Fender SPL 118S Owner's Manual

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The Fender Electronics SPL Tour Series 1185 profes-
sional loudspeaker is a top-of-the-line subwoofer,
perfect for even the most demanding concert sound
applications. With its scientifically derived trape-
zoidal shape and equipped with fly-points for use
with the Fender/Sunn RigSafe" rigging and flying
hardware, the speaker is adaptable to almost any sit-
uation as a single unit or as part of an array.
Featuring a continuous power handling of over 400
Watts, a versatile input/output panel and fly points,
the 118S subwoofer is designed to complement the
performance of the full range cabinets of the SPL Tour
Series (referred to as a mid/high pack when used
with a subwoofer), dramatically extending the low
frequency range and output of à Tour Series System.
The cabinet is a 13-ply, Baltic Birch Plywood enclo-
sure with internal wood bracing to eliminate any side
wall movement and steel reinforcement plates on all
critical points of the cabinet. The steel plates double
as attachment points for RigSafe™ flying hardware
accessories. The cabinet is a vented baffle design for
maximum output and is provided with two large
diameter ports to prevent compression at high SPL
due to large exit velocities. After moisture sealing,
the cabinet is primed, finish sanded, and then paint-
ed in the strongest textured black finish available.
The driver is a custom designed, 18” woofer using a
4" voice coil wrapped around a polyimide Kapton
former with a vented pole piece for optimum heat
transfer. It is mounted on a precision cast, alloy
frame to support the weight of the powerful 120 oz.
magnet structure.
Careful thought has also been given to the input
panel. The panel is made of a tough ABS plastic with
infernal ribbing to prevent both damage to the out-
side of the panel and induced sympathetic vibrations
caused by the intense sound pressure inside the cabi-
net. The panel houses special 1/4” high current
Phone Jack connectors and Neutrik 4-pole Speakon
connectors wired in parallel to provide for a variety
of interconnection schemes for flexibility in the field.
The two 1/4” Phone Jacks and the two 4-Pole
Speakon Connectors are wired in full parallel so that
any one of the connectors may be used as an input
and any other may be used as an output to another
subwooter. This allows “daisy chaining” of multiple
subwoofers, obviating the need for several long, cum-
bersome runs of speaker cable.
The following polarity convention should be used
when making connections to the 1185:
Polarity Phone Jacks Speakon
Positive (+) Tip 1+ and/or 2+
Negative (-) Sleeve 1- and/or 2-
The purpose of the 118S subwoofer is to augment the
low frequency performance of the main P.A. speakers
using bi-amplification. The 1185 is designed to
reproduce very high levels of the low bass frequen-
cies, thus relieving the smaller main speakers from
having to supply this energy. In order to send certain
frequencies to one type of speaker and other frequen-
cies to another type, a line-level electronic crossover,
such as the Fender PCN-2 or PCN-4, is required. Two
different configurations are shown in figures 1 and 2
demonstrating how easy it is to add one or two sub-
woofers to a system. Figures 3 and 5 show more ex-
tensive configurations for those requiring more power.
Placement of any speaker can affect the sound dra-
matically. There are three primary considerations
when placing subwoofers, the first of which is time
alignment. The mid/high packs should be as close
as possible to the subwoofer so that the sound from
the subwoofer reaches the audience at about the
same time as that from the mid/high packs.
Otherwise, a slight smearing of the lower bass fre-
quencies may occur. While ideal placement for this
consideration would involve stacking the mid/high
pack on top of the subwoofer, this effect is quite sub-
tle and an obvious effect may not be heard until the
separation between the two cabinets is large enough
to cause an audible time delay.
The second consideration is obtaining as much bass
as possible from the subwoofer. A subwoofer hang-
ing in free air (such as when you are “flying” a
sound system) is referred to as operating in “full
space” since the subwoofer is free to radiate in all
directions (omnidirectionally). A speaker down on
the middle of the floor or up in the air with its back
against the wall is referred to as operating in “half
space”. The 1185 was designed assuming that it
would be used in a “half space” configuration. Full
space operation will result in a decrease of about
three dB of output compared to half space and you
may need to compensate by turning up the power
amplifier. Placing a speaker near a large, flat wall
and on the floor (quarter space) will boost the bass
performance by about three dB compared to half
space. Putting a speaker in a corner on the floor
(eighth space) will boost the output about six dB com-
pared to half space. The more surfaces you can
place the subwoofer against, the fewer subwoofers
you will need to achieve a certain SPL.
The third consideration is to what degree the speak-
ers should be “heard and not seen”, especially for
permanent installations. If it is desirable to have the
‘speakers hanging from the ceiling (flying), then the
118S can be flown along with, and integrate seam-
lessly with, the mid/high pack Tour Series cabinets
arranged in any array of up to three rows (tiers),
loose or tight-pack, with or without downward
angling (splaying). See figure 4. The Fender
RigSafe™ system has been designed into the SPL
118S to safely accommodate such practices. This
system is compatible with both the JBL S.A.F.E™ and
the ATM Flyware™ rigging systems. In spite of this,
flying loudspeakers above crowds is a dangerous
business, and should only be undertaken by experi-
enced and well insured riggers. For more informa-
tion on safe rigging practices, please refer to the
“Flying with Fender RigSafe™” brochure.
A compromise among these three factors will yield
the best solution for your particular situation. After
the speaker system has been placed, the crossover
point needs to be set for maximum benefit. While the
18” driver in the 118S is fully capable of accurately
reproducing frequencies above 350 Hz, setting the
crossover point this high makes time alignment and
spatial alignment very difficult, and the large 18”
woofer will start to “beam”. Beaming occurs when
lower frequencies are emitted in an approximately
omnidirectional pattern while higher frequencies are
emitted more on axis. For the 1188S this occurs
above crossover points of 350 Hz. If the crossover
ni
eg en
point is set too high and the subwoofer is placed far
from the mid/high packs, bass frequencies will sound
like they are being produced in two different loca-
tions. Most listeners cannot locate the origin of fre-
quencies below about 150 Hz. Setting the crossover
point too low (below 80 Hz) will not take full advan-
tage of the subwoofer as it puts too high of a demand
on the mid/high packs. For these reasons, we rec-
ommend a crossover point ranging between 80 Hertz
and 200 Hertz, depending on the placement of the
A good starting point is around 120 Hz. The output
level of the subwooferls) should be matched by ear to
the output level of the mid/high pack cabinets by
adjusting the level control at the crossover (if it has
one) or at the power amplifiers. Normally, the output
of the mid/high pack cabinets is subjectively higher
than that of the subwoofers, so a balance can be
achieved by turning down the mid/high frequency
signal at or before the power amplifiers.
speakers.
Part Number: 071-1310-000
Frequency Response —
Axial +/- 3dB:
LF Limit +/- 3dB:
LF Limit +/- 10dB:
Axial Sensitivity —
SPL 1W @ 1M:
1/2 Space Efficiency:
Maximum dB SPL Output Long Term:
Power Handling —
EIA RS 426-B Noise:
Nominal Impedance:
Dimensions and Weights —
Height:
Width:
Depth:
Weight:
42 Hz to 400 Hz
42 Hz
32 Hz
98 dB
2.25%
124 dB
400 Watts, for 8 hrs.
8 Ohms
28.5 in. (72.39 ст)
24.875 in. (63.18 cm)
24.125in. (61.28 ст)
87 Lbs. (39.5 kg)
POWERED MIXER RANGE SPL2912 | RANGE SPL2912 |
INPUT
MAIN MAIN MON. MAIN MORE OR N | — —
AMP IN
FN
adr
| Г
AIGH LOW
INPUT OUT OUT
| = я с
SPL118S ||
FENDER PCN-2
ELECTRONIC
| О |
CROSSOVER
Figure 1.
UNPOWERED MIXER FENDER PCN-2
MONITOR MAIN ELECTRONIC
CROSSOVER
HIGH LOW
INPUT OUT OUT
J E
SPL-9000 AIN BIN
O O A OUT B OUT
FULL | I FULL
RANGE RANGE
INPUT | gr = | — INPUT
SPL 2912 SPL 2912 |
ALA
OUT OUT | |
Е optional 2nd |
SPL 1285 SPL 1285 1
MONITOR MONITOR o с
SPEAKER SPEAKER SPL 118S
DM 5 Г
Figure 2.
—
SPL 2915
SPL 2915
Г |
om O
UNPOWERED MIXER
MONITOR MAIN
OUT OUT
SUBWOOFERS
SPL 1185
LIN
SPL 1185
| L
SPL 2915
SPL 2915
| 0
o -
NA
|
SPL-9000 A Out B Out
(Dual mono
operation) IN
MONITOR
SPL 1285
SPEAKER |
Figure 3.
x SPL-9000 A Out B Ou
M-300 (Dual mono
OUT OUT operation) IN
—] ||
— LOW HIGH
| » INPUT OUT OUT
MONITOR FENDER PCN-2
SPEAKER ELECTRONIC
CROSSOVER
LULU
Figure 4. kers with
the Fender hig peo АЕ system
SPL 2915 SPL 118S SPL 2915
i о о
SPL 2912 SPL 1185 SPL 2912
Г i
u
UNPOWERED MIXER
|
FENDER PCN-4 INPUT
ELECTRONIC
CROSSOVER
HIGH MID LOW
OUT OUT OUT
SPL-9000 AIN BIN
OO AOUT BOUT
|
Hi Low
INPUTS \
SWITCHES SET
TO EXTERNAL
CROSSOVER
SPL 2912 SPL 2912
SPL-9000 AIN MONO
O O A OUT MODE
SPL 1185
|
New, „й
Figure 5. Exam e of operatin
speakers in Bl- operat а
subwoofer (tri mo)
A PRODUCT OF:
FENDER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS CORP.,
BREA, CA 92621