Thank you for purchasing the Museatex Melior One Transducers.
The Melior One represents several years of research and is truly an unique speaker. Its patented principle represents the only "real" development in the field of speaker design in the last two decades.
Theory and practice in most designs can usually be found to contradict each other. Melior is one of the least compromised loudspeakers ever designed.
The promise of point source technology is delivered with such elegance that one must wonder "why did it take so long to achieve?". While Melior Speaker's outstanding performance appears to have been achieved with so simple a concept, the sophistication of design necessary to realize this dream took years.
Please read this manual carefully as it will help you to optimize the performance of the speakers.
When you first unpack the Melior One Loudspeakers, confirm that the following are included:
Contact your dealer if any of the items are missing. Keep the packing. Be sure to keep the shipping carton with all the packing material. The Melior One Loudspeakers cannot be safely shipped without this.
Shipping Damage.
It is important that the unit be examined for shipping damage. If there is any
indication of damage, please contact your dealer. It is important that the carton
be maintained to initiate any claims.
Note: Dropping the speakers when they are out of their cartons can damage
the speakers. Please ensure that setup is attempted only with two persons.
Note: If you intend to mass load your speakers with sand or lead shot, it would be easier if you performed this function prior to attaching the base. Should you decide to mass load the speakers at a later date, the base will have to be removed again.
The Melior Speaker bases are designed to accept sand or lead shot to increase the effective mass of the speakers after they are set up. Adding the mass at the factory is impractical. In addition to added transportation costs, the speakers could be damaged in transit due to the heavy weight.
Adding weight to speakers has two advantages. Firstly, it will add mass to the speaker structure and increase its structural integrity and secondly it will act as an efficient absorber of vibrational energy from within the speaker's mechanical structure.
Whether you mass load your speakers or not will depend on your system and how critical your listening habits are. The better your overall system, the more noticeable will be the audible benefits of mass loading. If you are determined to extract the absolute utmost your system can provide, we would recommend that you mass load your speakers.
Lead shot or dry sand can be used to mass load the speakers. Dry sand is usually available at your local hobby or toy store.
Caution: Do not use garden sand that is moist. The moisture could permanently damage your speaker.
The Method
The location of the filling aperture is on the base of the speaker and is covered
by the foot.
Lay a clean cloth on the floor and (with foot removed) stand the Melior One upside down on the drop cloth. Remove the plastic plug from the filling aperture using a screw driver to pry it out if necessary. Using a funnel, fill the base cavity with dry sand or lead shot. (A folded newspaper or cardboard will suffice as a funnel). Once full, insert the plastic plug, vacuum up any spillage and reinstall the speaker foot. Ensure that both speakers are filled.
Note: A few of the Melior One speakers have the aperture for sand filling at the side of the speakers behind the wood panel. If your speaker does not have the aperture at the base of the speakers, proceed as follows:
With the foot removed from the speaker, carefully lay the Melior face down on a clean sheet surface which will not scratch the wood surface. With a Philips (star) screwdriver remove the two Philips wood screws and chrome washers and set aside. Lift up the wooden panel at the bottom edge, about 3/4". This step is to ensure that the 1/2" long lip at the top edge of the panel clears the speaker frame (where the grille cloth stops). The speaker terminals are attached to this panel and care should be taken to ensure that the panel is not forced as this may sever the speaker connections. Turn the panel to expose the filling aperture and set down to rest. Remove the small plastic plug in the aperture and insert a funnel and begin to fill with sand or shot. (A folded newspaper or cardboard will suffice as a funnel). Towards the end of the filling operation you may want to "tilt" the speaker up a bit to ensure that all the filling is properly settled in the bottom of the cavity. Once the base cavity is filled, insert the plastic plug and vacuum up any stray filling. Reinstall the wooden back-plate with the chrome washers and Philips wood screws. Attach the speaker foot as described below.
Open the plastic bag containing the various nuts and bolts. You should find the following for each speaker:
Turn your Melior upside down (base up) on a clean soft carpet or pad and install the foot as per the graphic instructions. Ensure that the alignment of the feet correspond with the diagram. If your speakers are to be placed on a carpeted floor, these spikes will ensure that the speakers are stable on the carpet. If your speakers are placed on a wooden or tiled floor the spikes will improve the mass loading of the speakers. To ensure that your floor is not spoilt the spikes can be used with a small coin placed immediately beneath each point.
Melior is equipped with 30 amp rated gold-plated 5-way binding posts which will accept most quality speaker cables with proper termination at the back. This binding post will accept most types of speaker terminations including Banana Plus, U-Connections and bare wire.
When connecting to the amplifier or receiver, ensure that correct polarity is maintained. Usually the speaker output terminals of amplifiers are marked with positive (red) and negative (black). If you match the colors, the polarity will be maintained.
The amplifier speaker outputs usually have left and right channels marked. The left and right speaker are determined when you face the speakers.
Note: The performance of the Melior One speakers have been optimized with Museatex cables. When connecting the Melior One speakers to a high quality system, we recommend that you use Museatex cables for optimum results. Although the speaker will perform admirably with other good quality cables, trial and error may be required to obtain the ideal match for your system. With the Museatex cables, you can be assured of the performance the designers intended.
You are ready to turn on your system and ensure that you have connected the speakers correctly.
Before sitting down to listen to your favorite music, please position the speakers properly. The Point-Source speakers are easier than most speakers to position. However, a few basic rules need to be followed.
Melior is a dipole radiator which means that it radiates sound off both the front and rear sides at all frequencies. Due to Melior Speaker's exceptional dispersion characteristics Melior is much less sensitive to room placement than other panel speakers. This dipole radiation is one of the secrets to Melior Speaker's exceptional sound and imaging. The ultimate objective for a high quality stereo system like this one is to ensure that the image is three-dimensional. When listening, the speakers should seem to disappear form the room and the music must maintain the relative positioning of the various instruments of the orchestra. Connected to high quality electronics, the Melior One Speakers can provide this three dimensional sound better than any other speakers in the market. Some degree of care is required in speaker positioning to obtain optimum results.
A good general rule would be to provide a minimum of three feet (one meter) space behind the Melior to the wall and at least 2 feet (60 cm) from the speaker's outside edge to a side wall. For larger rooms a good starting position would be to space Melior Speakers apart by the same distance you wish to be sitting in front of them, this will produce an equilateral triangle.
Start off your listening with the speakers firing directly forward and then adjust the "toe-in" angle until you are pleased with the depth of sound-stage (increasing "toe-in" will increase depth of image). Once "toe-in" angel has been determined, experiment with the width of the stereo pair. You will know if you have spaced too far apart as that will cause a "hole in the middle" effect to the sound stage. At this point in time you may want to "fine tune" the "toe-in" angle.
Above all, do not be afraid to try unusual positions, every room is different, a good placement in one room will not ensure similar results in another room. By way of example, "cross corner" placement of stereo speakers often work well with square rooms. Your dealer or Museatex customer service personnel will be happy to assist if you need help.
The positioning techniques mentioned above are intended to help you extract the most from your Melior Speakers that your specific acoustical environment is capable of permitting. When designing the speakers, we have been cognizant of the need for the speakers to "live" in a home environment with other interior decorating requirements. If your Melior Speakers are asked to live beside large glass coffee tables or behind heavily upholstered chairs, then they cannot provide you with the same performance level as that of an optimized and dedicated installation. The above tips are intended to give your suggestions on placements so that you can optimize the performance of the Melior speakers within your living environment.
A new pair of speakers will require a few hours of playing before they sound their best. The mylar diaphragm needs to "loosen up" and adjust to your room temperature and humidity levels. Do not bring the speakers in from a cold temperature, connect them and blast away within a few minutes. This could damage your speakers. After connecting your system, we recommend that you leave the system playing soft music from your FM tuner for a few hours prior to listening to your favorite music.
As with any product one must exercise common sense and judgment when setting up and using it. Many speakers are equipped with fuses or protection devices. Such compromises were not chosen for Melior One Speakers as they degrade performance. The Melior Speakers dare designed and built to withstand temporary overdrive conditions. Melior will, if overdriven, exhibit a rapid increase in the form of audible distortion. Turn down the volume if this happens and the speakers will revert to their normal operating condition. Remember that prolonged or persistent overdrive conditions will damage any speaker.
A Word About Amplifiers. The Melior Speakers do not require more than 50 Watts to drive them adequately and they can deal with up to 200 watts of "clean" amplifier power without any trouble. However, if an amplifier is overdriven to "clipping" it can damage the speakers permanently. Many of the cheaper amplifiers and receivers clip into real speaker loads well before their rated output is reached.
General Care Like all Museatex products with wood finish, the wood can be cared for like fine furniture. Grille cloth may be vacuumed with a drapery attachment. Never use solvents as they will dissolve the lacquer.