F.A.Q. |
 |
|
|
| Do I need a security system for my car? |
|
| Will having a security system installed into my car void my new car warranty like my car dealer has told me? |
|
| How do factory security systems compare with aftermarket systems? |
|
| What is remote engine starting, and why do I need it? |
|
| There are two cars in my family, so if I have a Viper Security system installed in each one, how can I operate both cars with one remote? |
|
| I've heard that alarm systems can sometimes drain the vehicle's battery. |
|
| What is Dipole and Bipole and how are they different? |
|
| I've never heard of Polk Audio. Is your company reputable? |
|
| What reciever or amplifier works best with Polk loudspeakers? |
|
| Are small speakers as good as large ones? |
|
| Why are there two sets of terminals on my speakers? |
|
| Where do i place the surround speakers in my room for the best performance? |
|
| What's the best way to hook up my new powered subwoofer? |
|
| What wire should i get? What gauge? |
|
|
| Do I need a security system for my car? |
|
| Many experts recommend "layers of protection" to keep your vehicle safe – and one of these layers of protection is an audible alarm. Three other layers of protection come standard with every Viper security system: window stickers and a bright blue status LED to let would-be thieves know your ride is protected by Viper, and the Failsafe Starter Kill immobilizer, to deter “hot-wiring” and keep your car where you parked it. |
|
| Will having a security system installed into my car void my new car warranty like my car dealer has told me? |
|
| No. Under the terms of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act, no new car warranty can be instantly voided simply by the addition of any aftermarket (non-factory) product, including vehicle security products. However, if the added device is of poor quality, or is installed incorrectly, issues of warranty can be brought into play. Your best choice is to always have any Viper system installed by a professionally authorized Directed dealer. |
|
| How do factory security systems compare with aftermarket systems? |
|
| It depends on several factors, and you should try to compare apples with apples. For instance, most factory "security systems" are actually "antitheft systems," meaning that they are essentially engine disable/starter kills and not full featured security systems with a sensor. But say that you are comparing true security systems. If they are both quality systems, carefully installed, then the main factor that weighs against factory security is the assembly line: all systems for a particular make and model year will be installed exactly the same, with publicly-available instructions in the service manuals telling thieves how to disable them! Also, many factory security systems lack a shock or impact sensor and rely on door triggers. |
|
| What is remote engine starting, and why do I need it? |
|
| Remote start is the convenience of being able to start your vehicle's engine by remote control. Start your car with the push of a button, from the comfort of your home or office, with Viper remote start. In the winter, remote start is a lifesaver - you'll wonder how you ever survived without it as you venture outside on freezing mornings, and step into the pre-warmed interior of a vehicle that's ready to go. Remote Start can even be programmed to run your engine at pre-selected intervals during the day or night, circulating the oil and ensuring that your car will start every time, no matter what the elements throw at you! And remote start is a wonderful convenience during the hot summer too. Just preset your car's climate controls upon exiting, and Viper will do the rest! |
|
| There are two cars in my family, so if I have a Viper Security system installed in each one, how can I operate both cars with one remote? |
|
| If the two Viper systems are compatible then your dealer should be able to "learn" your remotes to operate both systems. Please discuss with your installer. |
|
| I've heard that alarm systems can sometimes drain the vehicle's battery. |
|
| Directed prides itself in producing products with the lowest possible power consumption in the industry! Automobiles today are being produced with extremely complex wiring systems and many on-board computers. This leaves less of the vehicle's electrical resources free to be used by aftermarket products. For this reason, a major consideration in the design of Viper security systems is the current consumption. This concern has been addressed by reducing the idle current of our systems to the bare minimum necessary for the product to perform properly. |
|
| What is Dipole and Bipole and how are they different? |
|
| Dipole and Bipole refer to speakers that have drivers on opposite baffles. To put it crudely, they squirt sound out of both ends. Our feeling is that this type of sound radiation isn't desirable for front channel speakers. You get a spacious soundstage but at the sacrifice of image specificity. Soloists sound as big as the room. Pavorotti may be a large guy but he's not 10' wide. Orchestras may be large but you should be able to precisely locate individual instruments within the group. If not done properly, dipolar or bipolar speakers may also exhibit frequency response problems due to phase cancellations (particularly true with narrow baffle designs). Polk front channel speakers use wide dispersion drivers to provide open, spacious sound-staging while maintaining pinpoint localization.
But the lack of image specificity of dipolar or bipolar speakers is just the ticket for rear channel use, especially in Dolby Pro Logic systems in which the surround channel is mono.
In a Dipolar speaker, the two sets of speakers are out-of-phase with each other, while the drivers are one side are pushing, the opposite side is pulling. The result is that there is a "null" or a dead zone of sound in the area along the 90 degree axis of the speaker (see illustration below). Why is that good? When properly set up, a pair of dipole speakers used as surround speakers will provide a very open, enveloping rear effects soundstage without allowing you to pinpoint the location of the speakers themselves. That's a good thing. But for all this to work properly, the speakers need to be positioned "in-line" with the listening position as shown on the illustration below. If you are sitting out of the null area, the effect is ruined. What if you can't or don't want to place your surround speakers and listening position as required? That's where bipoles come in handy.In a Bipolar speaker, the two sets of drivers are in-phase with one another - both sides push air at the same time. The result is greater sound output where the dipolar speaker's null would be. Theoretically, a bipolar speaker approaches a 360° soundfield - it squirts sound all around the room. That's a good thing if you need to position your surround speakers behind your listening position or anywhere outside of the null area. Some people prefer the greater localization of bipolar speakers when used in digital discrete (Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS) systems. |
|
| I've never heard of Polk Audio. Is your company reputable? |
|
| We'd like to think so. Polk Audio was founded in 1972 in Baltimore. Today, Polk Audio is considered one of the leading audio companies in the world. Our headquarters are still located in Baltimore.
Baltimore, Maryland-based Polk Audio is an award-winning manufacturer of high performance audio products. Founded by Chairman Matthew Polk and CEO George Klopfer in 1972, Polk Audio holds over 50 patents for advances in audio design and technology. Polk products include loudspeakers and electronic components for home, auto and marine applications, the first XM satellite home component tuner, the world's first active IP-addressable loudspeaker, and in the winter of 2005-2006 the I-Sonic⤔the first entertainment system to include HD radio, XM Connect and Play capability and a DVD player. Polk products are available through authorized specialist consumer electronics retailers worldwide. |
|
| What reciever or amplifier works best with Polk loudspeakers? |
|
| Amplifiers or receivers that use a "high current" design in the power amp section work well with Polk loudspeakers and generally sound better. Unfortunately, electronics manufacturers do not publish the current capabilities of their products. The best way to determine whether a given model is "high current" or not is to look at the wattage specs. High current models have much higher wattage ratings into 4 ohms than into 8 ohms. If there is also a wattage rating for 2 ohms which is higher than for 4 or 8 ohms, so much the better.
The following brands are by no means the only high current amplifiers or receivers on the market, but they generally work well with Polk loudspeakers. Models from Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, Harmon-Kardon, B&K, Adcom, NAD, Rotel and Pioneer Elite should provide a good starting point. Your Polk retailer can help you select a receiver or amp that is suitable for your speakers. |
|
| Are small speakers as good as large ones? |
|
| It depends! If you don't mind large speakers in your room and you have the space to place them properly, then choose large speakers. They'll sound great. If you have a small to moderate size room and you don't have the space to place large speakers properly, then small speakers will sound better. It's easier in this instance to place small speakers in locations to provide superior imaging and it's also easier to place a subwoofer for better bass response. You might be pleasantly surprised how good small speakers can sound.
But there are some tradeoffs with tiny speakers. They won't play as loud as large speakers (although plenty loud enough for most people and rooms). Those little satellites cannot reproduce bass of their own, making it tough to achieve a seamless blend between satellite and sub. There is often a "hole" or weak response in the lower midrange area (bottom range of a male voice) where the satellite's response leaves off and the subwoofer takes over. When evaluating sub/sat systems listen closely to male voices, if they sound "thin" the system suffers from this midrange suck-out problem.
The other issue is bass response. Some of the so-called "subwoofers" in these systems are passive (not amplified) and should really be called "woofers" because they don't reproduce the truly deep bass with authority. If the system is to be used for only music, that may not be a problem. But if the primary use is home theater, you may later find the need for an additional powered subwoofer. Many sub/sat systems now come with powered woofers that are worthy of the name sub-woofer. As always, listen before you buy and trust your ears. |
|
| Why are there two sets of terminals on my speakers? |
|
| Ah, I thought you'd never ask. Those dual terminals are separate connections for the driver (woofer) and tweeter (in a two-way speaker) to allow for Bi-wiring or Bi-amping your speakers. Let's look at what those are and how to do them.
Bi-wiring:
In bi-wiring, one cable pair delivers high frequency information to the tweeter and a separate wire pair delivers low-frequency signal to the driver from the same amplifier. According to one theory, by providing each "half" of the signal a separate wire path, interference effects within the wire are reduced producing better sound. We're not in a position to explain in-depth, or for that matter prove or disprove this or any other theory. What we can do is tell you that in many systems, bi-wiring does indeed make an audible and worthwhile difference. The better the speakers and electronics you have and the more discerning a listener you are, the more likely bi-wiring will make a difference you will appreciate. I was shocked by the difference bi-wiring made with LSi9s in my listening room. The midrange "opened up," becoming clearer and more detailed with improved three-dimensional imaging. Voices and other midrange sounds were more "out-of-the-box" than with the single wire hookup. To bi-wire you need four lengths of speaker wire. For convenience and economy, most cable manufacturers offer bi-wire cable wherein two sets of cable are combined into one jacket. If you want to use the speaker cables you have now, just add a second set of the same cable. Be sure to remove the flat metal jumper cable between the terminal sets. Most receiver and amplifier speaker terminals allow you to connect two sets of wires as illustrated here. If that isn't possible with your equipment, you can use the "A" and "B" terminals and set the receiver's output to "A+B." It is all the same electrically but it is better to leave the "B" set of terminals free for connecting remote speakers. If you have lots of time on your hands and love to experiment, try mixing different types of wire for high and low frequency duties. Always use heavy gauge cable for the low frequency path. Try smaller gauge esoteric cable for the high frequency path. With a little experimentation you'll find a combination of wires that works best for your system.
Bi-amping:
True bi-amplifying involves using an outboard electronic crossover, multiple amplifiers and removal of the internal passive crossover of the speaker. We're not going to tell you how to do all that because it is expensive, entails a lot of work and unless you REALLY know what you're doing, you may get worse sound than you started with. Most folks drop the idea right about now in the explanation process. But a few brave souls try half-baked bi-amping where two stereo amplifiers are used to drive one pair of speakers: one amp drives the low frequency section of the speaker and another drives the high frequency section and the passive crossover remains intact as illustrated. The benefits of bi-amping compared to bi-wiring are subtle, but like choosing wires you can try different combinations of amplifiers to tailor the sound. For example, many audiophiles prefer the smoothness and silkiness of tube amplifiers for high frequencies but feel that solid-state amps do a better job on delivering high current punch for woofers. By bi-amping you can get the best of both worlds. But if the gains of the two amplifiers are very different from one another, the tweeter will play at a level very different from that of the woofer and you will wind up with sound that is obviously inferior to single amplification. If you're going to try bi-amplifying, use power amplifiers with identical gain settings or variable gain controls. Bi-amplifying is not for the faint of heart or the casual audio enthusiast. Most important of all REMOVE THE FLAT METAL JUMPERS BETWEEN THE TWO SETS OF SPEAKER TERMINALS OR YOU WILL DAMAGE YOUR AMPLIFIERS! |
|
| Where do i place the surround speakers in my room for the best performance? |
|
| Unlike the front three speakers, that must produce sharply focused images, the job of surround channels is to envelop the audience in diffused sound known as "ambience." To excel at this job, rear speakers should not call attention to themselves as sources of sound. For these reasons, surround speakers work best when elevated at least two feet above the seated listeners' heads (a height of six to seven feet above the ground is considered normal), and mounted on the side walls in line with or slightly behind the audience. If you are using front-firing speakers, they should face each other so that the sound is projected over the listeners' heads.
If your seating area adjoins the rear wall, or if you cannot place speakers on the side wall, you'll have to position the speakers on the rear wall. In this case, we recommend bi-directional (bi or di-pole) speakers, since they will produce the most diffuse effect. If you use front-firing speakers, do not aim them at the audience as one would a front speaker, but point them straight forward so the sound projects past the audience. Another option is to mount in-wall speakers in the ceiling, slightly behind the listening area. |
|
| What's the best way to hook up my new powered subwoofer? |
|
| Subwoofer hookup is fairly straight forward, typically requiring a single cable from the "sub out" jack of your Surround receiver to the "LFE" input on the subwoofer. |
|
| What wire should i get? What gauge? |
|
| We recommend that you get stranded cable that is specifically designed for use with speakers, not just lamp cord or (heaven forbid) telephone wire. Your choice of wire can effect the sound quality of your system and we recommend better-quality branded wire such as Monster Cable, Kimber Kable, AudioQuest or the like. For connecting lengths less than 25 ft. use either #18 or #16 gauge, for connection lengths greater than 25 ft. but less than 50 ft. use either #16 or #14 and greater than 50 ft. use #14 or #12. |
|
|
