tic audio installation basics ii
how to install outdoor speakers
basic connectivity
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tic outdoor speakers
All TIC Corporation outdoor speaker products are weatherproof incorporating components that are specifically designed and manufactured to perform in all expected weather conditions. Our TIC GS3 Omni-directional OmniSpeakers® outdoor speakers are probably the most renowned exterior speaker in the world being used by most commercial installations. You will find them in almost all theme parks.
TIC Terra-Forms® outdoor rock speakers are specifically designed and constructed of the latest aerospace grade composite materials to be particularly durable in the field. Simple in installation, yet tough and long lasting for many years of enjoyment. TIC Terra-Forms® outdoor rock speakers are unique in that they not only blend and beautify any surroundings in which they are placed but also provide many additional outdoor sound benefits.
The specially constructed two-way outdoor speaker systems for TIC omni polar OmniSpeakers® and TIC Terra-Forms® Speaker Stones have 50 - 300 watt capacities (model dependent) and utilize waterproof components in an aluminum/ polypropylene woofer and aluminum/ Mylar© tweeter, both are dynamically stabilized to give you clarity that is vibrant.
tic audio installation (basics ii)
TIC Corporation Ed. note: the following is meant as a general guide to assist our customer’s world-wide in their basic understanding of outdoor speakers, the wiring and installation of TIC Corporations range of audio products and TIC outdoor speakers in general. Due to the many diverse conditions and requirements for individual installations and site conditions no guarantees are expressed or implied within this document by TIC Corporation.
basic tic outdoor speaker woofer / driver diagram
connecting tic outdoor speaker systems
The power amplifier output must be matched to the effective impedance of the TIC speaker system. Because it is often necessary to use more than one speaker system (per channel) to disperse sound to the entire area, two or more speaker systems must be wired together. Since each TIC outdoor speaker system has its own impedance, wiring them together changes the effective impedance presented to the power amplifier. The effective impedance can be controlled by the method of connecting the TIC speaker systems. See Fig. 1
fig. 1
Fig.1: TIC Outdoor Speaker System Connections; The three possible ways to connect the TIC speaker systems to the output of a power amplifier. Common ground and only one power amplifier terminal can be used at a time. Be sure to calculate the effective impedance of the TIC speakers no matter what connection scheme you use. For best results, all TIC speaker systems installed should have the same impedance.
Series Connection; For TIC speaker systems connected in series, as shown, simply sum the impedances of all the TIC speaker systems. Example, if you connect two TIC 8-Ohm speaker systems in series, the effective impedance is 16-Ohms. You then use the 16-Ohm output on the power amplifier for proper impedance matching. Further. Four TIC 4-Ohm speaker systems could be connected in series for the same 16-Ohm effective impedance.
There is a practical limit to the number of TIC speaker systems that can be effectively connected in series. Example, connecting four TIC 8-Ohm speaker systems in series presents an effective impedance of 32-Ohms to the amplifier. This is a decidedly bad idea. An impedance mismatch at the power amplifier causes distorted sound because the amplifier is asked to operate at maximum voltage swing.
Parallel Connection; If you connect TIC speaker systems in parallel, as shown, and all have the same impedance, the effective impedance is the impedance of one speaker system divided by the number of speaker systems. Example, if two speaker systems rated at 8-Ohms each are connected in parallel, the effective impedance is 4-Ohms. Similarly, if four speaker systems rated at 16-Ohms each are connected in parallel, the effective impedance is 4-Ohms. The 4-Ohm power amplifier output must be used for either situation.
For TIC speaker systems connected in parallel that don’t have the same impedance, TIC offers for your use the following equation to find effective impedance (Zt);
multi-impedance formulae
Use the Formulae above for TIC speaker systems, wired in parallel, of differing speaker impedances.
Generally; As a general rule of thumb, connecting TIC outdoor speaker systems in parallel is the more desirable approach for a number of reasons. First, when connected in series, if any individual speaker system fails, none of the speaker systems will work because the circuit is incomplete through all of the speaker systems, no sound will come through any of the outdoor speaker systems.
Second, when connected in series, speaker systems tend to interact with one another, which can result in distortion. All speaker systems exhibit a damping action, which is the result of the natural resistance of the voice coil in the speaker system against the permanent magnet located nearby. This damping action, though mechanical in nature, can result in lower signal levels through the speaker system line.
On the other hand, there is a practical limit to the number of TIC speaker systems that can be effectively connected in parallel. At some point, the amplifier will no longer be able to supply enough power to each of the speaker systems to produce adequate sound. Example, the maximum current the power amplifier can supply limits the number of speaker systems in parallel.
As a general rule, you are safe if you limit the number of speaker systems to four; 8-Ohm or eight 16-Ohm per channel, assuming the speaker systems are full range, and the power amplifier is rated at 100 watts per channel. Example, four 8-Ohm TIC speaker systems in parallel results in effective impedance of 2 Ohms, and a current requirement of greater than 7 amperes at 100 watts output.
Combining Series and Parallel; To get around the limitations of an all series connection, or an all-parallel connection, you can connect multiple TIC speaker systems in a combination of parallel and series, as shown. You can use this technique, for example, to connect four TIC speaker systems together, and still present an effective impedance of 8-Ohms to the power amplifier. In the TIC diagram, two of the speaker systems are wired in series, and the two series combinations are wired in parallel. Assuming all four TIC speaker systems are rated at 8-Ohms, the effective impedance for the array of TIC speaker systems is 8 Ohms, so you would connect the array to the 8-Ohm output of the power amplifier.
important polarity note!
Insuring Proper Polarity; When connecting multiple TIC outdoor speaker systems, it is absolutely vital that you observe proper polarity at all times. The diagram, Fig. 1, shows the proper polarity. If you mix the polarity, the sound delivered by your sound system will be substandard. The system may sound excessively “boomy”, and output levels may be substantially diminished. It is also possible some damage to the amplifier or TIC speaker components may occur.
Contact
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