STA-100 Receiver  (310-2089)     Hints and Tips        Faxback Doc. # 16421

POSITIONING YOUR SPEAKERS

Where you put your speakers is a highly personal matter, depending largely
on the arrangement of your listening room and the way you listen to music.
Where you put your speakers does make a difference in how your system will
sound, so before setting on a final arrangement, try several alternatives.

Bass response is highly dependent on speaker location.  For maximum bass,
place the speakers in the corners of your room.  Putting the speakers
directly on the floor will make the bass even stronger.  If the bass sounds
boomy and exaggerated, move the speakers away from the corner slightly,
pull them out from the wall a little or raise them 6 to 18 inches (15-45
cm) off the floor.

STEREO

Stereo speakers should be 6 to 8 feet apart.  Putting them too close
together reduces the stereo effect, while placing them too far apart
reduces bass response and creates a "hole in the middle".  Also, most
speakers have a tweeter dispersion angel of about 60 degrees.  Ideally your
listening position should be in the overlap, so you may want to angle the
speakers toward you for better stereo.

ANTENNAS

Under most conditions your STA-100 's built-in antennas should be adequate
for AM and FM reception.  If you are not satisfied with the reception, try
one of the arrangements listed below.

For FM, build the low-cost folded dipole; or buy one ready-made from Radio
Shack (42-2385).  Just splice regular 300-ohm lead-in wire.  Apply a small
amount of solder and head the twisted ends until solder flows evenly over
each strand of wire.  Attache the lead-in to the 300 ohm terminals on the
back of the receiver.  The antenna itself can be tacked to the back of a
record cabinet or onto a wall -- the higher the better.

A set of VHF-TV rabbit ears or ones made specially for FM reception work
well in suburban areas.  Some deluxe models feature electronic "tuning" for
better directionality.  Connect such antennas to the 300 ohm terminals.

An outside VHF-TV antenna provides excellent FM reception.  An inexpensive
"splitter" permits you to connect a TV set and your Receiver to the same
antenna.  In fringe areas, a special outdoor FM antenna may be the only
solution.  Such antennas can pick up stations up to 175 miles (280 km) away
over flat terrain.  if you use 300 ohm lead-in, connect it to the 300 ohm
terminals and if you use 75 ohm lead-in, connect it to the 75 ohm
terminals.  (Attach the braided ground wire of 75 ohm lead-in to the
terminal common to the 75 ohm and 300 ohm antenna terminals or connect the
braid under the clamp.)  For AM, a long piece of wire hung outdoors between
two insulators can greatly improve long-distance AM reception.

NOTE:  To protect your receiver, use a lightning arrestor on any outdoor
       antenna.

CONNECTING AN L-PAD

In some cases, you may want to vary the volume of the remote speakers
separately.  This can be done very simple and inexpensively with a stereo
L-pad, such as Radio Shack Cat. No. 40-978.


(ALL-08/10/95)