Ahoy~

I have been using a Classe Power Amp, which has 2 kinda inputs.

1. L/R RCA inputs marked as Regular (which i have been connecting to L/R Pre-Outs of my A/V Receiver using regular audio stereo rca cables) Is this the right way of connecting my power amp to the a/v receiver? Is the cable right or do i need to use rca digital coaxial cable instead?


2. L/R Balanced inputs. (3-pin xlr)

Now my A/V Receiver AVC-A1HD doesnt have a balanced output. But will this wire (http://www.homeavcables.com/40046.html) do the job or do I need both ends to be xlr compliant? Isnt balanced connection better than regular RCA?

3. Numero Uno Noob Question hehe : I have a plastic coated speaker wire spool one of the wire has a blue strip on it. Does the blue striped wire go in red or black connections? red denotes plus or minus sign?

Thanks

RCA is just fine. Balanced connections, if they are properly grounded at the equipment (big if!), have greater noise immunity. They can go long lengths without problems. Just keep your interconnects short (~3 feet), and there will be no difference.

Red is plus. Just make sure your speaker wire is heavy enough gauge for the length of its run.

Regards,
Terry

I think you loose any possible benefits of balanced inputs if either side uses RCA.

I asked a similar question a few weeks ago, but mine included the total distance I needed cover from my source (~ 35). Industry experts said a long balanced run to the amps was best, followed by a short run of speaker wire from amps to speakers. For shorter lengths they said a short hop from source to amp over RCA, followed by a longer speaker wire run would be ok. Bob from QSC said the cutoff in his opinion was about 50'. I fugured I would play it safe and plan for 50+ even though I'm only at 35' now.

I've also heard the RCA is OK for short distances, as long as the signal level is high enough (not a mic level signal)

RCA is good in your application. There is no benefit to using RCA>XLR connections unless it is the only way to connect the gear together.

As long as black and red on the amp are connected to black and red, respectively, on the speakers, the color code of the speaker wire does not matter. Just be sure it's consistent for your system so that confusion does not result later on.