XLR (G/H/C) / jack 6, 35 mm TRS
Amplifier DC Input| PowerCON True 1
Cabinet Material|  Baltic birch plywood
Cabinet Finish| Black polyurea coating
Grill| Epoxy powder coated

OUTLINE S.R.L.
Tel. +39 030.3581341
Via Leonardo da Vinci, 56 Fax +39 030.3580431
25020 Flero (Brescia) Italy info@outline.it
www.outline.it

Outline carries out on-going research for product improvement. New materials, manufacturing methods and design upgrades are introduced to existing products without prior notice as a routine result of this philosophy. For this reason, any current Outline product may differ in some aspect from its description, but will always equal or exceed the original design specifications unless otherwise stated.

© Outline 2022 Operating manual product code: Z OMSUB118SP_EN
Release: 20220314
Printed in Italy

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