I set up the system today and some of the questions I asked got answered. I plugged the expander and the eq into the a and b tape inputs on the preamp and they are both able to manipulate the signal.

Wiring up the system went fine. I just plugged all of the power cords into the conditioner first and neatly grouped them then ran the interconnects to each component.

I ran into a few more problems though once the system was all connected. The amplifier has level controls for each channel and when they are moved a crackling sound comes from the speakers and the channels often cut out. I was also getting a much stronger signal out of the right channel of the amplifier than the left. I plugged an mp3 player directly into the amp and the levels were almost identical. This leads me to believe that there is a problem in the preamp. I compensated for the differences by biasing the balance on the preamp to the left. Are either of these problems common and is there an easy way to fix it?

Also does anyone know anything about the dbx? Am I supposed to set it on pre or post? What exactly does it do. Personally I think the system sounds better if I just bypass it.