?? Features

Your RadioShack High-Power Stereo Amplifi- er produces a total of 110 watts to give add- ed punch and power to your vehicle???s existing auto sound system.

The amplifier produces up to 55 watts per channel of clean, powerful sound at all audio frequencies with minimum distortion. You can connect your auto sound system???s low- level or speaker-level outputs to this amplifi- er.

Its features include:

14K Gold-Plated Noise-Isolated Low-Lev-

el Input Jacks ??? let you connect low-level (preamplifier) signal inputs to match your auto sound system???s output for the best high-fidelity performance.

14K Gold-Plated Speaker Terminals ??? de- signed for low impedance, high conductivity, and minimum corrosion, to provide the high- est signal transfer and lowest sound distor- tion.

Input Level Control ??? lets you adjust the level of the audio signals that enter the am- plifier.

Automatic Power Switching ??? can auto- matically turn the amplifier on or off when you turn your auto sound system on or off (depending on how you hook up the amplifi- er).

Mute Turn On Circuit ??? eliminates the thump you hear when you turn on some am- plifiers.

Power Indicator ??? lights when power is supplied to the amplifier.

Crossover Frequency Circuit ??? lets you adjust the crossover frequency from 45???400

Hz. This lets you set up the amplifier so you can connect a subwoofer.

Short Circuit Protection ??? distorts the am- plifier???s sound if any output channel shorts, alerting you to turn off the auto sound sys- tem.

Auto-Off ??? protects the amplifier by tempo- rarily shutting down if it gets too hot, an out- put channel shorts, or it detects an input overload. The amplifier restarts automatically when it cools or the problem is corrected.

Protection Indicator ??? lights if the amplifier shuts itself down.

THE FCC WANTS YOU TO

KNOW

Your amplifier might cause TV or radio inter- ference even when it is operating properly. To determine whether your amplifier is caus- ing the interference, turn off your amplifier. If the interference goes away, your amplifier is causing it. Try to eliminate the interference by:

???Moving your amplifier away from the receiver

???Contacting your local RadioShack store for help

BEFORE YOU BEGIN THE

INSTALLATION

Before you install your amplifier, read all the instructions in this owner???s manual. You should be able to answer all of these ques- tions about your vehicle???s electrical and auto sound systems.

???Does my vehicle have an auto sound system, such as a car stereo or CD player, already installed? (You must have an existing auto sound system to use this amplifier.)

???How do I connect a wire to the fuse box?

???Which of the auto sound system???s wires is the power wire?

???Which of the auto sound system???s termi- nals are low-level outputs and which are high-level (speaker) outputs?

Also, be aware that installation in your vehi- cle might require cutting or modifying your vehicle.

Choosing a Mounting Location

A good location for mounting the amplifier is in your vehicle???s trunk. Wherever you decide to mount it, choose a mounting location that:

???does not interfere with the vehicle???s operation

???lets you drill mounting holes without damaging other vehicle components

???allows enough space around the cooling fins for proper airflow and cooling

???lets you easily see the amplifier???s POWER and PROTECTION indicators

Warning: The amplifier gets very hot while it is on. Do not touch the amplifier or place flammable objects near it while it is on.

Preparing the Mounting Area

In addition to the supplied hardware, you need these materials:

???an adapter harness

???additional wire

???shielded audio cables

???16- or 18-gauge marked or color-coded wire.

Confirm that the amplifier fits in your vehi- cle???s available mounting area. This amplifier requires a 51/2-inch high by 93/4-inch wide by 113/4-inch deep (13.9 ??? 23.5 ??? 29.8 cm) mounting area.

Routing Cables and Wires

Avoid routing the connection cables and any speaker wires near moving parts or sharp edges. You can usually route wires and ca- bles along the wiring channel beneath the vehicle???s door facings by carefully removing the molding that holds the carpet in place. Af- ter routing the cables and wires, replace the molding.

INSTALLATION ORDER

For trouble-free installation, simply follow the sections in this owner???s manual in order. First, make all the connections temporarily by connecting the amplifier to:

1Ground and power

2Your auto sound system???s outputs

3Your speakers

Then test the connections. When you con- firm that everything works as expected, dis- connect the amplifier, mount it in your vehicle, and reconnect it.

Caution: If you do not make the connections in the order shown, damage to the amplifier and your auto sound system is possible if any wire connections are made incorrectly.

Note: For easier installation, mark each wire you plan to connect with the name of the ter- minal you will connect it to.

BEFORE YOU MAKE THE

CONNECTIONS

The supplied connection cables include all the lead wires you need to connect the am- plifier to ground, power, and your existing auto sound system.

Important:

???Do not cut any of the supplied wires. If you cut any wire, you cannot obtain a refund or exchange on this product. However, RadioShack will provide war- ranty service if you cut a wire and find the product is defective.

???If the connectors on your vehicle???s auto sound system are not compatible with the amplifier???s connectors, you might need an adapter harness to complete the connections. Your local RadioShack store has adapter harnesses for most vehicles.

You might need additional wire, depending on your individual auto sound system, to complete the connections. Your local Ra- dioShack store has a variety of wire and wire accessories.

Cautions:

???For added safety and to protect your amplifier and auto sound system, dis- connect the cable from your vehicle???s negative (??? ) battery terminal before you begin.

???Be sure your speakers can handle as much as 110 watts of power (55 watts

per channel). Each speaker must have an impedance of at least 4 ohms. Your local RadioShack store has a large vari- ety of speakers.

To make it easier to gauge wire length and connect the amplifier, temporarily place the amplifier as close as possible to the selected mounting location.

Red

Holder

Fuse

Blue/White

AMP Remote Turn On

Black

Vehicle???s Battery

Chassis

Ground

Switched Power Lead

Auto Sound System

Follow these steps to connect the amplifier to ground, switched power, and primary power.

1.If you have not done so already, discon- nect the cable from your vehicle???s nega- tive (??? ) battery terminal.

2.Use a screwdriver to connect the spade end of the supplied black ground wire to the amplifier???s GND (ground) terminal.

3.Connect the black ground wire???s other end to a chassis ground, such as a metal bolt attached to a metal part of the

vehicle???s frame. Be sure the bolt is not insulated from the chassis by a plastic part.

4.Use a screwdriver to connect the spade end of the supplied blue/white wire to the amplifier???s REM (remote power) ter- minal.

5.If your auto sound system has a switched power lead, connect the blue/ white wire???s other end to your auto sound system???s switched power lead

HIGH-LEVEL (SPEAKER

WIRE) INPUTS

If your auto sound system does not have low-level line out jacks but has only speaker outputs, connect your auto sound system???s speaker outputs to the amplifier???s HIGH IN- PUT jacks.

???If your auto sound system has four speaker outputs, see ???Four Speaker Outputs??? on Page 10 to connect your system???s speaker outputs to the ampli- fier using either a floating or common ground connection.

???If your auto sound system has two speaker outputs, see ???Two Speaker Out- puts??? on Page 11 to connect your sys- tem???s speaker outputs to the amplifier using either a floating or common ground connection.

Note: A floating ground connection lets the amplifier provide more power to each speak- er, but requires that you connect a separate wire to each speaker terminal. A common ground connection lets you use fewer wires to connect the speakers to the amplifier, but reduces the amount of power supplied to the speakers from the amplifier.

Use the supplied wire harness and the sup- plied twist-on terminal connectors to make the appropriate connections.

CONNECTING SPEAKERS

You can connect two speakers or a subwoof- er to the amplifier and your auto sound sys- tem.

???If you are connecting two speakers, fol- low Steps 1???3 under ???Preparing the Speaker Wires??? then see ???Connecting Two Speakers??? on Page 13 to connect the speakers to the amplifier.

???If you are connecting a subwoofer, follow Steps 1???3 under ???Preparing the Speaker Wires??? then see ???Connecting a Sub- woofer??? on Page 13 to connect a sub- woofer to the amplifier.

Preparing the Speaker Wires

Caution: You must connect a separate wire to each speaker terminal as described in the following procedures. Unless your auto sound system???s speakers use a common ground wire, do not use a common wire or chassis ground for speaker connections.

Notes:

???We recommend you use 16- or 18- gauge marked or color-coded wires to help you correctly connect the speakers to your amplifier.

???Color-coded wires have a stripe running down one of the conductors or different colored insulation for each conductor. Your local RadioShack store has a wide selection of speaker wire to choose from.

???For the maximum bass response and the best overall performance, keep your speakers properly phased (connect + to + and ??? to ???).

1.With the speakers placed in their approximate locations, run one wire from each speaker to the amplifier.

2.Separate each wire???s two conductors at both ends for a length of about 4 inches.

3.Strip the insulation from the ends of each conductor to expose 1/4 inch of wire. Twist the ends to secure loose strands.

Conductors

1/4 Inch

4 Inches

2.Use a screwdriver to connect the sub- woofer???s negative (??? ) wire to the ampli- fier???s negative (???) terminal for the same channel you connected in Step 1. For example, if you connected the sub-

woofer???s positive (+) wire to the ampli- fier???s SPEAKER L (+) terminal, connect the subwoofer???s negative (??? ) wire to the amplifier???s SPEAKER L (???) terminal.

TESTING THE

CONNECTIONS

Before you continue, make sure you have securely made all connections. Then recon- nect the cable to the vehicle???s negative (??? ) battery terminal.

Seton the side of the am- plifier to its mid position (see ???Adjusting the Audio Level??? on Page 15). Then turn on your vehicle???s ignition and auto sound system to confirm that the amplifier and auto sound

system operate properly. The amplifier turns on after a few seconds.

If you cannot quickly confirm whether the auto sound system and amplifier are working properly, turn off your vehicle???s ignition and disconnect the cable from your vehi-

cle???s negative (???) battery terminal. Then

recheck your connections.

After you test the auto sound system and amplifier and verify that everything is proper- ly connected and working, follow the instruc- tions in ???Mounting the Amplifier.???

9/64-Inch Mounting Holes

Once you verify that the amplifier is connect- ed properly, follow these steps to mount it.

1.Disconnect the cable from the vehicle???s negative (???) battery terminal.

2.To make mounting more convenient, temporarily disconnect the amplifier???s connections (ground, primary power, remote power, your auto sound system???s input, and speakers).

Note: If you have not already done so, be sure to mark each wire with the name of the terminal you will reconnect it to.

3.Using the mounting holes on the ampli- fier as a guide, mark the positions for the mounting holes.

4.Drill 9/64-inch (3.57 mm) holes at the marked locations, being careful not to damage anything behind the mounting surface.

5.Secure the amplifier to the mounting surface using the supplied sheet metal screws and washers.

6.Reconnect the wiring.

7.Reconnect the cable to the vehicle bat- tery???s negative (???) terminal.

8.Reset your vehicle???s clock, your auto sound system???s tuner memory, and other timer/memory devices.

?? Operation

TURNING ON THE

AMPLIFIER

The amplifier automatically turns on a few seconds after you turn your vehicle???s ignition switch to ACC or ON or turn on your auto sound system, depending on how you wired the system. The POWER indicator lights when the amplifier is on.

ADJUSTING THE AUDIO

LEVEL

For the best performance, you must set

EL (MIN/MAX) on the amplifier to adjust the level of the audio signals that enter the am- plifier.

1.Use a screwdriver to turn LEVEL (MIN/ MAX) fully counterclockwise to MIN.

POWER

Indicator

Important: Your amplifier requires 17 amps or more of power from your vehicle???s battery during operation. To protect your battery from discharging, do not operate the amplifi- er unless your vehicle is running.

Note: Your amplifier temporarily shuts down if it gets too hot, then restarts automatically once it cools.

2.Turn up the auto sound system???s volume control to about one-third of its full range.

3.Adjust LEVEL (MIN/MAX) to a comfort- able listening level.

12-2014.fm Page 16 Tuesday, May 9, 2000 8:51 AM

4.Turn up the auto sound system???s volume control until the sound begins to distort. Then immediately turn the volume down to a point just before where the distor- tion began.

Caution: Never turn up the auto sound system???s volume control more than needed to adjust the audio level, or more than two-thirds of its maximum vol- ume.

5.Adjust LEVEL (MIN/MAX) until the sound is at the maximum level you want the amplifier to produce.

6.Adjust the auto sound system???s volume control to a comfortable listening level.

ADJUSTING FREQUENCY

CROSSOVER

If you installed a subwoofer using the steps in ???Connecting a Subwoofer??? on Page 13, set

X-OVER FREQ ON/OFF to ON, then adjust X- for your particular vehicle???s acoustics. The amplifier passes through all

frequencies at or below that setting (45???400 Hz).

Note:selects the limit at which the amplifier will pass frequencies (from 45??? 400 Hz). You should not use it to adjust the sound you hear through your main speakers.

?? Care

To enjoy your amplifier for a long time:

???Keep the amplifier dry. If it gets wet, wipe it dry immediately.

???Use and store the amplifier only in nor- mal temperature environments.

???Handle the amplifier gently and care- fully. Do not drop it.

???Keep the amplifier away from dust and dirt.

???Wipe the amplifier with a damp cloth occasionally to keep it looking new.

Modifying or tampering with the amplifier???s internal components can cause a malfunc- tion and might invalidate its warranty and void your FCC authorization to operate it. If your amplifier is not performing as it should, take it to your local RadioShack store for as- sistance.

REPLACING A FUSE

If the amplifier does not operate, you might need to replace the red power cable???s 20- amp SFE-type fuse or the 20-amp blade-type fuse on the amplifier???s back panel. Check both fuses.

Important: Let the amplifier cool down and see if it starts again before you assume a fuse needs to be replaced.

Caution: Do not use a fuse with ratings other than those specified here. Doing so might damage your amplifier.

Replacing the SFE-Type Fuse

1.Disconnect the cable from the vehicle???s negative (???) battery terminal.

2.Push together and twist the fuse holder???s parts on the red power cable

until they spring apart. Then remove the fuse.

Fuse

3.If the fuse is blown, replace it. Use only an SFE-type fuse with the proper rating. The fuse must be 20 amps.

4.Reassemble the fuse holder by inserting the fuse into the longer of the fuse holder???s ends, and pushing together and twisting the two parts until they latch together.

5.Reconnect the cable to the vehicle???s negative (???) battery terminal.

Replacing the Blade-Type Fuse

1.Disconnect the cable from the vehicles negative (???) battery terminal.

2.Grasp the fuse???s plastic end and pull it out.

3.If the fuse is blown, replace it. Use only a blade-type fuse with the proper rating. The fuse must be 20 amps.

4.Grasp the new fuse???s plastic end and push it in.

5.Reconnect the cable to the vehicle???s negative (???) battery terminal.