CONTRACTOR SERIES
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS
From Fender Pro Audio
Owner's Manual
for CS-18 Subwoofer
P/N 051342
REV A
CONTRACTOR SERIES CS-18
PROFESSIONAL SUBWOOFER
LOUDSPEAKER
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for purchasing a Contractor Series CS-18
Professional Subwoofer from Fender® Pro Audio. We
are sure you will find it both a unique and effective
sound reinforcement product, providing years of
trouble-free service.
13-Ply Baltic Birch Cabinet
800W Program Power Handling
40 Hz to 400 Hz Frequency
Response
Designed for the most demanding sound
contracting requirements, the cabinet’s internal
wood bracing helps eliminate side wall movement.
This design results in low distortion, very high power
handling and very high SPL output. Likewise, large
ports on the CS-18 and cabinet prevent
compression at high SPL due to large exit velocities.
98 dB Sensitivity @ 1W / 1m
One 18” (46 cm) Cast Frame Woofer
with 4” (10 cm) Voice Coil and 109
Ounce Magnet
Housed in a sanded unfinished cabinet, the CS-18
offers the flexibility of painting and varnishing the
cabinet to your specifications. Also, the CS-18 is
equipped with flypoints to attach rigging hardware
for flying applications. By using the Fender®
RigSafe™ rigging and flying hardware system, the
CS-18 can be safely suspended overhead.
Likewise, the RigSafe™ system is compatible with
both the JBL S.A.F.E.™ and ATM Fly-Ware™
components. With its trapezoidal shape, the CS-18
fits well in a tight cluster with either the CS-12 or
CS-15 enclosures. When used in this configuration,
the CS-18 effectively reproduces the low-end
frequencies; the CS-12 or CS-15 is then used as a
mid-high cabinet.
4-pole Speakon™ Connectors and
High Current 1/4” Phone Jacks
Reinforced for Flying Applications
CAUTION: Almost all speakers produce strong
magnetic fields which may interfere with the
normal operation of nearby electronic devices,
including televisions and computer video
monitors. To reduce or eliminate interference,
increase the distance between this product and
other nearby electronic devies.
3
CONNECTIONS
SETUP SUGGESTIONS
The two 4-Pole Speakon™ connectors and the two The placement of any speaker can dramatically
1/4" phone jacks are wired in full parallel so that any affect its sound. Thus, there are three primary
one of the connectors may be used as an input and considerations to review when placing subwoofers.
the other connector as an output to another
subwoofer. This allows the multiple cabinets to be The first is time alignment. The mid/high racks
"daisy chained", eliminating the need for several long should be as close as possible to the subwoofer so
runs of speaker cable.
the sound from the subwoofer reaches the audience
at the same time as the sound from the mid/high
Note: A single CS-18 subwoofer represents an 8Ω packs. If the subwoofer is placed too far from the
load to the amplifier. Daisy chaining two of them in mid/high packs, a slight smearing of the lower bass
parallel will represent a 4Ω load to the amplifier. frequencies may occur. While ideal placement for
Only amplifiers rated for 4Ω output should be used this consideration would involve stacking the
in this configuration.
mid/high pack on top of the subwoofer, this effect is
quite subtle and an obvious effect may not be heard
The following polarity convention should be used until the separation between the two cabinets is large
when making connections to the CS-18:
enough to cause an audible time delay.
Polarity
Phone Jack
Speakon™ The second consideration is to try to obtain as
much bass as possible from the subwoofer. A
Positive (+)
Negative (-)
Tip
Sleeve
1+ and/or 2+ subwoofer hanging in free air is referred to as
1- and/or 2-
operating in "full space" since the subwoofer is free
to radiate in all directions (omnidirectionally). A
speaker in the middle of the floor or up in the air with
its back against a wall is referred to as operating in
"half space". Full space operation will result in about
USING THE CS-18 IN A SYSTEM
The CS-18 is designed to augment the low a 3 dB decrease in output as compared to half
frequency performance of the main P.A. speakers space. In order to compensate for the decrease in
using bi-amplification. By reproducing high levels of output using a full space configuration, the power
the low bass frequencies, the CS-18 relieves the amplifier may need to be turned up. Placing a
smaller main speakers from having to supply this speaker near a large, flat wall and on the floor
energy.
(quarter space) will boost the bass performance by
about 3 dB as compared to half space. The more
In order to split frequencies and send certain surfaces the subwoofer is placed against, the fewer
frequencies to one type of speaker and other the number of subwoofer enclosures are needed to
frequencies to another type, a line-level electronic achieve a desired SPL.
crossover, such as a Fender® PCN-2™ or PCN-4™, is
required.
The third consideration is convenience and the
visual aspect of the speaker array. For temporary
Two different configurations are shown on pages 5 installations, the subwoofer can be used as a
and 6, demonstrating how easy it is to add a support for a mid/high pack mounted directly on top
subwoofer to a system. Figure 3, on page 7, shows of the subwoofer. In permanent installations, the
a more extensive configuration for those set-ups CS-18, for example, can be placed under a stage,
requiring additional power.
table, or podium.
For each particular situation, a compromise among
these three factors should yield the best solution
possible.
4
CROSSOVER SUGGESTIONS
After the speaker system has been placed, the The output level of the subwoofer(s) should be
crossover point needs to be set for maximum matched by ear to the output level of the full range
benefit. While the 18" driver in the CS-18 is fully cabinets by adjusting the level control at the
capable of accurately reproducing frequencies crossover (if it has one) or at the power amplifiers.
above 400 Hz, setting the crossover point this high Normally, the output of the full range cabinets is
makes time alignment very difficult and the large 18" subjectively higher than that of the subwoofers so a
woofer will start to "beam". Beaming occurs when balance can be achieved by turning down the
lower frequencies are emitted in an approximately mid/high frequency signal at or before the power
omnidirectional pattern while higher frequencies are amplifiers.
emitted more on-axis. For the CS-18, this occurs
above the crossover point of 400 Hz. If the
crossover 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 locations. Most listeners cannot
locate the origin of frequencies below 150 Hz.
Setting the crossover point too low (below 80 Hz)
will not take full advantage of the subwoofer
because it places too high of a demand on the
mid/high packs. For these reasons, a crossover
point of ranging between 80 and 200 Hz is
recommended depending upon the placement of
the speakers.
BI-AMP SYSTEM USING A FULL RANGE CABINET AND SUBWOOFER
FULL
RANGE
INPUT
C-12
or
C-15
POWERED MIXER
MAIN
OUT
MAIN
MON.
MAIN
MONITOR
AMP IN
AMP IN
AMP OUT AMP OUT
FENDER
TRIPOD STAND
HIGH LOW
OUT OUT
INPUT
- ∞
- ∞
- ∞
- ∞
- ∞
- ∞
C-18
PCN-2
ELECTRONIC
CROSSOVER
5
BI-AMPED MAIN SYSTEM WITH MONITORS
PCN-2 ELECTRONIC CROSSOVER
UNPOWERED MIXER
MONITOR
OUT
MAIN
OUT
- ∞
- ∞
- ∞
- ∞
- ∞
- ∞
LOW
OUT
HIGH
OUT
INPUT
A IN
B IN
SPA-13000
A OUT
B OUT
FULL
RANGE
INPUT
FULL
RANGE
INPUT
C-12
C-12
IN
or
or
C-15
C-15
OUT
OUT
M-500
MONITOR
AMPLIFIER
C-18
SPL 1285 MK-II
MONITOR
SPL 1285 MK-II
MONITOR
SPEAKER
SPEAKER
6
MULTIPLE SPEAKERS IN BI-AMPED SYSTEM WITH MONITORS
C-12
or
C-15
C-12
or
C-15
C-12
or
C-15
C-12
or
C-15
SUBWOOFERS
C-18
C-18
B Out
A Out
UNPOWERED MIXER
MONITOR
OUT
MAIN
OUT
(Dual mono
operation)
IN
IN
SPA-13000
B Out
A Out
IN
(Dual mono
operation)
SPA-13000
M-500
MONITOR
AMPLIFIER
OUT
OUT
LOW HIGH
OUT OUT
INPUT
- ∞
- ∞
- ∞
- ∞
- ∞
- ∞
PCN-2 ELECTRONIC CROSSOVER
SPL 1285 MK-II
MONITOR
SPL 1285 MK-II
MONITOR
SPEAKER
SPEAKER
7
SPECIFICATIONS
MODEL
CS-18
PART NUMBER
071-1310-300
MAXIMUM dB SPL
OUTPUT LONG TERM
124 dB
DRIVER
18" (46 cm) cast frame woofer
4" (10 cm) voice coil
109 ounce (3.1 kg) magnet
CABINET
3/4" (1.9 cm) 13-ply Baltic birch (unfinished)
FREQUENCY
RESPONSE
Axial +/- 3 dB:
LF Limit +/- 3 dB:
42 Hz to 400 Hz
42 Hz
AXIAL
SPL @ 1W/1m:
98 dB
SENSITIVITY
1/2 Space Efficiency:
2.25 %
POWER
E.I.A. RS 426-A Noise: 400W, for 8 hours
HANDLING
Program:
Peak:
Nominal Impedance:
800W
1600W
8Ω
DIMENSIONS
Weight
Height
Width (front)
Width (rear)
Depth
85 lbs.
28.5"
24.6"
8.8"
(37 kg)
(72.4 cm)
(62.4 cm)
(22.2 cm)
(61.3 cm)
24.1"
Product specifications are subject to change without notice.
WARNING: The length of the useful life of this cabinet will depend in substantial part upon how this cabinet
is treated in use. The user of this cabinet must periodically have this cabinet inspected to ensure that
continued use has not weakened the cabinet's structure, including the various joints which are fastened with
glue and/or screws. Because this cabinet is in some instances, suspended from heights in use and could
cause serious injuries or fatalities if it falls, this determination is important and must be attended to by the user.
For questions concerning flying your CS-18, please refer to the "Flying with Fender RigSafe™" booklet (P/N
049646) or contact ATM Fly-Ware™ at (310) 834-5914.
A PRODUCT OF:
FENDER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS CORP.
CORONA, CA 91720 USA
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