Bose Acoustimass 10 Series III home theatre speaker system Sold from August 2002 to July 2006 User Manual

							 
The Bose 
® 
 Acoustimass 
® 
 6 Series III and Acoustimass 10 Series III
Home Theater Speaker Systems  
Owner’s Guide 
						

							 
2 
Safety Information 
WARNING:   
To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose the Acoustimass 
® 
 
module to rain or moisture.  
CAUTION:   
To prevent electric shock, match wide blade of plug to wide slot, insert fully.  
These CAUTION marks may be located on the Acoustimass module:
The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is intended 
to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated dangerous voltage within the system 
enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock.
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle, as marked on the system, is 
intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance 
instructions in this owner’s guide.  
Additional safety information 
See the additional safety information on the Important Safety Instructions page enclosed with 
your speaker system. 
Please read this owner’s guide 
Please take the time to follow this owner’s guide carefully. It will help you set up and operate 
your system properly, and enjoy all of its advanced features. Please save your owner’s guide 
for future reference.  
CAUTION:   
No naked flame sources, such as lighted candles, should be placed on the 
apparatus.
CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK,
DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK).
NO USER-SERVICABLE PARTS INSIDE.
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.
AVIS
RISQUE DE CHOC ÉLECTRIQUE
NE PAS OUVRIR
ATTENTION : AFIN DE RÉDUIRE LE RISQUE DE CHOC ÉLECTRIQUE, 
NE PAS RETIRER LE CAPOT DE L’APPAREIL (ou son panneau arrière).
IL N’EXISTE À L’INTERIEUR DE CET ÉQUIPEMENT AUCUN ÉLÉMENT
OU SOUS-ENSEMBLE POUVANT ÊTRE DEPANNÉ PAR L’UTILISATEUR.
LA MAINTENANCE DOIT ÊTRE RÉALISÉE PAR UN PERSONNEL QUALIFIÉ.
 
©2002 Bose Corporation. No part of this work may be reproduced, modified, distributed or otherwise used without 
prior written permission.
Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. “Dolby” and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby 
Laboratories. Confidential Unpublished Works. ©1992-1997 Dolby Laboratories. All rights reserved. 
For your records 
The system serial number is located on the bottom of the Acoustimass module.
Serial number:  ________________________________________________________
Dealer name:  _________________________________________________________
Dealer phone:  ____________________ Purchase date ____________________
Please keep your sales receipt and warranty card together with this owner’s guide. 
						

							 
3 
Contents 
Where to find …  
Setting Up  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Before you begin   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Unpacking the carton  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Placing your speakers to achieve realistic home theater sound   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Front center cube speaker  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Front left and right cube speakers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Rear cube speakers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Powered Acoustimass 
® 
 module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Connecting the speakers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Connecting front cube speakers to the Acoustimass module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Connecting rear cube speakers to the Acoustimass module   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Connecting the Acoustimass module to the receiver   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Checking the connections  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Connecting the Acoustimass module to power  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Using your system   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
For realistic home theater sound  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Adjusting the LFE level   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Adjusting the bass/room compensation level  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Setting your digital surround sound receiver  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Be sure to get the digital audio signal   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Setting your analog surround sound receiver   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Reference   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Troubleshooting  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Customer service  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Cleaning the speakers   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Technical information  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Warranty period   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Accessories   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 
						

							 
4 
Setting Up
Before you begin 
We appreciate your choice of the Bose 
® 
 Acoustimass 
® 
 6 Series III or Acoustimass 10 Series III 
home entertainment speaker system.
Bose Virtually Invisible 
® 
 speaker technology allows you to enjoy lifelike home performances 
from the very latest surround-sound encoded movies, CDs, and television shows, without a 
room full of speakers. The cube speakers, along with the powered Acoustimass module, 
reproduce the full-spectrum of sound from multi-channel digital programming. Integrated Sig-
nal Processing assures full bass performance from all channels, at audible listening levels, 
regardless of your receiver settings.
Your stereo VCR, stereo television, or DVD player sends the encoded program material to the 
surround-sound receiver, which interprets and distributes the information to the powered 
Acoustimass module. The module delivers the bass for all channels and sends appropriate 
sounds to each cube speaker. The sound mix varies with different program types: dialogue is 
usually sent to the center cube speaker, a visual soundstage is created by the left and right 
front cube speakers, and you feel as if you are in the center of the action because sounds and 
special effects are directed to the rear cube speakers. At a given point in a surround-sound 
performance, you may hear sound from one, a few, or all of the cube speakers. 
To select surround-encoded program material, look for the terms Surround, Dolby Surround, 
the double-D symbol  
3 
, Dolby Digital  
1 
, other digital formats, or the word “sur-
round” preceding a TV broadcast. Your system is compatible with home theater receivers. 
You can also enjoy a wide variety of stereo programming that is not surround-encoded. 
Unpacking the carton  
WARNING:  
The powered Acoustimass 
® 
 6 module weighs 27 pounds (12.3 kg). The powered 
Acoustimass 10 module weighs 35 pounds (15.9kg). Use good lifting practice to avoid injury. 
WARNING:  
To avoid danger of suffocation, keep the plastic bags that wrap these speakers 
out of the reach of children. 
Note:  
This product is not to be powered by any DC-to-AC inverters that may be found in 
automobiles, recreational vehicles, boats, ships, or other similar situations.  
Carefully unpack the carton contents (Figure 1):
1. Remove the brown inner carton containing the cube speakers.
2. Gently roll the carton over onto its side. 
3. Slowly pull the Acoustimass module from the carton.
4. Gently stand the module up. 
Note:  
Now is a good time to record the serial number of these speakers on your warranty 
card. Please save all packing materials for possible future use. 
						

							 
5 
Setting Up 
Figure 1 
Carton contents 
Placing your speakers to achieve realistic home theater sound 
A suggested home theater layout is shown in Figure 2. You may want to place the speakers 
differently to take advantage of the sound characteristics of different rooms. Here are some 
suggested guidelines for placing your speaker system:
•The cube speakers are identical and can be used for any channel.
•Each of the Acoustimass cube speakers is magnetically shielded to prevent interference 
with a TV picture.
•In the Acoustimass 10 system, the top and bottom sections of the cube speaker arrays can 
be rotated to create room-filling sound patterns (Figure 3).
•Bose 
® 
 wall brackets and floor stands can extend your placement options. See “Accesso-
ries” on page 17. Please follow wall bracket instructions carefully. Proper mounting will 
ensure optimum performance and safety from your system.
Powered Acoustimass® 
moduleThree 20-ft (6.1m) front speaker cables
With Acoustimass 10 System Rubber feet for front 
center cube speaker
Five cube speaker arrays
Two 50-ft (15.2m) rear speaker cables
Power cord (1)
USA/Canada Europe UK/Singapore Australia With Acoustimass 6 System
20-ft (6.1m) system input cable
Five cube speakers
Two 50-ft (15.2m) rear speaker cables 
						

							 
6 
Setting Up 
Figure 2 
A suggested home theater 
layout 
CAUTION:  
To prevent interference, keep the Acoustimass module at least 2 feet (.6 m) from 
your TV set. 
Figure 3 
Room reflection diagram 
Front center cube speaker 
The front center cube speaker localizes action and dialogue on your screen. Sound should 
seem to come from within the picture. 
•Place the front center cube speaker above, below, or on top of your television. If below, be 
sure that it is not supporting the weight of the television in any way. 
•Keep the front cube speaker as close to the vertical center of the screen as possible, for the 
most accurate dialogue reproduction.  
CAUTION:  
Choose a stable and level surface for your cube speakers. Vibration can cause 
them to move, particularly on smooth surfaces like marble, glass, or highly polished wood. If 
you are placing the center cube speaker on top of your television, use the set of four rubber 
feet provided. You may obtain additional rubber feet (part number 178321-04), free of 
charge, by contacting Bose 
® 
 Customer Service. See the list of phone numbers included with 
your system.
For Acoustimass® 6 Series III System
 6 - 15
(2 - 5m)
2+
(0.6m+)
LRRR
LC
R
For Acoustimass 10 Series III System
 6 - 15
(2 - 5m)
2+
(0.6m+)
LRRR
LC
R
For Acoustimass 6 Series III For Acoustimass 10 Series III 
						

							 
7 
Setting Up 
Front left and right cube speakers 
The front left and right speaker arrays create a sound image wider than the screen that seems 
natural to viewers sitting anywhere in the room. You can place the speaker arrays near a TV 
screen with no picture interference. Place the front cube arrays on either side of your TV, at 
least 6 feet (2 m), or as much as 15 feet (5 m) apart (see Figure 2).  
Rear cube speakers 
The rear, or surround, cube speakers add discrete sounds and special effects that expand the 
visual image, bringing the viewer into the center of the action. The rear cube speakers may 
carry dialogue as well. 
•Position the left and right rear cube speakers to allow the sound to reach the viewer from 
both sides, rather than from directly behind (see Figure 3).
•Place the rear cube speakers at ear height or higher, if possible.
• 
For the Acoustimass 
® 
 10 system 
, rotate the top and bottom sections of the rear cube 
speaker arrays to direct the sound to the front and back of the listener (see Figure 3).
• 
For the Acoustimass 6 system 
, aim the rear cube speakers slightly behind the listener or 
reflect the sound off the rear wall (see Figure 3). 
Powered Acoustimass module 
Bose 
® 
 Acoustimass speaker technology takes advantage of the fact that the source of pure 
bass sound is difficult to locate, so you can hide the powered Acoustimass module conve-
niently out of sight. Place the module at the same end of the room as the television monitor. 
•You may hide the module behind furniture, but do not block the opening. Be sure there are 
at least 2 inches (5 cm) between the opening and any surface. 
•If the opening faces the wall it increases the bass; if it faces away it decreases the bass.  
CAUTION:  
To prevent interference, keep the module at least 2 feet (.6 m) from your TV set. 
Figure 4 
Powered Acoustimass 
module placement
Note: Placing the module horizontally, or on its 
side, may reduce ventilation, inhibiting its ability to 
play at full output for extended periods of time. 
						

							 
8 
Setting Up
Connecting the speakers  
CAUTION:  
Never connect the cube speakers directly to a receiver output. Always connect 
them to the powered Acoustimass 
® 
 module, then connect the module to the receiver.  
CAUTION:  
Never use broken or frayed wiring, which can result in electrical shock or damage 
to your system. The supplied cables are not intended for in-wall installation. Check local 
building codes or enlist a qualified installer.  
Connecting front cube speakers to the Acoustimass module 
Three individual 20-foot (6.1 m) speaker cables connect the center, right, and left front cube 
speakers to the Acoustimass module (Figure 5). Be sure to match the correct cable with the 
corresponding speaker location. Front speaker cables have blue RCA connectors at one end 
with  
L 
 (left),  
R 
 (right), or  
C 
 (center) molded into the connectors. The other ends of the cables 
have two wires. The red collars on the + wire are labeled  
LEFT 
,   
RIGHT  
, or   
CENTER  
. 
Figure 5 
Cube speaker connections 
to Acoustimass module
Audio OutputLeft
Rear
Right
Rear
Left
FrontCenter
FrontRight
Front
Audio Input
RIGHTCENTER LEFT
RIGHT
REARLEFT
REAR 
						

							 
9 
Setting Up 
1. Connect the wire pair marked 
 
CENTER
 
 to the center cube speaker (Figure 5). Press the termi-
nal tab on the back of the cube speaker. Insert the marked (+) wire into the red terminal and 
the plain (–) wire into the black terminal. Release the tab to secure the wires.
 
2. Connect the wire pair marked  
RIGHT 
 to the right front cube speaker (to the right of the 
TV as you face it). 
3. Connect the wire pair marked  
LEFT 
 to the left front cube speaker. 
4. Plug the other end of each cable into the 
 
Center Front
 
, 
 
Right Front
 
, and 
 
Left Front
 
 blue 
RCA jacks, respectively, on the Acoustimass
 
®
 
 module.
 
Connecting rear cube speakers to the Acoustimass module 
Each rear cube speaker is connected to the Acoustimass module with a 50-foot (15 m) 
speaker cable (Figure 5). Be sure to match the correct cable with the corresponding speaker 
location. Rear speaker cables have orange RCA connectors at one end with  
LR 
 (left rear) and   
RR 
 (right rear) molded into the connectors. The other ends of the cables have two wires. The 
red collars on the + wires are labeled  
LEFT REAR 
 and  
RIGHT REAR 
.
1. Connect the wire pair marked  
RIGHT REAR 
 to the right rear cube speaker (on your right 
as you face the TV). See Figure 5. Press the terminal tab on the back of the cube speaker. 
Insert the marked (+) wire into the red terminal and the plain (–) wire into the black termi-
nal. Release the tab to secure the wires.
2. Connect the wire pair marked  
LEFT REAR  
to the left rear cube speaker.
3. Plug the other end of each cable into the  
Right Rear 
 and 
 Left Rear 
 orange RCA jacks, 
respectively, on the Acoustimass module. 
						

							 
10 
Setting Up 
Connecting the Acoustimass 
® 
 module to the receiver  
The 20-foot (6.1 m) system input cable connects the module to your surround receiver (see 
Figure 6). The system input cable has a multi-pin connector on one end and several wire pairs 
on the other. The wire pairs of the cable may be separated or “unzipped” as much as needed 
to comfortably reach the surround receiver connections. Each wire pair is marked on the 
cable jacket with  
RIGHT 
,  
LEFT 
,  
CENTER 
,  
RIGHT SURROUND 
 or  
LEFT SURROUND 
 to indi-
cate where each wire connects to the receiver.
CAUTION: Before making any connections turn off your receiver and unplug it from the AC 
(mains) outlet. Not doing so may result in damage to your system.
CAUTION: Do not connect the powered Acoustimass module directly to your TV unless the 
TV provides surround decoding circuitry and amplified outputs for all channels.
1. Insert the multi-pin connector on the system input cable into the input jack on the Acous-
timass module. Tighten the two thumbscrews to assure a secure connection.
2. Connect each wire pair on the other end of the system input cable to your surround 
receiver. Carefully match the polarity of the connections (+ to + and – to –).
•Attach each marked wire (+) to the appropriate + terminal.
•Attach each plain wire (–) to the appropriate – terminal. 
Note: The RCA plug of the system input cable comes with a cover installed. Remove this 
cover for connection to the LFE/SUBWOOFER OUT jack. If your receiver has no LFE/SUB-
WOOFER OUT jack, leave the plug cover in place.
3. If applicable, connect the RCA plug on the system input cable to the LFE/SUBWOOFER 
OUT jack on your surround receiver.
CAUTION: Do not allow exposed wires to brush against each other; this could damage your 
receiver.