How To Connect - McIntosh MC452 Owner's Manual

Output Terminals
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.

How to Connect

Caution: Do not connect the AC Power Cord to the
MC452 Rear Panel until after the Loudspeaker
Connections are made and the protective Termi-
nal Connections Covers are installed. Failure to
observe this could result in Electric Shock.
The connection instructions below, together with the
MC452 Connection Diagram located on the separate
folded sheet "Mc1A", 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-
8
tor and Cable Information" on page 4.
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 MC452
POWER CONTROL IN.
2. Connect XLR cables from the Balanced Output 1
(L&R) of an Audio Preamplifier or A/V Control
Center to the MC452 Balanced INput (RIGHT and
LEFT). Place the INPUT MODE Switch in the
Opening
BALANCED Position.
Figure B
Figure A
Note: An optional hookup is to use unbalanced
3. Using a suitable tool remove the four screws from
the MC452 Rear Panel and temporarily place them
in a safe place. Refer to figure 1.
Figure C Figure D
Remove Screws
Figure E
This McIntosh MC452 Quad Balanced Power Ampli-
fier is designed for Loudspeakers with an impedance
of 2 ohms, 4 ohms or 8 ohms. Connect a single Loud-
speaker only to the Right and Left Output Terminals.
When connecting Loudspeakers to the MC452 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
cables and place the INPUT MODE Switch in
the UNBALANCED Position.
Remove Screws
Figure 1
Gauge). The smaller the Gauge number, the larger the
wire size:
Loudspeaker Cable Distance vs Wire Gauge Guide
25 feet 50 feet
Loudspeaker
(7.62 meters) (15.24 meters)
Impedance
or less or less
2 Ohms 12AWG 10AWG
4 Ohms 14AWG 12AWG
8 Ohms 16AWG 14AWG
4. Prepare the Loudspeaker Hookup Cable for attach-
ment to the MC452 Power Amplifier:
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.
Figure 2
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.
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:
5. Locate the Terminal Connections Covers from the
inside of the MC452 shipping carton. Insert the
just prepared Loudspeaker hookup cables thru the
cover openings, one cover for each channel. Refer
to figure 5.
100 feet
(30.48 meters)
or less
8AWG
10AWG
12AWG
Figure 3 Figure 4