Operation Manual, RA2400 & RA7300 Power Amplifiers
Page 13
Document # 9301H62800 Ver. 1.00
SPEAKER CONNECTIONS
To ensure the high quality signals produced by your RA2400/RA7300 are carried to your speakers
without loss of clarity or resolution, we recommend that you use high quality speaker wire. Many
brands of wire are available; the choice may be influenced by the distance between your speakers
and the RA2400/RA7300, the type of speakers you use, personal preferences or other factors.
Wire Recommendations
Regardless of the brand or type of speaker wire selected, we recommend that you use a wire
constructed of fine, multi-strand copper with a gauge (AWG) of 14 or less. In specifying wire, the
lower the number, the thicker the cable is. Wire with a gauge of 14 may be used for short runs of
less than twenty feet. We do not recommend that you use any wires with an AWG equivalent of 16
or higher due to the power loss and degradation in performance that will occur.
A pair of binding posts is provided to connect each RA2400/RA7300 output channel to your
speakers. These posts will accept bare wire, spade lugs or banana type plugs.
If bare wire is used for the connections, strip approximately 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch of insulation from
the end of each wire and carefully twist the strands of each conductor together. Be careful not to
cut the individual strands or twist them off. All strands must be used for optimal performance.
Polarity and Speaker Phasing
Correct polarity connections are important to ensure proper speaker phasing. When speaker
phasing is correct, the speaker cones will move in and out at the same time which preserves the
imaging (sound) of the program material. Out-of-phase connections mean that some speaker cones
will move in while others move out which can cause indistinct or confused imaging and muddled or
cloudy sounds.
To avoid incorrect phasing or polarity, be certain to use wire that has distinct markings, colors,
stripes, wording, or grooves on each side of the speaker cable so you can keep polarity straight.
When making connections to the RA2400/RA7300 and speakers you should adhere to a consistent
pattern being sure to connect the correct set of wires from the RA2400/RA7300’s output channel to
the desired speaker. Be sure to keep polarity straight.
Example: From the RA2400/RA7300
▪
Connect red wire for channel 1 positive to the red (+) terminal on speaker channel 1
▪
Connect black wire for channel 1 negative to the black (-) terminal on speaker channel 1
When using cable with markings on one side only, traditional convention is to consider the marked
side of the wire as the red or positive (+) connection and the non-marked side as the black or
negative (-) connection.