quadral Qube CS10 Hi-Fi and Surround Systems Instruction Manual
- June 5, 2024
- quadral
Table of Contents
Qube CS10 Hi-Fi and Surround Systems
Instruction Manual
First of all, congratulations on your purchase of an active subwoofer from quadral. It is with discerning music lovers and connoisseurs like yourself in mind that we build hi-fi and surround speakers to standards way beyond the norm. On the following pages we would like to give you some useful tips on setting up, connecting up and operating your quadral active subwoofer to ensure many hours of pure listening pleasure.
Safety notes on active loudspeakers
Please read these user instructions carefully and follow all recommended steps towards putting your system into operation. You should at all times be aware of and take note of the warnings and safety instructions on the device and in these user instructions. Keep these user instructions in a safe place so you can find them straight away if you should have any queries or problems at a later date.
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Your set has been drafted for the usage at 115 V~ 60 Hz or 230 V~ 50 Hz mains supply. Please make sure before using the system, that the corresponding working voltage for your country has been adjusted on the back of the set (by delivery it is 230 V~ 50 Hz).
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Lay the mains cable and other cables in such a way that they cannot be stepped upon, or crushed or damaged by spikes or furniture, or cause anyone to trip over them. The mains plug shall remain readily operable.
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When removing the mains cable from the wall socket, do so by pulling the plug out and not by tugging the cable itself.
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Unplug the mains cable in the event of storms or if you are not going to be using the system for a longer period of time.
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The loudspeaker connection terminals (High Level Input) may only be used in conjunction with the corresponding amplifier outputs or satellite speakers. Connection of any kind between these terminals and the mains supply (230V/115V) is prohibited and will lead directly to the immediate destruction of the loudspeaker and all connected products. For this reason it is essential to avoid fitting these cable connections with plugs which could in any way whatsoever be confused with mains plugs.
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At high volumes and depending on the connected power amplifier, voltages of over 30V can be present at the loudspeaker connection terminals marked High Level Input. These terminals should therefore on no account be touched while the system is active.
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Our subwoofers are desigend for use in normal living roomes and moderate climates only and should never be set up and operated in damp rooms or tropical climates. They never get in touch with dripping or splashing water. Furtheron no objects filled with liquids, such as vases, should be placed on the sets.
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Massive overloading of loudspeakers due to excessively high volume levels can, under certain circumstances, lead to the fusing of individual elements or speakers in spite of safeguards. Theoretically, overloading to this extent can even cause fire inside a loudspeaker, so it is advisable to keep loudspeakers under surveillance when being operated at such outer technical limits.
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Faulty safeguarding, if accessible from outside, has to be replaced only by equal types.
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The temperature of the rear heat sink can rise to over 60°C when the unit is used over a longer period of time at high volumes, so please at all times avoid touching it when it is active.
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When operating your subwoofer, on no account ever lay it with the panel containing the switches, controls and input/output sockets facing down as this could cause the unit to overheat; please ensure a minimum distance of 5cm around the apparatus for sufficent ventilation. The woofer, the bass reflex opening and possible existing ventilation openings should never be covered with items such as newspapers, table-cloths, curtains, etc.
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On no account ever insert a hand, arm or any object into a bassreflex opening as this could cause injury or material damage. At particular risk in this respect are children and pets.
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Allow no-one but appropriately qualified service engineers to carry out technical maintenance and repair work on your active loudspeaker. This will be necessary in the event of any form of damage, i.e. damaged mains cables and plugs, or when some object has fallen onto the speaker cabinet or if the unit itself has fallen over or been dropped, or if it has been penetrated by any type of liquid.
Never open up the device yourself since any physical contact whatsoever with the mains voltage (230V/115V) can have fatal consequences. -
Never use active loudspeakers as seating or climb up on them (instead of using a ladder)!
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Your loudspeaker units have been designed for long years of home use and should not therefore be used for professional purposes.
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For the purposes of mounting and placement of these products, please only use furniture and other devices that are obtainable from the manufacturer and marketed for or together with the product in uestion. Take extreme care when moving any table devices or shelves upon which the products are placed as the units could otherwise tip or fall over and cause damage or injury.
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Avoid placing your loudspeakers anywhere with high levels of humidity or dampness. Permanent relative humidity or exposure to direct sunlight (UV radiation) can cause warping of wooden speaker cabinets or lead to their premature aging and thus affect the unit’s performance. Besides, do not position the subwoofer directly adjacent to sources of heat, e.g. radiators. Moreover, do not place naked flame sources, such as lighted candles on the speaker cabinet.
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Our fitting accessories should only be used to install products that we have specifically designed for wall mounting. Take special care to ensure that all components are securely screwed into place! We also recommend using additional safeguards, for example chains, etc. to ensure secure and safe mounting.
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Loudspeakers in operation for long periods at excessively high volume levels are not only a source of disturbance for neighbours but can also have serious health-related consequences for the user as well!
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Loudspeakers without magnetic shielding can cause discoloration or distortion of the TV picture. To avoid this, place non-shielded loudspeakers at least 50 cm clear of the TV set. Please avoid depositing, for example, credit cards, diskettes, audio or video cassettes or any other form of magnetic data carriers on the speaker cabinet as this could otherwise lead to loss of data stored on such objects. Likewise, do not place and operate magnetic tape devices in the direct vicinity of such loudspeakers.
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Please do not throw the packaging away as you might possibly need it for transportation of the loudspeaker system at a later date. Keep the polythene bags out of the reach of children since they can cause asphyxiation if used for any other than their intended purpose.
Setting up
Besides the unit’s actual settings, a subwoofer’s bass reproduction essentially depends on where the unit is positioned in the listening room. Proximity to walls or even placement in a corner makes the bass sound come over louder – but also less well defined and accurate – than if in a more free-standing position. Since the acoustic characteristics differ from room to room, we recommend finding the optimum compromise between bass volume and precision by simple trial and error. It won’t matter if you set up the subwoofer nearer to the left hand satellite than the right hand one – or vice versa – since the low bass sounds are not localizable. If your subwoofer directs its sound downwards, you must fit the supplied loudspeaker foot, which can be designed as „spikes“ as well (depending on the model), before you start to use the system.
Operating modes
Units with a POWER switch and stand-by function:
If the mains POWER switch is in OFF position, the unit is turned off
completely.
If the mains POWER switch is in ON position, the switch for stand-by operates as follows:
ON: The unit is permanently switched on.
AUTO: The unit switches on automatically, if a music signal is received
and auto matically switches to stand-by mode after approximately 15 minutes,
if no music signal is received.
OFF: wThe functions are switched off.
Connecting up
Please connect the device using the network cable supplied to the mains socket
shown below.
Before connecting up the subwoofer to your hi-fi or surround system, make sure
that the unit and all system components are switched off, i.e. the pilot
lights should all be off.
Connection variant no. 1
(Additional woofer for an existing hi-fi system)
Connect the subwoofer to your amplifier at the „B“ loudspeaker outputs. The
connections of the existing speakers remain unchanged. Having connected the
subwoofer, you must then activate the „B“ loudspeaker outputs; your
amplifier’s operating manual will tell you how to do this. Put your subwoofer
into operation as described under „Starting up“.
This operating mode can only be used if you can activate the speaker outputs A
& B on your amplifier simultaneously. Please consult your amplifier’s
operating manual accordingly. 
Connection variant no. 1
(Differences of models cause a different position of the operating elements.)
Connection variant no. 2
(Subwoofer in a preamp/output amp combination)
If your system consists of a preamp/power amp combination you can, connect the
subwoofer to the preamp’s output by means of a cinch cable. To do this, use
the cinch sockets marked „LOW LEVEL IN/LINE“. Also using a cinch cable,
connect up your output amp to the subwoofer at the cinch socket „LOW LEVEL
OUT“. If your preamp has 2 pairs of output sockets you can leave the direct
connection between preamp and output amp as it is and simply connect the
subwoofer to the preamp’s second cinch output; there is then no need for the
subwoofer to be connected to the power amp. In these case there is no need to
use loudspeaker cables for the connections. Put your subwoofer into operation
as described under „Starting up“.
Connection variant no. 3
(Subwoofer in a surround system)
If your surround amp or receiver has a subwoofer line output (Sub Pre-Out),
you can use this by connecting the subwoofer to this socket by means of cinch
cable (Connection variant no. 4a or 4b). If your surround amp does not have
an output of this type you will have to connect up the subwoofer as described
under „Connection variant no. 1“.
Having connected up your subwoofer at the subwoofer line output of your
digital surround sound amplifier, you must now configure the amplifier’s bass
management as follows:
Subwoofer: yes
Front, center, rear: large /small (depending on size)
In these case there is no need to use loudspeaker cables for the connections. Put your subwoofer into operation as described under „Starting up“.
Connection variant no. 4 (some models)
(Subwoofer in a Dolby / DTS unit)
If your surround amp or receiver has a LFE output (Low Frequency Enhancement),
you can connect it with the LFE socket on the subwoofer.
This connection can take place over the cinch (RCA) connection or over the XLR
connection.
Please observe the following cable routing when using an XLR cable.
Starting up
Having correctly connected up your subwoofer as described in the above, first
switch on your amplifier. Now switch on your subwoofer by means of the mains
switch on the rear panel.
The indicator must then light up. When it does so, this means that your
subwoofer is now ready for operation.
When the unit has been switched on you can now adjust the subwoofer to achieve
the ideal balance. This will only be necessary once unless you purchase new
speakers. In this case you will have to balance the subwoofer again with the
new speakers.
Now put your system into operation with a music signal. First set the
Frequency control to centre (neutral) position. Now slowly turn the Volume
control clockwise until a tonal balance is established in the bass range
between the subwoofer and your satellites. You can use the Frequency control
to adjust the crossover range.
The general rules here are:
large loudspeakers, turn the control further anticlockwise and small
loudspeakers, turn the control further clockwise.
Having adjusted the Frequency control it might be necessary to readjust the
Volume control to achieve an ideal tonal balance again. The superimposition of
your satellites’ sound waves and those of the subwoofer can lead to
interference at your listening position. At worst, this means that the bass
sound you hear there will be no more than “subdued“ despite correct setting
of Frequency and Volume controls. If this is the case, please turn the Phase
control on the rear panel to the 0° or 180° position (not possible with the
SUB 45).
At a point of the Phase control you will notice the bass sound becoming more
powerful and punchy. By experimenting and listening you will thus find the
ideal setting to suit your requirements.
Please note: Always bear in mind that the setting of the subwoofer should be
carried out to suit your listening position. That means that when adjusting a
control you should always return to your listening position to hear whether
your adjustment has a positive effect there.
Subwoofer electronic
(Differences of models cause a different position of the operating elements.)
If your DOLBY or DTS amplifier is fitted with an LFE output, some subwoofers
offer a symmetrical (balanced) and also an unsymmetrical input (cinch/RCA).
Operating the subwoofer using the Sub Out terminal of a surround
amplifier
If your surround amplifier offers you the option of adjusting the volume of
the subwoofer via the bass management facility we recommend that you proceed
as follows: Adjust the subwoofer’s volume control switch to the “neutral”
position, and the Frequency control switch to the “maximum” position. Now
carry out a volume test on the surround amplifier, setting the satellites and
the subwoofer to identical volume levels.
Please refer to the operating instructions supplied with your surround
amplifier for details on volume adjustment.
As far as possible, leave the bass control of the amplifier’s tone control facility set in the “neutral” position, otherwise unnecessarily strong bass signals will be delivered to the satellite speakers; whilst the satellites would then be subject to a heavy load from such bass signals, they are not be able to reproduce them in the form of low-frequency sound. As described in the above, set the bass volume to the level you require by adjusting the subwoofer’s volume via the amplifier’s bass management facility.
Operation of the subwoofer on the LFE Out of a DTS / DOLBY amplifier
If your DOLBY or DTS amplifier is fitted with an LFE output, some
subwoofers offer here a symmetrical (balanced) and also an unsymmetrical input
(cinch/RCA). The frequency adjuster (Frequency) is not operational when using
these inputs since the amplifier defines the frequency range for this channel.
The loudness setting is performed as described in the chapter above.
Notes on maintaining the loudspeaker
It is best to clean your quadral loudspeaker using a dry, soft cloth. Do not
use any solvent.
The loudspeaker systems (subwoofers) should only be cleaned if there is heavy
soiling (small amounts of dust are irrelevant acoustically). This should
exclusively be performed using a dry, soft cloth or a brush and only by using
very gentle pressure, otherwise there may be a risk of causing damage.
| Fault | Reason | Remedy |
|---|---|---|
| 1) No sound (see also 6) | a)Cables wrongly connected |
b)System not switched on
c)Amplifier faulty| a)Check that the cables have been connected as specified
in the instructi on s
b)Switch on the system and adjust the volume to approx. 9 o’clock position
c)Check electronics for possible defect
2) The system sounds bass-less and thin even when the bass control on the
amplifier is turned up| a)Wrong polarity of one channel into the subwoofer
b)Bass management on surround amp incorrectly configured
c)Subwoofer not functioning
d)The sound projection is being impeded| a)Check cable connections/change
polarity of one connection of amplifier at the subwoofer terminal (exchange
red and black)
b)Configure the bass management as described in these operating instructions
c)Switch on the subwoofer and check the cables
d)Mount the feet as supplied, or remove the objects that are impeding the
sound projection
3) The system sounds distant and instruments and voices are hard to locate| a)
Wrong polarity of a satellite cable connection| a) Check cable
connections/change polarity of one satellite connection on subwoofer terminal
panel (exchange red and black)
4) System lacks treble| a)The room has unlively acoustics and the speakers are
located in room corners
b)Bass control set too high on the amplifier| a)Place woofer and satellites
further away from the walls
(approx. 80 cm clearance)
b)Set the bass control to neutral (central) position
5) System sounds distorted| a)Volume set too high
b)See (6)
c)System is faulty| a)Turn volume down
b)See (6)
c)Please contact your dealer or quadral
5) Only one speaker working| a)Cables connected up wrongly
b)Speaker or electronics faulty| a)Check cable connections
b)Exchange right and left speaker. If the mute speaker is now on the other
side then it is faulty, otherwise it is the amplifier
7) The subwoofer often switches| The subwoofer’s settings require adjustment|
a)Reduce the volume level on the subwoofer (set to 10 o’clock position) and
turn up the subwoofer’s volume via the amplifier’s bass management facility
b)Connect up the subwoofer by means of its High Level inputs (s. 1st
connection option)
3) The fundamental tone (e.g. male voices) is too thin despite correct cable
connections| Unfavourable setting of the subwoofer is causing suppression in
the fundamental tone| a) Change the setting of the frequency and/or phase
control on the subwoofer till tone sounds fuller
quadral GmbH & Co. KG
Am Herrenhäuser Bahnhof 26-28 · D-30419 Hannover
Telefon: +49 (0) 511 – 79 04-0 · Fax: +49 (0) 511 – 75 35 28
e-mail: info@quadral.com ·
www.quadral.com