Arcam Multichannel Power Amplifier manual Bi-wiringand bi-ampingloudspeakers, Beforeyou Start

Bi-wiring and bi-amping loudspeakers

BEFOREYOU START

WARNING: Do not make any connections to your amplifier while it is switched on or connected to the mains supply.

Before switching on please check all connections thoroughly, making sure bare wires or cables are not touching the amplifier in the wrong places (which could cause short circuits) and you have connected positive (+) to positive and negative (–) to negative.

Always ensure that the volume control on your amplifier is set to minimum before starting these procedures.

BI-WIRINGYOUR LOUDSPEAKERS

Bi-wiring improves the sound of your system because it divides the high and low frequency signal currents into separate speaker cables. This avoids signal distortions arising from the high and low frequency currents interacting with one another within a single cable, as in conventionally wired systems.

You will need:

Speakers – with four input terminals each: these will be marked HF (High Frequency + and –) and LF (Low Frequency + and –).

Loudspeaker cables – two pairs of cables per loudspeaker (which may be joined at the amplifier end if your amplifier has only one pair of output terminals per channel, as is the case with P7), or a suitably terminated cable set.

How to bi-wire loudspeakers

1.Remove the terminal links on the rear of your loudspeakers.

NOTE: If you do not remove the shorting links from the speaker terminals, the speakers will still be single-wired!

2.Connect the cables as shown in the diagram below, ensuring correct polarity at all times.

Arcam P7 power amplifier

IN OUT

+

–

+–

HF

+LF –

Bi-wiring using one set of connections on amplifier

BI-AMPINGYOUR SYSTEM

The performance of your system can be further enhanced over that	English
achieved with bi-wiring, by extending the principle one stage further
to include separate amplification for the low and high frequency drive
units in each loudspeaker enclosure.
To bi-amplify your speakers, connect the speaker terminals from one
module to one pair of terminals on the speaker. Connect another
module, or one channel of a separate power amp, to the other pair of
terminals on the speaker, so that two amplifier channels are connected
to that speaker; one for low frequencies and one for high frequencies.
Ensure that in all cases, the positive terminals on the speakers are
connected to the positive (red) terminals on the amplifier, and similarly
for the negative (black) terminals.
NOTE: In order to bi-amplify your speakers, your speakers will need
to be bi-wirable, and have positive and negative terminals for both high
frequency (HF) and low frequency (LF) information. If your speakers are
bi-wirable, ensure that the links between the HF and LF terminals are
removed.
How to set up a bi-amped system

1.Remove the terminal links on the rear of your loudspeakers.

WARNING:This step is essential or damage to your amplifier may result which is not covered under warranty.

2.Connect the cables as shown in the diagram below, ensuring correct polarity at all times.

3.Use interconnect cables to connect the OUT socket of the first channel to the corresponding IN socket of the adjacent channel of the power amplifier.

Arcam P7 power amplifier

IN OUT IN	OUT
+	+
–	–

+–

HF

+LF –

Recommended bi-amping configuration

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