tic “tfs” terra-forms®
simulated stone speakers outdoor rock speakers
Below you will find the basic installation guidelines for our TIC
TFS6, TFS10, TFS11, TFS14, TFS15 & TFS25 Terra-Forms®
Pro series of outdoor rock speakers. While all
installations and even landscape settings are a little different in
requirements and layout, the following installation guidelines have
served, with little modification for the successful installation of
hundreds of thousands of TIC outdoor stone speaker products world
wide.
Terra-Forms® Pro simulated outdoor stone
speakers, TFS6, TFS10, TFS11, TFS14, TFS15 & TFS25, are
mounted either on the surface or preferably sinking them slightly by
an inch or more, model dependent, into the garden surface. Keeping
the grill a few inches above ground is most important here. Slightly
sinking the unit stabilizes the enclosure and often produces a
cleaner more vibrant sound quality. The design and finish color
blend perfectly with any landscape or garden setting. They can be
potted for indoor or patio applications.
The TFS6 - TFS25 are part of our "Pro" outdoor
speaker series. They contain our "on the fly" 25v / 70v / 100v
switching system for 70v constant voltage commercial installations.
The TFS6 - TFS11 & TFS25 Omni Rock Speaker are Co-Axial full range
drivers while the TFS14 & TFS15 are full 3-way driven 300W speaker
driver systems.
The following instruction guidelines apply to all TIC Terra-Forms®
generally. Where any special consideration should be made a Note:
will be made. Also see our
Economy series of Terra-Forms® outdoor rock speakers. |
How to install
outdoor rock speakers
1. Carefully unpack the speaker components.
Compare contents of boxes to the exploded parts diagram or parts
list enclosed.
2. Read all the instructions before proceeding on with the
connection of your exterior speakers to insure trouble free
performance of your outdoor speaker system. |
TIC pro
outdoor rock speaker placement & optimization
We all desire the best sound when placing our exterior speakers
and while all TIC speakers may be quite powerful, you must decide
where the best listening area will be. Try to angle the speakers
broadcast range to play on a 45º angle to the preferred
listening position. Contrary to popular belief and many installs
we've seen,, speakers do not play better when aimed at each other
from across the listening area but rather when placed at an oblique
angle to cover the listening area.
Note: The TFS25 outdoor Omni rock speaker is
an omni-directional outdoor speaker similar in operation to our
renowned OmniSpeakers®. Placement of this unit is unique
in that the normal worries of angling the speaker for sound coverage
or many other placement issues are unnecessary. Only the full
diameter of the rock speaker broadcast coverage should be
considered. |
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3. Plan the location of the TIC speakers by making a simple
sketch and estimating the length of the TIC speaker cable required,
access to the amplifier to be used and the effective area of speaker
operation; the latter being about a twenty to fifty foot broadcast
area, model dependent. It is desirable not to leave "dead zones"
between the outdoor speakers broadcast coverage. |
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4. Check your layout plan/ sketch for obstacles: Sidewalks,
driveways, water, trees, bushes or garden fences, existing sprinkler
paths or piping, architectural features and other obstacles that
will interfere with, later obscuring or final laying of the wire and
placement of the TIC outdoor speakers.
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5. Before digging holes, drilling holes or mounting brackets
for the TIC outdoor speakers or the wires, lay out the units and the
wires per your sketch/ diagram. Recheck your drawing for any
obstacles. 6. Review your point of entry into the house,
garage or out building containing the power source to ensure the
best point for entry. A crawl space, window or garage wall may
provide the best entry point. If necessary, drill a hole only
slightly larger than the wires used and use a good caulk or silicone
to seal the hole around the site when the installation of your new
TIC outdoor speakers is complete. |
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CAUTION!
Be careful not to drill in an area where house wiring is installed
or piping and sprinklers may be present. Metal casements or window
frames should also be avoided. This could cause structural damage or
worse, a safety problem! |
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7. Placing your outdoor rock speakers
- TIC Corporation always recommends you connect your new
outdoor speakers to your amplification equipment in close
proximity and check their correct operation before you
begin their exterior installation. Later, this test will help
point out any difficulties that occur in cable runs or
connectivity issues. Please first note item “8.” below.
- Terra-Forms® outdoor rock speakers speakers pair
may be positioned wherever convenient and best suited to their
broadcast area. They do not need to be buried, merely a shallow
cavity 2 - 3 in. deep, model size dependent. Repeat for all
Terra-Forms® outdoor rock speakers to be installed.
With TIC outdoor rock speakers you also have the option to
semi-permanently mount them with their available base stake.
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c. Next, layout the speaker cord routes with string
and small stakes to line up where to trench and keep this final
length of string to measure and properly cut your cable if taking
from a roll.. Dig a 4 to 6 inch deep trench along this line to
each speaker. This can be best done in soft soil by using a flat
spade. Insert the spade in ground at a 45º angle and
push sod and dirt up leaving a narrow slit to lay the wire into.
After spading all the trenches, lay the wire to insure adequate
length for installation.
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Check the both ends of the wires for adequate length to hookup
to a TIC volume control, TIC speaker selector and/ or amplifier/
receiver depending upon your particular installation configuration.
Some extra length or "play" should be left in the cable for
adjustments.
Recheck the connections and hook up the system to check for full
functioning, following connection instructions for your system.
Should everything operate properly, close up trenches and carefully
fill around the speakers. Place excess dirt around flower beds or
trees as is appropriate, secure your cable run and tidy the final
installation.
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8. Connecting your TIC Outdoor PRO Rock Speakers to your sound system
CAUTION! Refer to your
amplifier/ receiver system manual for the manufacturers proper
connection procedures. These take precedence over any connection
instructions expressed or implied here. Select a minimum initial
output. Check out the balance control next on the indoor and TIC
outdoor rock speakers. Carefully raise the volume control in small
steps to insure distortion free output. Overloading with a distorted
signal can seriously damage your new TIC outdoor rock speakers.
CAUTION! Be very careful not
to reverse polarity on your new TIC rock speakers;
+ to +
and - to - only, when connecting your speakers. Follow
the color coding on your TIC speaker wires which is usually Red for
positive and Black for ground/ common. Incorrect polarity connection
of your TIC exterior rock speakers will result in poor sound
reproduction and potentially damage your audio system, TIC outside
rock speakers and any sound equipment. |
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Enjoy your new
outdoor music room! |
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Please relax and
enjoy your installation of another quality tic outdoor speaker
product! |
Playing your tic
exterior and interior speakers together
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In the event that you play your indoor and outdoor speakers
simultaneously with the same receiver - amplifier, you may sometimes
experience higher volume levels with your indoor speakers. The are
many reasons for this;
- Most TIC exterior speaker models are a full 8Ω (Ohms)
impedance while many indoor home theatre, bookshelf or wall
speakers sold today are the lesser 4Ω – 6Ω only.
- Most interior speakers radiate in one direction only
(mono–directional). TIC omni speakers and their famous
OmniSpeakers® for instance, are designed to radiate in
a full 360° (omni–directional) broadcast area.
- Area sound concentration is much higher in an interior
environment with interior walls than an exterior environment
without them.
- No reflection or sound promotion in an exterior environment.
In fact, exterior ambient acoustics plays a large part in
absorbing and therefore reducing the exterior sound levels of all
outdoor speakers and broadcast equipment.
- The waterproof materials used in the TIC outdoor speaker
components, cones and the resistance in long exterior outdoor
speaker cable runs lowers the frequency level received by all
exterior speakers.
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Tic terra-forms®
outdoor rock speaker notes
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Outdoor Rock Speaker Security: While many installers simply use a
"U" bolt hammered into the ground around the sunken outdoor speaker
cable leading up into the TFS outdoor speaker stone and this is an
acceptable form of security, some may prefer to use the TIC SPSS
rock speaker security stake which screw fastens to the base of the
TFS series rock speakers. |
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Blowup of the Terra-Forms® rock
speaker cable plug assembly used in every TFS series outdoor rock
speaker
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Notes on your
option to use the Pro series outdoor rock speaker
25v 70v 100v constant voltage distribution system
The TIC Terra-Forms® Pro series of outdoor
rock speakers TFS6, TFS10, TFS11, TFS14, TFS15, TFS25 & TFS50
come preset to operate at a standard 8 Ohms for normal use.
These models as part of our "Pro" series also have the option
to run at 70v using their internal, factory pre-installed,
switch-able 70v in-line distribution transformer system. The 70v
option includes 2.5, 5, 10 & 15W taps for your selection and
preferred operating wattages. |
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under sealed base cover plate view
of 70v switch to taps
Please Note: While many enthusiasts and consumers regular
and successfully install our products, TIC Corporation always
recommends the services of a trained and licensed audio
professional, CEDIA, NSCA, for correct and worry free installation.
This is particularly recommended in, what is commonly referred to as
"commercial", 25v 70v 100v distributed audio applications. |
Winterizing your
outdoor rock speaker system
TIC outdoor OmniSpeakers® are the standard
specification used in most Theme Parks, Leisure and Amusement
Centers World Wide. A trick they recommended to us many years ago;
in addition to the TIC outdoor speakers weatherproof properties, the
system can be best protected from snow and ice, where appropriate,
by securing a plastic bag over the unit until the spring thaw. |
Playing your outdoor rock
speakers with accessories
(TIC
Corporation Award Winning outdoor speaker OmniSpeakers®
used by example below)
your TIC outside speakers
with a volume control
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TIC outdoor speaker preventative
maintenance
Bi-annual or yearly maintenance of your outdoor speakers is
always recommended. How often you actually do this is use dependent.
If you have an outdoor speaker TIC OmniSpeaker® GS3 -
GS50, you should first remove any garden debris or particulate
matter from around the base of the protruding outdoor speaker
housing and grill. Carefully check the black foam ring (TIC part #
GS FF) that acts as a protective filter for the interior components.
If it is not occluded or degraded, if it is please remove any waste
and replace as necessary.
It may be necessary to remove the lid off your outdoor
OmniSpeaker® for careful inspection. This may be done by
removing the three screws which are exposed once you stretch and
remove the black foam filter which is supposed to be covering the
metal impact speaker grill. These three screws fasten the aluminum
impact screen and lid assembly to the base housing and then lift
off. Upon removing the grill & lid assembly, look down upon the
speaker and carefully remove any bugs, debris or sandy particles
that have gotten inside and are lying upon the speaker. These small
objects if not removed can cause crackling sounds or distortion as
they are bounced around on the speaker cone during play. This will
affect the sound reproduction of the unit.
When you are satisfied and the unit is clean carefully replace
the components in reverse order.
Your TIC outdoor OmniSpeakers® and TIC outdoor
speakers in general actually require very little in the way of
maintenance, however any preventative maintenance is always
preferable to none. |
Contact
Please Contact
us at Just Garden
Speakers where we will be happy to answer any questions you may
have. |
