™

M50, M60 and M80 Speakers

User Manual

®
INTRODUCTION M50
Thanks for choosing a Newton Series speaker.
The M50, M60 and M80 all feature the finest drivers,
precision internal crossover circuitry, and an elegant M50

enclosure design. —
8 Ohms

Made in China

The Design Team at Cambridge SoundWorks believes

there is no better combination of audiophile-level
attention to detail and reasonable cost.
Front Back

M60
AFTER UNPACKING
Store the shipping carton and packing material for
future use and transport.

CONTENTS +
M60

8 Ohms

M50 Made in China

1. One pair of speakers

2. Eight rubber feet

Front Back
3. Two 3/4" long 1/4" x 20 phillips head screws
M80
M60
1. One pair of speakers

2. Eight rubber feet

M80
1. One speaker HIGH
RANGE
M80

LOW +
RANGE

2. Four rubber feet

FULL
RANGE
8 Ohms INPUT

HIGH —
RANGE

LOW
RANGE
—

3. Allen wrench Made in China

INSPECTING FOR DAMAGE

Examine each part carefully for shipping damage. If
there is any, do not install or use the speakers. Return Front Back
the speaker to the store or merchant where you made
the purchase or call Cambridge SoundWorks at
1-800 FOR-HIFI (1-800-367-4434) for assistance.

Rubber Feet
Allen Wrench

3/4" long 1/4"—20

phillips head screws
(M50 only)

3
SPEAKER PLACEMENT

Mounting the M50 on a wall:

There is a metal insert in the back of the M50 with
1/4-20 threads. The recommended bracket (avail-
able from Cambridge SoundWorks) is the Vogel’s®
Satellite 5 (part number A1SAT5BL for black or
A1SAT5WH for white). For stability, the speaker
should be installed on the wall inverted, so the
bracket is above the speaker’s center (fig.1).

Attaching the bracket: Place the inverted speaker

on a flat surface. Attach the Multi-Position Adapter
and the upper half of the Speaker Bracket to the Figure 1
M50’s threaded insert as shown in figure 2, using the Wall Mounting Options for M50
3/4” 1/4-20 Philips head screw that comes with the
speaker. Tighten securely. Attach the lower half of
the Speaker Bracket as described in the instructions Threaded Insert

that come with the speaker bracket. Multi-Position

Adapter

Attaching the M50 to the Newton Series Upper Half of

Speaker Bracket
floor stands: a
Chin
e in
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ms
8 Oh

+
1/4"—20 x 3/4" long
Follow the assembly and wire routing instructions M50

that come with the stands. Be sure to use the plastic

washer (supplied with the stands) between the stand
bracket and the back of the speaker as shown.
Figure 2
Speaker Bracket for M50

Plastic Washer
(supplied with stands)
M50

8 Ohms

Made in China Mounting Knob

(supplied with stands)

Stand Mounting for M50

4
POSITIONING YOUR SPEAKERS
The following suggestions assume you have some RECOMMENDED DISTANCE
APART FOR STEREO
flexibility regarding where you place your speakers.
Don’t be too concerned if your situation and listening
environment dictate the speakers’ position. The
speakers will still provide convincing, lifelike sound.
20 - 55 EAR LEVEL
OR

• Avoid facing a speaker parallel to a nearby wall ANGLE SLIGHTLY

HIGHER

(within 12-14"). The reflected sound from the wall

degrades the sound coming directly from
the speaker.

• For stereo systems, position the speakers so they

are approximately at your ear level while sitting or
slightly higher.

Good stereo recordings will “fill” the space between

the speakers with sound—so long as your speakers MAXIMUM RECOMMENDED DISTANCE
APART FOR HOME THEATER
aren’t too far apart. Ensure the two speakers form at MAIN SPEAKERS

least a 20 degree angle with your listening position.

An angle greater than 55 degrees apart sounds more CENTER CHANNEL

like two separate speakers, rather than forming a

continuous image of sound between the two speakers. SURROUND
LEVEL 45 ANGLE SURROUND
WITH
SPEAKER CENTER SPEAKER
SPEAKER

• For surround systems, position the speakers so they

are approximately the level of the television monitor POWERED
SUBWOOFER

or slightly higher.

The Left Front and Right Front channels of a surround

system reproduce sound that corresponds to action
onscreen. Placing the speakers relatively close to the
television monitor (forming no more than a 45 degree
angle with your listening position) helps to “integrate”
the sound with the image onscreen.

Allow at least 3-4 inches of vent clearance between

the rear panel of an M60 or M80 speaker and a wall.

Allow at least 2 inches of clearance between the rear

panel of an M50 speaker and the back wall.

5
Placing the Speakers on a flat surface:
The M50, M60, and M80 may be positioned vertically
or horizontally on any flat, stable surface. We recom-
mend you apply the self-adhesive feet to the bottom
surface of the enclosures. The feet protect the finish of
the speakers and the supporting surface, and improve
stability if the surface is not perfectly flat. Apply the
feet close to the outside corners of the enclosure (see
diagram). The face of the speaker should be posi-
tioned near to or flush with the edge of the mounting
surface for best sound.

Apply Rubber Feet

Near To or Flush with Shelf

Apply Rubber Feet

Near To or Flush with Shelf

6
M80 Tweeter/Mid-range Position Vertical Positions
The M80’s tweeter/mid-range mounting plate comes
factory-aligned for vertical enclosure orientation at or
below ear level (see diagram Vertical Position). Invert
the speaker when it is placed above ear level. You can
Woofer
also invert and replace the grille panel to restore the
logo to a right side up position.

Should you wish to orient M80s horizontally, we

recommend repositioning the tweeter/mid-range Tweeter
Mounting
mounting plate as shown in the diagram Horizontal
Plate Midrange
Position below.

Mounting Plate Rotation Procedure Above Ear Level

1. Place the speaker on its back panel, so the front
panel faces up.
2. Remove the grille panel.
3. Remove the four hex-head mounting screws from
the mounting plate using the supplied allen wrench.
4. Carefully lift the mounting plate assembly about an
inch off the cabinet.
5. Rotate the plate 90 degrees and realign the plate’s
screwholes with cabinet’s pilot holes.
6. Replace the mounting screws, being careful not to
over-tighten them.
7. The grille panel’s logo plate can be repositioned,
if desired.
Ear Level or Below
8. Replace the grille.

Horizontal Positions
Left Channel Center Channel Right Channel

Figure 3
Above
Ear Level

Figure 4
Ear Level
or
Below

7
PREPARE THE SPEAKER WIRE

Use at least 18 gauge speaker cable for short runs

(under 15 feet). Use 16 gauge or heavier speaker Strip off 1/2"
cable for longer runs.

1. Determine how long the speaker cable should be

for each speaker. Cut the speaker cable into the
appropriate lengths.

2. Strip 1/2" of insulation from the two individual con-

ductors in the speaker cable. Twist the exposed Twist Bare Wire
strands of bare wire together.

3. Attach any connector plugs (like banana plugs) at

this time.

4. Determine which conductor you will use to connect

the positive terminals of the amplifier and speaker
together. Printing or a ridge on the insulation can
usually distinguish one of the two conductors of
a speaker cable. Sometimes the metal of the
conductors has two different colors.
M50

ms
8 Oh

a
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Speaker Wire Connection

for M50 and M60

8
Using the Speakers with Powered Subwoofers:
Use the following low-pass (high filter) setting on your M80
powered subwoofer:
+
M50 - 100 Hz HIGH
E
RANG

M60 - 60 Hz
M80 - 50 Hz
+
Some powered subwoofers provide simple, passive LOW
E
RANG
“high-pass” networks in series with their main speaker FULL
E
RANGT
INPU
output circuits. These outputs are appropriate for use 8 Ohm
s

with the M50 and M60, but avoid using this type of
output with a pair of M80s; drive M80’s with an amplifi-
HIGH
E
RANG
er’s normal speaker output.

All Cambridge SoundWorks BassCube subwoofers have

full-range, straight pass-through speaker outputs. You
LOW
E
can use these outputs with the M50, M60 or M80. RANG

The Newton Series powered subwoofers have active na

in Chi
Made
100Hz “high-pass” main speaker outputs for use only
with preamplifier/power amplifier systems. These outputs Speaker Wire Connection
can be used with any Newton Series bookshelf speaker for M80

system. Use a 100Hz setting on the Newton Series

subwoofer’s Low-Pass control in this case.

Dolby Digital Decoder Speaker Size Settings:

If your Dolby Digital systems uses M50, M60 and M80
speakers and a powered subwoofer connected to the
SUB OUT jack, set the decoder’s speaker size settings
M80 JUMPER
to SMALL. If there is a crossover frequency feature on
your Dolby Digital decoder, set it as close to 80Hz as HIGH
+
RANGE

it allows.
HIGH
Bi-Wiring RANGE

LOW
A bi-wiring hookup configuration is supported by the RANGE +
M80. Bi-wiring uses one length of speaker wire to drive FULL
8 Ohms RANGE
the tweeter/mid-range section of the speaker and a INPUT

JUMPER
separate length of speaker wire to drive the woofer. Both
HIGH
lengths of speaker wire are connected to the same full- RANGE —
LOW
range amplifier speaker outputs. RANGE

To bi-wire an MC500, remove the jumpers and connect

LOW
RANGE —
the two lengths of speaker wire as shown in the diagram

We do not recommend removing the jumpers for any

Made in China
other purpose.

9
SPECIFICATIONS

M50: Warning About Excessive Amplifier Distortion

Dimensions: 10" H x 6 3/4" W x 7 1 /4" D
Weight: 11 pounds each
Impedance: nominal 8 ohms
The M50 can be safely used with any receiver rated
above 10 watts per channel. There is little advantage
in using more power than 100 watts per speaker, but a
receiver above this power rating can be used so long
as the receiver is not operated at distorted levels.
M60:
Dimensions: 13 1/4" H x 8 1/4" W x 9 1/4" D
Weight: 14 pounds each
Impedance: nominal 8 ohms
Operating a receiver (of any power rating) beyond its
maximum undistorted output level creates distortion –
added high frequency sound not part of the musical
program. Distortion dramatically increases the internal
operating temperature of a speaker and will eventually
cause the speaker’s failure due to burned or melted
internal parts. While Cambridge SoundWorks includes
the most heat-tolerant parts commensurate with good
acoustic design, the speaker’s Limited Warranty
against defects in materials or workmanship does not
apply to parts that fail from long-term operation at very
high temperatures.

The M60 can be safely used with any receiver rated

above 20 watts per channel. There is little advantage
in using more power than 100 watts per speaker, but a
receiver above this power rating can be used so long
as the receiver is not operated at distorted levels.
M80:
Dimensions: 18" H x 10" W x 10 1/4" D
Weight: 28 pounds each
Impedance: nominal 8 ohms
Enclosure Cleaning
The speaker enclosures can be cleaned with a
damp, lint-free cloth. Avoid spraying any cleaner
on the grille panels.
Periodic use of cleaners specifically designed for
wood veneers is recommended for Mahogany and
Blonde Maple finishes.
Brush or vacuum the grille panels if dust accumulates
on them.

The M80 can be safely used with any receiver rated

above 30 watts per channel. There is little advantage
in using more power than 150 watts per speaker, but a
receiver above this power rating can be used so long
as the receiver is not operated at distorted levels.

10
P81-1670 Rev A