Parasound A 21 manual Left and Right Balanced Input Jacks, What You’ll Need, Before Connecting

CONNECTING A STEREO PREAMPLIFIER OR A SURROUND CONTROLLER TO THE BALANCED INPUTS ON YOUR A 21

Left and Right Balanced Input Jacks

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Balanced connections will give you the best sound. If your preamplifier or surround controller has balanced XLR output jacks, we recommend that you connect them to these inputs. Refer to the Balanced and Unbalanced Lines in the Technically Speaking section for additional information about why we recommend using balanced lines.

What You’ll Need:

•One pair of balanced interconnect cables with XLR connectors

•A preamplifier or surround controller with balanced outputs

Male

Female

XLR Connectors

Before Connecting

Leave the A 21’s AC cord disconnected until you have made all other connections to prevent any surprise burst of sound.

Make sure that all your cables are long enough so they are not strained or stretched once they are connected.

Make sure the Inputs switch on the rear of the A 21 is in its Balanced (up) position and the Ground switch is in its Normal (down) position.

To Connect

1Plug the male end of the balanced interconnect cable into the Balanced Right Channel input jack on the A 21.

2Plug the female end of this cable into the balanced right channel output jack on your preamplifier (or a channel on your surround controller).

3&4 Repeat steps 1 and 2 above to connect the left channel.

		COMPONENTS
OUTPUTS		SURROUND
		SOUND
1 2	1 2	CONTROLLER
3	3	or
Right	Left	PREAMP

2

4

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YOU SHOULD KNOW

Balanced XLR Jacks and Their Pin Configuration

The balanced inputs of the A 21 use XLR jacks that conform to the industry standard of: Pin 1: Ground, Pin 2: Positive (+), Pin 3: Negative (--). The balanced outputs on some components use terminals with 3 screws instead of XLR jacks. These are compatible with the A 21 as long as you match the bare wires to the corresponding pins on the XLR plug: + to pin 2, - to pin 3, and Ground to pin 1.