JBL S4800 Owner's Manual

Contents

CHAPTER 4 – AMPLIFIER RECOMMENDATIONSNo single type of amplifier isspecified for use with the S4800system. The speakers are highlyefficient and will operate ade-quately with an amplifier orreceiver of 70–100 watts.However, the transient responseand audio definition of a high-endsystem such as the S4800 will pickup all inefficiencies and distortionin an amplifier system. For full-range operation, the S4800 systemcan be used with an amplifier/receiver of as little as 30 watts.Amplifiers/receivers of 100–300watts will ensure optimum systemperformance.There is no effective limit to thepower handling capabilities of theS4800 loudspeakers when drivenby consumer audio amplifiers. Nodamage will occur when used withhigh-powered components. Sourceimpedance is an important criterionin selecting an appropriate unit; theselected amplifier(s) should have avery high current capacity andmust be capable of driving a lowimpedance load.For bi-wiring applications, four iden-tical amplifiers or two dual-channelunits may be used, although spe-cialized low-frequency and high-frequency amplifiers offer clearadvantages.NOTE: When using separate high-and low-frequency amplifiers withdual wires to each speaker, theamplifiers must have exactly thesame gain structure, or one of themmust have a level control to adjustthe gain between the two ampli-fiers. If four amplifier channels areused, the high-frequency amplifiermay be up to 6dB less powerfulthan the low-frequency amplifier.Due to the power versus frequencydistribution of the music, the low-frequency section requires approxi-mately four times the power of thehigh-frequency section.JBL specialist dealers can recom-mend amplification to best suitindividual needs. In all cases, theleft and right amplifiers for eachsection must be identical. Makesure that the input sensitivity ofthe two amplifiers is equal or thatinput level controls are providedto maintain the proper low tomid/high balance. If two identicalstereo amplifiers are chosen,each amplifier may be locatednear a loudspeaker and drive low-frequency and high-frequencysections through short wire runs.9