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4.4 Connect Speaker Cable to your Amplifier
Although it is possible to power the Sentinel Active Reference System with a
single stereo amplifier, it is recommended to separate the amplification into
left and right channels. This is accomplished by using two mono amplifiers.
Separating the left and right channel amplification eliminates amplifier
inter-channel modulation due to the amplifier's finite output impedance and
aids in preserving the Sentinel's pristine phase relationships. Cross coupling
effects between the channels are minimized, thereby maintaining proper
stage width presentation. Isolating the power supply signals also allows better
noise rejection, resulting in improved focus, dynamics, and low-level detail.
When using two mono amplifiers, the Sentinel Active Reference System
external crossovers MUST be used.
For powering the upper speaker cabinet drivers, your amplifiers are driven
with a full-range signal from the pre-amplifier, and the frequency division is
performed by the passive crossover.
Use of active (electronic) crossovers for the Upper Speaker cabinet drivers will
result in inferior sound quality and may damage the drive units.
When using two mono amplifiers, it is important that they are identical units. It
is also important to be aware of the absolute polarity of the amplifiers. If the
amplifiers invert phase, be sure to compensate by reversing the polarity of the
speaker leads at the amplifier's output terminals.