QLIGHT SERIES
TQ-440
USER MANUAL
Turbosound Ltd.
Star Road, Partridge Green
West Sussex RH13 8RY England
Tel: +44 (0)1403 711447 Fax: +44 (0)1403 710155
Issue 1.0 Copyright 2000 Turbosound Ltd.
user manual
QLight series
Thanks
Thank you for choosing a TURBOSOUND TQ-440 loudspeaker product for your application. Please
spare a little tim e to digest the contents of this m anual, so that you can obtain the best possible
perform ance from this unit.
All TURBOSOUND products are carefully engineered for world class perform ance and reliability.
If you would like further inform ation about this or any other TURBOSOUND product, please
We look forward to helping you in the near future.
Unpacking the TQ-440 loudspeaker
After unpacking the unit please check carefully for dam age. If dam age is found, please notify the
carrier concerned at once. You, the consignee, m ust instigate any claim . Please retain all
packaging in case of future re-shipm ent.
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Introduction
Congratulations, you have just purchased a professional loudspeaker system from the renowned
Turbosound range, designed to give you the best in audio quality and m any years of reliable,
trouble free operation. It offers superior audio quality, unsurpassed vocal projection, full technical
docum entation including EASE data, and com prehensive rigging and flying hardware options.
Please read through this m anual carefully before you attem pt to operate the loudspeaker system .
It contains valuable inform ation enabling you to quickly and easily set up and connect the
loudspeakers, im portant system and set-up checks together with positioning and m ounting
instructions.
Features
♦
Superb audio quality: carefully designed and m atched loudspeaker drive units are used
throughout to give you exceptional perform ance and m any years of reliable, trouble free
operation.
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♦
Controlled dispersion: the TQ-440 enclosure exhibits a tight, controlled dispersion pattern
which m inim ises room reflections and focuses the sound pressure directed at audience areas.
Three way design: the exclusive use of cone transducers in the low and m id frequency bands
guarantees a seam less low/m id crossover, greater power handling, lower distortion and
m inim al m echnical stress.
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♦
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Tim e aligned com ponents: the m id frequency and high frequency drive units are physically
tim e-aligned within the enclosure to ensure perfect tim e arrival.
Solid construction: all Turbosound QLight series cabinets are built from high grade birch
plywood, rebated, screwed and glued together for m axim um rigidity and durability.
Integral rigging points: fitted as standard, enabling use with m any different types of optional
flying hardware.
Com pact enclosure: custom designed 12”/1”dual concentric driver allows this three-way
enclosure to be the equivalent size of m any traditional two-way designs.
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Product Summary
The TQ-440 is a com pact three-way bi-am ped full range enclosure that offers uprecendented levels
of audio clarity and definition.
It incorporates a custom -designed co-axial 12"/1" com bination LF/HF driver in an optim ally tuned
vented trapezoidal enclosure handling the low and high frequency bands. The critical m id-range
frequencies are handled by a proprietary 6.5" cone transducer on a 60° horizontal by 40° vertical
nom inal dispersion waveguide, loaded with a TurboMid device.
The exclusive use of cone transducers in both the low and m id frequency bands produces a
seam less transition at the crossover frequency, with the result that all of the critical vocal range
right up to 8kHz is lower in distortion than com pression driver-based designs. In addition the 6.5"
m id-range driver is a highly efficient device, and is able to handle large am ounts of am plifier
power. The rem aining high frequencies above 8kHz are effortlessly handled by a 1" com pression
driver, operating in a relatively narrow pass band, and therefore subjected to m inim al m echanical
stress. The m id and high com ponents are physically tim e aligned within the enclosure, ensuring
perfect tim e arrival at the listener's ear. When com pared to conventional two-way designs the TQ-
440 is able to offer higher SPL, significantly lower distortion, and unsurpassed vocal projection
capabilities in an equivalently sized physical package.
The TQ-440 is designed for use with the LMS-D6 digital loudspeaket m anagem ent system , which
provides m odel-specific crossover and lim iting functions.
The TQ-440 is a full range loudspeaker, and used by itself will provide high quality audio for all
speech and m any m usic reproduction applications. In order to extend the effective bass frequency
range of the loudspeaker by a further octave the use of the com plem entary TQ-425 subwoofer is
recom m ended.
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System Requirements
The TQ-440 is a bi-am ped loudspeaker system . It requires two independent am plifier channels:
one channel to power the low frequency driver (LF) plus another channel to power the m idrange
(MF) and high frequency (HF) together. A frequency dividing network is also required to split the
signal and feed it to the appropriate driver section; the LMS-D6 digital loudspeaker m anagem ent
system or the LMS-A6 loudspeaker m anagem ent system is recom m ended for this purpose.
Amplifier considerations
The TQ-440 should be driven by high quality power am plifiers designed for true professional use.
Such am plifiers will have balanced inputs, DC and RF fault protection, and well designed cooling
system s for reliability.
The program power listed in the loudspeaker’s technical specification is the best guide to the size
of am plifier required for general purpose applications. The am plifier should therefore be capable
of delivering long term broadband power equal to the loudspeaker’s program power rating at the
loudspeaker’s stated nom inal im pedance. This approach allows sufficient headroom to generate
good dynam ic range.
RECOMMENDED AMPLIFIER POWER RATINGS:
The am plifier's rated r.m .s. continuous power output (20Hz – 20kHz, per
channel) should be equal to the recom m ended program power handling of
the loudspeaker at its nom inal im pedance.
In general, the m ore powerful the am plifier the better it will sound, provided that it is not driven
into sustained clipping. It should be understood that overdriving an insufficiently powered
am plifier is m ore likely to cause loudspeaker dam age – the total energy in a heavily clipped signal
is far higher than in an unclipped signal – than operating a m ore powerful am plifier within its
ratings.
One controller can be used to feed several am plifiers as long as all the am plifiers are the sam e (or
have the sam e gain ratings). More than one controller m ay be required if the am plifiers are of
different gain or type. Please contact your dealer if you require help in this area.
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Equalisation
Because the TQ-440 features a sm ooth and even frequency response, it does not need equalisation
or correction to overcom e the deficiencies often found in lesser designs.
Should extended frequency response be required at m ore than m edium sound pressure levels, the
use of the com plem entary TQ-425 subwoofer is strongly recom m ended.
In order to to com pensate for the room acoustics, the TQ-440 requires only m inim al equalisation.
As in any system , over-equalisation introduces phase shifts, distortion and a reduction in
headroom , usually causing m ore problem s than it cures.
Under m ost circum stances a 1/3 or 1/2 octave graphic equaliser will generally be adequate, with
the fader settings applied sm oothly and as little as possible for the required room com pensation.
Most room s will have resonances that will be excited at particular frequencies needing som e cut to
help tam e the sound, these problem s are m ost pronounced at the lower frequencies where
speakers generally exhibit very little directional control.
If you find that the system needs a lot of boost at lower frequencies you m ay need additional sub-
bass units. It is good practice to use as little equalisation as possible, aim ing to cut frequencies
rather than adding large am ounts of boost.
Dispersion
One of the design features of the TQ-440 is its tightly controlled 60º horizontal by 40º vertical
nom inal dispersion pattern at m id and high frequencies. This gives m any user advantages and
eases placem ent decisions, being essentially a point and shoot system . A 60º horizontal polar
pattern equals an angle of 30º either side of the centre line at which the sound pressure level is 6
dB down with respect to centre, (averaged over the whole frequency range of the loudspeaker).
Thus a 40º vertical dispersion gives an angle of 20º above and below the horizon.
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Mounting and Fixing
A versatile range of m ounting hardware is available for the TQ-440 that allows it to be used in a
variety of ways, in either m obile applications or perm anent installations.
A top hat stand type fitting is m ounted in the base of the cabinet
for use with 35m m diam eter loudspeaker stands with a load rating
of at least 37kgs (82lbs).
This top hat fitting m ay also be used to m ount the TQ-440 cabinet
at the correct height above the com plem entary TQ-425 subwoofer
using a straight 35m m pole.
Internal m etric threaded rigging points are provided
in several locations on the cabinet – on the top, bottom
and sides - enabling it to be flown using standard M10
shoulder eyebolts (available from Turbosound).
Downward inclination of the enclosure can be adjusted
using an additional rigging point on the rear of the
cabinet.
Side-m ounted flying strips can be fitted to the sides of
the enclosure by rem oving the countersunk bolts on
the top and sides of the cabinet and replacing them
with the M10 bolts provided with the hardware. Two
FF-440 flying strips are required for each enclosure.
This m ethod offers a sim ple and cost effective m ethod
of flying single or m ultiple TQ-440 enclosures, with the
load being taken through the steel strips rather than
through the woodwork of the enclosure. Enclosures
m ay be arranged in a vertical colum n by coupling the
flying strips together using QL-75 quicklinks or
shackles.
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The universal FB-12 flybar assem bly enables the use of
several different fixing m ethods, all shown in the diagram
here. The flybar is attached to to the cabinet using a pair of
captive M10 shoulder eyebolts (supplied). There are 12
attachm ent points equally spaced along the length of the
spine. Depending on which point is chosen for the given
attachm ent system , a wide range of downward inclination can
be achieved over a range of approxim ately 70 degrees. The
design of the flybar even allows for upwards angles, for
exam ple for coverage of balconies that are higher than the
loudspeaker location.
The FB-12 flybar assem bly com es supplied with a U-6 Unilock which provides a single attachm ent
point. The point at which the Unilock is attached to the flybar determ ines the vertical angle of the
loudspeaker as shown in the table following.
A pick-up point adaptor offers a further single attachm ent point. This option provides fast
adjustm ent of vertical angle. The point at which the eyebolt adaptor is attached to the flybar
determ ines the vertical angle of the loudspeaker as shown in the table following.
The SC-440 alum inium scaffold clam p is attached to the T-bar by m eans of a sim ple clevis
coupler. It is designed to rotate horizontally through 360° in order to enable accurate positioning of
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the loudspeaker. The point at which the scaffold clam p is attached to the flybar determ ines the
vertical angle of the loudspeaker as shown in the table following.
The following table gives the predicted downward angle of the enclosure using the various
attachm ent points on the FB-12 flybar assem bly.
Attachm ent position
Vertical angle (negative angle denotes upwards)
-29°
-23°
-17°
-10°
-3°
Hole num ber 1 (front of cabinet)
Hole num ber 2
Hole num ber 3
Hole num ber 4
Hole num ber 5
4°
Hole num ber 6
11°
18°
24°
30°
35°
40°
Hole num ber 7
Hole num ber 8
Hole num ber 9
Hole num ber 10
Hole num ber 11
Hole num ber 12 (rear of cabinet)
The FH-440 is a com plete flying fram e and
harness which enables the TQ-440 to be
installed with the m axim um of security. It
provides unlim ited variation of horizontal and
vertical inclination, and is very easy to re-
position and angle once rigged.
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Modular flybar assem bly The key elem ent in flying
m ultiple TQ-440 enclosures is a versatile Flying Bar
Assem bly (FB-58), m anufactured by Turbosound, that will
support a vertical colum n of up to three enclosures deep.
Fly bars can be linked in the horizontal plane using the
index pins provided to form arched arrays with adjustable
(horizontal) angles from 0º to 45º at 5º increm ents per
cabinet. This allows arrays and clusters of alm ost any
angle to be configured with the ability to change array
angles without dism antling and whilst suspended. This
useful feature allows for fine tuning of speaker positions
for best coverage, throw and SPL’s.
On each side of the TQ-440 cabinet you will find keyhole
type quick-release flying plates, plus top and bottom rear
brackets for pull-up straps and linking plates. When flying
m ore than one cabinet in the vertical plane speakers are
suspended on fixed length steel cables (FS-60) and pull up
straps (TS-440) to align the downward angles.
Any installation, whether tem porary or perm anent, m ust
be securely attached to the structure of the building using chain, steel wires or web straps which
are certified and load rated for the purpose. The com bined weight of the sound system , its cables
and the rigging system m ust be safely carried by the points at which attachm ent is m ade to the
building or structure. Great care m ust be taken in selecting the attachm ent points and m ethods,
being absolutely sure of the load carrying capacity of points chosen.
NOTE: The rigging of loudspeaker system s is an extrem ely serious m atter with potentially lethal
consequences should anything go wrong. It is of vital im portance that you, or other people rigging
the system , are suitably qualified to do so and have a full understanding of all the factors involved
with safety as a num ber one priority. Turbosound accept no responsibility for any accident,
dam age or failure of any rigged system . This rigging inform ation is specifically related to the
requirem ents of the TQ-440 series only. For m ore detailed inform ation on the whole topic of
rigging various handbooks are available. If you are in any doubt contact your Turbosound dealer
who will be able to refer you to an experienced rigging com pany.
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Arraying
The TQ-440 has a side-wall angle of 16º. Use this position for sm ooth horizontal dispersion that is
ideal for m any applications. With the high dynam ic range capability and low power com pression
of the TQ-440 you should find this wide angle arrangem ent adequate for all but the m ost
dem anding long throw requirem ents. It also has the advantage of needing fewer cabinets to cover
the required area.
When speakers are m ounted together in close proxim ity either stacked on top of each other or
arrayed the output increases due to the coupling effect. For instance, stacking two cabinets on top
of each other with the top one inverted gives around 4.5 dB increase in the m id/high section, ideal
for long throw in large halls, sports stadium s, etc. Mounting the bass drivers close to each other
gives the sam e gain at the low end. When the system is arrayed for wider angle coverage with
cabinets side by side the gain is in the order of 3db.
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Choosing the best location
It was stated earlier that the TQ-440’s tightly controlled directivity gives it essentially point and
shoot qualities. Every room has its own unique set of characteristics that affect any sound
introduced into the room . These include reverberation reflections and decay tim e, sound
absorption of m aterials used, tem perature and hum idity, etc. A degree of experim entation with
different locations (if possible) is best, especially if you are perm anently installing the speaker and
have particular requirem ents where you want to concentrate the sound into a specific area.
Any boundary like a wall or floor will lift certain frequencies. If you are fixing the unit to a wall, or
in a corner then a lift at the bass end is to be expected and it m ay sound rather boom y. Either
reduce the low end by m eans of a graphic equaliser or m ove the speaker.
Room s with a lot of soft furnishings, curtains and drapes will absorb sound, especially at high
frequencies. These room s can sound rather dead and m ay appear to need m ore am plifier power to
generate high SPL’s but have the advantage that the sound needs less equalisation and is easier to
control. In this case the listener receives m ainly direct sound, that is the sound em anating directly
from the loudspeaker, with little reflected sound.
If the room has a lot of hard, exposed surfaces such as wooden floors, brick or plaster walls or
glass windows, these will reflect the sound, causing it to bounce around the room and sounding
over bright. These room s also tend to have various resonances that will be excited by high SPL’s.
Listening in the m iddle of the room you will hear a lot of reflected sound in com parison with the
direct sound. Care is needed with speaker positioning, SPL’s and equalisation. If the room is large
and very reverberant then bass roll-off below about 250 Hz m ay be required to ensure a
reasonable level of intelligibility.
For long, narrow room s the traditional left and right stacks (floor, wall m ounted or flown) can
suffice with good stereo im aging in the centre of the room . For m ulti-tier venues such as theatres,
speakers should be flown or wall m ounted to project into each tier. In highly reverberant room s
often a central cluster is the best option. This acts as a virtual point source with all the sound
em anating from one point in the room , but path lengths should be carefully calculated.
The relationship between sound pressure level and distance is an “inverse square law” so
rem em ber that every tim e the distance from the sound source is doubled the sound level
decreases by 6dB. For every 3dB increase of speaker output you need a doubling of input power
and you can work out the Wattage input needed to give the required SPL levels at various
distances from the loudspeaker(s).
When speakers are flown in free space then boundary effects are m inim ised. The result is a
sm ooth frequency response without any boost at odd frequencies, but the bass end m ay appear
subjectively light. In this case you will need floor m ounted sub-bass, to bring the low end up.
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Maintenance
If one of the drive units in the cabinet should cease functioning and needs a replacem ent recone or
diaphragm you are advised to rem ove the faulty unit from the cabinet and send it to a professional
recone service authorised to recone Turbosound loudspeakers. This will ensure the continued high
perform ance of your TQ-440.
Removal of the 12”/1” driver
1. Unscrew the eight countersunk screws from the two vertical battens which hold the protective
grille in place. Be careful when rem oving the grille as it is under tension and m ay spring
outwards when released. Set the battens, grille and fixing screws aside for later re-assem bly.
2. Undo the eight M6 x 30m m Allen head bolts holding the driver in place and carefully pull it
out and away from the cabinet. WARNING - This unit is heavy! You will notice that the 1” high
frequency driver is attached to the back of the 12” low frequency driver by its screw adapter.
Disconnect the cables from both HF and LF units and com pletely rem ove the driver assem bly
from the cabinet. Make a note of the driver polarity for later reconnection.
3. Separate the drive units by unscrewing the high frequency driver anti-clockwise and lift it
away from the low frequency driver. Depending on which section needs servicing, the
appropriate drive unit should be returned to an authorised Turbosound service centre.
4. To reinstate the drivers, sim ply reverse the above procedure m aking sure you observe the
correct polarity when reconnecting the cables back into the term inals of the drive units.
Removal of the midrange drive unit
If the m idrange drive unit requires m aintenance, it will first be necessary to rem ove the rear panel.
The m idrange driver is held in place by a M10 x 25m m bolt through the rear of the cabinet into the
back plate of the drive unit behind the rear panel. Once this is released the m idrange horn and
drive unit assem bly can be rem oved.
1. Rem ove the #10 x 1 ½” countersunk woodscrews securing the rear panel of the cabinet. The
M10 bolt securing the m idrange driver will now be accessible in a recess in the enclosure rear
panel. Using a 17m m socket, unscrew the bolt and set aside for later re-assem bly.
2. Unscrew the eight countersunk screws from the two vertical battens which hold the protective
grille in place. Be careful when rem oving the grille as it is under tension and m ay spring
outwards when released. Set the battens, grille and fixing screws aside for later re-assem bly.
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3. The m idrange horn is secured through the m ounting flange with four #10 x 1/12” pan head
wood screws. Unscrew these and lift out the horn and driver assem bly.
4. Disconnect the cables, m aking a note of the polarity, and carefully lift the driver clear.
For any other servicing requirem ents please contact your Turbosound dealer or authorised service
centre.
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APPENDIX A
Technical Specifications
Dim ensions
Net weight
Com ponents
558m m x 409m m x 363m m (23.1” x 16.1” x 14.3”)
30kgs (66lbs)
12”/1” LF/HF dual concentric driver, 6.5” MF driver on a TurboMid
device
Frequency response
Nom inal dispersion
Power handling
75Hz – 20kHz ±4dB (with LMS-D6)
60°H x 40°V @-6dB points
LF: 300 watts r.m .s., 600 watts program , 750 watts peak
MF/HF: 150 watts r.m .s., 300 watts program , 375 watts peak
Sensitivity
LF: 103dB, 1 watt @ 1 m etre; MF/HF: 104dB, 1 watt @ 1 m etre
131dB continuous, 137dB peak
Maxim um SPL
Crossover
Active LF/MF: 1k3Hz, 24dB/octave slope, Linkwitz-Riley
Internal passive crossover at 8kHz, double fourth order high pass
Construction
15m m (5/8”) birch plywood throughout; rebated, screwed and glued.
Finished in black sem i-m att textured paint. Two recessed carrying
handles. Integral 35m m pole m ount. Two keyhole flyplates
Grille
Reticulated foam on expanded steel m esh
Connectors
(2) Neutrik Speakon NL4MP
wired pin 1+ LF positive, pin 1- LF negative
pin 2+ MF/HF positive, pin 2- MF/HF negative
Options
TurboBlue sem i-m att textured paint
Due to continuing product im provem ent the above specifications are subject to change.
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APPENDIX B
Spares and accessories
LS-1214
RC-1214
LS-6505
RC-6505
CD-103
12” (305m m ) LF loudspeaker
Recone kit for LS-1214
6.5” (165m m ) MF loudspeaker
Recone kit for LS-6505
1” (25m m ) HF com pression driver
Replacem ent diaphragm for CD-103
Internal passive crossover network
Replacem ent foam / m etal grille
RD-103
PX-440BI
MG-440
Flying accessories
EB-10
FF-440
FB-12
PP-440
U-6
M10 shoulder eyebolt
Flying strips (2 required per enclosure)
Universal fly bar assem bly
Pick-up point adaptor
Unilock
SC-440
FB-58
FS-60
TS-440
BS-440
FH-440
Scaffold clam p
Modular fly bar assem bly
Flying steel
Tilt strap
Biscuit
Flying fram e and harness
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APPENDIX C: WARRANTY
Limited Warranty
This Turbosound loudspeaker product is warranted to the original end-user purchaser and all
subsequent owners for a period of two (2) years from the original date of purchase.
Warranty Coverage
Warranty coverage includes defects in m aterials and workm anship. It does not include:
♦
dam age caused by accident, m isuse, abuse, neglect or m odification by any person other than
an authorised Turbosound representative,
♦
♦
dam age caused by overdriving, use with unsuitable am plifiers or am plifier failure,
dam age caused by failure to operate the product in accordance with the instructions
contained in the user m anual,
♦
♦
♦
dam age occuring during shipm ent in transit,
claim s based on any m isrepresentation by the seller,
products which do not have the original com ponents as specified in the product engineering
inform ation,
♦
products on which the serial num ber has been rem oved or defaced.
Shipping
Should any fault develop with a com ponent of your Turbosound system , please return the
product, freight pre-paid, in its original packing carton, along with proof of purchase such as the
original bill of sale or receipted invoice, and a description of the suspected fault to Turbosound
Ltd. (Att: Custom er Service), Star Road, Partridge Green, West Sussex RH13 8RY, England, or your
local authorised Turbosound representative. The product serial num ber m ust be quoted in all
correspondence relating to the claim . Insurance is recom m ended, as Turbosound or its
representatives are not liable for loss or dam age in transit. Turbosound will pay for return freight
costs should repairs be covered under warranty.
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Incidental and consequential damages
Turbosound's liability is lim ited to the repair or replacem ent, at our option, of any defective
product, and shall not be liable for any incidental and consequential dam ages including, without
lim itation, injury to persons or property or loss of use.
Limitation of implied warranties
All im plied warranties, including warranties of m erchantability and fitness for a particular purpose,
are lim ited in duration to the length of this warranty.
This warranty is in addition to, and in no way detracts from , your statutory rights as a consum er.
No other warranty is expressed or im plied.
Please record your purchase inform ation below for future reference:
Dealer Nam e ......................................................................................................................
Dealer Address ..................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................
Post / Zip Code ..................................................................................................................
Dealer telephone / fax .......................................................................................................
Invoice num ber .................................................................................................................
Date of purchase ...............................................................................................................
Unit serial num ber ............................................................................................................
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Turbosound Ltd.
Star Road, Partridge Green
West Sussex RH13 8RY England
Tel: +44 (0)1403 711447 Fax: +44 (0)1403 710155
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