| Can I use banana plugs with my Audition Series Speakers? |
| Yes you can!
Simply remove the plastic colored protective caps on the top of the binding post terminals, and discard them. The banana jacks will fit in perfectly! |
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| Subwoofer Size - How do I choose the right sized subwoofer? |
| This is a common question. The size and quantity of subwoofers is related to the size of the audio system, but most importantly, the size of the room. Subwoofers need to be treated differently as bass frequencies travel in the room in a very different manner than midrange and treble frequencies. Bass travels in all directions, and escapes into other rooms through doorways and openings. Bass frequencies also don't care where you sit in relation to the subwoofer, unlike a regular speaker where the closer you sit to them, the louder they are.
For more assistance in choosing the right subwoofer, please see the "Create Your Sound" section of our website, or speak with your local authorized athena TECHNOLOGIES retailer.
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| Why does the light on my subwoofer keep changing colors? |
| This light is the power/ stand-by activation light. It tells you whether or not the subwoofer is in the "on" mode, or if it’s in the "stand-by" mode. When the LED appears green, this means the sub is "powered" up, and when it is red, this means the sub is in stand-by mode. The auto-on auto-off system senses a signal from the receiver and instantly turns the subwoofer on so you hear all the bass in the performance. If no signal is sent to the sub for more than 5 minutes, the subwoofer will then go into "stand-by" mode.
The auto-on auto-off feature alleviates the user from having to turn the subwoofer on and off with a physical switch.
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| What is the benefit of having two subwoofers as opposed to one? |
| Two subwoofers solve a few problems. Firstly, the sound pressure level of the bass is increased, and secondly you get very even bass response in your room. When there is only one subwoofer, all of the bass frequencies are emanating from one spot. There are room effects called standing waves that naturally occur in every room, and these are easily heard as fluctuations in the bass response. In other words, you'll hear some bass notes louder than others. This is due to the long bass frequencies travelling in your room, bouncing off the walls and repeating themselves. There's no way to eliminate standing waves, they are an acoustic by product of the rooms' dimensions, but you can reduce their effect. If you have two subwoofers, the bass is emanating from two points, resulting in a smoother bass response. You will hear less of the standing wave effect, for a more enjoyable listening experience. |
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| Which type of speaker do I buy, a floorstanding model, or a bookshelf type model? |
| The basic difference, other than size, is a floor standing speaker can produce much more bass than a bookshelf or satellite speaker. This is mostly due to the internal air volume in the larger cabinet that a floor standing speaker occupies. The laws of physics can't be changed, so while a smaller speaker will be optimized to produce as much bass as possible, a floor standing speaker will always have more. |
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| Sensitivity, what is it and what does it mean? |
| The sensitivity rating of a speaker basically tells you that with a given amount of signal from the receiver, the speaker will play THIS loud. The higher the sensitivity specification, the higher the actual sound pressure level will be, with the same amount of power. So its correct to say that a high efficiency speaker will play louder and you don't have to turn the receiver up as high. |
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| What does subwoofer "blending" mean? |
| Subwoofer blending is a term used to describe whether or not the subwoofer and speaker are properly matched to each other. If there is a large gap in frequency output between the sub and speakers the result is a sonic "hole". If the subwoofer and speaker overlap in response the result is one of a "boomy" nature. Both are considered unacceptable and will produce poor sound quality. It is essential that the subwoofer "hand off" the duties to the speaker at the right frequency, so that the subwoofer and speaker sound like a pair of large speakers, and not a subwoofer with separate speakers. In a properly set up system, you will hear great sound and not be able to identify the separate components. |
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| Satellite Speakers with Subwoofers – What’s the benefit? |
| A satellite speaker has many advantages over a larger speaker. First, you have many more placement options, wall mounting, you can rest the speaker on a shelf or furniture, etc. The part of the equation that requires some thought is how to integrate the subwoofer properly with the speakers. It’s extremely important to have the subwoofer and speaker “hand off” the duties of their specific talents. The sub produces bass, and the speaker produces everything else, but it’s vital that they don’t overlap in any area of the audible sound range. athena TECHNOLOGIES has solved this problem by creating the SCT system. It controls the exact output of the subwoofer to precisely match the specific athena speaker that you have chosen. Simply adjust the SCT control to the model of athena main speaker you have, and you’re done. Simple, accurate and worry free sound in a small speaker solution the whole home can live with. |
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| What Type of speaker is best for me? |
| The size of the speaker in many ways should be directly related to the size of the room. A small room like an office or bedroom can utilize a small satellite or bookshelf type speaker and will yield good bass response. That same speaker however placed in a large basement or family room will yield poor results in the low frequency area. When deciding on a speaker system, the first step is to understand the room they system will reside in. Of course you need to keep in mind the power output of the receiver, the number of speakers and subwoofers required, and of course your budget. athena TECHNOLOGIES designs and manufactures a wide range of products that will suit any room and budget. |
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