If you enjoy music, then you will want to purchase a home stereo system. The imaging and concert hall-like ambience of a good home stereo system cannot be reproduced using headphones and an MP3 player. However, to get the best performance from your home stereo, it must be set up correctly.
Instructions
1. Determine where you will place your stereo system. Ideally, it would be in a separate listening room or in an area that allows enough space for each speaker to be placed symmetrically a few feet from of the receiver.
2. Measure the distance from where you will place the receiver to where the speakers will be. Ideally, each tower speaker will be along a horizontal line three to six feet to the left and right of the receiver for good stereo imaging. Both speakers must be placed symmetrically. When using bookshelf speakers, use speaker stands to ensure that midrange speakers are level with your ears when you are seated.
3. Place the speakers in their measured locations, and cut your speaker wire with wire cutters to the measurements you obtained. Add six to eight inches to each wire so that you have a bit of extra wire to work with.
4. Use wire strippers to remove approximately 1/4 inch of the plastic sheath from the positive and negative leads of the speaker wire on both ends. Next, attach the positive lead to the positive terminal of each speaker and the negative lead to the negative terminal.
5. Examine the back of the receiver and locate the left and right channel output terminals. They will be spring-loaded clip-type terminals that are red or black in color. Red indicates positive polarity, and black indicates negative polarity.
6. Connect your speakers to the right and left channel speaker outputs of your stereo receiver. The speaker to your right when you are seated is the right channel, and the speaker to your left is the left channel. Make sure that you observe the proper polarity. Connective positive to positive and negative to negative for each channel, just as you did for the speakers.
7. Double-check your connections and power on the stereo receiver. Test your stereo setup by playing a CD and checking that sound is output to each receiver. Most stereo systems have a CD player built in to the receiver. However, if your does not, connect one using an RCA cable to the "CD In" connection located on the back of the receiver.
Tags: home stereo, stereo system, your stereo, back receiver, channel speaker
