OWNER’S MANUAL

CONTENTS PAGE
Warranty and Service 2
Introduction 3
Wiring 4
Initial Positioning 5
Adjustments 6
Fine Tuning 7

WARRANTY AND SERVICE

Your Tannoy SuperTweeter will operate for many years without trouble provided it is not
misused. The high peak power handling of Tannoy loudspeakers will allow responsible
use with larger amplifiers on wide dynamic range material.
Take care with any amplifier, irrespective of power output, to avoid abnormal conditions
such as switch-on surges or output overload (clipping) that may result in peaks of power
greatly over the rated output.
The SuperTweeter is warranted against manufacturing defects in material or craftsmanship
over a period of 5 years from the date of purchase. This warranty is in addition to your
statutory rights as a customer. Tannoy cannot however be held responsible for failures
caused by abuse, unauthorised modifications, improper operation or damage caused
by faults elsewhere in your system.
The determination of the cause of failure will be made by Tannoy Limited or its authorised
Distributor or Service Agent, based on physical inspection of the failed parts.
If you suspect a problem with your SuperTweeter, in the first instance discuss it with your
Tannoy Dealer. The dealer has the expertise and experience to help you troubleshoot
the system and assess the situation.
If you continue to have problems, contact your Tannoy Distributor or Tannoy Customer
Services at our Coatbridge address.

INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on choosing this precision handcrafted component, to complement your
loudspeaker system. Before removing the product from the packing and commencing the
installation process, please take the time to read these instructions, in order to prevent
possible damage.
This SuperTweeter is designed to provide the extended high frequency response demanded
by modern programme material and sources. Your main loudspeakers still provide the
heart of the musical information, but at extreme high frequencies are supplemented by
the WIDEBAND™ SuperTweeter. Musical information contains transient information,
beyond the range of human hearing for pure tones. For music to be accurately reproduced,
we have found it essential to accurately preserve this information.
The unit will find application with a broad range of quality loudspeaker systems. Adjustments
are provided for crossover frequency and level to enable accurate matching.

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FEATURES
• High stiffness titanium dome to minimise effects of dome break-up and extend frequency
response.
• Copper clad aluminium voice coil on aluminium former for high power handling.
• Neodymium magnet system also extends frequency response by minimising eddy
current losses in voice coil.
• Provision for driver magnet system earthing, to avoid interference and information
masking caused by radio interference.
• Gold plated terminals for high signal transparency.
• Radio Frequency quality inductors in crossover for good high frequency characteristics.
• Non-Inductive resistors to avoid losses associated with normal wire wound types. High
quality polypropylene film capacitors, selected for high frequency use.

UNPACKING INSTRUCTIONS
Caution:
The titanium dome on this SuperTweeter is very delicate. Although protected by a metal
mesh, take care to avoid pressing on this during unpacking and installation, in case
damage results.

Each carton contains the following:

• SuperTweeter units x 2
• Support platforms x 2

To unpack, the SuperTweeters should be removed from their box complete with the inner
packaging. Always keep the packaging for future use.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
Do not install the SuperTweeter in the following conditions:

• Very warm or humid areas (such as near swimming pools, kitchens or bathrooms).
• Near to a fire or heating appliance.
• In direct sunlight.

WIRING
The SuperTweeter should be connected across your main speakers, positive (red) to positive
and negative (black) to negative. If appropriate, remove the plastic blanking plugs in the
terminals. Ensure your amplifier is switched off, and the volume control turned fully down
before beginning. Typical wiring configurations are shown in Fig. 1:

A. Typical single-wired installation. The SuperTweeter is simply connected across

your speaker terminals.
B. Bi-wiring installation. The SuperTweeter is connected across the HF terminals on your
loudspeaker.

For optimum performance, the central earth connection on the SuperTweeter should be
taken back to the amplifier chassis or ground point. This screening effect can give an
improvement in detail and clarity, depending on the amplifier used, by reducing radio
frequency interference.

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 INITIAL POSITIONING
With a moving coil drive unit, the sound will appear to emanate from a point a little behind
the front of the speaker cabinet. This position, or driving point, coincides approximately
to the bass unit (or Dual Concentric™) dust cap position. For optimum results the SuperTweeter
should be positioned centrally, on top of the loudspeaker cabinet, so that the SuperTweeter
drive unit is in line with with this bass unit driving point, or cone neck in the case of the
Dual Concentric™. See fig. 2.

ADJUSTMENTS
Refer to the instruction manual for your loudspeakers and select the SENSITIVITY setting
that is the nearest to that of the speaker. Using your fingers, turn the switch on top of the
SuperTweeter to the correct position (Fig. 3). If you do not have a manual for your
loudspeakers, choose the middle setting initially. For the CROSSOVER FREQUENCY, it is
again best to choose the middle position initially, unless you have details on your loudspeaker
system. Be prepared to experiment though to achieve the best results.
The SuperTweeter may be adjusted for angle by means of the slots provided in the support
platform, and should be pointing at ear level when seated.
After double-checking the wiring, you are now ready to switch your amplifier on. Select
some music you are familiar with, and gently advance the volume control to normal
listening level.

RUNNING IN
Like all loudspeakers, the drive unit in your SuperTweeter requires a while to reach optimum
performance, as the stresses in the materials relax. For this reason, it is beneficial to run
the system at fairly high levels at normal room temperature for approximately 20 hours
to reach best results.

FINE TUNING
Once the SuperTweeter is fully run in, you are in a position to fine-tune the system. Listening
room acoustics and personal taste may dictate some adjustment. Remember that like a
subwoofer, the SuperTweeter should not draw attention to itself, but should offer a natural
enhancement to the upper frequencies.
The effect of the SENSITIVITY adjustment screw is to increase or decrease the output over
the full frequency operating range of the SuperTweeter, in 4dB steps. The CROSSOVER
FREQUENCY control offers 3 positions for the SuperTweeter energy to be rolled in (Fig. 4).
You may also experiment with the SuperTweeter position, to achieve best results.
The SuperTweeter has a protective mesh grille, which can be removed for optimum
performance. It is simply held in place by the magnetic field from its own magnet. Carefully
remove by gently holding the mesh on the edges and pulling forward. Take care not to
touch the fragile dome.

CARE OF THE SUPERTWEETER

Both SuperTweeter and support platform can be dusted with a soft lint free cloth. Use a
slightly damp cloth to remove any marks.
Under no circumstances should chemical cleaning agents be used.

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FIG. 1

- + - +

TO AMPLIFIER TO AMPLIFIER
EARTH (OPTIONAL) EARTH (OPTIONAL)

HF

- +

- + LF

- +

A B

5
 FIG. 2

FIG. 3

16
18
14 FREQUENCY
(kHz)

89 93
85
SENSITIVITY
(dB)

6
FIG. 4

EFFECT OF CROSSOVER FREQUENCY CONTROL

SPL 6
(dB)
0

-6

-12 18kHz
16kHz
-18 14kHz

-24

-30
5k 10k 20k 50k 100k 200k

FREQUENCY (Hz)

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
ST50

Recommended amplifier power: Up to 200W

Power rating to DIN IEC 268: 110W RMS
450W peak
Maximum sensitivity (2.83V @ 1m): 93dB
Nominal impedance: 8 ohm
Frequency response (-6dB): To 54kHz, usable output (-18dB) to 100kHz

DRIVE UNIT:
Driver type: 25mm diameter 25-micron titanium dome,
24 Karat vapour deposited gold finish,
with neodymium magnet system

CROSSOVER:
Crossover type: 3rd order high pass
Crossover frequency: 14, 16 or 18kHz adjustable
Level adjustment: 85dB, 89dB, 93dB

Due to our policy of continuous improvement, all specifications are subject to change
without notice.

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Tannoy Limited, Home Audio Division, Coatbridge, Scotland, ML5 4TF.
Tel: +44 (0) 1236 420199 Fax: +44 (0) 1236 428230
e-mail: [email protected] Website: www.tannoy.com

Tannoy/TGI North America Inc., Suite 1, 335 Gage Avenue,

Kichener, Ontario, Canada N2M 5E1.
Tel: (519) 745-1158 Fax: (519) 745-2364
6481 0364

e-mail: [email protected] Website: www.tannoy.com

Tannoy Nederland b.v., Anthonetta Kuijlstraat 19, 3066 GS Rotterdam.

Tel: (010) 286 0555 Fax: (010) 286 0431
e-mail: [email protected] Website: www.tannoy.nl