JBL SpeakerPro User Guide JBL SpeakerPro is the first app for precise speaker distance and angle optimization using your iphone, ipad or ipod Touch. Its measurement process allows you to fine-tune speaker placement to maximize the fidelity of your audio system. JBL SpeakerPro uses patent-pending technology to measure critical speaker distances with exceptional accuracy. Once distance measurements have been taken, JBL SpeakerPro makes intelligent angling recommendations for each speaker in your system. The degree to which speakers are angled towards the listening position, called "toe-in," determines how much of the speaker's direct, on-axis signal you are hearing, as opposed to the speaker's off-axis signal reflected by the walls, ceiling, and floor. Subtle differences in toe-in
can affect the tonal balance, imaging, and the overall sense of spaciousness you hear. While the degree of toe-in is largely a matter of personal preference, angles should be precisely set for all speakers. JBL SpeakerPro is the tool you need to do this. There are many variables which determine optimum toe-in, the most important of which are the distances between the speakers and the distance from each speaker to the listening position. Ideally, both speakers in a stereo system (or all Left and Right speakers in a surround sound system) should be equidistant from one another and from the listening position, and symmetrically angled. Making Distance measurements with JBL SpeakerPro: 1. Begin a new project, or choose a previously created project. JBL SpeakerPro's My Projects screen (which can accessed at any time from the "Quad" menu icon at the top left of the screen; see #7 below) allows you to load a previously created project by selecting the project name, or to create a new project by touching the "+" button at the bottom of the screen. The default name for a new project is "New Project [DATE]_1" which is the current date, formatted mm/dd/yy, plus the suffix "_1". You can rename the project if you like, using the keyboard at the bottom of the screen. Then, depending on whether you have a stereo or surround sound (home theater) system, select either Stereo or Surround, and touch Done. Note: If you create additional projects on the same day, the number at the end of the name will automatically increment. For example, the second project you create on a given day is assigned the name "New Project [DATE]_2". 2. Make an audio connection between your ios device and the sound system. JBL SpeakerPro uses sound to measure distances. It therefore requires that a physical connection be made between the headphone output of your iphone, ipad, or ipod Touch and the inputs to your powered speakers or audio system using an appropriate "Y" cable. If you are not using powered speakers, an audio receiver or mixing console can be used to route signal to connected speakers. Note: Appropriate cabling can be readily obtained from any audio retailer. One end of this cable should provide an 1/8-inch mini (3.5mm) male TRS (tip-ring-sleeve) connector that is compatible with the headphone output of your iphone, ipad, or ipod Touch. The other end is
usually divided into two separate cables (forming a "Y"): one for the Left signal and one for the Right signal. Depending on your audio system, these connectors should be either male XLR, 1/4-inch (6.3 mm), or RCA. Immediately after creating a new project, a dialog will appear instructing you to connect your device to your audio system. Begin by turning down the volume of your powered speakers or audio system, then set the volume of your iphone, ipad, or ipod Touch to maximum. Identify the Y-cable connector that is Left and the one that is Right, and be certain to connect these correctly to your Left and Right speakers or audio system inputs. Once the connections are made, touch the onscreen Stereo Test Tone button, then adjust the volume of your sound system to a moderate listening level. When done, touch the Continue button. Note: To take advantage of JBL SpeakerPro's intelligent speaker toe-in recommendation feature, distance measurements should be taken prior to setting toe-in angles. However, if you want to measure speaker angles instead of distances, you can skip this step: simply touch "Continue" in the dialog and touch the Angle icon at the bottom of the screen. Touch the menu icon in the upper left-hand corner of the screen and select User Guide to learn about this function. 3. Measure your system's audio latency. Every audio system has some degree of latency, a very slight delay between the time a signal is generated and the time it is audible in the loudspeaker(s). While this is typically just milliseconds or fractions of milliseconds, JBL SpeakerPro needs to account for any delay in the system in order to provide accurate distance measurements. As instructed by the dialog that appears after the audio connection is successfully made, begin by placing your iphone, ipad, or ipod Touch on top of, or directly in front of, one of the speakers in your system and touch the corresponding onscreen speaker icon. You will hear the measurement signal: a series of short "click" sounds coming from the speaker as JBL SpeakerPro measures system latency. If the app is unable to take such a measurement, an error message will appear instructing you to increase the level of your sound system or to check the audio connection. (Tip: Confirm that the Left connector of your audio cable is routed to the Left speaker and the Right connector is routed to the Right speaker.) Once this process is successfully completed, a box will appear at the top of the screen displaying the latency in milliseconds. If necessary, you can re-measure the audio latency. Once
accepted, the latency value is stored in memory and factored into distance measurements, and will permanently be part of that particular project's data. 4. Take distance measurements. JBL SpeakerPro lets you measure the distance from any speaker in your system to the listening position or to another speaker. To take a measurement, touch the onscreen icon corresponding to the speaker you want to use as the starting point. The icon will be updated with an orange border while other speaker icons and the "listener" icon in the center of the screen will be highlighted in white. Begin by placing your iphone, ipad, or ipod Touch at the listening position, then touch the "listener" icon at the center of the screen. You will hear a series of short clicks from the selected speaker and JBL SpeakerPro will display the measured distance from the selected speaker to the listening position, in feet, inches, and hundredths of an inch. (You can change the unit of measurement by selecting the Quad menu Settings button; see #7 below). At this point, you can choose to accept the measurement, re-measure, or cancel by touching the appropriate onscreen button. The re-measure option allows you to make successive measurements so you can adjust speaker placement to match a specific distance requirement. When a distance measurement is accepted, a dotted line will appear between the speaker icon and the listener icon onscreen, indicating that the measurement has been taken and is stored in memory. Note: If JBL SpeakerPro is unable to take a distance measurement, an error message will appear instructing you to to increase the level of your sound system or to check the audio connection. (Tip: Confirm that the Left connector of your audio cable is routed to the Left speaker and the Right connector is routed to the Right speaker.) You can continue to take distance measurements from the currently selected speaker (the one bordered in orange) to any other positions highlighted in white (for example, from the selected speaker to another speaker); simply move your iphone or ipad to the new position and then touch the corresponding onscreen icon. When you have completed all desired measurements for the selected speaker, touch the Done button in the upper right-hand corner. Icons will no longer be highlighted, but any dotted lines will remain onscreen. To take distance measurements from another speaker, simply touch that speaker's icon and move your ios device to any highlighted area, then touch the corresponding onscreen icon. You can deselect the currently selected speaker (or stop taking distance measurements altogether) at any time by simply touching the Done button. Dotted lines will remain onscreen.
When working within a stereo project, JBL SpeakerPro allows you to take the following distance measurements: Left speaker to listening position Left speaker to right speaker (or vice versa) Right speaker to listening position When working within a surround sound project, JBL SpeakerPro allows you to take the following distance measurements: Front left (FL) speaker to listening position Front left (FL) speaker to front right (FR) speaker (or vice versa) Front right (FR) speaker to listening position Center (C) speaker to listening position Front left (FL) speaker to Center (C) speaker (or vice versa) Front right (FR) speaker to Center (C) speaker (or vice versa) Rear left (RL) speaker to listening position Rear left (RL) speaker to rear right (RR) speaker (or vice versa) Rear right (RR) speaker to listening position Side left (SL) speaker to listening position Side right (SR) speaker to listening position (Note: Measurement of the distance between the SL and SR speakers is not supported.) Hint: If error messages are displayed or if you believe distance measurements are not correct, there are several steps you can take to improve the accuracy of the measurement process: 1. Ensure there is no sound source playing through your audio system (i.e. music) while taking measurements. 2. Try to prevent loud sounds from occurring in the listening environment while taking measurements. 3. Make sure you are not moving your device while the clicks are sounding. 4. Identify the location of your device's microphone and ensure that it is not impeded by your hand or another object while the clicks are sounding. 5. JBL SpeakerPro simply needs to "hear" the measurement signal clicks in order to take accurate measurements. If you find it difficult to hear the measurement signal, increase the volume of your audio system until the clicks are clearly audible.
5. View and share your measurements. Touching the Table View button at the bottom left of the screen displays a list of all measurements that are part of your current project. The Share icon at the bottom of the screen allows you to email, text, copy, or print the list. Printing requires an Air-compatible printer and a WiFi connection. Measurements not taken are indicated as: " -- ". While it is not strictly necessary to take all possible measurements, the more measurements you do take, the greater the accuracy of JBL SpeakerPro's toe-in recommendations. To exit the Table View screen, touch the Back button at the upper left-hand corner of the screen. 6. Use the Reset button to clear the distance measurements. To reset all distance values and delete all distance measurements from the current project, touch the Reset button at the bottom right of the screen. Resetting distance measurements does not erase speaker angle measurements, and vice versa. 7. Use the menu options. Pressing the "Quad" menu icon in the upper left-hand corner of the screen presents several additional options: The My Projects button takes you to the My Projects screen, where you can recall a previously stored project (by touching its name), rename a project (by touching and holding on its name), or delete all projects. The User Guide button allows you to view these instructions onscreen. The Share icon at the bottom allows you to email, text, copy, or print these instructions. An Air-compatible printer and WiFi connection are required for printing. The Settings button opens a dialog that allows you to select the unit used to display distance measurements: feet / inches / hundredths of an inch (the default setting) or meters / hundredths of a meter. Alternatively, you can display distances in milliseconds/hundredths of a milliseconds, representing the time required for audio to arrive at one position from another position.
More at JBL Pro takes you to the JBL SpeakerPro webpage, which provides additional information and links to the latest products from JBL. Note: Use of this feature requires a WiFi and internet connection. Pressing this button will not erase current measurements. When you return to JBL SpeakerPro, all data in the currently loaded project remains in memory. 8. Manage your projects. The "My Projects" screen allows you to load and/or rename the current or previously stored projects. There's no need for a "save" function, because JBL SpeakerPro automatically saves all data as you are working. To recall a previous project, touch the project name. To rename a project, touch and hold the project name. A Rename dialog will open, allowing you to assign a name to the project using the onscreen ios keyboard. To create a new project, touch the "+" button at the bottom of the screen. To delete a project, swipe to the left next to the project's name and then touch the Delete button. To delete all projects, touch the Quad menu icon at the top left-hand corner of the screen and select Delete All Projects. Caution: This will permanently delete all previously created Projects. 9. Measure and set speaker toe-in angles. Simply touch the Angle icon in the bottom of the screen, then select the User Guide option in the Quad menu for detailed instructions on how to use JBL SpeakerPro to measure and set speaker toe-in angles. Measuring and Setting Speaker Toe-In Angles The degree to which speakers are angled towards the listening position, called "toe-in," determines how much of the speaker's direct, on-axis signal you are hearing, as opposed to the speaker's off-axis signal reflected by the walls, ceiling, and floor. Subtle differences in toe-in can affect the tonal balance, imaging, and the overall sense of spaciousness you hear. While the degree of toe-in is largely a matter of personal preference, angles should be precisely set for all speakers. JBL SpeakerPro is the tool you need to do this.
There are many variables which determine optimum toe-in, the most important of which are the distances between the speakers and the distance from each speaker to the listening position. Ideally, both speakers in a stereo system (or all Left and Right speakers in a surround sound system) should be equidistant from one another and from the listening position, and symmetrically angled. To measure and obtain toe-in recommendations with JBL SpeakerPro: 1. Start by making sure all speakers in your system have zero degrees of toe-in. Move each speaker in your system so its front surface is facing straight ahead, as shown in the onscreen graphic; i.e., not yet angled towards the listening position, indicated by the listener icon at the center of the screen. No need for any fancy measurement: just adjust each speaker using a visual approximation. 2. Enter the Angle screen. Touch the Angle icon at the bottom of the screen (located to the right of the Distance icon). 3. Identify the speaker you plan to adjust. In JBL SpeakerPro's Angle screen, touch the icon corresponding to the speaker you wish to adjust. The icon will be updated with an orange border and the number box immediately below the icon (the small gray rectangle) will display the following text: "Touch to ZERO." 4. Place your ios device on top of the selected speaker. Physically place your iphone, ipad, or ipod Touch on top of the selected speaker and align its bottom (short) edge with the front edge of the speaker. 5. Touch the number box below the selected speaker icon. This tells JBL SpeakerPro that the selected speaker and your ios device are aligned, and that the speaker toe-in is 0 degrees, as shown in the onscreen graphic. The number box will become red and display the value of "0 ". Note: When working within a Surround project, side speakers will initially display 90 (perpendicular). 6. Move the selected speaker.
Without moving your ios device, physically rotate the speaker inwards (that is, towards the listening position). As you physically move the speaker, the icon will move in the same way, and the number box below it will display the current toe-in angle. When the speaker is angled within 20 to 45, the number box changes color, from red to green. If distance measurement has not been performed prior to entering JBL SpeakerPro's Angle screen, the number box changes in color to light green once the speaker is angled to within 3 of the generally recommended 30 for nearfield systems. If distance measurement has been performed, you will see dotted lines between speaker icons and from speaker icons to the listening position icon, indicating which measurements have been taken. (For details, see the User Guide in the Distance screen.) This allows JBL SpeakerPro to provide intelligent toe-in recommendations based on the layout of your system. As you rotate that speaker, the number box changes in color to light green when the angle is within 3 of JBL SpeakerPro's recommendation. In addition, the area around the active icon will become increasingly darker blue in color, and darkest blue when the speaker is precisely angled. 7. When you have rotated the selected speaker to the desired angle, "lock" the value. Touch that speaker's icon a second time to deselect it. The orange border disappears, and the number box changes in color to orange, indicating that the displayed value is "locked" and will no longer be affected when your ios device is moved. 8. Set the toe-in angle of additional speakers. To set other speakers in your audio system to the desired angle, simply touch a different speaker icon. The icon will be updated with an orange border. Then repeat steps #3 - #7 above. When the second speaker in a Left/Right pair (i.e., the Left and Right speakers in a stereo system, or Left and Right front, rear, and/or side surround speakers in a surround sound system) is angled to precisely the same angle as the first speaker, the number box becomes yellow in color. Note: Due to space limitations in a particular room, left and right speaker placement may not be symmetrical. In this case, differing toe-in angles are required to provide the listener with the same amount of on-axis sound from both speakers. If your surround sound system includes side speakers, place your ios device on top of the Side Left (SL) or Side Right (SR) speaker and touch the corresponding speaker icon, then repeat steps #3 - #7 above. When the selected side speaker is angled within 70 to 110 (that is, plus or minus 20 from perpendicular), the number box will remain green in color. When it is angled by
less than 70 or more than 110, the number box will become red in color to indicate the toe-in is outside recommended angles. Note: JBL SpeakerPro does not provide specific angle recommendations for speakers used for the side channels. 9. Use the Reset button to clear the toe-in angles. To reset all toe-in values and delete all angle data from the current project, touch the Reset button at the bottom right of the screen. Resetting angle measurements does not erase distance measurements, and vice versa. 10. Use the menu options. Pressing the "Quad" menu icon in the upper left-hand corner of the screen presents several additional options: The My Projects button takes you to the My Projects screen, where you can recall a previously stored project (by touching its name), rename a project (by touching and holding on its name), or delete all projects. The User Guide button allows you to view these instructions onscreen. The Share icon at the bottom allows you to email, text, copy, or print these instructions. An Air-compatible printer and WiFi connection are required for printing. The Settings button opens a dialog that allows you to select the unit used to display distance measurements: feet / inches / hundredths of an inch (the default setting) or meters / hundredths of a meter. Alternatively, you can display distances in milliseconds/hundredths of a milliseconds, representing the time required for audio to arrive at one position from another position. More at JBL Pro takes you to the JBL SpeakerPro webpage, which provides additional information and links to the latest products from JBL. Note: Use of this feature requires a WiFi and internet connection. Pressing this button will not erase current measurements. When you return to JBL SpeakerPro, all data in the currently loaded project remains in memory. 11. Manage your projects.
The "My Projects" screen allows you to load and/or rename the current or previously stored projects. There's no need for a "save" function, because JBL SpeakerPro automatically saves all data as you are working. To recall a previous project, touch the project name. To rename a project, touch and hold the project name. A Rename dialog will open, allowing you to assign a name to the project using the onscreen ios keyboard. To create a new project, touch the "+" button at the bottom of the screen. To delete a project, swipe to the left next to the project's name and then touch the Delete button. To delete all projects, touch the Quad menu icon at the top left-hand corner of the screen and select Delete All Projects. Caution: This will permanently delete all previously created Projects. 12. Measure speaker distances. Simply touch the Distance icon in the bottom of the screen, then select the User Guide option in the Quad menu for detailed instructions on how to use JBL SpeakerPro to take distance measurements.