User manual B&W SIGNATURE DIAMOND

[. . . ] In large part, the magic is a result of how a speaker's engineering elements are arranged and combined ­ how the whole is designed. Because of this, and in light of the Signature Diamond's celebratory nature, we invited our long-term design collaborator Kenneth Grange to work with our in-house team on its conception and development. The "architecture", aesthetic and material choices of the Signature Diamond are his and as such he can take much credit for its magic. Kenneth Grange CBE RDI is without doubt one of the most eminent in the field of consultant industrial designers. [. . . ] To minimise rocking, unscrew the spikes that do not touch the floor until the speaker rests firmly without rocking then lock the nuts against the plinth. It may be more convenient to fit and adjust the spike feet after speaker positioning has been optimised. If there is no carpet and you wish to avoid scratching the floor surface, use either a protective metal disc (a coin perhaps) between the spike and the floor or use the supplied rubber feet. Fit the rubber feet and level the speaker in the same manner as with the spike feet. For conventional connection, the terminal links should remain in place (as delivered) and just one pair of terminals connected to the amplifier. For bi-wire connection, the terminal links should be removed and each pair of terminals connected to the amplifier independently. bi-wiring can improve the resolution of low-level detail. If the speakers are to be bi-wired, the right-angle plugs may be removed from the link cables using the Allen key supplied and attached to the connection cables. Figure 5 illustrates this use of the plugs. Once the connections have been made, the cable clamp should be tightened down on the cable using the two wing nuts. The speaker may then be returned to the upright position. When standing the speaker upright, take care that its weight is not borne by only one or two spike feet. Figure 4 illustrates conventional and bi-wire connection and use of the cable clamp. Ensure that the positive terminals on the speaker (marked + and coloured red) are connected to the positive output terminal on the amplifier and the negative terminals on the speaker (marked ­ and coloured black) are connected to the negative output terminal on the amplifier. Incorrect connection can result in poor imaging and loss of bass. Ask your dealer for advice when selecting speaker cable. Keep its total impedance below the maximum recommended in the speaker specification and use a low inductance cable to avoid attenuation of high frequencies. Adjustment of speaker position following initial installation will probably further improve the sound quality and is usually worthwhile. To begin with, the speakers should be positioned between 2. 0m apart at two corners of an equilateral triangle completed by the listening area at the third corner. Ideally, the speakers should be at least 0. 5m away from the back wall, and at least 1. [. . . ] The time taken for the speaker to achieve its intended performance will vary depending on previous storage conditions and how it is used. As a guide, allow up to a week for the temperature effects to stabilise and 15 hours of average use for the mechanical parts to attain their intended design characteristics. However, longer run-in periods (as long as a month) have been reported and there is evidence to suggest that this has little to do with the speaker changing and more to do with the listener getting used to the new sound. This is especially so with highly revealing speakers such as these, where there may be a significant increase in the amount of detail compared with what the listener has previously been used to; the sound may at first appear too "up front" and perhaps a little hard. [. . . ]