FM-9

User Manual

Page 2

Gato Audio FM-9

Contents

Don’t be a stranger

Package contents

A few words on your new speakers

Installation

Wall mounting the FM-9

Mounting the driver grilles

Connecting your speakers

Placing the speakers

Adjusting the sound

Make it last!

If all else fails…

Technical specifi cations

User Manual

5

7

7

6

6

8

9

4

4

10

10

11

Page 3

Gato Audio FM-9

Don’t be a stranger

Thank you for purchasing the Gato Audio FM-9 high end on-wall loudspeakers. We are absolutely confi dent that it will bring you many hours of listening pleasure.

We hereby cordially invite you to join the Gato Audio family by registering your product online. You may also consider signing up for our newsletter to receive information about exciting new products, events and technical updates. We are also present on several social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and LinkedIn.

All this and more on www.gato-audio.com

Our very best,

Gato Audio

Package contents

Please check that the following is included in the two packages:

• 2 Gato Audio FM-9 speakers

• 2 front grille sets

• 2 drilling templates

• This manual - which you should be reading now 

Page 4

User Manual

A few words on your new speakers

A good cabinet is the essential foundation of any loudspeaker. The FusedMass cabinets in the Gato Audio FM series incorporate several noteworthy details. The cabinets are made from high-density fi breboard and a layer of vibration dampening material. Parts of the cabinets construction.

Excellent drivers are the foundation of true-to-life sound. The drivers’ capability to react instantly to the provided signal together with total control of mechanical resonance is crucial. The drivers in the FM speaker series are carefully constructed to comply with our high demands for technical quality. The midrange reproduction of any speaker is without discussion the most important, whether it is the reproduction of vocals, a high-hat or drums, since all have important tonal information based in this frequency area. The bass/midranges are specially designed for mid- and high frequency response providing a clean and dynamic impulse response second to none.

The unique state-of-the-art ring radiator tweeter not only yields a useful output far beyond the capability of the human ear, thereby providing instruments with their natural harmonic structure, but it also adds the crucial benefi ts of extremely low distortion and coloration of the reproduced material.

The heart of any Gato Audio FM speaker is an advanced PurePhase crossover adorned with high quality components: Heavy gauge coils, low-resonance capacitors and non-inductive resistors mounted on a high-quality fi berglass PCB.

Hundreds of hours have been spent designing the network to comply with the drivers’ frequency response and impedance, while carefully considering phase, resonance and impulse response. Finally, we trimmed the sound, not only providing a fl at frequency response but providing a tantalizingly lifelike sound.

All of the above is draped in a beautiful exterior design, as small as possible and perfectly fi nished in handcrafted veneer or paint.

The supplied magnetic cloth grilles are designed to produce a minimum of coloration and distortion to the sound when mounted. Using a small and close-fi tting frame clad in sound-transparent fabric ensures that any loss of audio detail is kept at a minimum, and that diff ractions are well out of the critical midrange area. In addition, it off ers protection for the drivers while enhancing both the beautiful fi nish and the elegant, simple lines in the design even further.

Page 5

Gato Audio FM-9

Installation

Wall mounting the FM-9

Each FM-9 loudspeaker needs two screws to be mounted on to the wall. Use screws and wall plugs that fi t the material of your wall and with a head smaller than 10 mm in diameter, but larger than 6 mm in diameter. Mount the screws with a distance of 350 mm from each other. You can use the drilling templates included in the box. Attach the 4 pads as shown on the illustration below to protect your speaker and your wall.

62 mm

4 pads

Copenhagen - Denmark

FM-9

Passive Loudspeaker

Detail

High

Neutral

Focus

350 mm

Key hole bracket for wall mounting

78 mm

Page 6

User Manual

Mounting the driver grilles

The grilles are easily fastened to the speakers magnetically when the small magnets on the grille are aligned on top of the driver screws.

1. Place and hold the grille lightly on top of the driver as

shown below

2. Turn it clockwise or counter-clockwise until you can

feel the magnets attach to the screws below.

To detach the grille from the speaker simply turn the grille clockwise or counter-clockwise and remove it.

Connecting your speakers

Connecting your speakers to your amplifi er must only be performed with the amplifi er turned off . Otherwise damage may occur. Connect the red speaker terminal (+) to the positive speaker output on your amplifi er. Now connect the white speaker terminal (-) to the negative speaker output terminal on your amplifi er.

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Gato Audio FM-9

Placing the speakers

Just like with real estate, location is the most important factor when setting up a high-end audio system. Hanging speakers on a wall is something that we would not recommend, but the FM-9 is specifi cally designed to give the best performance hanging on the wall or at least being very close to the wall.

• The basic setup should be an even-sided triangle with equal distance between each speaker as well as the typical listening position.

• The FM-9 speakers are developed to give a wide dissipation and that makes installation and set up easier than other types of loudspeakers.

We will however recommend to loosely place the FM-9 against the wall so that height and distance between them can be adjusted before drilling any holes in the wall.

• Hard surfaces like glass, stone and wooden fl oors create many refl ections which can make midrange reproduction sound harsh and with a blurry soundstage. These refl ections can be dampened with curtains and carpets.

• Many soft surfaces, thick carpets and furniture may on the other hand provide too much dampening. This may cause the midrange reproduction to become “thin” and lacking in musical timing and energy. In such cases, it is advised to remove some of the dampening items.

In any case, time spent setting up your speakers is by far the most important adjustment parameter for your system. Room acoustics is a complex fi eld with an almost infi nite number of variables. Please note that while a setup might work well in your listening room, it may not be the perfect solution in other locations.

For the best results, mount the FM-9 on a solid wall with the tweeter approx. same height as your ears while seated in your typical listening position. Take extra care to ensure that the speaker is securely mounted and there are no vibration between speakers and the wall, which otherwise will cause resonances. Make sure that the screws and wall plugs used for hanging the FM-9 is the correct type for the specifi c type of wall.

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User Manual

Adjusting the sound

A loudspeaker is only as good as your listening room allows it to be. First of all is the room acoustics which is infl uenced by dimensions and build materials. Secondly is the amount freedom it off ers for the best possible placement of your speakers inside the room.

To accommodate some of the above compromises and to make installation and sound tuning of your new FM speaker easier and with a better result, we have designed sound adjustments on the back of the speaker. The FM-9 off ers three levels of each setting options; “Focus” and “Detail”. Make sure that both options are set to “neutral” before you start adjusting the positioning of the speakers in your listening room.

• Step 1: Initial setup:

Set up the speakers according to your wanted listening position, following the basic rules of the previous chapter “Placing the speakers”.

• Step 2: Adjusting the setup:

The basic setup might not give you the best possible sound quality.

Select a few but well known pieces of your favourite music that can help you determine when it sounds just right. Depending on how the speaker interacts with your room the sound will be diff erent. Here is a basic guide to better positioning and sound tuning:

Bass: Moving the speaker away from a side wall and/or a corner will

clear out the bass and make the sound leaner and less involving. If you are experiencing to have not enough bass, moving your speaker closer to a side wall and/or corner might help.

Soundstage: If your soundstage is unclear, the singer might be a bit

vague, woolly and too far behind the rest of the instruments in the band – try to decrease the distance between your speakers which will give a more direct sound from the speaker to you listening position. If the soundstage and instruments are a bit compressed in the middle of the speakers, try to increase the distance between the speakers and let them play straighter into you listening room. Please note that even a small adjustment of a few centimetres may make a huge diff erence.

• Step 3: Adjusting the speaker:

When the optimum speaker position has been found, you still have a way to adjusting the speaker a bit more. The three setting of each

“Focus” and “Detail” on the backside of the speaker may be applied to get the last bit of performance from the setup.

“Focus” settings: If you lack a bit of “Focus” in the soundstage set this

to “High”. If voices and high pitched instruments are too much and creates listening fatigue over longer periods set it to “Low”.

“Detail” setting: This adjusts the level of high frequencies and

overtones of any instrument. A natural level of overtones will enhance the listening experience, pleasantly and relaxed. Too much detail will draw the minds focus from the main part of the music, to some high frequency details. Test each option to fi nd the most suitable setting for your specifi c setup.

• Step 4: Wall mounting:

When the best possible sonic performance has been achived, drill holes in your wall according the drawing of page 6 and the supplied drilling templates.

Both Focus and Detail is set to High

Detail

High

Neutral

Both Focus and Detail is set to Low

High

Detail

Neutral

Both Focus and Detail is set to Neutral

High

Detail

Neutral

Focus

Focus

Focus

Page 9

Gato Audio FM-9

Make it last!

Please apply simple common sense to maintain the sound quality and lifespan of your Gato Audio speakers. Here are a few guidelines:

• Regular care: wipe the surfaces carefully by using a clean soft dry cloth

• Cleaning: if necessary, wipe the hard surfaces clean using a soft cloth dampened only with clean water.

• Grease stains or fi nger marks on the cabinets can be removed carefully with a clean soft cloth lightly dampened in a mix of clean lukewarm water and a single drop of household washing-up liquid. Then wipe the surfaces dry using a soft dry cloth

• Be careful never to use hot water or any type of concentrated detergent, solvent, thinner, or any other volatile substance on the surfaces, or you may cause permanent damage to the surface coating

• Keep the cabinets away from prolonged contact with rubber or PVC materials

• Do not expose the speakers to direct sunlight or other heat sources

If all else fails…

…don’t panic! Every Gato Audio product comes with a minimum 2-year warranty. See our website for details.

This warranty does not cover damage or wear directly or indirectly caused by improper use, violence, tampering with or unauthorized access to or servicing of any part of the product.

If you are in need of service or repair, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] or visit our website www.gato-audio.com for more information.

Page 10

User Manual

Technical specifications

Frequency response

Sensitivity (2.83 V)

Recommended amplifi er output

Nominal impedance

Connectors

Cabinet

Crossover

45 Hz – 35 kHz

86 dB

50 to 200 W

4 Ω

Gold plated binding post / 4mm plugs

Laminated FusedMass cabinet

Advanced PurePhase crossover technology

Drivers

High-Frequency

Mid & Low-Frequency

Weight & Dimensions

Weight

Dimensions

38mm ring radiator, powerful ferrite motor and optimised chamber

170mm mineral cone, low loss suspension, motor with shorting rings and optimised voice coil

10 Kg. / 22 lbs.

110 mm

355 mm

Page 11

Gato Audio

Marielundvej 28

DK-2730 Herlev

Denmark

Phone: +45 4095 2205 www.gato-audio.com

[email protected]