DIAMOND DMD Series Audio 4 Channel Amplifier Owner’s Manual

DIAMOND DMD Series Audio 4 Channel Amplifier

INTRODUCTION

Congratulations, you have just purchased one of the finest mobile audio products on the market. Diamond Audio products represent the latest advances in acoustic technology in sound reproduction for your vehicle. Diamond Audio products are designed, developed, and engineered in the USA using the latest innovative materials and components to provide the finest sound reproduction possible. Every Diamond Audio product has been verified and tested to ensure the best-sounding and most reliable product on the market if installed properly. Diamond Audio products will provide many years of the ultimate listening experience.
Please note that prolonged exposure to sound pressure levels in excess of 100 dB can cause permanent hearing loss. Using Diamond Audio products can exceed that level, so please exercise restraint in its operation in order to preserve your ability to enjoy its high-fidelity sound for many years to come.
Diamond Audio recommends our products be professionally installed by an authorized Diamond Audio dealer to achieve the best possible system recommendation and installation. This will ensure a true Diamond Audio listening experience and the sound you would expect from Diamond Audio products. With proper validation use a Diamond Audio Retailer for installation of your newly purchased amplifier. Diamond Audio will extend the product warranty from one year to Two Years!!
Go ahead, Hear the Music

INSTALlATION -Pre-Planning Section

WARNING : Prolonged exposure to sound pressure levels in excess of 100dB can cause permanent hearing loss. Diamond Audio amplifiers can exceed hot level so please exercise restraint when listening and enjoying your new amplifier.

GENERAL PRECAUTIONS

• This unit is designed for negative ground 12V DC operation only.
• Total system impedance must not be less then 2ohms, in a bridged OR stereo configuration
• Avoid installing the unit where:
  • It would be subject to high temperatures, such as from direct sunlight or hot air from the heater.
  • It would be exposed to rain or moisture.
  • It would be subject to dust or dirt.
• Do not cover !he unit with carpet or wires.
• Do not use !he unit with a weak vehicle battery. Optimum performance depends on o normal battery supply voltage.
• For safety reasons, keep the volume of your vehicle audio system moderated while driving. This is so you can still hear normal traffic sounds outside your car.
• There is NO speaker level input connector, you can cut RCA’s and solder the wires and connect directly thru the RCA input.

MOUNTING PRECAUTIONS

Although Diamond Audio amplifiers incorporate heat sinks and protection circuits, mounting the amplifier in a tight space without any air movement can still damage internal circuitry over time. Choose o location that provides adequate ventilation around the amplifier. For easy system set-up, mount the amplifier so the side panel controls will be accessible after installation. To increase thermal run times on low impedance loads, an additional fan is recommended, remember only moving air across the amplifier will reduce heat.

In addition, observe the following precautions:

1. Using a felt pen mark the mounting hole locations.
2. Mounting the amplifier on the carpet will significantly reduce air flow, resulting in reduced thermal run times.
3. Mount the amplifier on a solid surface. Avoid mounting to subwoofer enclosures or areas prone to vibration. Do not install the amplifier on plastic or other combustible materials.
4. Prior to mounting the amplifier, make sure not to cut or drill into the fuel tank, fuel lines, brake lines (under chassis), or electrical wiring.

WIRING PRECAUTIONS

1. Before installation, make sure the source unit power switch is in the OFF position.
2. Disconnect the negative (·) leod of the battery before making any power connections.
3. When making connections, be sure that each one is clean and secure. Insulate all of your connections. Failure to do so may damage your equipment.
4. A secure clean ground connection is critical to the performance of your amplifier. Connect the ground directly to the car chassis to minimize resistance and avoid any noise problems.
5. Add an external fuse on the amplifier’s positive (+) power lead and connect it as close as possible to the vehicle’s (+) battery terminal. Use a rotating that equals the total current consumption at the full output of all amplifiers in the system. This external fuse will protect the vehicle from short circuits that can cause a fire.

Installation

VEHICLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Amplifiers {regardless of the brand name) will put an increased load on the vehicle’s battery and charging system. Diamond Audio recommends checking your alternator and batter condition to ensure that the electrical system has enough capacity to handle the increased load of your stereo system. Original equipment electrical systems which are in good condition should be able to handle the extra load of any Diamond Audio amplifier without problems, although battery and alternator life can be reduced depending on your individual listening habits. To maximize the performance of your amplifier, we suggest the use of a reserve power “Stiffening” capacitor {l Farad 1000W).

WARNING:
Avoid running power wires near the low-level input cables, antenna, power leads, sensitive equipment or harnesses. The power wires carry substantial current and could radiate noise into the audio system through the audio cables.

1. Plan the wire routing as described in the “Importance of Pre-Planning” section. Keep RCA cables close together but isolated from the amplifier’s power cables and any high-power auto accessories, especially electric motors. This is done to prevent coupling the noise from radiated electrical fields into the audio signal. When feeding the wires through the firewall or any metal barrier, protect them with plastic or rubber grommets to prevent short circuits. Leave the wires long at this point to adjust for a precise fit at a later time

2. Prepare the power wire for attachment to the amplifier by stripping 5/8 inch (15.9mm) of insulation from the end of the wire. Insert the bare wire into the B+ terminal And tighten the set screw to secure the cable in place

3. WARNING:
   The B+ cable MUST be fused 18″ or less from the vehicle’s positive battery post. Choose a location to install a waterproof fuse holder under the hood and ensure connections are water tight. If you do not use the appropriate fuse holder, the connection will eventually suffer corrosion from moisture and heat.

4. Trim the power cable within 18 inches (45.7mm) of the positive battery post and splice in a in-line fuse holder. DO NOT install the fuse at this time.

5. Strip l /2 inches (12.7mm) from the battery end of the power cable. Crimp and solder a large ring terminal to the cable. Connect the ring terminal to the positive ( +) battery post

6. Prepare the ground wire for attachment to the amplifier by stripping 5/8″ of insulation from the end of the wire. Always use a wire of the same gauge as the power connection, never smaller. Insert the bare wire into the GND terminal and tighten the set screw to secure the cable in place. Prepare the chassis ground by scraping any paint from the metal surface and thoroughly clean the area of all dirt and grease. Strip the other end of the wire, crimp and solder a ring connector. Fasten the cable to the chassis using a non-anodized screw with a star washer and a nut.
   FUSE CONNECTION DIAGRAM
   WARNING : It is important to upgrade the ground connection between the negative (·) battery post and the vehicle body or chassis to achieve optimum electrical performance.

7. Prepare the REM turn-an wire for attachment to the amplifier by stripping 5/8 inch (15. 9mm) of insulation from the end of the wire. Insert the bare wire into the REM terminal and tighten the set screw to secure the wire in place. Connect the other end of the REM wire to a switched 12-volt positive source. The switched voltage is usually taken from the source unit’s remote amp turn-on lead. If the source unit does not have this output available, the recommended solution is to wire to an accessory terminal in the car’s fuse block using a relay to isolate the amplifier from the vehicle’s accessory circuit. This however will turn the amplifier on and off with the ignition key, regardless of whether the car stereo is on or off.

8. Securely mount the amplifier to the vehicle or amp rack. Be careful not to mount the amplifier on cardboard or plastic panels. Doing so may enable the screws to pull out from the panel due to road vibration or sudden vehicle stops.

9. Connect from the source signal by connecting the RCA audio cables to the input jacks at the amplifier.
   RCA CONNECTION DIAGRAM

10. Connect the car speakers. Speaker impedance should never be less than 2 Ohms stereo, 4 Ohms bridged(the monoblock is stable into 2 ohms). For most applications 18 gauge wire is adequate for the speaker leads. For leads in excess of ten feet, 16 gauge wire is recommended. Strip the speaker wires 1 /2″ (12.7 mm) and insert them into the speaker terminal block, then tighten the set screw to secure them into place. When wiring the speakers, pay careful attention to the polarity of the terminals on the speakers and make certain they correspond to the polarity on the amplifier. DO NOT chassis ground any of the speakers leads as unstable operation or damage to the amplifier and/ or speaker may result.

SET UP

• Placing the x-over switch in the FULL position {DMD600.4D, DMD250.l D, DMD500.l D, DMDIOOO.l D) sets the amplifier to
• Full Range. This setting allows ALL frequencies to pass to the speakers. Placing the switch in the HPF or LPF position activates the crossover.
• Placing the switch in the HPF position sets the amplifier to the High Pass Filter mode, enabling frequencies above the cutoff point to poss. For a full-range speaker system begin tuning with the frequency set between 35-250 Hz.
• Placing the switch in the LPF position sets the amplifier to the Low Pass Filter mode, enabling frequencies below the cutoff point to pass. For a subwoofer system begin tuning with the frequency set between 35-250Hz.
• To adjust the gain setting, turn the amplifier gains all the way down {counterclockwise). If using a remote level control plug the level control into the amplifier and turn it to the “HALF” position. Next, turn the source unit volume up to almost full volume {usually about 2/3rds of the way up) or until the output starts to distort on an oscilloscope. This will be NEARLY full volume on most source units, perhaps one or two “clicks” down from the maximum volume. Next, increase the amplifier gain setting until the adequate volume is achieved, or until the distortion is audible OR the ILMC {Input level Matching Circuit) lights start blinking. Then turn it down a bit until the distortion is inaudible.

NOTE:

• Ideal signal-to-noise and dynamic range are achieved with the gain at a minimum. Most users find adequate gain and volume is achieved at less than halfway in the adjustment range. Avoid setting the amplifier gain very high as noise and distortion will increase significantly. For a more in-depth level setting (gain adjustment) procedure, visit the CVM website.
• The HPF or LPF crossover adjustment can now be fine-tuned. If you are using the amplifier in a HPF configuration and would like the system to be a little bit louder you can increase the HP Filter frequency and reset the “Gain” of the amplifier. Raising the HPF frequency up to high, however, will cause a loss of mid-range and bass. If you are using the amplifier in a HPF filter configuration and you hear voice or vocals coming from your subwoofer system you can turn the LP Filter frequency down (lower).
• After setting the input gain adjustment and crossover, you may choose to add a small amount of “Bass Boost” in the low-frequency region. Remember that the Bass Boost feature will not fix a poorly designed subwoofer enclosure or subwoofers that didn’t sound good to begin with.

1. Make sure any bass EQ or low-frequency equalization from the source unit is set to OFF or FLAT.
2. While playing the same musical selections used during the gain setting process, slowly increase the level of the Bass EQ. You should be able to notice a obvious change between O and + 12 dB. If you do not notice much difference, then it will not serve any benefit to increase the boost further.
3. If the boost has audible benefits without adding appreciable distortion, find a level that suits your taste. Remember: it’s much easier to construct the right subwoofer enclosure for your listening preferences than relying on a bass boost control to do the job!

WIRE DIAGRAMS

NOTE : Easiest way to accomplish this is to use Y-Adapters, making front channels now LEFT and rear channels RIGHT+

One Woofer Monoblock:
DMD250.1 D/DMD500.1D/DMD1000.1 D

Two Woofer Monoblock:
DMD250.1 D/DMD500.1D/DMD1000.1 D

FEATURES

4 Channel + Monoblock – 5 channel system:
DMD250.1 D/DMD500.1 D or DMD1000.1 D

SYSTEM CONFIGURATIONS

1. Status LEDs – These lights indicate when the amplifier is powered up normally and when there is a protection fault. The Protect LED is laminated when there is a problem with your amplifier. Please contact your authorize Diamond Audio dealer or coll Diamond Audio technical support. Input Goin Adjustment – This control matches the preamp stage of the Cerwin-Vego Mobile amplifier to your source unit. This is NOT a volume control. The range is between approx 0.2V and 12V.
2. ILMC – ” Input level Matching Circuir’ This light indicates when the input signal “Clips” or is distorting. It will blink a light blue color when you ore near input clipping and a HARD blue when you are at “Clip”. This takes the guesswork out of knowing when to STOP turning gain (or sensitivity UP) REMEMBER there is NO “Its only a quarter of the way up!”. There is NO quarter or half or three quarters!!!
3. Crossover Selection Switch – This switch allows you to select the crossover. Use High Pass for midrange or high-frequency speakers. Use low Pass for subwoofers. In the FLAT position, neither crossover adjustment knob has an effect and all speakers will receive the full frequency range.
4. Freq (LPF on Monoblocks)- Use this adjustment to select the crossover point. You must select the Filter type (HPF/FLAT/LPF)BEFORE making any frequency adjustment. The range of adjustment is limited between 50-500Hz for High Pass and 50-250 Hz for low-Pass.
5. Boss Boost – This control adds O to + 12dB of boost at 45Hz. Be cautious when adding a boost to some subwoofer systems as they may not be able to handle the additional low-frequency boost. In the OdB position, no bass boost is added.
6. Remote Level Control – This port is for the remote level control (included). The control is intended to allow the user to control the level of gain up to the maximum adjustment level set on the amplifier. The control does not add additional boost, it only attenuates the setting that is fixed at the amplifier’s control panel.
7. Phase – This switch selects IF the woofer is either In Phase or Out of Phase. Try both positions and see which sounds better. It’s a subtle difference that you can’t place, but you’ll know when it’s right.
8. Sub-Sonic Adjustment – This control allows you to remove the unwanted sub-sonic frequencies below the tuning frequency of a ported enclosure. This helps to protect the woofer from over-excursion. Turn-On Mode Switch – This switch allows you to configure the ‘Tum-On Mode’ switch for desired turn-on trigger. There are 3 modes available ore REM, DC, and VOX. l – (REM) is the standard 12V trigger wire, 2 · (DO or DC offset, when connected high level in, will sense differences in the ground in your wiring through the speaker leads and turn on the amplifier, 3 · VOX (signal sensing) will sense any kind of signal input into the amplifier RCA turning on the amplifier. Select VOX when using only Diamond Audio Bluetooth Controller.
9. RCA Input – The RCA jocks allow for a normal left and Right channel signal input. Both High (Speaker) and low level (RCA). Simply connect to the source unit wiring using RCA-type audio cables, keeping them away from power wiring wherever possible to reduce the risk of noise. This means you may have to cut up some old RCAs to do this!!
10. Input Mode – This is ONLY on the DMD600.4D – 4-channel amplifier. Use this to “Parallel” the input signal So you can get audio on all 4 channels with only 2 channel input
11. RCA PreOut – This RCA output is used to pass signal from one amp to another to eliminate excessive cable runs
12. Power Input Connections – These connections are for input power, chassis ground, and remote turn-on. Use a minimum of 8 gouge wiring for power and ground connections. 4 Guoge is recommended for the monoblock. The terminals will handle up to 8 gouge wiring with no problem whatsoever (4 guoge on the monoblock). Be sure any wiring that passes through metal has a grommet!
13. Speaker Output Terminals – Connect your speakers to these terminals. Stereo connections are connected as labeled. Bridged connections use the LEFT + and RIGHT – as the two connections. The 4-channel amplifiers will pe?orm into 2 Ohm stereo loads or 4 Ohm bridged loads. DO NOT run 2-ohm bridged loads on these amplifiers! The monoblocks will run 2 ohms mono, BUT NOT l ohm mono!
14. Fuses· Fuses are installed on ALL DMD amplifiers to protect the VEHICLE! They do NOT protect the amplifier. This is true of every amplifier built today. If you “blow” fuses, then check your electrical system. AGAIN – make sure you DO NOT use (CA wire power kits

Specification

WARRANTY

• Diamond Audio Technologies (DAT), a division of CV & DA Holdings Incorporated, warrants this product to be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of one (1) year from the original date of purchase, provided it was purchased from an authorized DAT retailer within the United States. The product warranty period starts at the date of purchase or one year past the manufacture date whichever is first. However, upon purchase and completion of the online registration and installation by an authorized DAT dealer, the warranty period will be extended to two (2) years.
• This warranty extension offer will only be recognized upon completion of the online registration of your product within thirty (30) days of the date of purchase.
• THIS WARRANTY IS NOT TRANSFERABLE AND APPLIES ONLY TO THE ORIGINAL PURCHASER OF THIS PRODUCT IN ITS ORIGINAL INSTALLATION. The original purchaser must reside in the United States and be able to provide proof of purchase and installation with the sales receipt and completion of online registration from the authorized DAT retailer that sold and installed the product.
• Should a manufacturing defect occur during above said warranty period, DAT will replace or repair the defective product with a product of the same or equivalent value and performance, at DA T’s discretion.
• Damage or failure caused by any of the following is not covered under this warranty policy: negligence, improper use, abuse, product modification, unauthorized repair attempts, accident, acts of God, misrepresentations by DAT retailers, and improper inadequate packaging during return shipping.
• Warranty is void if serial numbers have been removed, altered or defaced.

HOW TO OBTAIN WARRANTY SERVICE

• In the event a DAT product should require service, you should visit the authorized DAT retailer you purchased the product from and they can expedite your claim. All claims must fall into the guidelines listed above and be accompanied by a copy of the original sales and installation receipt from that authorized DAT retailer.
• Product returned for warranty service must be freight-prepaid, properly packaged, and clearly marked with the Return Authorization (RA) number issued by DAT. Any product returned to DAT that is improperly packaged, does not have a RA number clearly marked on the package, or never received a RA number, may be refused upon delivery. DAT does not assume responsibility for lost or misdirected products.
• Repair or replacement under this warranty is the exclusive remedy of the consumer. DAT shall not be liable for any incidental or consequential damages for breach of any expressed or implied warranty on this product. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, or allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts, so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights that may vary from state to state.
• Customers outside the United States should contact their local sales office to obtain information on pricing, exchange unit availability, instructions, service, and warranty/non-warranty replacement or repair.

Diamond Audio
3761 S. Hill Street LOS ANGELES.CA 90007 Tel: 213-261-4161
Fax: 213-947-4767 V\eb: diamondaudio.com

Service/Tech Support:
213-261-4161
Tech Support Email
helpdesk@dat-cvm.com

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