per are the most common. If you can't see
the conductors themselves, look closely at
the insulation. You'll notice that the insu-
lation over one conductor is different than
that over the other conductor - one will
have slight molded ridges in it, the other
will be smooth, for example. Choose one
of the conductors to carry the "+" signal.
It really makes no difference which one
you pick.
Just be consistent!
Note:
Some
specialized speaker cables are already
marked to avoid confusion but if you're us-
ing common "zip cord" (lamp wire), we
suggest that you designate the copper col-
ored conductor or the one with the molded
insulation over it as "+". As we've already
said, consistency is far more important
than which conductor you choose.
3. Connect the "+" conductor to the "+" ter-
minal on the amplifier.
4. Connect the "-" conductor to the "-" termi-
nal on the amplifier.
5. At the speaker end of the same wire, con-
nect the "+" conductor to the "+" terminal
on the speaker.
6. Similarly, connect the "-" conductor to the
"-" speaker terminal.
7.
Follow steps 1 through 6 for all other am-
plifier - speaker connections in your sys-
tem.
Why are we placing as much emphasis on con-
sistency here? That's simple. We want you to get
all the performance you pay for. When your am-
plifier-to-speaker connections are consistent,
when "+" is always connected to "+" and "-" is
always connected to "-," your speakers are said
to be connected "in phase." That means the driv-
ers (the active elements that produce sound) in
each speaker will push out when they get a com-
mon positive signal from an amplifier and will
pull in when they get a negative signal. When all
the speakers in your system are "in phase," all
the cones work together to give you the sound
the original artists and engineers intended you to
hear.
When speakers are connected "out of phase," the
drivers fight each other - some move out while
others move in. The result? You'll get less bass
and blurred imaging. That's a pretty heavy price
to pay for not taking just a few extra seconds to
make sure your connections are correct.
Don’t Over Tighten!
Be careful when tightening the connector's end
caps. Although logic may seem to indicate that
compressing the wire as much as possible will
result in better signal transfer from amplifier to
speaker, it doesn't. A firm mechanical connec-
tion is obviously better than a loose one. But
don't go overboard. If a gentle tug on the
speaker wire causes it to move inside the post,
you probably need to tighten things up just a
bit. But don't think you need a connection tight
enough to let you swing the speaker by the
wires! In fact, you can strip some connectors by
over-tightening them. We've designed Rocket
Series connectors to minimize this concern but
we still caution against over-tightening.
3.2 Connecting your SW-10 Subwoofer
Because your subwoofer is a self-powered
speaker, that runs off the built-in 200W ampli-
fier (as opposed to your A/V receiver’s internal
amplifiers), it requires a different connection
from your speakers.
Make sure the subwoofer is not plugged in and
the rest of your system is turned off before pro-
ceeding.
When making your connections, be sure to use a
high quality and reliable Mono RCA interconnect
cable. It should be well shielded and long
enough to do the job, but not excessively long—
though it is likely to be the longest interconnect
in your system. The simplest and recommended
connection is from the sub/LFE output on the
back panel of your receiver directly to either L or
R RCA input on the SW-10.
