Contents
Specifications................................
Features……………………………..
Installation…………………….…….
Trouble-shooting……………………
Tools and materials needed……….
Amplifier installation kit…………....
Routing Wires……………………....
Wiring
Power and Outputs……………..….
Inputs and controls………………...
Input level control..........................
Crossovers…………......................
Phase control.....………………...…
Speaker wiring.............………….….
Testing..........................................
Professional tips……………………..
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2
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3
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How to install and
operate the
DLS CA12
4
5
5
5
6
6
6
7
500 Watts
mono amplifier
Welcome!
This owners manual is written in easy english and
uses a lot of drawings to simply the installation and
use of the above amplifier.
Specifications
DLS CLASSIC
CA12
Your DLS amplifier must be installed correctly in or-
der to work well. This manual will show you how to
install the amplifier like a pro. Please read the entire
manual before beginning the installation.
Install the amplifier yourself if you feel confident with
our instructions and if you have the proper tools.
However if you feel unsure, turn over the installation
job to someone better suited to it.
Number of channels
Power output:
R.M.S. output in 4 ohm (0,1% THD) 1 x 220 W
R.M.S. output in 2 ohm (0,4% THD) 1 x 400 W
R.M.S. output in 1 ohm (0,5% THD) 1 x 500 W
All above output power ratings at 13,8 Volt
1
Signal to noise ratio,A-weighted
Damping factor
>100 dB
>100
Frequency response
Input impedance, low level
Input impedance, high level
Input sensitivity
RCA output
Phase control 0-180 degrees variable yes
Filter subsonic
10 Hz - 35 kHz
10 kohm
100 ohm
0,25 - 5V
yes
Warranty Service
This amplifier is covered by warranty, depending on
the conditions in the country where it is sold. If the
amplifier is returned for service, please include the
original dated receipt with the product.
15 - 150 Hz
Filter lowpass 12/24 dB slope
Power consumption, idle
Maximum current draw
Built-in fan cooling in bottom plate
Fuse
Dimensions (mm)
Dimensions (inch)
Weight
50 - 500 Hz
0,8 A
80 A
yes
2 x 30A
67x295x250
2,63x11,6x9,84
3,8 kg (8,4 lb)
ꢀ
Technical Assistance
For technical assistance ask the shop where the
product was sold or the distributor in your very coun-
try.
You can always phone the DLS Helpdesk in Sweden
+ 46 31 84 00 60 or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Information can also be found on our WEB-site
Approval of electromagnetic compatability according
to the EEC Directive 95/54/EC
DLS Svenska AB
P.O. Box 13029
S-40251 Göteborg, Sweden
Tel: +46 31 840060
Fax: +46 31 844021
E-mail: [email protected]
E 13 Approval No: 022495
We follow a policy of continuous advancement in
development. For this reason all or part of specifications
& designs may be changed without prior notice.
CA12
Routing wires
Tools and material needed
Tools:
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Flat and Phillips screwdrivers
Wire cutter
Wire stripper
Electric drill with drills
Crimping tool
Digital multimeter or test lamp
Wire brush, scraper or a piece
of an abrasive sheet to remove
paint for a good ground connection
Grease to protect the ground
connection from corrosion
Stereo
head unit
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Material:
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Speaker wire: minimum
12 AWG = 4 mm2 for subwoofers
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Sheet metal screws for mounting the
amplifier to the amplifier board and the
amplifier board to the car + some extra
for fuse holder, amplifier ground etc.
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Electrical insulation tape
½ inch thick plywood or particle board for
the amplifier to be mounted upon.
Amplifier installation kit:
If available,buy an amplifier installation kit. It
contains normally all you need. This is what you
have to buy if you buy the items separately
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20- 25 feet = 6- 7.5 meter power cable,
minimum AWG 5 = 16 mm2 or heavier.
1 pc of fuseholder to install close to the
car battery + fuse 60 Ampere.
20 feet of AWG 15 = 1,5 mm2 wire for
remote turn on / off cable from radio.
RCA-cable for input from radio.
- 20 feet or 5 meter for trunk installations
-12 feet or 2 – 3 meter for under seat
installations
High current draw
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Two ring crimp terminals –one
The CA12 is a mono amplifier with high power output.
The current draw is also high so you must make sure
that your vehicles power system (battery and alternator)
can provide all the power you need. If you have a bad
battery or alternator in can result in a poor sound or
even worse, a broken battery or alternator.
for connection to the battery plus and one
for the amplifier ground connection.
Two heavy fork crimp terminals to connect
+ and – to amplifer – but you do only need
them if you use heavy cable or to make the
installation look nicer.
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Four to eight fork crimp terminals to
connect the speaker cables – but you do
only need them if you use heavy cables or
want the installation to look nicer.
One fork crimp terminal to connect the
remote wire to the amplifier, but you need it
only to make it look nicer.
Four to eight splicers to connect speaker
cables to high level input cable, if high level
input is used.
Professional Tip:
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If amplifier installation kits are available with diffe-
rent size of power cable, chose the most heavy
power cable to improve sound quality and to allow
more amplifiers to be installed now or later.
If possible buy AWG 4 = PL 21 mm2 (or heavier)
cable for best performance.
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Wire ties
Insulating grommet or insulating tube
3
CA12
Remote terminal ( REM )
For RCA cable signal input:
Wiring
Power and Outputs
Connect the radio power antenna lead = remote
turn on/off from the car stereo to the amplifier
remote connection. This turns on the amplifier
whenever the car stereo is turned on.
Power terminal ( +12V)
You can either use the built in remote cable in the
RCA cable itself or use a separate cable.
Connect the fuse holder as close to the vehicle
battery + as possible, using AWG5 = 16 mm2 or
heavier cable. Use ring crimp terminal cable to
connect to battery +. Apply silicon grease to the
fuse to prevent corrosion.
Sometimes a small disturbance may enter the
amplifier coming from the remote voltage , through
the built in remote wire and into the RCA cable.
Thus we recommend to use a separate remote wire
and run the RCA lead separate from remote wire,
power cables and speaker cables.
You can either use a crimp fork terminal or insert
the cable directly into the amplifier terminal. If there
is no remote voltage available from the stereo, you
must connect to the ignition key through the radio
or any accessories fuse.
Use a fuse holder for AGU fuses
like the DLS FH1B. Fuse value
60 A if you use a AWG5 cable.
+12V REM GND
For High Level input:
We recommend you to connect the remote wire as
described above.
The amplifier will be turned on/ turned off by the
high level input voltage. This is done when the Hi
level/Low level switch is set to Hi level position.
There is a small disadvantage that this function
gives soft turn on operation but some plop sound
when switching off.
DLS
DLS FH 1B
fuse holder
Connect the battery cable to the +12 Volt on the
amplifier. If you want to improve the power capacity
you can add a Power capacitor of 1 Farad in parallel
with the DC input.
Be sure to use a rubber grommet or a plastic
insulating tube where the cable passes the firewall
or other places where it can easily be jammed.
Use wire ties to secure to existing cables in the engine
room.
You do not have to connect any remote voltage
when using Hi level input.
Max. fuse value for different cable sizes:
+12V REM GND
6 mm2 (9 AWG) :25 A
16 mm2 (5AWG) :60 A
33 mm2 (2AWG) :150 A
10 mm2 (7AWG) :40 A
21 mm2 (4AWG) :100 A
42 mm2 (1AWG) :200
Ground Terminal ( GND )
Connect to a good chassis ground. The ground
connection should be clean, unpainted metal to prov-
ide a good electrical connection. Use a wire brush, a
scraper or a piece of an abrasive sheet to clean the
metal. Use a lock washer or two to secure contact.
Protect with silicon grease or by paint applied
afterwards.
Power Light / Protect light
The power light (green ) comes on when
the amplifier is turned on.
Power
(Green)
+12V REM GND
The protect light ( red ) comes on when
the amplifier shuts down from
overheating or short circuit.
Protect
(Red)
Fuses
Use only 30 ampere
ATC blade type fuses.
CA12 uses two 30
ampere fuses.
4
CA12
Input and controls
Input Level control
Input Wiring
Inputs may be low level from the RCA output of the
car stereo or high level from the car stereo speaker
output.Low level = RCA is to prefer for the best sound
quality.
The input level control, 5V – 0,25
V, matches the output of your ra-
dio to the input of the amplifier.After
installation is complete, make sure
the input of the amplifier is turned
down all the way ( counter-
clockwise at 5V ). Play a tape or
CD, make sure all bass or treble
settings or equalizer are flat, and
turn the volume of the radio up until
you just start to hear distortion.
Turn the volume control down just
a bit. On the amplifier increase the
input level control ( clockwise or to
the right ) until you just start to hear
distortion, then back the level
control just a bit. Now your radio
and amplifier levels are matched.
Important
Level
Use either the low level or the high level input, do
not use both at same time.
Low level input
Use a pair of shielded stereo audio cables with RCA
type jack. Most trunk-mount amplifiers need a 20
feet RCA cable ( appr 5 – 6 meters). Most under the
seat installations require 12
feet ( 2 – 3 meters) RCA
cables.Avoid placing the RCA
cable close to speaker cables,
power cables and remote
control cable. Connect to in-
put socket A & B.
5 V
0,25 V
High Level Input
Subsonic filter
Connect left and right speaker wires coming from
the car stereo to the high level input as shown. You
must connect both plus and minus as the inputs are
balanced, connecting plus only gives lower level and
bad sound quality. By changing the polarity of plus
and minus, you can change the phase.
The Subsonic filter blocks
the very deepest frequencies
from reaching the subwoofers.
It has a variable frequency
from 15 to 50 Hz.Atypical set-
ting is 25-30 Hz when used
Subsonic
40Hz 100Hz
150Hz
15Hz
High Input
White
: A ch.+
: A ch.-
: B ch.-
: Bch.+
Off On
with subwoofers.The filter can
be switched IN-OUT.
White/Black
Grey/Black
Grey
Low Pass Filter
Hi level input plug on amp.
The LPF ( low pass filter )
mostly used for subwoofers. It
will allow low frequencies only
and blocks higher frequencies.
A typical setting is 50 – 80 Hz.
The filter can be switched in
and out and you can select
between two different slopes,
12 dB/ octave or 24 dB/ octave.
Choose the slope and the set-
ting that sounds best in your
car.
Automatic turn on when using high level input.
With the Hi/Low input swich set to Hi, the amplifier turns
onautomaticallyonhighinput.Youdontneedtoconnect
a separate remote wire from your head unit.
When using High Level input:
LPF
80Hz 200Hz
50Hz 500Hz
Set the switch to position ”Hi / Level”
When using Low level input:
Off 24 dB
12dB
Set the switch to position ”Low / Level”
If the switch is set to wrong
position, the amplifier still
works, but the risk for
disturbances or distortion
increases.
Hi level
Low level
5
CA12
RCA Output
Phase control
Input
Output
The phase control can be set
continuously from 0 - 180 degrees. This
is very useful when you want to adjust
the bass sound for best front stage image.
Start on 0 and turn the control slowly
clockwise until you experience the bass
sound coming from the front.
Use RCA Outputs to
connect additional
amplifiers.
A
B
A
B
Phase
0o
180o
You may have to change the polarity of
the speaker connection to get the best
result.
Speaker and power
connection
To Remote on
head unit
4 Ω
The speaker
terminals are
-
-
+
+
Fuse
doubled
for
Distribu-
tion block
easier connection
of moreof two or
4 Ω
Battery
Power Cap
m
o
r
e
subwoofers. The
+ respective -
terminasls are
i n t e r n a l l y
connected to
each other. It is
not possible to
connect CA12 in
bridge mode.
4 Ω
4 Ω
-
+
+
Testing
Before you finish the installation, you should do the
following tests to make sure the wiring is correct
and everything is operating properly.
-
Reconnect Battery
NOTE!
When wiring is complete,
reconnect the battery
negative terminal.
Minimum speaker load is one (1) ohm. You can
connect up to four 4 ohm subwoofers or two 2 ohm
subwoofers to the amplifier. Loads or speaker
impedances less than 1 ohm could result in poor
sound quality and/or damage to amplifier.
Test power wiring
1.
Turn on the head unit but do not turn up the
volume. The amplifier power light should
come on. If not, check the remote and +12
volt wires. Also check the ground
connection.
The drawing shows how to connect four 4 ohm
subwoofers to the speaker terminal.
2.
Turn up the head units volume slightly. All
speakers should operate. if not, check
wiring connections at amplifier and
speakers.
6
CA12
Professional Tip:
Professional Tip:
SPEAKER POLARITY CHECK.
NOISE PROBLEMS
All speakers in a car audio system should be
connected in phase (the same polarity). All spea-
ker cones must move in the same direction. Out of
phase speakers will cause a lack of bass, and a
poor stereo soundstage.
WHINING NOISE VARYING WITH ENGINE
REVOLUTIONS:
Do this:
1.
Rewire the power supply (12 V) to source
unit direct from battery.
Rewire ground wire from source unit to
Checking polarity:
2.
Hold the - connection of the speaker wire to the -
terminal of a 1,5 Volt flashlight battery. Tap the +
wire on to the + terminal of the battery, and observe
the movement of the cone. The cone should move
outwards when the wire touches the battery, and
inwards when the battery is removed. If it is the
other way around, the speaker has been connected
backwards and it must be removed and connected
correctly.
If your system also has a subwoofer connected
through a passive 6 or 12 dB crossover, try to
connect this with various polarity and judge what
sounds best. The phase shift in passive crossovers
sometimes makes it necessary to change polarity.
clean position on chassis.
3.
Check all power connections to ensure that
they are clean and tight.
4.
5.
Check quality of system ground connection.
Install a Power Cap capacitor. This can be
helpful against most noise problems.
CONSTANT WHINING NOISE:
Do this:
1.
2.
3.
Ensure that all equipment has a common
ground point.
Check quality of earth strap connection from
battery negative terminal to chassis.
Disconnect signal cables from amplifier to
see if noise disappears. If so the leads are
picking up noise. Test this by laying a new
cable over the seats and reconnecting to the
amplifier. If the noise does not return, re-
route original cable away from source of
interference.
+
+
Battery
1,5 Volt
-
If noise remains regardless of cable position,
try to use so called Quasi-balanced signal
cables. DLS PRO or ULTIMATE cables are
quasibalanced.
-
Professional Tip:
Professional Tip:
Installing in trunk
Securing wires
When installing the amplifier in the trunk, run the
power wires along the same path as the other
vehicle wiring. Many cars have insulated channels
for wiring. you will have to remove the door sill trim
and the carpet.
Use wire ties to bundle together when possible.
(But never bundle speaker wires or signal cables
together with power wires.
Professional Tip:
Professional Tip:
Crimp connections
Purchase crimp connectors and crimping tool.
Connectors are color coded.
Speaker and power wires
Do not run speaker and power wires next to each
other. Power wires can generate a ”siren” sound in
the speakers. Runs speaker and power wires on
opposite sides of the car.
1. Strip 1/4 inch (6 mm) of insulation from the wire.
2. Insert into connector
3. Crimp tightly
7
DLS Svenska AB
P.O. Box 13029
SE-40251 Göteborg, Sweden
Tel: +46 31 840060
Fax: +46 31 844021
E-mail: [email protected]
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