car audio power amplifier owner's manual THANK YOU for purchasing a JBL Power Series® amplifier. In order that we may better serve you should you require warranty service for your new amplifier, please retain your original purchase receipt and return the enclosed warranty registration card. INSTALLATION WARNING: Playing loud music in an automobile can hinder your ability to hear traffic and permanently damage your hearing. We recommend listening at low or moderate levels while driving your car. JBL accepts no liability for hearing loss, bodily injury or property damage resulting from the use or misuse of this product. IMPORTANT: To get the best performance from your JBL Power Series® amplifiers, we strongly recommend that installation be entrusted to a qualified professional. Although these instructions explain how to install JBL Power Series amplifiers in a general sense, they do not show specific installation methods that may be required for your particular vehicle. If you do not have the necessary tools or experience, do not attempt the installation yourself. Instead, please ask your authorized JBL car audio dealer about professional installation. INSTALLATION WARNINGS AND TIPS · Always wear protective eyewear when using tools. · Turn off all audio systems and other electrical devices before you start. Disconnect the (­) negative lead from your vehicle's battery. · Check clearances on both sides of a planned mounting surface before drilling any holes or installing any screws. Remember that the screws can extend behind the surface. · At the installation sites, locate and make a note of all fuel lines, hydraulic brake lines, vacuum lines, and electrical wiring. Use extreme caution when cutting or drilling in and around these areas. · Before drilling or cutting holes, use a utility knife to remove unwanted fabric or vinyl to keep material from snagging in a drill bit. · When routing cables, keep inputsignal cables away from power cables and speaker wires. · When making connections, make certain they are secure and properly insulated. · If the amplifier's fuse must be replaced, use only the same type and rating as that of the original. Do not substitute another kind. CHOOSING A LOCATION AND MOUNTING THE AMPLIFIER Amplifiers need air to stay cool. Suitable locations are under a seat (provided the amplifier doesn't interfere with the seat adjustment mechanism), in the trunk, or in any other location which provides enough air for the amp to cool itself. Do not mount the amplifier with the heat sink facing downward, as this makes convection cooling of the amplifier impossible. Mount the amplifier so that it is not damaged by the feet of backseat passengers or shifting cargo in the trunk. Mount the amplifier so that it remains dry ­ never mount an amplifier outside the car or in the engine compartment. Using the amplifier as a template, mark the location of the mounting holes on the mounting surface, drill pilot holes, and attach the amplifier to the mounting surface with screws. Make sure the amplifier is mounted securely. POWER CONNECTIONS The Power Series amplifiers are capable of delivering extremely high power levels, and require a heavy-duty and reliable connection to the vehicle's electrical system in order to perform optimally. Please adhere to the following instructions carefully: Ground Connection Connect the amplifier's Ground (GND) terminal to a solid point on the vehicle's metal chassis, as close to the amplifier as possible. Refer to the chart below to determine minimum wire-gauge size. Scrape away any paint from this location; use a star-type lock washer to secure the connection. Power Connection Connect a wire (see chart at right for appropriate gauge) directly to the vehicle's positive battery terminal, and install an appropriate fuse holder within 18" of the battery terminal. Do not install the fuse at this time. Route the wire to the amplifier's location, and connect it to the amplifier's Positive (BATT +) terminal. Be sure to use appropriate grommets whenever routing wires through the firewall or other sheet metal. Failure to adequately protect the positive wire from potential damage may result in a vehicle fire. When you are done routing and connecting this wire, you may install the fuse at the battery. NOTE: The BPx2200.1 is supplied with an external 150A fuse. If you are running a dedicated wire to this amplifier, this fuse should be installed near the battery, as specified above. If you are running multiple amplifiers off a power distribution block, this fuse should be installed between the distribution block and the BPx2200.1. In any case, a fuse must be installed within 18" of the battery terminal. Remote Connection Connect the amplifier's Remote (REM) terminal to the source unit's Remote Turn-On lead using a minimum of 18-gauge wire. Speaker Connections Refer to the application guides on the pages that follow. Speaker connections should be made using a minimum of 16-gauge wire. Wire Gauge Chart Amplifier Maximum Minimum Model Current Draw Wire Gauge Px300.4 78A #6 AWG Px600.2 78A #6 AWG BPx500.1 50A #8 AWG BPx1100.1 110A #4 AWG BPx2200.1 190A 2x #4 AWG These recommendations assume 7' ­ 10' wire runs. If your installation differs markedly, you will need to adjust the wire gauge accordingly. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are planning to use optional neon tubes, you must install them before making any electrical connections to the amplifier (refer to "Installing Neon Tubes" on page 7). 2 APPLICATIONS ­ BPx MODELS To the right are several application diagrams to help plan your subwoofer system installation. Figures 1 through 3 show how to configure the JBL Power Series subwoofer amplifiers (models BPx500.1, BPx1100.1 and BPx2200.1) for 2-channel, bridged-mono and parallel-mono operation (also see "Setting the Output Mode" on page 6). NOTE: For simplicity, Figures 1 through 3 do not show power, remote and input connections. NOTE: If the nominal impedance of your speaker system is close to 2 ohms, be prepared to try both bridged and parallel configurations to determine which performs better. Set OUTPUT MODE to 2CH/BR (on input panel) CH 1 2 CHANNEL BRIDGED CH 2 NEON BPx Amplifier PARALLEL 2CH/BR PARALLEL* OUTPUT MODE (partial rear panel) SPEAKER OUTPUTS *SEE MANUAL FOR PARALLEL CONNECTION See "Setting the Crossover(s)" on page 6 to adjust X-OVER controls (on input panel) X-OVER FREQ Figure 1. The JBL Power Series subwoofer amplifier is set to 2-channel mode to drive a pair of subwoofers. 32Hz 320Hz 12dB 24dB SLOPE Subwoofer Subwoofer Set OUTPUT MODE to 2CH/BR (on input panel) CH 1 2 CHANNEL BRIDGED CH 2 NEON BPx Amplifier PARALLEL 2CH/BR PARALLEL* OUTPUT MODE (partial rear panel) SPEAKER OUTPUTS *SEE MANUAL FOR PARALLEL CONNECTION See "Setting the Crossover(s)" on page 6 to adjust X-OVER controls (on input panel) Figure 2. The JBL Power Series subwoofer amplifier is set to bridged (mono) mode to drive a single subwoofer. Use this mode only when the nominal impedance of the speaker system is 2 ohms or greater. X-OVER FREQ 32Hz 320Hz 12dB 24dB SLOPE Subwoofer (2 ohms or greater) Set OUTPUT MODE to PARALLEL (on input panel) CH 1 2 CHANNEL BRIDGED CH 2 NEON BPx Amplifier PARALLEL 2CH/BR PARALLEL* jumper SPEAKER OUTPUTS OUTPUT MODE (partial rear panel) *SEE MANUAL FOR PARALLEL CONNECTION See "Setting the Crossover(s)" on page 6 to adjust X-OVER controls (on input panel) Figure 3. The JBL Power Series subwoofer amplifier is set to parallel mode to drive a single subwoofer. Use this mode only when the nominal impedance of the speaker system is less than 2 ohms. NOTE: A jumper is added between the + terminals. X-OVER FREQ 32Hz 320Hz 12dB 24dB SLOPE Subwoofer (less than 2 ohms) 3 APPLICATIONS ­ Px600.2 The JBL Px600.2 amplifier can be set up for stereo or bridged-mono operation, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. NOTE: For simplicity, Figures 4 and 5 do not show power, remote and input connections. Set MODE to FLAT; INPUT MODE to ST (on input panel) X-OVER FREQ Figure 4. The JBL Px600.2 amplifier is set to stereo mode to drive a pair of full-range speakers. GND REM BATT BRIDGED NEON STEREO R L NEON Px600.2 POWER FUSES SPEAKER OUTPUTS Px600.2 (rear panel) 32Hz 320Hz FLAT HP LP MODE 12dB 24dB SLOPE ST INPUT MODE MO R Speaker L Speaker FREQ and SLOPE have no effect Figure 5. The JBL Px600.2 amplifier is set to bridged (mono) mode to drive a single subwoofer. Use this mode only when the nominal impedance of the subwoofer is 4 ohms or greater. Set MODE to LP; INPUT MODE to MO (on input panel) X-OVER FREQ GND REM BATT BRIDGED STEREO R L NEON NEON Px600.2 POWER FUSES SPEAKER OUTPUTS Px600.2 (rear panel) 32Hz 320Hz FLAT HP LP MODE 12dB 24dB SLOPE ST INPUT MODE MO Subwoofer (4 ohms or greater) See "Setting the Crossover(s)" on page 6 to set FREQ and SLOPE For Stereo or Mono signals, use both L/R inputs 4 APPLICATIONS ­ Px300.4 The JBL Px300.4 amplifier can be set up for stereo or tri-mode operation, as shown in Figures 6 and 7. NOTE: For simplicity, Figures 6 and 7 do not show power, remote and input connections. Figure 6. The JBL Px300.4 amplifier is set to stereo mode to drive front and rear pairs of full-range speakers. NOTE: To limit bass sent to full-range speakers, set X-OVER MODE to HP. See page 6 to set FREQ and SLOPE. Set REAR and FRONT INPUT MODE to ST (on input panel) FRONT GND REM BATT R L BRIDGED STEREO REAR NEON NEON R L Px300.4 POWER FUSES SPEAKER OUTPUTS SPEAKER OUTPUTS Px300.4 (rear panel) RF Speaker + LR Speaker + - Set REAR and FRONT X-OVER MODE to FLAT (on input panel) - LF Speaker ST MO INPUT MODE FLAT HP LP MODE RR Speaker + - + - Figure 7. The JBL Px300.4 amplifier is set to drive a stereo component system and a subwoofer with a nominal impedance of 4 ohms or greater. NOTE: To drive a pair of rear midbass speakers (instead of subwoofer), set INPUT MODE to ST, X-OVER MODE to LP, and use DBO to set HP filter. Set FRONT INPUT MODE to ST (on input panel) FRONT GND REM BATT R L BRIDGED STEREO REAR NEON NEON R L Px300.4 POWER FUSES SPEAKER OUTPUTS SPEAKER OUTPUTS Px300.4 (rear panel) Set REAR INPUT MODE to MO (on input panel) RF System + - Subwoofer ST MO INPUT MODE ST MO INPUT MODE + - Set FRONT X-OVER MODE to HP (on input panel) Set REAR X-OVER MODE to LP (on input panel) FLAT HP LP MODE FLAT HP LP MODE See "Setting the Crossover(s)" on page 6 to set FREQ and SLOPE - LF System + 5 INSTALLATION AND SETUP SETTING THE OUTPUT MODE Setting an output mode depends on your choice of system configuration and the nominal impedace of your speaker system. JBL Power Series BPx amplifiers provide rated power into any impedance between 1 and 4 ohms. The BPx500.1, BPx1100.1 and BPx2200.1 amplifiers can be configured to provide high voltage to loads of 2 ohms or greater, or high current for loads below 2 ohms. Using the Bridge Mode If your speaker system has a nominal impedance of 2 ohms or greater, bridge the amplifier's two channels to drive the speaker(s). On BPx models, set the OUTPUT MODE switch to 2CH/BR (see Figure 2 on page 3). Using the Parallel Mode (BPx Models Only) If the nominal speaker-system impedance is less than 2 ohms, connect the two amplifier channels in parallel to drive the speaker(s), as shown in Figure 3 on page 3. On BPx models, set the OUTPUT MODE switch to PARALLEL. NOTE: If the nominal impedance of your subwoofer system is close to 2 ohms, try both series and parallel to determine which mode provides the highest volume. Use the I/E OPT LED according to "Setting Input Sensitivity" on the right. Using the 2-Channel Mode With any Power Series amplifier, you can also drive two woofers separately by connecting the speakers in the 2-channel mode (see Figure 1 on page 3). In this mode, the minimum nominal impedance is 2 ohms. On BPx models, set the OUTPUT MODE switch to 2CH/BR. SETTING THE CROSSOVER(S) IMPORTANT: If you plan to use the Px300.4 or Px600.2 to drive full-range speakers, set the X-OVER MODE switch(es) to FLAT and skip to the next section, "Setting Input Sensitivity." 1. Initially set the X-OVER FREQ control(s) midway. Later, when listening to music (in the next section), adjust them for leastperceived distortion from midrange and high-frequency speakers, while allowing them to reproduce as much bass as possible. 2. Depending on your system plan, set the X-OVER MODE switch(es) to LP (low-pass), HP (high-pass), or FLAT. 3. For HP filters, set the X-OVER SLOPE switch(es) to 24dB to limit bass and provide increased system volume with less distortion. For LP filters, use 12dB or 24dB according to taste. However, using a 24dB slope will make bass less directional since midrange frequencies are being filtered from the woofer's response. When choosing a low-pass filter frequency for your subwoofers, choose the highest frequency that will remove vocal information from the sound of the subwoofer. ...