Placement of your HCA-1200
Keep your Parasound HCA- 1200 out of direct sunlight and away from windows which could ever be left open to let in rain. It should be placed away from heat sources such as hot air ducts or radiators; do not place the unit directly on a pile carpet that could interfere with air flow into its bottom vent openings. If you place the HCA-1200 on the floor near your speakers, elevate it up from the pile of the carpet. If you stack your components, it is better to place the HCA-1200 above or alongside your other components; when driven hard, the unit itself may create a little heat and disturb components stacked on top of it. If it is inside a cabinet, allow ample ventilation. Very sensitive low level sources might pick up some hum radiated from its enormous power supply.
Rack mounting the HCA-1200
The HCA-1200 can be mounted to a 19" rack by attaching the optional RMK-1000 Rack Mount Kit as shown below. Please note, the panel size of the HCA-1200 is 5 1/2" high, which is 1/4" taller than a standard EIA 3-space rack. You may find you need to drill new mounting holes in your rack to accommodate it properly.
To attach the RMK-1000, first remove the three bolts at each side of the cover - closest to the front panel. Use the 6 longer bolts supplied in the rack mount kit to attach both panel extension/chassis supports.
Tighten these firmly, as they bear the full weight of the amplifier.
(Sorry RMK-1000s are no longer available)
Making Connections
Before making any connections, make sure your power amplifier is turned off. When making connections, make sure there is no strain or tension on input leads or speaker wires that could cause them to pull loose later on.
Input connections
In most stereo systems, you will use the gold-plated RCA jacks for the R and L channels. Make sure these are consistent with the R and L outputs from your preamplifier.
For professional applications you can use the alternate 1/4"(6.3mm) phone jack inputs. These are also "un- balanced" inputs, the same as the RCA jacks.
Speaker connections
You may use either bare wire or banana plugs with the HCA-1200 "5-way" terminals. If you use bare wire without spade lugs or plugs, make sure you strip only enough wire to fit into the hole that runs across the metal shaft of the terminal. Before inserting the wire, twist all its strands tightly to prevent strays that could cause a short circuit between + and - terminals!
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