Technics Speakers of the House There are 2 major categories of speaker design—bookshelf speakers and floor standing speakers. Floor standing models generally provide deeper bass, because the floor itself augments the output of the driver. In addition, the increased volume of the speaker box means more air in the enclosure and, consequently, greater compliance. Compliance is an expression of the amount of energy required to move the woofer; in floor standing models, it is quite high and more bass energy is produced. Floor standing speakers also tend to improve high frequency response, because they are usually designed with the tweeter at eye level. This localized tweeter placement, while nothing more than a basic construction technique, dramatically improves the frequency balance in the high range. If all these advantages are inherent in floor standing speakers, why do speaker manufacturers bother to build bookshelf models? Mostly, for practical reasons—size, space, price, and convenience are the most important considerations. Bookshelf speakers, as the name implies, can be placed ona shelf. They can also be placed on the floor of course, but for quality reproduction, the added expense of a speaker stand is normally neces- sary. Bookshelf speakers are usually smaller than the floor standing variety, less expensive, New Type + boeant need and much easier to handle. In short, for many listeners, the sonic advantages of floor standing speakers are not worth the added hassle and inconvenience. Comparison of Bass Range Response Level(dB) Conventional type 20 50 100 Frequency(Hz) 200Technics Has the Answer The new Technics SB-T40/T20 speakers offer the best of both worlds. They are floor standing speakers, but in a sleek, trimmed down package. And their prices are in line with equivalent bookshelf models. With the additional en- closure volume and ear-level high frequency drivers, they deliver sound which is on a par with fine floor standing models. Yet, their futuristic, pillar-like design takes up less space in your listening room or your dance floor. Plus, they are lightweight and easily movable Technics reputation for innovative design can only be enhanced by our new SB-T40/T20 bass reflex speakers. Flatter Your Ears But it takes more than an inventive new enclosure to build a speaker for the future—after all, it's what's inside the box which ultimately determines what comes out. And that’s where Technics engineers really concentrated their efforts The result is the honeycomb disc driver. Why Flat is Better The traditional speaker driver is shaped like a cone—and it suffers from an inherent form of distortion called the cavity effect. All cone drivers are prone to the cavity effect, which results from sound waves colliding with each other as they emanate from the diaphragm surface. The resulting standing wave distortion causes peaks and dips in the frequency response and degrades sound quality. The only way to defeat the cavity effect is to Honeycomb Disc Speaker Units (SB-T40) eliminate the cavity—that is, to construct a flat diaphragm Which brings us to the Technics honeycomb disc. Not only is it flat (and therefore free from the cavity effect) but it is also axially symmetric—it is equally rigid at all points and in all directions. And it features nodal drive, which sub- stantially eliminates partial vibrations and assures a wide range of pistonic diaphragm motion. Normal Honeycomb Core ‘Axaly Symmetric Honeycomb Core The Technics honeycomb features an ideal combination of rigidity and flexibility. It is fast enough to respond to delicate nuances in the high range, yet strong enough to avoid partial vibration Plus, the flat driver means inherent phase linearity, since all the acoustic centers are aligned in the same plane. Once, we had to stagger the drivers to achieve phase linearity. But with today’s honeycomb disc technology, the drivers can be mounted on the same baffle without sacrificing linearity. Theory into Practice— Honeycomb Drivers Woofer The SB-T40 features a 22 cm (9”) woofer, while the SB-T20 includes a 18 cm (7) low frequency driver. Both woofers are powered by large magnets with high output, and use voice coils designed for linear response. A carefully formulated polyamide adhesive secures the voice coil and the polyimide film bobbin is fiber reinforced—together, they can withstand extreme temperatures of 250°C. The result is excellent power handling characteristics. Midrange Efficiency and smooth response— these are the desired traits of a midrange driver. Technics uses the same heat-resistant materials that the woofer features in the mid- range, to improve power handling. The cloth edge construction ensures wide, smooth response, while narrow magnetic gaps in the voice coil yield highly efficient operation. Tweeter If a tweeter can maintain response all the way up to 35 kHz, you can believe that high range response is outstanding. Technics uses a magnetic fluid in the circuit gap and a precision acoustic equalizer to achieve this remarkable upper fre- quency limit—thay also contribute to good heat dispersion, high power handling, and a stable stereo image not limited by “beaming” Thermal Relay Protection It's not easy to overload the SB- T40/T20—but protection is es- sential, particularly if the amp or source material creates or exhibits distortion. Under these adverse conditions, overheating could con- ceivably damage the speaker. So, Technics included a thermal relay protection circuit, which cuts power at the input terminals if an abnormal tempera- ture rise does occur. It is easily resettable using a front panel button, and an LED illuminates to confirm the protection circuit's operation Other Features Computer designed high density particle board enclosure. @Low distortion, low crosstalk crossover networks Strong, easy-to-use screw-in type speaker cord connection terminals. Detachable grille Tweeter level control (T40). poorTechnical Specifications SB-T40 Configuration: fy, 3-speaker Input power Crossover bass-rellex frequencies: 1.8 kHz,3.5 kHz Speaker units: Wooler: 22cm (9")Qutputlevel: 91 dB/WV(1.0m) Dimensions. honeycomb dise Frequency xHXD); 28.5x83,0%25.5em Midrange: 52cm (2") range 32 He~98 kHz (11-7/32"% honeycomb dise (at 16 48 beiow 32-11/16"9-31/92") Tweeter: 2.8 c1 average level), Weight: 13.5kg (298) 1-178") 40 He~35 KH honeycomb disc (at 10 dB bei Impedance: 8 ohms average level) [ ind Dispersion, Impedance Chi ist Sound Pressure and Harmonic Distortion | Sound Dispersion, Impedance Characteristics SB-T40 SB-T20 Configuration: 2-way, 2-speaker —Inputpower:_60W, music Crossover bass-rellex 40W, DIN frequency: 3kHz Speaker units; Wooler: 18cm(7") Qutputlevel: 90dB/W(1.0m) Dimensions honeycomb disc Frequency (WxHxD): 23.0x75.5%255em Tweeter: 2.8.0n ange 38 He~ 98 kHe (9-116" (1-18) at 16 08 below 29.23/32" xB-27/32") honeycomb disc average level), Weight 85a (20.916) Impedance: ohms 45 He~ 95 kHe {at 10 48 below ge level) and Phase Character | ‘Sound Pressure and Harmonic Distortion | ‘Sound Dispersion, Impedance Characteristics | | | ‘Specifications subject to change without notice. + Panasonic compan Bran Ratan cic Corporation ot Ameren ecnni PRET TAGETICES One Eeeene ty Seems New Jory 07042) 48 7000 Bawasonne Sayre pn chou saMeek Way Noreont tS uae 98 7d Panasonic Canada Division of Matsushita Electric of Canada Limited 5770 Ambler Drv Mississauga, Ontaro LAW 213 (416) 624-5010 Printed ia Japan ~