Emotiva Gen 2 XPA-2 User Manual - Connections

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XPA-2

Connections

Connecting speakers to your XPA-2

Your XPA-2 has no special connection requirements; audiophile grade five-way binding posts are 

provided for speaker connections.

•  Always turn off the amplifier before connecting or disconnecting speaker cables or signal 

source interconnects.

•  Always verify that your speaker cables are firmly attached, and not shorted to each other or 

to any other cables, before powering up your XPA-2.

•  Always use high-quality speaker wire; 18-gauge or heavier.

•  If you must use thinner wire, try to keep the length as short as possible.

•  Be careful to wire all speakers “in phase” (the plus/red terminal on each speaker to the plus/

red terminal on your amp). If you’re using Bridged Mode, follow the instructions carefully to 

ensure a proper connection.

•  Try to use wires of equal length and gauge for both speakers in each pair (use the same gauge 

and length for both fronts, or for both surrounds; don’t use a long 16-gauge wire for one 

speaker and a short 10-gauge wire for the other). 

•  If you use stranded cables, use care to avoid short circuits (from stray strands touching).

•  Emotiva offers very high-quality, pre-made speaker cables at reasonable prices.  

You will find them in the Interconnects section of our website at www.emotiva.com.

Connecting an input source to your XPA-2

Your XPA-2 amplifier has both balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA) inputs; switches 

independently select which input is active for each channel. Be sure to set these switches 

correctly. If your source component offers both types of outputs, a balanced connection is 

generally preferred, especially for long cable runs and in noisy environments. We suggest using 

reasonably high quality cables, keeping cables no longer than necessary, and avoiding running 

signal cables near power cables and speaker cables whenever possible.

DO NOT connect a digital signal to the inputs of your XPA-2 (or you may damage it or your 

speakers). 

Connecting the Trigger Input and Trigger Output

The Trigger Input accepts a 12 VDC (nominal) trigger signal from another device via a standard 

1/8” mono plug. When the trigger is asserted, the XPA-2 will switch On; when the trigger is 

removed, the XPA-2 will return to Standby mode. The Trigger Output sends out  

12 VDC whenever the main power to the XPA-2 is On (and NOT when it is in Standby mode) which 

can be used to switch on other units with trigger capabilities.