STAV-3250 AM/FM Stereo Receiver (310-3021) Preparation Faxback Doc. # 31991 CAUTION: Do not plug in or turn on the receiver until you make all the necessary connections. CONNECTING SPEAKERS Use the following guidelines before you select and connect speakers: If you connect only one pair of speakers to the receiver, or use only one pair of speakers at a time, you can use speakers with an impedance of 4 ohms or more for the front channel. If you use two pairs of speakers at the same time for the front channel, all speakers must have an impedance of at least 8 ohms. If any of the four speakers you use has an impedance of less than 8 ohms, the speakers might overload the amplifier and activate the protection circuits. If this happens, the receiver automatically turns off. Realistic and other high-quality speakers have color-coded speaker terminals (red for positive polarity and black for negative polarity). Use these color-coded terminals as a guide to help you properly connect speakers to the receiver. Preparing Speaker Wire Use 16-gauge speaker wire for all speaker connections. Speaker wire consists of two conductors (individual wires) encased in insulation and is usually color-coded or marked with a ridge along one side so that you can identify each conductor. Use these markings as a guide to help you properly connect your speakers to the receiver. Consider possible speaker locations before you decide how much speaker wire you need. 1. Cut the speaker wires to the length needed to connect the speakers to the receiver. 2. Separate about 4 inches of the two conductors on each end of the speaker wire. 3. Using a wire stripper, carefully strip about 1/4 inch of insulation from the end of each conductor. 4. Twist the end of each conductor to secure any loose wires. Connecting the A and B Speakers to the Reciver Follow these steps to connect the A and B speakers to the receiver: 1. Press the red lever of the right positive (+R) A SPEAKERS terminal. 2. Insert the end of one of the conductors into the terminal's small hole and release the lever to secure the conductor. 3. Press the black lever of the right negative (R-) A SPEAKERS terminal. 4. Insert the end of the adjacent conductor into the terminal's small hole and release the lever to secure the conductor. 5. Connect to the right speaker's positive terminal the opposite end of the conductor you inserted into the right positive (+R) A SPEAKERS terminal. 6. Connect the remaining wire to the right speaker's negative terminal. NOTE: For proper phasing, be sure you connect the receiver's right and left positive (+) and negative (-) terminals to the speakers' corresponding right and left positive (+) and negative (-) terminals. CAUTION: To prevent a short circuit, be sure that stray wire from one speaker terminal does not touch another speaker terminal or any other terminal on the receiver. Repeat Steps 1-6 to connect the left speaker to the left A SPEAKERS terminals. Repeat the entire procedure to connect a second pair of speakers to the B SPEAKERS terminals if desired. Connecting the Surround-Sound Speakers You can connect one or two speakers to the receiver's SURROUND SPEAKERS terminals. These terminals are labeled L(+) and L(-) for the left surround sound speaker, and R(+) and R(-) for the right surround speaker. To connect two surround-sound speakers, follow these steps: 1. Press the red lever of the L(+) SURROUND SPEAKERS terminal on the receiver. 2. Insert the end of one of the conductors into the terminal's small hole and release the lever to secure the conductor. 3. Press the black lever of the L(-) SURROUND SPEAKERS terminal on the receiver. 4. Insert the end of the adjacent conductor into the terminal's small hole and release the lever to secure the conductor. 5. Connect to the opposite end of the conductor you inserted into the L(+) terminal to the left surround-sound speaker's positive terminal. 6. Connect the remaining conductor to the left surround-sound speaker's negative terminal. 7. Repeat Steps 1-6 to connect the right surround-sound speaker to your receiver's R(+) and R(-) SURROUND SPEAKERS terminals. To connect one surrounds-sound speaker, follow these steps: 1. Press the black lever of the R(-) SURROUND SPEAKERS terminal on the receiver. 2. Insert the end of the adjacent conductor into the terminal's small hole and release the lever to secure the conductor. 3. Press the red lever of the L(+) SURROUND SPEAKERS terminal on the receiver. 4. Insert the end of one of the conductors into the terminal's small hole and release the lever to secure the conductor. 5. Connect the opposite end of the conductor you inserted into the R(-) terminal to the surround-sound speaker's negative terminal. 6. Connect the remaining conductor to the surround-sound speaker's negative termianl. NOTE: You can use one surround-sound speaker for the Dolby surround and hall effect. However, for the stadium effect, we recommend that you use two surround-sound speakers for the best sound. POSITIONING SPEAKERS Where you place your speakers can make a noticeable difference in your system's sound. The following guidelines will help you choose speaker locations, but after you learn to use your receiver, you might want to try different locations for your speakers. Bass response depends on speaker location. For stronger bass, place the speakers in the corners of the room. If you want even more bass, place the speakers directly on the floor. If the bass is too strong, move the speakers slightly away from the corners of the room. You can buy speaker stands at your local Radio Shack store. Speakers should be about the same distance apart as the normal listening point is from the point halfway between the speakers. If you place the speakers too close together, you reduce the stereo separation. If you place them too far apart, you reduce the bass effect and create a hole in the middle of the sound. Most speakers have a tweeter dispersion angle of about 60 degrees. Ideally, your listening position should be in the overlap area of the tweeter dispersion. You can angle the speakers toward you for better stereo effect. To position your speakers for surround sound, place the A or B speakers in the front and the SURROUND speakers behind or to the sides of the listening point. See "Using Surround Sound". NOTE: Surround speakers generally sound best when you position them above ear level. CONNECTING PROGRAM SOURCES You can connect up to seven external program sources to your receiver. Be sure you use shielded cables with phono connectors for all audio connections. Connecting a Turntable Connect to the receiver only a turntable that uses a magnetic cartridge. Connect the turntable to the receiver's PHONO jacks. Then, connect the turntable's ground wire to the PHONO GND terminal. Connecting One or Two Cassette Decks You can connect one or two cassette decks to the receiver. If you connect one cassette deck to the receiver, connect the cassette deck's output jacks to the receiver's TAPE 1 IN jacks. Connect the receiver's TAPE 1 OUT jack to the cassette deck's input jacks. If you connect a second cassette deck to the receiver, follow this same procedure using the TAPE 2 IN and OUT jacks. Connecting a Video Monitor You can connect a video monitor to the receiver to monitor any video program source you connect to the receiver's VCR 1, VCR 2, or VDP input jacks. Connect the receiver's MON output jacks to the monitor's video input. Connecting a CD Player To connect a CD player to the receiver, connect the CD player's left and right outputs to the receiver's L and R CD/AUX jacks. Connecting Video Sources You can connect one or two VCRs and a video processor to the receiver. Connect each source's audio outputs to the receiver's corresponding AUDIO IN jacks (VCR 1, VCR 2, or VDP). Then connect each source's video outputs to the receiver's corresponding VIDEO IN jacks. For convenient playback or recording, you can quickly connect a VCR, a camcorder or other audio/video device to the receiver's VCR 2 INPUT jacks on the receiver's front panel. NOTE: If you do not connect an audio/video device to the receiver's VCR 1, VCR 2 or VDP audio input jacks, you can use these jacks for an audio-only program source that has standard line outputs. The labeling VCR 1, VCR 2, and VDP only indicate recommended program sources and help you associate the jacks with the selector buttons on the front panel. CONNECTING ANTENNAS In many cities, the AM loop antenna and FM line-cord antenna provide adequate reception. However, for the best radio reception in any area, use an outdoor antenna. Your local Radio Shack store sells a wide selection of outdoor antennas. FM Antennas - We connected the FM line-cord antenna to the receiver at the factory. It uses the AC power lines to receive FM signals. You can also use a rabbit-ear TV antenna (indoor use only) or a VHF TV antenna for FM reception. To connect the TV antenna to the receiver, you need a VHF/UHF/FM splitter (not included). Radio Shack stores carry a full line of quality outdoor antennas and antenna connection accessories. AM Antennas - Assemble the antenna's base by swinging the base in the direction of the arrow and inserting the antena's bottom tabs into the base's slot. Then, attach the antenna wires to the AM ANT terminals (top two terminals). If the receiver is in a rack or on a shelf, and there is no room for the AM loop antenna, hang the antenna as close to the receiver as possible. Or, you can use an outdoor antenna. If the wire between your AM loop antenna and receiver is too short, you can add extra wire. Extra antenna wire is available at your Radio Shack store. You can also use Radio Shack's shortwave antenna kit, which makes an excellent outdoor AM antenna. Connect the AM antenna wire to the receiver's AM ANT terminal. Use a separate piece of wire to connect the AM ANT GND terminal to an earth ground such as a metal cold-water pipe. NOTE: It is best to use 75-ohm coaxial cable to connect an outdoor antenna to the receiver. To connect an outdoor antenna to the receiver, follow these steps: 1. Disconnect the FM line-cord antenna from the receiver's FM ANT 300-ohm terminal. 2. If the antenna wire is 75-ohm coaxial cable, follow this procedure to connect the cable to the receiver: a. With a stripping tool, remove about 1 inch of the cable's plastic outer insulation to expose the cable's shielding. Then, fold back the shielding from the inner insulation. b. Remove about ½ inch of the inner insulation around the center wire. c. Pull the shielding back over the inner insulation and insert both the shielding and wire through the metal clamp connected to the FM ANT GND terminal. Then, connect the center wire to the receiver's FM ANT 75-OHM terminal and secure the shielding with the GND terminal's metal clamp. CAUTION: The cable's shielding should only touch the GND terminal. 3. If the antenna is 300-ohm twin-lead cable, connect it to the receiver's FM ANT 300-OHM terminals (bottom two terminals). INSTALLING THE REMOVE CONTROL'S BATTERIES The remote control uses two AA batteries (not included). For the longest battery life, we recommend Radio Shack's alkaline batteries (Cat. No. 23-552). To install the remote control's batteries, follow these steps: 1. Remove the battery compartment cover by pressing the cover in the direction of the arrow. 2. Insert the batteries according to the polarity symbols (+ and -) marked in the battery compartment. 3. Replace the compartment cover. USING THE AC POWER OUTLETS Your receiver has three AC power outlets that you can use to power other electronic devices such as a turntable, cassette deck, VCR, clock, and so on. The two SWITCHED outlets turn on and off with the receiver and provide a maximum output of 100 watts each. The UNSWITCHED outlet provides continuous power as long as the receiver is connected to an AC outlet. This outlet provides a maximum output of 200 watts. SETTING THE SPEAKER IMPEDANCE SELECTOR Set the SPEAKER IMPEDANCE SEL switch to match the impedance of your speakers (4-Ohms or 8-Ohms). CAUTIONS: Turn off the receiver's power before you change the switch's position. Otherwise, you might damage the receiver and speakers. If you connect two pairs of speakers, be sure each speaker has an impedance of at least 8 ohms. Otherwise, you could damage your speakers or receiver. Set the SPEAKER IMPEDANCE SEL switch as follows: If you use one pair of speakers (A or B) with an impedance of 4-6 ohms, set the SPEAKER IMPEDANCE SEL switch to 4 ohms. If you use one pair of speakers (A or B) with an impedance of 8 ohms or more, set the switch to 8 ohms. If you use two pairs of speakers (A and B) with an impedance of 8 ohms or more, set the switch to 4 ohms. (02/19/96)