Speaker Connection; Speaker Selection; Speaker Wire Selection; Polarity And Phasing - Rotel RB-06 Owner's Manual

Speaker Connection

Speaker Selection

We recommend using loudspeakers with
a nominal impedance of 4 ohms or higher
with the RB-06. You should exercise some
caution in driving multiple pairs of speakers
in parallel confi guration, because the effec-
tive impedance the amplifi er sees is cut in
half. For example, when driving two pair
of 8 ohm speakers, the amplifi er sees a 4
ohm load. When driving multiple speakers
in parallel, it is recommended that you select
speakers with a nominal impedance of 8
ohms or higher. Speaker impedance ratings
are less than precise. In practice, very few
loudspeakers will present any problems for
the RB-06. See your authorized Rotel dealer
if you have any questions.

Speaker Wire Selection

Use insulated two-conductor stranded wire
to connect the RB-06 to the speakers. The
size and quality of the wire can have an
audible effect on the performance of the
system. Standard speaker wire will work,
but can result in lower output or diminished
bass response, particularly over longer
distances. In general, heavier wire will im-
prove the sound. For best performance, you
may want to consider special high-quality
speaker cables. Your authorized Rotel dealer
can help in the selection of appropriate cables
for your system.

Polarity and Phasing

The polarity — the positive/negative orienta-
tion of the connections — for every speaker
and amplifi er connection must be consistent
so all the speakers will be in phase. If the
polarity of one connection is mistakenly re-
versed, bass output will be very weak and
stereo imaging degraded. All wire is marked
so you can identify the two conductors. There
may be ribs or a stripe on the insulation of
one conductor. The wire may have clear
insulation with different color conductors
(copper and silver). There may be polarity
indications printed on the insulation. Identify
the positive and negative conductors and be
consistent with every speaker and amplifi er
connection.
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Stereo Speaker Connection

The RB-06 has two pairs of color coded
binding posts on the back panel. These con-
nectors accept bare wire, connector lugs, or
dual banana type connectors (except in the
European Community countries where their
use is not permitted).
Route the wire from the RB-06 to the speakers.
Give yourself enough slack so you can move
the components enough to allow access to
the speaker connectors.
If you are using dual banana plugs, connect
them to the wires and then plug into the
backs of the binding posts. The hexagonal
thumbscrews of the binding posts should be
screwed in all the way (clockwise).
If you are using terminal lugs, connect them
to the wires. If you are attaching bare wires
directly to the binding posts, separate the
wire conductors and strip back the insulation
from the end of each conductor. Be careful
not to cut into the wire strands. Unscrew (turn
counterclockwise) the binding post hexagonal
thumbscrews. Place the connector lug or wire
around the binding post shaft. Turn the hex-
agonal thumbscrews clockwise to clamp the
connector lug or wire fi rmly in place.
Note: Be sure there are no loose wire
strands that could touch adjacent wires or
connectors.

Bridged Mono Operation

[ S e e F i g u r e 3 f o r b r i d g e d o p e r a -
tion j u m p e r s e t t i n g a n d c o n n e c t i o n
illustration.]
The two channels of the RB-06 can be
"bridged". In this confi guration the single
channel produces a massive 180 watts! This
feature allows you to increase the overall
power output of your system by bridging
the RB-06 and adding a second bridged
RB-06. Or the RB-06 is bridged to drive a
monophonic subwoofer. Note however that
when the RB-06 is bridged the speaker con-
nected to it must have an impedance of 8
ohms or more.
In order to use the RB-06 in bridged mode, three
"jumper" connectors inside the amplifi er must
be moved from one set of pins to another.
This task should be done by a qualified
technician. See your authorized Rotel dealer.
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In addition the RB-06 is connected to the
other components in a different way. When
the RB-06 is setup for bridged operation the
Bridged Mono indicator light
panel will light.

Resetting Jumpers

Before opening the RB-06 cabinet to reset the
jumpers, the power cord must be unplugged
from the wall. DO NOT OPEN THE CABINET
OF THE RB-06 BEFORE THE POWER CORD
HAS BEEN UNPLUGGED FROM THE WALL.
FAILURE TO DO SO WILL EXPOSE YOU TO
HAZARDOUS VOLTAGES.
After the power cord has been unplugged,
remove the screws that hold the cabinet
cover in place and slide the cover off the
amplifi er. Locate the three jumper pin blocks
labeled S 601, S 602 and S 603. The factory
standard (stereo) position of the jumpers is
on pins 1 and 2 of each block. There is a *
mark on the circuit board next to this posi-
tion. To convert the RB-06 to bridged mono
move all three jumpers so they are on pins
2 and 3 of each jumper pin block. Replace
the cover of the cabinet. Do not plug the
RB-06 power cord back into the wall
outlet until the cabinet cover has been
replaced.

Input Connection

When using the RB-06 in bridged mono
mode, connect the cable from the preampli-
4
fi er output to the left input. No connection is
made to the right input.

Bridged Speaker Connection

When using the RB-06 in bridged mono
mode, the wire to the speakers is connected
to the positive terminals of the left and right
channels. Connect the wire that goes to the
positive terminal of the speaker to the posi-
tive terminal of the left channel of the RB-06.
Connect the wire that goes to the negative
terminal of the speaker to the positive terminal
of the right channel of the RB-06. No con-
nections are made to the negative terminals
of the RB-06.
English
4 on the front