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RR 2150 Stereo RetroReceiver
Owner’s Manual
Loudspeaker Connections
The connections between the RR 2150 and your loudspeakers are critical to
good sound. Although there’s a lot of debate about the “best” speaker wire and
the “best” connectors, our advice is to use what you feel is appropriate. How-
ever, we do feel that there is one vital guideline: If the run from your RR 2150
to a speaker is less than 40 feet, use speaker wire with a conductor diameter
that’s identified as “16 gauge” or lower. For longer runs, use a minimum of
14 gauge wiring.
If you’re confused by the “gauge,” you’re not alone. The standard in wire
measurements is called AWG, or American Wire Gauge. The AWG number refers
to the diameter of one conductor only (speaker wire has two conductors) and
smaller gauge numbers mean larger conductors. Here’s a short list of gauge
numbers and their corresponding diameters:
12 gauge
.0808"
14 gauge
.0641"
16 gauge
.0508"
18 gauge
.0402"
22 gauge
.0254"
You can see that “hardware store” 22 or 24 gauge wire is very thin. We don’t
recommend it for any serious audio application. Even 18 gauge “zip cord” (also
called “lamp cord”) is not that substantial. 16 gauge is our minimum recom-
mendation. 14 gauge is better. 12 gauge is excellent but is comparatively hard
to work with (it usually doesn’t bend easily and terminations – lugs or banana
plugs – are problematic.) The advantage of large diameter wire is that, all else
being equal, it has less resistance to current flow than thin wire.
Speaker Connections
Many Outlaws will use full range speakers with the RR 2150. These speakers
reproduce the entire audible range from a single enclosure. Some will aug-
ment their full range speakers’ bass output capability by adding a subwoofer.
In still other cases, some will use compact “monitor” or bookshelf speakers
with limited low end performance in combination with a separate subwoofer.
Regardless of the configuration, brand or model of your speakers, the RR 2150
is uniquely designed to provide outstanding sound quality.
Physical Connection
The RR 2150 accommodates two separate pairs of speakers so that you may
have one pair in your main listening room and another in a remote location
such as a patio or the kitchen. Speaker connections are made the same way
for both sets of speakers, but always make certain that you connect a pair of
speakers, not just one. As the audio sent to both speakers is the same, it makes
no difference which pair is connected to which set of terminals, but most will
attach their main speakers to the System A terminals and secondary speakers
(if used) to the System B terminals.
The speaker connectors (RP19) are five-way connectors with gold-plated contact
areas that accept bare wires, pin terminations, “spade” lugs, “eye” lugs, and
banana plugs. The choice is yours.
Connecting Audio Recording Equipment and an External Processor to the RR 2150
Connecting Your RR 2150