Help with Stereo Setup


Hello,
Thanks to anyone who is willing to help me out with this. I need some help and advice setting up some equipment. My dad died four years ago at this time of year, just a year before retirement; he had melanoma. A few months ago I received his stereo equipment as an inheritance. Family squabbles prevented me from receiving it earlier. Haven't set it up yet mainly because I don't know how, plus haven't had the time. To be honest, I am pretty overwhelmed.
Before my dad died, he wrote a short note to me describing how to set up the equipment. His handwriting was very poor, but I will do my best transcribing it. But first, here is a list of most of the equipment:
McIntosh C1000T Tube Preamplifier
McIntosh C1000C Controller
Ayre C-5xe Universal Stereo Player
Hydra Model-8 Power Conditioner (Shunyata Research)
A pair of Guardian 2's (Shunyata)
MC 501 Power Amplifiers (two of them)
A pair of Wilson Audio Sophia 2 speakers

And some cables:
Two xStream Power Plus (PS Audio) cables
3 Power Snakes. Two of them are Taipan Helix Alpha C19, 20 Amp IEC Version. One of a Taipan Alpha C19.
Nordost ODIN Supreme Reference Cables
A bunch of Cardas cables and plugs.
Some foam pieces and some little wooden blocks, a shelf, some other stands, etc. All of this stuff came in original boxes, with all original packing and instructions. 

Here are the instructions he left me:
1. 2 Shunyata Power Snake (purple) go from wall plugs to Guardians.
2. Use shelf under each Guardian.
3. From Guardian run xStream cable to amp AC (upper corner).
4. Cardas from Amp (R) balanced to Tube (R) main.
5. Speaker cable from speakers to 8 ohm/ can use either 8 or 4.
6. AC Cardas/ 1 from Digital A (Shunyata) (over foam) to Ayre AC 1" x 5 1/2
     AC Cardas from Analog A (foam underneath) to 1000 Controller 2 1/2 x 6
7. AC for Shunyata directly to A/c use nice silver A/C cord
8. From CD/R Analog to (R) inputs/CD on Tube
9. From CD/L Analog to L
10. Large Mac cords   C- to C-
                                    D- to D-

Okay, that's all he wrote. There are some things I don't understand. First, where does the Hydra-8 fit in all of this. Is that the Shunyata that is referenced in steps 6 and 7? Also, in step 5, where does the speaker cable go? And should I use a different Guardian for each xStream cable running to an amp? Also, if anyone has any general advice on setup (dos and don'ts), I would be very grateful. I am going to attempt setting this up today, slowly. 
mblight
Hi OP!

I think what’s best is for you to make some music, and let’s see where you want to go from there.

First, you are going to want to learn about your gear’s innate sound, and your very own interest in it. A lot of this may be of no real use to you anymore.

I think your dad would be happier if you learning and getting into the hobby, than you recreating his recipe per se, so let’s get you started.

For this we’ll need:

CD Player --> Preamp --> Power Amp --> Speakers. So I recommend:

Ayre C-5xe Universal Stereo Player
McIntosh C1000C Controller
MC 501 Power Amplifiers (two of them)
A pair of Wilson Audio Sophia 2 speakers

The power line accessories are nice, but not needed. Use it if convenient for now. Use the biggest/baddest power cords for the MC501s.

So almost all of the signal cables are interchangeable except speaker cables. Those go only between an MC501 and a single speaker.  On the speaker cables, by convention, we use the markings (+) for red, and (-) for black, but often the speaker cable jacks are marked with red or black too. You'll see matching connectors on the back of teach amp and speaker.

Go make some music, get the speakers reasonably positioned, and come back. This is a decent starter piece. Try to keep your speakers at least 2' from any side walls, and if you can, 2-3' from a rear wall to start.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-9UBffrlDrsj/learn/learningcenter/home/nonHTspeak.html

After this, if you like what you hear, and can live with the space they are taking from your home I encourage you to get professional help in treating the room. Contact GIK Acoustics.

THEN you can worry about accessories like cables, and you'll be better able to judge which preamp you want to use.


Best,


E
@mblight, your dad had great taste in stereo equipment. I hope you enjoy it to its' fullest.
+1 to erik, great information.

To which I would add:
Power on sequence, Preamp first-give it a minute to stabilize, then Amplifier. Keep the volume low when turning on and switching inputs-just as a precaution. 

Oh yes, 
Happy Holidays!
B
Thanks for all the great responses! Hey, setting it up right now, noticed the Odin speaker cables have spades on the end, one is black and one is white. So which one do you think is + and which is - ? And, after I figure that color scheme out, I assume it is + to + and - to - minus?
Thanks!
Hi OP!

The absolute colors of your speaker cables don’t matter. :) What matters is that you remain consistent on your left and right side.

So if you decide white is (+) or red, just make sure it connects to the same color or polarity on the speaker and amp on left and right sides. Otherwise you’ll have one speaker pushing, while the other pulls, with weird effects and reduced bass output.

There is a convention in speakers that (+) is connected to red jacks, and (-) is connected to black jacks.

If you want to understand this a little further, hook up a 1.5V to 9V battery to a speaker.  In positive polarity, the + terminal of the battery causes the woofer to push outwards. In negative polarity, the woofer pulls inwards.  So long as you maintain consistency, so that th (+) of the speaker is hooked up to the (+) of the amp, both of your speakers will operate in the same polarity.

Best,

E