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the cleaning instructions in the section
of the manual titled "Aftercare".
15 Attachments – Do not use attachments
not recommended by the product
manufacturer, as they may cause
hazards.
16 Accessories – Do not place this
product on an unstable cart, stand,
tripod, bracket or table. The product
may fall, causing serious injury to a
child or adult, and serious damage to
the product. Use only with a cart,
stand, tripod, bracket or table
recommended by the manufacturer or
sold with the product. Any mounting of
the product should follow the
manufacturer’s instructions and should
use a mounting accessory
recommended by the manufacturer.
17 Moving the appliance – A product and
cart combination should be moved
with care. Quick stops, excessive force
and uneven surfaces may cause the
product and cart combination to
overturn. Check that there are no
cables under the carpet that may be
damaged by the spike feet. Do not
walk the product on the spike feet as
this may cause them to become
detached from the cabinet and cause
damage. Take care not to impale
yourself with the spike feet.
18 Non-use Periods – The power cord of
the appliance should be unplugged
from the outlet when left unused for a
long period of time.
19 Servicing – Do not attempt to service
this product yourself, as opening or
removing covers may expose you to
dangerous voltage or other hazards.
Refer all servicing to qualified service
personnel.
20 Damage Requiring Service – Unplug
this product from the wall outlet and
refer servicing to qualified personnel
under the following conditions:
a When the power-supply cord or
plug has been damaged.
b If liquid has been spilled or objects
have fallen into the appliance.
c If the product has been exposed to
rain or water.
d If the product does not operate
normally by following the operating
instructions. Adjust only those
controls that are covered by the
operating instructions, as an
improper adjustment of other
controls may result in damage and
will often require extensive work by
a qualified technician to restore the
product to its normal operation.
e If the product has been dropped, or
damaged in any way.
f When the product exhibits a distinct
change in performance – this
indicates a need for service.
21 Replacement Parts – When
replacement parts are required, be
sure the service technician has used
replacement parts specified by the
manufacturer or have the same
characteristics as the original part.
Unauthorised substitutions may result
in fire, electric shock or other hazards.
22 Mains fuses are located inside the
amplifier and replacement should be
entrusted to an authorised B&W agent.
Replacement fuse types are shown in
the specification.
23 Safety Check – Upon completion of
any service or repairs to this product,
ask the service technician to perform
safety checks to determine that the
product is in proper operating
condition.
24 Magnetic fields – The product creates
a stray static magnetic field. Do not
place any object that may be damaged
by this magnetic field (eg cathode ray
tube televisions or computer monitors,
audio and viseo tapes and swipe
cards) within 0.5m (2 feet) of the
appliance. The appliance may cause
distortion of cathode ray tube images
beyond this distance.
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing this B&W Active
Subwoofer.
Since its foundation in 1966, the continuing
philosophy of B&W has been the quest for
perfect sound reproduction. Inspired by the
company’s founder, the late John Bowers,
this quest has entailed not only high
investment in audio technology and
innovation but also an abiding appreciation
of music and the demands of film sound to
ensure that the technology is put to
maximum effect.
This subwoofer has been designed for
Home Theatre installations and to augment
the bass performance of ‘full range’
speakers in 2-channel audio use. Adding
the subwoofer to your system not only
extends the bass to lower frequencies, it
improves the midrange clarity by reducing
the low-frequency demands on your
existing speakers.
Please read through this manual fully before
using the subwoofer. All sound installations
require some planning and experimentation
if you are to get the best out of the
products used and this manual will guide
you in this process.
As the subwoofer is connected to the
electricity power supply, it is important that
you familiarise yourself with the safety
instructions and heed all warnings.
Keep this manual in a safe place for future
reference.
B&W loudspeakers are distributed to over
60 countries worldwide and we maintain an
international network of carefully chosen
and dedicated distributors. If you have a
problem, which your dealer cannot resolve,
our distributors will be more than willing to
assist you.
Unpacking (figure 1)
The easiest way to unpack the subwoofer
and avoid damage is as follows:
• Open the carton flaps right back and
invert the carton and contents.
• Lift the carton away from the product.
We recommend that you retain the
packaging for future use.
In addition to this manual, the carton
should contain:
1 Subwoofer
4 screw-in rubber feet
4 screw-in spike feet with lock nuts
1 International warranty document
A tour of the subwoofer (figure 2)
1 Heat sink
2 Speaker level connectors
3 Line level sockets
4 EQ (equalisation) switch
5 LOW-PASS FILTER frequency control
6 PHASE switch
7 LOW-PASS FILTER defeat switch
8 MODE On/Auto switch
9 On/Standby indicator light
10 VOLUME control
11 Power cord
12 POWER On/Off switch
What the subwoofer does
Application: Home Theatre
The primary function of the subwoofer is to
reproduce signals from the Low Frequency
Effects (LFE) channel. In addition, the
processor may be configured to divert the
low bass portion of some or all of the other
channels and add it to the LFE information
by configuring those speakers to 'small' in
the processor set-up procedure.
Application: 2-channel audio
The subwoofer is used to extend the bass
response beyond that provided by the
satellite speakers. In most cases, best
results are obtained if the satellite speakers
are run full range as normal directly from
the power amplifier. The subwoofer low-
pass filter is then set so that its output rises
as that of the satellite speakers falls
naturally. However, if the satellite speakers
are very small, the system output level may
be limited by overloading their bass drivers.
If this is the case, better results may be
obtained by using the high-pass filters in
the subwoofer to limit the bass energy fed
to the satellite speakers.
Positioning the subwoofer
Because the subwoofer produces only low-
frequency sounds, positioning is less critical
in some respects compared to full-range
speakers. Directional information is much
less precise and you have more choice
where to place the speakers to good effect.
This said, best results are obtained if the
subwoofer is placed between the left and
right speakers or in the vicinity of one of
them. If you use two subwoofers, it is best
to put one near the left and one near the
right speaker.
Placing the subwoofer behind the listeners,
even in surround sound installations,
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