10
Loudspeaker Cable Distance vs Wire Gauge Guide
Loudspeaker
Impedance
25 feet
(7.62 meters)
or less
50 feet
(15.24 meters)
or less
100 feet
(30.48 meters)
or less
2 Ohms
12AWG
10AWG
8AWG
4 Ohms
14AWG
12AWG
10AWG
8 Ohms
16AWG
14AWG
12AWG
5. Prepare the Loudspeaker Hookup Cables for attach-
ment to the MC302 Power Amplifiers:
Bare wire cable ends:
Carefully remove sufficient insulation from the
cable ends, refer to figures 2, 3 & 4. If the cable
is stranded, carefully twist the strands together
as tightly as possible.
Notes: 1. If desired, the twisted ends can be tinned
with solder to keep the strands together.
2. The prepared bare wire cable ends may be
inserted into spade lug connectors for use
in outside the United States and Canada
only.
3. Banana plugs are for use in the United
States and Canada only.
Banana Plugs are for use in the United States and
Canada only:
6. Attach the previously prepared bare wire cable ends
into the banana plugs and secure the
connections. Refer to figure F.
7. Rotate the top of the Output Termi-
nal Post clockwise until it is finger
1. For Remote Power Control, connect a power control
cable from the Audio Preamplifier or A/V Con-
trol Center Power Control Output 1 to the MC302
POWER CONTROL IN Amplifier One.
2. Connect a power control cable from the Audio
Preamplifier or A/V Control Center Power Control
Output 2 to the MC302 POWER CONTROL IN
Amplifier Two.
3. Connect XLR cables from the Balanced Output 1
(L&R) of an Audio Preamplifier or A/V Control
Center to the MC302 Balanced INput (RIGHT and
LEFT) on Amplifier One. Place the INPUT MODE
Switch in the BALANCED Position.
Note: An optional hookup is to use unbalanced
cables and place the INPUT MODE Switch in
the UNBALANCED Position.
4. Connect XLR cables from the Balanced Output 2
(L&R) of a Audio Preamplifier or A/V Control
Center to the MC302 Balanced INput (RIGHT and
LEFT) on Amplifier Two. Place the INPUT MODE
Switch in the BALANCED Position.
Note: An optional hookup is to use unbalanced
cables and place the INPUT MODE Switch in
the UNBALANCED Position.
This McIntosh MC302 Power Amplifier is designed
for Loudspeakers with an impedance of 2 ohms, 4
ohms or 8 ohms. Connect a single Loudspeaker only
to the Right and Left Output Terminals.
When connecting Loudspeakers to the MC302 it
is very important to use cables of adequate size, so
there is little to no power loss in the cables. The size is
specified in Gauge Numbers or AWG (American Wire
Gauge). The smaller the Gauge number, the larger the
wire size:
Caution: Do not connect the AC Power Cord to the
MC302 Rear Panel until after the Loudspeaker
Connections are made. Failure to observe this
could result in Electric Shock.
The connection instructions below, together with the
MC302 Connection Diagram located on the separate
folded sheet “
Mc1B
”, is an example of a typical audio
system. Your system may vary from this, however the
actual components would be connected in a similar
manner. For additional information refer to “Connec-
tor and Cable Information” on page 4.
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
How to Connect for Bi-Amp
When connecting the Loudspeaker Hookup Cables to
the MC452 Power Amplifier Output Terminals please
follow the steps below:
1. Rotate the top of the Output Terminal Post coun-
terclockwise until an opening
appears. Refer to figures A and
B.
2. Insert the Loudspeaker hookup
cable into the Output Terminal
Post opening or the cable spade
lug around the center post of
the Output Terminal. Refer to
figure C.
3. Rotate the top of the Output
Terminal Post clockwise until it
is finger tight. Refer to figure D.
4. Place the supplied McIntosh
Wrench over the top of the Out-
put Terminal and rotate it one
quarter of a turn (90° ) to secure
the Loudspeaker Cable Connec-
tion.
Do not over tighten.
Refer
to figure E.
Output Terminals
Figure A
Opening
Figure B
Figure C
Figure D
Figure E
Figure F
Figure H
