-7-
Home Theater Configurations and Input Connections
Refer to Figure #1 or Figure #2
Your Parasound multi-channel amplifier is designed to deliver the same power and sonic characteristics
to the Left, Center, Right, and both Surround speakers of your home theater system. For additional low
frequency response, you should also install a powered subwoofer. Even though all the channels of your
amplifier operate identically, we recommend the following configuration to make it easier to identify
each channel in case you ever need to troubleshoot your system.
•
Connect the right front output of your processor to INPUT 1 of your HCA-1205A or HCA-855A.
•
Connect the left front output of your processor to INPUT 2 of your HCA-1205A or HCA-855A.
•
Connect the center output of your processor to INPUT 3 of your HCA-1205A or HCA-855A.
•
Connect the right surround output of your processor to INPUT 4 of your HCA-1205A or HCA-855A.
•
Connect the left surround output of your processor to INPUT 5 of your HCA-1205A or HCA-855A.
•
Connect the subwoofer output of your processor to the input of your powered sub or sub amplifier.
Speaker Connections
You can connect speaker cables to the amplifier's rear mounted 5-way binding posts using speaker wire
terminated with 1/4" spade lugs or banana plugs. You can also insert bare wire up to AWG 12 into the
holes on the sides of the binding posts. If you use bare wire, remove only about 1/2" of insulation and
twist the wire's strands tightly to prevent strays that could cause a short circuit. (You may want to "tin"
the stripped wire with solder to prevent it from fraying and oxidizing.)
Polarity
When you connect speakers to your amplifier, you will notice that one side of the two conductor speaker
wire will have some sort of mark: either printing, a raised ridge on the insulation, or a different color of
conductor. The marked insulation or copper colored wire usually indicates the positive conductor. This
demarkation lets you know which wire is connected to the positive and which to the negative speaker
terminals so you can do exactly the same on the power amplifier's colored (+) and black
(-) binding posts.
Minimum Impedance Precautions
Connect loudspeakers with a 4
Ω
or 8
Ω
nominal impedance for normal operation. Both amplifiers are
capable of driving speakers with occasional impedance dips below 2
Ω
. However, sustained high power
operation into loads of less than 4
Ω
may cause overheating and is not recommended.
AC Power Connections and AC Grounding
Before you connect the AC cord, make sure your amplifier's power switch is in the off position and the
external DC trigger is off. If possible, plug your amplifier directly to an AC wall outlet. Do not connect
the amplifier to the accessory AC outlet on your preamplifier or processor because the amplifier's current
draw will exceed the rating of most preamplifier’s power switches and power cords. If you use an external
AC line conditioner or surge suppressor, make sure it can withstand the power requirements of the
amplifier listed in the specification section of this manual.
