JBL Scs1455 Manual

							SCS14 5.5
SURROUND CINEMA
SPEAKERS
OWNER’S GUIDE
® 
						

							2
READ FIRST!
Important Safety Precautions!
1.Read these instructions.
2.Keep these instructions.
3.Heed all warnings.
4.Follow all instructions.
5.Do not use this apparatus near
water.
6.Clean only with a dry cloth.
7.Do not block any ventilation 
openings. Install in accordance with
the manufacturer’s instructions.
8.Do not install near any heat sources
such as radiators, heat registers,
stoves or other apparatus (including
amplifiers) that produce heat.
9.Do not defeat the safety purpose of
the polarized or grounding-type plug. 
A polarized plug has two blades with
one wider than the other. A grounding-
type plug has two blades and a third
grounding prong. The wide blade or
the third prong are provided for your
safety. If the provided plug does not fit
into your outlet, consult an electrician
for replacement of the obsolete outlet.
10.Protect the power cord from being
walked on or pinched, particularly at
plugs, convenience receptacles and
the point where they exit from the
apparatus.
11.Only use attachments/accessories
specified by the manufacturer.
12.Use only with the cart, stand, 
tripod, bracket or table specified by
the manufacturer or sold with the
apparatus. When a cart is used, use
caution when moving the
cart/apparatus combina-
tion to avoid injury from
tip-over.13.Unplug this apparatus during light-
ning storms or when unused for long
periods of time.
14.Refer all servicing to qualified 
service personnel. Servicing is required
when the apparatus has been dam-
aged in any way, such as power-supply
cord or plug is damaged, liquid has
been spilled or objects have fallen into
the apparatus, the apparatus has been
exposed to rain or moisture, does 
not operate normally, or has been
dropped.
15.Do not use attachments not 
recommended by the product 
manufacturer, as they may cause 
hazards.
16.This product should be operated
only from the type of power source
indicated on the marking label. If you
are not sure of the type of power sup-
ply to your home, consult your product
dealer or local power company. For
products intended to operate from bat-
tery power, or other sources, refer to
the operating instructions.
17.If an outside antenna or cable 
system is connected to the product, 
be sure the antenna or cable system is
grounded so as to provide some pro-
tection against voltage surges and
built-up static charges. Article 810 of
the National Electrical Code, ANSI/
NFPA 70, provides information with
regard to proper grounding of the mast
and supporting structure, grounding 
of the lead-in wire to an antenna 
discharge unit, size of grounding con-
ductors, location of antenna-discharge
unit, connection to grounding elec-
trodes, and requirements for the
grounding electrode. See Figure A.18.An outside antenna system should
not be located in the vicinity of over-
head power lines or other electric light
or power circuits, or where it can fall
into such power lines or circuits. When
installing an outside antenna system,
extreme care should be taken to keep
from touching such power lines or cir-
cuits, as contact with them might be
fatal.
19.Do not overload wall outlets,
extension cords, or integral conven-
ience receptacles, as this can result in
a risk of fire or electric shock.
20.Never push objects of any kind into
this product through openings, as they
may touch dangerous voltage points or
short-out parts that could result in a
fire or electric shock. Never spill liquid
of any kind on the product.
21.The apparatus shall not be
exposed to dripping or splashing, 
and no objects filled with liquids, 
such as vases, shall be placed on 
the apparatus.
22.Do not attempt to service this
product yourself, as opening or 
removing covers may expose you to
dangerous voltage or other hazards.
Refer all servicing to qualified 
service personnel.
23.When replacement parts are
required, be sure the service tech-
nician has used replacement parts
specified by the manufacturer or that
have the same characteristics as the
original part. Unauthorized substitu-
tions may result in fire, electric shock
or other hazards.
24.Upon completion of any service or
repairs to this product, ask the service
technician to perform safety checks to
determine that the product is in proper
operating condition.
25.The product should be mounted to
a wall or ceiling only as recommended
by the manufacturer.
Figure A.
Example of Antenna
Grounding as per National
Electrical Code, ANSI/NFPA 70 
						

							3
INCLUDED THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING JBL
For more than 50 years, JBL
has been involved in every
aspect of music and film
recording and reproduction,
from live performances to
the recordings you play in
your home, car or office.
We’re confident that the JBL
system you have chosen willprovide every note of enjoy-
ment that you expected –
and that when you think
about purchasing additional
audio equipment for your
home, car or office, you will
once again choose JBL.
Please take a moment to
register your product on ourWeb site at www.jbl.com. 
It enables us to keep you
posted on our latest advance-
ments, and helps us to better
understand our customers
and build products that 
meet their needs and 
expectations.
JBL Consumer Products
Four satellites for left, right and
surrounds. Wall-mount brackets.
One center channel speaker
with adjustable support leg.
Powered subwoofer.
Two 20' speaker cables for
connection from receiver to
subwoofer.
Two 15' speaker cables for
connection from subwoofer
to front speakers.Three 40' speaker cables for
connection from receiver to
rear satellites and center
speaker. 
						

							4
SPEAKER PLACEMENT
SUBWOOFER
SURROUND SPEAKERS
5
 – 6 ft.
FRONT 
SPEAKERS
0-2 ft.
The front speakers should be
placed the same distance
from each other as they are
from the listening position.
They should be placed at
about the same height from
the floor as the listeners’
ears will be, or they may be
angled toward the listeners.
The center channel speaker
should be placed slightly
behind the front left and right
speakers, and no more than
two feet above or below the
tweeters of the left and right
speakers. It is often con-
venient to set the center
speaker on top of the tele-
vision set, as shown in the
drawing. Use the supplied
support leg to aim it toward
the listener by screwing the
leg in to angle the speaker
up, or unscrewing the leg slightly to angle the speaker
down.
The surround speakers
should be placed slightly
behind the listening position
and, ideally, should face
each other and be at a level
higher than the listeners’
ears. If that is not possible,
they may be placed on a
wall behind the listening
position, facing forward. 
In Dolby* Digital and DTS
®
systems, it is best to aim all
of the speakers (except the
subwoofer) toward the lis-
tening position at about ear-
level height. In systems
where only analog surround
processing (such as Dolby
Pro Logic*) is available, it
may be preferable to aim the
speakers straight out from
the wall to obtain a more 
diffuse sound.The low-frequency material
reproduced by the subwoofer
is mostly omnidirectional,
and this speaker may be
placed in a convenient loca-
tion in the room. However,
bass reproduction will be
maximized when the sub-
woofer is placed in a corner
along the same wall as the
front speakers. Experiment
with subwoofer placement
by temporarily placing the
subwoofer in the listening
position and moving around
the room until the bass
reproduction is best. Place
the subwoofer in that location.
CENTER CHANNEL
SPEAKER
Stands shown are optional. 
						

							5
MOUNTING OPTIONS
On shelves.
WALL-MOUNTING
On the wall. Wall 
brackets are included.
Slide speaker onto support.
On optional stands (FS1000).
Place speaker and support
on wall plate. Make sure
that at least 1/4" (6mm) of
the wall plate metal shaft is
inserted into the support
cavity. Continue to firmly
press the support onto the
wall plate metal shaft until it
is fully secured in place. Attach plate to wall. The
brackets should be placed, if
possible, so that the screws
will fasten into a wooden wall
stud. If that is not possible,
use properly selected wall
anchors.
The customer is responsible
for proper selection and use
of mounting hardware, avail-
able through hardware stores,
to properly and safely wall-
mount the speakers.
SATELLITES AND SURROUNDS
MOUNTING THE SATELLITES ON OPTIONAL FS1000
FLOOR STANDS
3.
2.
1.
1. Attach the stand adaptor
to the top of the stand
upright with the pins
toward the rear of the
stand. Fasten the adaptor
to the upright with the
supplied screw.
2. Place the loudspeaker
securely on the stand by
inserting the adaptor pininto the grommet on the
bottom of the speaker.
3. Connect the wire to the
loudspeaker, remember-
ing to preserve the polar-
ity (“+” and “–”) (see
page 6).
IMPORTANT NOTE:The
satellite speaker, when
mounted on these brackets,
can only be adjusted hori-
zontally (left or right). The
speaker cannot be adjusted
vertically (up or down) or
otherwise tilted. Any attempt
to do so will damage the
speaker bracket wall plate
and/or support and such
damage will not be covered
under warranty. 
						

							6
CONNECTION TIPS
SPEAKER CONNECTIONS
Separate and strip the ends
of the speaker wire as
shown. The wires supplied
with the system may already
be stripped and tinned for
easy insertion into the
speaker terminals. Speakers
and electronics terminals
have corresponding (+) and
(–) terminals. Most manu-
facturers of speakers and
electronics, including JBL,
use red to denote the (+)
terminal and black for the
(–) terminal.
The (+) lead of the speaker
wire is noted with a stripe. 
It is important to connect 
both speakers identically:
(+) on the speaker to (+) on
the amplifier and (–) on the
speaker to (–) on the ampli-
fier. Wiring “out of phase”
results in thin sound, weak
bass and a poor stereo
image.
With the advent of multi-
channel surround sound
systems, connecting all of
the speakers in your system
with the correct polarity
remains equally important in
order to preserve the proper
ambience and directionality
of the program material.To connect the supplied
speaker wires to the
speaker terminals, press the
red or black plastic tab for
the desired terminal, insert
the bare end of the wire into
the hole and release the tab.
Gently tug on the wire to
make sure that it is fully
inserted. 
						

							7 DOLBY PRO LOGIC (NON-DIGITAL) 
–LINE LEVEL
Use this installation method
for Dolby Pro Logic appli-
cations (not Dolby Digital,
DTS or other digital process-
ing), where the receiver/
processor is equipped with 
a subwoofer output, or a volume-controlled preamp
(line-) level output:
Use RCA-type interconnects
to connect the line-level 
subwoofer outputs on your
receiver or amplifier to the
line-level inputs on the sub-
woofer. IMPORTANT: Do notuse the LFE input on the sub-
woofer with Dolby Pro Logic
processors. NOTE: If your
receiver or amplifier only has
one subwoofer output jack,
then you will need to use a
Y-connector (not included).
Plug the male end of the Y-
connector into your receiver
or amplifier’s subwoofer out-
put jack, and connect each
of the two female ends to
separate RCA-type intercon-
nects. Finally, plug the RCA-
type interconnects into the
line-level inputs on the sub-
woofer.
Connect each speaker to 
the corresponding speaker
terminals on your receiver 
or amplifier.
Make sure your receiver or
processor is correctly con-
figured to indicate that the
subwoofer is “On.”
Note for advanced users: If
your receiver/processor has
a built-in low-pass crossover
filter for the subwoofer out-
put, you may use the LFE
input to bypass the sub-
woofer’s internal crossover. Use this installation method
for Dolby Digital, DTS or
other digital surround
processors: 
Use the line-level input jack
marked “LFE” for the Low-
Frequency Effects channel.Connect this jack to the LFE
output or subwoofer output 
on your receiver or amplifier.
Connect each speaker to the
corresponding speaker 
terminals on your receiver 
or amplifier.
Make sure that you have
configured your surround
sound processor for
“Subwoofer On.” The
receiver should be config-ured for 5.1-channel 
operation, and the front left,
front right, center and rear
speakers should all be set to
“Small.” If your receiver
allows you to set the cross-
over frequency between the
subwoofer and the main
speakers, select either 120Hz
or 150Hz, or select the set-
ting that is the closest fre-
quency below these.
DOLBY DIGITAL OR DTS 
(OR OTHER DIGITAL SURROUND MODE) CONNECTION
LINE LEVEL IN
LFE INPUT
LFE OUT
L
R
SUBWOOFER RECEIVER
+       –+       –+       –
+       – +       –
+       –
+       – +       –
+      – +      – 
						

							8DOLBY PRO LOGIC (NON-DIGITAL) 
–SPEAKER LEVEL
Use this installation method 
for Dolby Pro Logic applica-
tions (not Dolby Digital, DTS
®
or other digital processing),
where the receiver/processor
does not have a subwoofer
output, or a volume-controlled
preamp (line-) level output:
Connect your receiver or
amplifier’s front left and right
speaker terminals to the left
and right terminals on the 
subwoofer that are marked
“Speaker Level In.” Connect
the left and right terminals on
the subwoofer that are
marked “Speaker Level Out”
to the corresponding termi-
nals on the back of your front
left and right speakers.  
Connect your receiver or
amplifier’s center and 
surround speaker terminals
to the corresponding termi-
nals on the back of your cen-
ter and surround speakers.
Right Front
Right Surround Left Front
Left SurroundCenter
+      –+      –
+      –+      – +      –
+        –
+      –
Left Front Center
+      –
Left SurroundRight Front
+      –
Right Surround
+      –
Subwoofer
Receiver
SPEAKER LEVEL
+               –              –               +
L                           R
OUT
IN 
						

							9
OPERATION
MIN        MAX
Subwoofer
Level
MIN        MAX
Subwoofer
Level
Move the Master Power
switch (marked “Power” ¡)
to the “
•” (On) position to use
the subwoofer. The SUB145
subwoofer will automatically
turn on or go into standby
(sleep) mode when left in the
auto mode (“Auto/On” switch™in the “Auto” position).
When your receiver or ampli-
fier is off, or is not sending
program material to the sub-
woofer, the subwoofer will be
in standby mode (LED will be
red). When the sub
woofer
senses an audio signal,
it willautomatically turn on (LED will
be green). If the subwoofer
does not sense a signal after
approximately twenty minutes,
it will automatically go back
into standby mode.
When the “Auto/On” switch
™is switched to the “On”
position, the subwoofer will
remain on, whether or not 
program material is playing.
If you will be away from home
for an extended period of time,
or if the subwoofer will not 
be used, switch the Master
Power switch ¡to the Off
position.
VOLUME
POWER
SPEAKER LEVEL
+           –           –           +SUBWOOFER
LEVEL
CAUTIONRISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
OUT
INL                        R
LINE LEVEL IN
LFEL
R
AUTO              ON
MIN              MAX 
SUB145
£
¡™
IMPORTANT: CONNECT STRIPED WIRE  TO RED (    ) SPEAKER TERMINAL.GREEN: ON
RED: STANDBY+
Volume may be adjusted
using the Subwoofer Level
control 
£as shown. 
						

							10
If there is no sound from any
of the speakers:
• Check that receiver/ampli-
fier is on and a source is
playing.
• Check that the powered 
subwoofer is plugged in, and
that its
Power switch ¡is
switched on (“
•” position).
• Check all wires and con-
nections between receiver/
amplifier and speakers.
Make sure all wires are con-
nected. Make sure none of
the speaker wires are frayed,
cut or punctured, or touching
each other.
• Review proper operation of
your receiver/amplifier.
If there is no sound coming
from one speaker:
• Check the “Balance” control
on your receiver/amplifier.
• Check all wires and con-
nections between receiver/
amplifier and speakers.
Make sure all wires are con-
nected. Make sure none of
the speaker wires are frayed,
cut or punctured, or touching
each other.
• In Dolby Digital or DTS
modes, make sure that the
receiver/processor is config-
ured so that the speaker in
question is enabled.
• Turn off all electronics 
and switch the speaker in
question with one of theother speakers that is work-
ing correctly. Turn every-
thing back on, and deter-
mine whether the problem
has followed the speaker, or
has remained in the same
channel. If the problem is 
in the same channel, the
source of the problem is
most likely with your
receiver or amplifier, and
you should consult the
owner’s manual for that
product for further informa-
tion. If the problem has fol-
lowed the speaker, consult
your dealer for further assis-
tance or, if that is not possi-
ble, visit www.jbl.com for
further information.
If there is no sound from the
center speaker:
• Check all wires and con-
nections between receiver/
amplifier and speaker. Make
sure all wires are connected.
Make sure none of the
speaker wires are frayed,
cut or punctured, or touch-
ing each other.
• If your receiver/processor
is set in Dolby Pro Logic mode,
make sure the center speaker
is not in phantom mode.
• If your receiver/processor 
is set in Dolby Digital or DTS
modes, make sure the receiver/
processor is configured so
that the center speaker is
enabled.If the system plays at low
volumes but shuts off as 
volume is increased:
• Check all wires and con-
nections between receiver/
amplifier and speakers. Make
sure all wires are connected.
Make sure none of the
speaker wires are frayed,
cut or punctured, or touching
each other.
• If more than one pair of
main speakers is being used,
check the minimum imped-
ance requirements of your
receiver/amplifier.
If there is low (or no) bass
output:
• Make sure the connections
to the left and right “Speaker
Inputs” have the correct 
polarity (+ and –).
• Make sure the subwoofer 
is plugged into an active
electrical outlet
, and is
turned on (Power switch ¡
in the “
•” position).
• In Dolby Digital or DTS
modes, make sure your
receiver/processor is config-
ured so that the subwoofer
and LFE output are enabled.
TROUBLESHOOTING