JL AUDIO 250/1 monoblock subwoofer amplifier o w n e r 's m a n u a l Thank you for purchasing a JL Audio amplifier for your automotive sound system. Your amplifier has been designed and manufactured to exacting standards in order to ensure years of musical enjoyment in your vehicle. For maximum performance and extended warranty coverage, we highly recommend that you have your new amplifier installed by an authorized JL Audio dealer. Your authorized dealer has the training, expertise and installation equipment to ensure optimum performance from this product. Should you decide to install the amplifier yourself, please take the time to read this manual thoroughly so as to familiarize yourself with its installation requirements and setup procedures. If you have any questions regarding the instructions in this manual or any aspect of your amplifier's operation, please contact your authorized JL Audio dealer for assistance. If you need further assistance, please call the JL Audio Technical Support Department at (954) 443-1100 during business hours (Eastern Time Zone). PROTECT YOUR HEARING! We value you as a long-term customer. For that reason, we urge you to practice restraint in the operation of this product so as not to damage your hearing and that of others in your vehicle. Studies have shown that continuous exposure to high sound pressure levels can lead to permanent (irreparable) hearing loss.This and all other highpower amplifiers are capable of producing such high sound pressure levels when connected to a speaker system. Please limit your continuous exposure to high volume levels. While driving, operate your audio system in a manner that still allows you to hear necessary noises to operate your vehicle safely (horns, sirens, etc.). SERIAL NUMBER In the event that your amplifier requires service or is ever stolen, you will need to have a record of the product's serial number. Please take the time to enter that number in the space provided below. The serial number can be found on the bottom panel of the amplifier and on the amplifier packaging. Serial Number: _______________________________ INSTALLATION APPLICATIONS This amplifier is designed for operation in vehicles with 12V, negative-ground electrical systems. Use of this product in vehicles with positive ground and/or voltages other than 12V may result in damage to the product and will void the warranty. This product is not certified or approved for use in aircraft. Do not attempt to "bridge" the outputs of this amplifier with the outputs of a second amplifier, including an identical one. PLANNING YOUR INSTALLATION It is important that you take the time to read this manual and that you plan out your installation carefully.The following are some considerations that you must take into account when planning your installation. Cooling Efficiency Considerations: Your JL Audio amplifier employs an advanced type of heat management, called RealSinkTM.This feature takes advantage of convection and radiation effects to remove heat from the amplifier circuitry. For optimum cooling performance, the vertical heat sinks located at the back of the amplifier should be exposed to as large a volume of air as possible. Enclosing the amplifier in a small, poorly ventilated chamber can lead to excessive heat build-up and degraded performance. If an installation calls for an enclosure around the amplifier, we recommend that this enclosure be ventilated with the aid of a fan. In normal applications, fan-cooling is not necessary, but you still need to follow some basic guidelines: · Amplifier mounted vertically with heat sink fins pointing up: Optimum · Amplifier mounted horizontally, right side up: Good · Amplifier mounted horizontally, but upside down: Fair (not recommended if there is less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) clearance above the amplifier heat sinks) · Amplifier mounted vertically with heat sink fins pointing laterally: Fair · Amplifier mounted vertically with heat sink fins pointing down: Poor (not recommended) Safety Considerations: Your amplifier needs to be installed in a dry, well-ventilated environment and in a manner which does not interfere with your vehicle's safety equipment (air bags, seat belt systems, ABS brake systems, etc.).You should also take the time to securely mount the amplifier using the supplied screws so that it does not come loose in the event of a collision or a sudden jolt to the vehicle (10 lbs. of aluminum traveling at 60 MPH will hurt you). Stupid Mistakes to Avoid: · Check before drilling any holes in your vehicle to make sure that you will not be drilling through a gas tank, brake line, wiring harness or other vital vehicle system. · Do not run system wiring outside or underneath the vehicle.This is an extremely dangerous practice which can result in severe damage to your vehicle and person. · Protect all system wires from sharp metal edges and wear by carefully routing them, tying them down and using grommets and loom where appropriate. · Do not mount the amplifier in the engine compartment, under the vehicle, on the roof or in any other area that will expose the amplifier circuitry to the elements. Chassis Ground Connector (pg. 5) +12 V Power Connector (pg. 5) Remote Turn-On Connector (pg. 6) Preamp Output Mode Selector (pg. 8) Amplifier LowPass Filter Slope Selection/Defeat (pg. 8) Input Voltage Range Selector (pg. 7) Signal Sensing Turn-On On/Off Switch (pg. 6) Infrasonic Filter On/Off Switch (pg. 9) Input Sensitivity Control (pg. 7) Positive Subwoofer Outputs (pg. 10) Negative Subwoofer Outputs (pg. 10) If mounting the amplifier under a seat, make sure there is at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of space above the amplifier heat sink fins to permit proper cooling. +12VDC Ground Remote Preamp Output Section Output Mode Amp LP Filter Bass Control Mode/Slope Infrasonic Filter Amplifier Input Section Input Voltage Input Sens. Signal Sensing Full-Range/Low-Pass/High-Pass Off/12dB/24dB +3 +1 Off/30Hz +7 +10 +13 Low/High Off/On JL AUDIO 250/1 monoblock subwoofer amplifier Left Ch. Right Ch. Filter Freq. (Hz) LF Boost (dB) Left Ch. Right Ch. Left and Right Selects Low-Pass Preamp Output Jacks Filter Frequency for (pg. 8) Amplifier Channel (pg. 8) Selects Boost Level for Bass EQ (pg. 9) Left and Right Input Jacks (pg. 7) 2 JL AUDIO 250/1 JL AUDIO 250/1 3 PRODUCT DESCRIPTION The JL Audio 250/1 is a monoblock subwoofer amplifier utilizing proprietary and patented Class D technology. Its frequency response is limited to the range below 500 Hz. It is not designed for driving midrange speakers or tweeters. Every aspect of its operation has been optimized for low-frequency amplification. For detailed specifications, please refer to Appendix E (page 19). TYPICAL INSTALLATION SEQUENCE The following represents the sequence for a typical amplifier installation, using an aftermarket source unit. Additional steps and different procedures may be required in some applications. If you have any questions, please contact your authorized JL Audio dealer for assistance. 1) Disconnect the negative battery post connection and secure the disconnected cable to prevent accidental re-connection during installation. This step is not optional! 2) Run power wire (minimum 8 AWG) from the battery location to the amplifier mounting location, taking care to route it in such a way that it will not be damaged and will not interfere with vehicle operation. Use 4 AWG, 2 AWG or 1/0 AWG power wire if additional amplifiers are being installed with the 250/1. 3) Connect power wire to the positive battery post. Fuse the wire with an appropriate fuse block (and connectors) within 18 inches (45 cm) wire length of the positive battery post. This fuse is essential to protect the vehicle. Do not install the fuse until the power wire has been connected to the amplifier. 4) Run signal cables (RCA cables) and remote turn-on wire from the source unit to the amplifier mounting location. 5) Run speaker wire from the speaker system to the amplifier mounting location. 6) Find a good, solid metal grounding point close to the amplifier and connect the negative power wire to it using appropriate hardware. Use the same size power wire as the wire connected to the "+12V" connection (min. 8 AWG), no longer than 36 inches (90 cm) from the amplifier to the ground connection point. In some vehicles, it may be necessary to upgrade the battery ground wire. (See page 5 for important notice). 4 7) Securely mount the amplifier using the supplied screws. 8) Connect the positive and negative power wires to the amplifier. A fuse near the amplifier is not necessary. 9) Connect the remote turn-on wire to the amplifier. 10) Connect the RCA input cables to the amplifier. 11) Connect the speaker wires to the amplifier. 12) Carefully review the amplifier's control settings to make sure that they are set according to the needs of the system. 13) Install power wire fuse (30A for a single 250/1) and reconnect the negative battery post terminal. 14) Turn on the source unit at a low level to double-check that the amplifier is configured correctly. Resist the temptation to crank it up until you have verified the control settings. 15) Make necessary adjustments to the input sensitivity control to obtain the right overall output and the desired balance between the subwoofer output and the satellite (mid and high-frequency) output. See Appendix B (page 13) for the recommended input sensitivity setting method. 16) Enjoy the fruits of your labor with your favorite music. POWER CONNECTIONS Before installing the amplifier, disconnect the negative (ground) wire from the vehicle's battery. This will prevent accidental damage to the system, the vehicle and your person during installation. Any wires run through metal barriers (such as firewalls), must be protected with a high quality rubber grommet to prevent damage to the insulation of the wire. Failure to do so may result in a dangerous short circuit. ! I M P O RTA N T Many vehicles employ small (10 AWG 6 AWG) wire to ground the battery to the vehicle chassis and to connect the alternator's positive connection to the battery.To prevent voltage drops, these wires should be upgraded to 4 AWG (or larger) when installing amplifier systems with total fuse ratings exceeding 60A. FUSE REQUIREMENTS It is absolutely vital that the main power lead to the amplifier(s) in the system be fused within 18 inches (45 cm) of the positive battery post connection.The fuse value at each power wire should be high enough for all of the equipment being run from that power wire. If only the 250/1 is being run from that power wire, we recommend a 30A fuse be used. AGU (big glass fuse) or MaxiFuseTM (big plastic-body fuse) types are recommended. No fuse is required directly before the amplifier power connection. If one is desired, we recommend the use of a 30A AGU fuse or MaxiFuseTM type. The 250/1's "+12 VDC" and "Ground" connections are designed to accept 8 AWG 4 AWG power wire. 8 AWG is a minimum power wire size for this amplifier. If you are installing the 250/1 with other amplifiers and wish to use a single main power wire, use 4 AWG, 2 AWG or 1/0 AWG main power wire (depending on the overall current demands of all the amplifiers in the system).This 4 AWG, 2 AWG or 1/0 AWG power wire should terminate into a distribution block mounted as close to the amplifiers as possible and should connect to the 250/1 with 8 AWG or 4 AWG power wire. Please note that smaller AWG numbers mean bigger wire and vice-versa (1/0 AWG is biggest, 2 AWG is smaller, then 4 AWG, then 8 AWG, etc.). To connect the power wires to the amplifier, first back out the set screw on the top of the amplifier, using the supplied 2.5 mm hex wrench. Strip 1/2 inch (12 mm) of insulation from the end of each wire and insert the bare wire into the receptacle on the front panel of the amplifier, seating it firmly so that no bare wire is exposed. While holding the wire in place, tighten the set screw firmly, taking care not to strip the head of the screw. The ground connection should be made using the same gauge wire as the power connection and should be kept as short as possible, while accessing a solid piece of sheet metal in the vehicle. The surface of the sheet metal should be sanded at the contact point to create a clean, metal-to-metal connection between the chassis and the termination of the ground wire.The use of a star washer to lock down the connection is advisable. JL AUDIO 250/1 JL AUDIO 250/1 5 TURN-ON OPTIONS The 250/1 can be turned on and off using two different methods: 1) A conventional +12V remote turn-on lead. 2) A signal sensing turn-on circuit. 2) Signal Sensing Turn-On Method: A valuable feature of the 250/1 is its ability to be turned on and off by the presence or lack of signal at its audio inputs.This allows you to operate the amplifier without having to locate a remote turn-on lead at the source unit.This can be very use ...