Adcom GCA-510 - Hook Up and Operating Instructions; Unpacking, Saving Materials, and Placement; Connecting Your Speakers; Connecting Line Level Audio Inputs

HOOK UP AND OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
1) Unpack the GCA-510 carefully. Put the foam cocoon and other packing materials back in the carton and SAVE IT.
As part of ADCOM’s quality control procedures, your GCA-510 was carefully inspected for physical imperfections and
electrical performance before it left our plant. In the event of physical damage, notify your ACCOM dealer immediately and
request help in filing a written damage claim.
THE RIGHT TO A CLAIWl AGAINST A COMMON CARRIER CAN BE FORFEITED IF THE CARRIER IS
NOT NOTIFIED PROMPTLY IN WRITING AND IF THE SHIPPING CARTON AND PACKING MATERIALS ARE
NOT AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. SAVE ALL PACKING MATERIALS UNTIL THE CLAIM HAS BEEN
SETTLED.
The foam cocoon and carton were specifically designed to protect your GCA-510. Even though space is often at a
premium in today's homes, we recommend that you save the packing materials in case you need to ship the unit
anywhere in the future.
2 ) Select a stable, vibration-free location for the GCA-510 as close as possible to your other audio components. Make sure
you have enough air space for proper ventilation. We recommend at least 3" of free air space above the GCA-510 and an
inch to each side and to the rear of the unit.
The QCA-510 is heavier than you might expect due to the high capacity toroidal transformer and large heat sink assembly.
A stable supporting surface is necessary. We won't go into the endless and mostly unproved theories about extraneous
vibrations and their deleterious effects on audio components except to say that the more massive and firmly anchored the
supporting surface is, the less likely you'll be to experience any problems.
Proper airflow is important. Don't block the ventilation slots on the bottom plate and top cover of the unit. The feet will insure
enough air space below the GCA-510 tor adequate circulation. WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO NOT STACK OTHER
UNITS ON TOP OF THE GCA-510.
3) Turn off all the other components in your system. That means everything. And don't plug the GCA-510 into the AC outlet
yet.
Turning off system components before initial installatbn and connection avoids the nasty buzzes, thumps, and other
sounds of electronic distress that occasionally accompanies hooking up components.
4) Connect the speakers to the 5-way binding posts (speaker outputs) of the GCA-510©& O ■ The binding posts will
accept a variety of connectors from bare wire to exotic audbphile “super banana” types. Make sure to obseive proper
polarity: Connect the GCA-510’s “+" (red) terminal for the left speaker to the''+” terminal on that speaker. Do the same for
the terminals. Then repeat this for the right speaker.
Exercise care in connecting your speakers. Be particularly alert that individual strands of speaker wire do not short
between the “+'' andterminals at either the amplifier or the speaker terminals,
A note on speaker cable: We recommend the use of at least 16 gauge (AWG) two conductor “zip” cord for all speaker-
connections under 25' in length. For longer amplifier-to-speaker runs, we suggest 14 gauge “zip” cord. If you so desire,
specialty wire specifically designed for high quality amplifier-speaker interface may be considered. Consult your ADCOM
dealer for recommendations.
5 ) Connect the outputs of up to five (5) line level sources (CD player, tuner, etc.) to the appropriate inputs on the rear panel of
the GCA-510 (O through O ) ■ All Inputs are electrically identical.
Remember to observe proper channel continuity — left channel output to left channel input and right to right. The RCA-
type input jacks on ADCOM products adhere to the color convention of white for left channel and red for right. Most dual
coaxial interconnect cables (or “patch “ cords) also follow this color coding or mark the cables in other obvious ways to
make channel continuity easy to establish,
A note on interconnects: We strongly recommend cables with low capacitance ratings. These will provide minimum
interference for component-to-component signal transfer. If you desire, you may opt for specialty interconnects specifically
designed for low loss signal transfer. Consult you ADCOM dealer for recommendations.
6) The “Tape Out” connections 0 should be connected to the inputs of your system's tape or disc recorder. As long as you
do not attempt to run a patch cord from either channel’s ‘Tape Out” to a digital recorder’s digital input, you should
experience no problem.
If you do attempt this feat, you will not be punished. Nothing will happen. Absolutely nothing. Eventually, you'll realize the
mistake and correct it by connecting the GCA-510’s “Tape Out” jacks to the analog inputs of the digital recording device.
Then you'll be able to record.
The ‘Tape Out” jacks are buffered (or isolated) to preserve signal integrity under unusual load conditions. In other words,
the GCA-510's sound quality will be unaffected by any conditbns inadvertently imposed by the recording device (low
impedances, electrical short circuits, etc.)
7) (This information applies only to certain versions of the GCA-510. Consult your dealer for details.)
The GCA-510 is equipped with two rear panel convenience AC outlets; one switched 0 and one unswitched 0, Power to
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