DS18 DX4 4-Channel Stereo Full Range Mini Digital Amplifier Owner’s Manual

DS18 DX4 4-Channel Stereo Full Range Mini Digital Amplifier

4 CHANNEL STEREO FULL RANGE MINI DIGITAL AMPLIFIER

Thank you for purchasing this product.

• Please read this owner’s manual in its entirety before operating this equipment.
• After reading this manual, keep it handy, such as in your glove compartment.

DS18’s DX4 was designed especially to bring a great amount of power in a small space. this amplifier is compact enough to fit almost anywhere with its small frame of  8.2” x 4.3” including motorcycle fairings and tight spots where traditional amps are too large to fit like glove boxes and brings huge power in a small frame so you can maximize your speakers output to its highest peak. with high pass and low pass filter options, this amp is versatile enough to play mids, highs, and subwoofers with great efficiency and precision for an overwhelmingly amazing audio experience.

CONTINUOUS OUTPUT POWER (RMS)

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFICATIONS

Operation below minimum impedance will stress the amplifier & void the warranty.
Excessive heat will also appear at a faster rate and the and the amplifier will go into thermal protection.
Protection can also be caused by the following:

• Speaker overload
• Short circuit
• Input Voltage – RCA & Power Supply

The PCB is a HI-EF Class D design. THE HI-EF circuit optimizes efficiency & improves performance even at low voltages.
Operational voltage will also be affected by the load of the amplifier.

• In order to get the full power output of the amplifier, it is crucial that your electical system is correctly (over)dimensioned.

A minimum of a dedicated D31 AGM battery, needed to achieve the full potential of the amplifier.

PANEL LAYOUT

1. TURN ON MODE
   The amplifiers can be powered up by using either of:

2. Signal input from RCA

3. offset voltage from speaker inputs.

4.  Ordinary switched (12U) remote.

5. LPF (50- 500 HZ/ 5 KHZ) LOW PASS FILIER
   Adjustable crossover point for Ipf with a 24 dB slope. Frequencies below set level will be attenuated in accordance with the crossover configuration.

6. HPF (20-4 KHZ) HIGH PASS FILTER
   Adjustable crossover point for hpf with a 24 dB slope. The x10 multiplier present on the
   DX4 applies to both LFP & HPF. The BPF switch enables both LPF & HPF filters, creating a band pass filter.

7. CHANNEL SWITCH
   The DX4 can be used in a 2ch, 3ch or 4 ch config. The channel switch will make the amplifer functional on all channels using 2, 3 or 4 RCA inputs.

8. GAIN
   Adjusts signal input voltage from the input source to match the amplifiers input stage. 0.35V-5V is the operational voltage

9. POWER INPUTS
   GND (GROUND CONNECTION) 4 GA
   Connects to vehicle’s chassis. Keep as short as possible (<20″/ 50 cm).
   +12V (POWER CONNECTION) 4 GA
   Connects to the positive terminal of the battery. Fuses shall be placed within 8′”/20 cm of the battery.
   REM (REMOTE CONNECTION)
   Run a remote turn on cable from a switched +12V source.

10. SPEAKER INPUT
    High loudspeaker wires. This option is preferred in OEM installs where no RCA inputs are available.level input from the vehicle’s

11. RCA INPUT
    RCA signal input for CH 1-CH 4. 0.35V- 5Vis the operational input voltage. Voltages beyond May cause errors or damages to the input selection.

12. SPEAKER OUTPUT
    Connection of loudspeakers, the min ohm load is 2 Ohm on the Dx4 on each channel stereo, and 4 ohm on Bridge mode.

POWER TERMINALS

CAUTION
Keep ground as short as possible and of equal length, no longer than 20″ (50 cm). This drawing is for illustration purpose only!

GND (GROUND CONNECTION)
Connects to the vehicle’s chassis. Keep as short as possible (« 20″ 50 cm). Use minimum 4Ga cable for optimal operation.

+12V (POwER CONNECTION)
Connects to the positivie terminal of the battery. For specified performance 4Ga cable is required. Fuses shall be placed within 8″/ 20 cm of the battery.

REM (REMOTE CONNECTION)
Run a remote turn on cable from the switched+12V source. This may be a toggle switch, a relay, the source unit’s remote ouput cable or power antenna trigger cable. Connect the remote turn on cable to the power terminal labeled as REM.

CAUTION
INSTALLATION OF THE AMPLIFIER
SHALL BE DONE IN THE FOLLOWING
STEPS:

1. Connect the +12V wire, keep in mind this wire has to be fused at the battery as well.
2. Ensure the ground is appropriate, then connect it to the amplifier.
3. Connect the switched remote.
4. Reattach negative wire (ground) to the battery.
5. Operation over 16V will cause the amplifier to go into protect & can void the warranty!

INSTALLATION

INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS
If you choose to install the amplifier by yourself, please read the entire owner’s manual carefully.
Before you start your installation, please take all steps into consideration. If in doubt, please go to www.ds18.com for authorized distributors / dealers that will be able to configure your set up & ensure the warranty of your amplifier

PREPARATION

Disconnect the negative (-) battery cable before mounting or making any connection. Check the battery & alternator ground (-) connection. Make sure they are properly connected/dimensioned & free of corrosion. Before selecting a mounting location for the amplifer, please take cooling & safety into consideration. Avoid areas with excessive vibration & up side down installation!

In order to avoid excessive heat from the amplifier, it is recommended to find a mounting location that allows for vertical positioning of the heatsink fins, For safety purposes, install the amplifier in a dry and well ventilated location and make sure no cables or other harness of the car is interfaced with the mounting location or will present a hazard to the car’s cable, control cables, fuel lines/tanks, hydraulic lines or other components of the vechicle. Route the RCA cables away from high current wires, if possible run RCA, Power and Speaker cables individually and with a good distance fromeach other.

POWER CONNECTORS

12V (POWER CONNECTION

Before mounting the amplifer, disconnect the negative (-) wire from the battery to protect any accidental damage to the amplifier or the audio system. The amplifer is equipped with 4 AWG power & ground terminals. Its crucial that all terminals are used with the adequate cable to ensure correct operation.

Connect the power cables to the power terminal labeled as +12.

The amplifer is not equipped with fuses, so external fuses are required at both the battery and the amplifer. Connect one end of the fuse holder to the power cable and the other end of the fuse holder to the positive battery terminal within 8″ /20 cm of the same cable. The same shall be done at the other end of the cable that connects to the amplifier. The fuses wll protect the system and the vehicle against the possibility of a short circuit in the power cable. Make sure that the fuses and the fuse holder is according to the system requirements.

GND (GROUND CONNECTION)
Locate a secure grounding connection as close as possible to the amplifier. Make sure the location is clean and provides a direct electrical connection to the chassis of the vehicle.

Connect one end of an equal sized cable as the positive cable to the location of ground. It is important that the ground cable is as Snort as possible, but no longer than 20″ / 50 cm at maximum.

Run one end of the cable to the grounding point. Run the other end of the cable to the mounting location. Connect the ground cable\ to the terminals labeled as GND.

REM (REMOTE CONNECTION)
Run a remote turn on cable from the switched+12 V source. This may be a toggle switch, a relay, the source units remote ouput cable or power antenna trigger cable. Connect the remote turn on cable to the power terminal labeled as REM. The REM out terminal is mainly intended connection of another amplifier ran in a chain, but it can also be used for other units. for

INPUT (RCA CABLE)
Run the RCA cables away from the high current cables/speaker cables and connect to the amplifier. Use high qualtity cables with a secure grounding point to avoid amplifier malfunction and or alternator whine.

SPEAKER CONNECTION

We recommend using minumum12 Ga speaker cables to acquire the intended performance & efficiency. Run the speaker cables from your speakers to the amplifier’s mounting location. Ensure these are ran separately and away from high current cables and if possible the RCA cables as well. In all cases where cables are penetrating the vechile’s chassis use grommets to protect the cable. Connect the speaker wires according to the terminals on the speaker(s). Strip 3/8″/1 cm of insulation of the end of each cable and twist the cable strands together tightly. Make sure there are no stray strands that could touch other cables or terminals as it can cause a short circut. Crimp spade plugs over the end of the cable, or tin the ends with solder to provide a solid terminal. Connect the cable ends to the amplifier as shown in the diagram. Bridged speaker connection will add the 2 channels to a single channel. If all channels are bridged, the DX4 will then become a 2 channel amplifier. If only one pair is bridged, then the amplifier will become a 3 channel. Setting the CH switch accordingly to the speaker configuration mode, provides a signal output to all channels from a pair OF RCA inputs. Bridged load is minimum 4 ohm for the DX4.

BRIDGE MODE

We recommend using minumum12 Ga speaker cables to acquire the intended performance & efficiency. Run the speaker cables from your speakers to the amplifier’s mounting location. Ensure these are ran separately and away from high current cables and if possible the RCA cables as well. In all cases where cables are penetrating the vechile’s chassis use grommets to protect the cable. Connect the speaker wires according to the terminals on the speaker(s). Strip 3/871 cm of insulation of the end of each cable and twist the cable strands together tightly. Make sure there are no stray strands that could touch other cables or terminals as it can cause a short circut. Crimp spade plugs over the end of the cable or tin the ends with solder to provide a solid terminal. Connect the cable ends to the amplifier as shown in the diagram. Bridged speaker connection will add the channels ogether (monophonic). Bridged speaker connection impedance is 4 ohm only!

RCA LINE CONNECTION

RCA line input from a Head-Unit, DSP or any source with RCA will be possible to use. The signal shall not exceed 5V and has to be at least .35V from the source. Using the wrong signal, can damage the input section or require excessive gain, which can lead to distortion.

CAUTION
Don’t use the high and low level input at the same time!

HIGH LEVEL CONNECTION

High level input from loudspeaker wires, this option is only preferred if there is no RCA connection available. This will provide a signal input from the oem wire harness in the car. The provided adapter cable can then be spliced and connected with the car’s harness.

CAUTION
Don’t use the high and low level input at the same time! Do check if the vehicle has an active (amplified) system, as it may not be compatible with an aftermarket amplifier, without modification.

SPECIFICATIONS

POWER

• 1otal watts (Peak) (Ico vatiosotales uu 3000 w
• RMS POwer (@4 onm / Poder Lontinuo (@ 4 OHIM .. 150W X4
• RIMS POWer @2 onm/ Poder Lontinuo (@ 2 0HIM .. 25OW x 4
• RMS Power @4 ohm Bridge / Poder Continuo@4OHM Puente. . ** 48OW x 2

AUDIO

• requency Response Respuesta de Frecuencia.. . 10HZ – 20KHZ
• Sgnal to Nose katio Relacion Senal / Ruido . . >98 d5
• Erficiency@4 onm / Eficiencia @4 OHM. . . . 110%
• Damping actor Factor de Amortguacion 4O
• Channel Separation/ separacion de Lanales
• Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) / Distorsión Armónica Total (THD)…. .0.02
• Low Level Input Range/ Rango de Entrada de Bajo Nivel.. 350mV- 5V
• Hign Level input Entrada de Alto Nivel… . esS
• Selectabie X-Over / Rango de Filtro seleccionable X-Over.. . PF/FUII/BPF **ssssu >b8 dB
• X-Over Filter Range/ Rango de Aumento de los Bajos …20Hz-4Khz (HPF) / 50Hz-5Khz (LPF
• X-Over Slope (cut) / Pendiente X-Over (corte). . . . 24 dB/0ct

FEATURES

• Ampier Llass lase de Ampllicadores.u us u Dgtdl Digtal
• Ampliier IYpe / lipo de Amplificador… Tereo Full Range Estereo de rango completo
• Number orLhanneis/ Numero de Lanales… . 4 2 OHM
• Doasor 1 Drotection / Fncendido | Protección
• Minimum Impedance Impedancia Minima..
• Led indicator / Indicador Led .. . . Power| Protection / Encendido| Proteccion
• Power Input Terminal Size / Tamaño del Terminal de Entrada de Alimentación . Ga
• Recommended Fuse Size/ Tamaño Recomendado de los FUSibles … . 100A
• Ihermal Protection Proteccion lermica.. . YesS
• Over-Load Protection Protección Contra la Sobrecarga . Yes Si
• Short Circuit Output Protection/ Protección de Salida de Cortocircuito.. . Yes / Si
• Voltage Input Protection / Protección de Entrada de Voltaje.. Yes(10-15)
• Body Color| Finish/ Color del Cuerpo | Acabado. Black Sandblasted / Negro Arenado

MEASUREMENT

• Overall Length 7 Longitud total un
• Overall Wide / Ancho total..  109mm
• Overall Height Altura total..
• Gross Single Unit Weight / Peso unitario bruth1.4 35mm 3.5 Lb/ 1.6Kg

EXTRA FEATURES

• Auto Turn-on mode selectable/ . Yes (Signal/Oftset/Rem)
• Modo de encendido automātico seleccionable.. . ST (señal / compensación / Remoto)
• Input Channel Selectable/ Canal de entrada seleccionable… YeS ST(BCh/2Ch/4Ch)
• State of the art 4-layer Micro Circuit board technology/.
• Tecnologia de ültima generación para Micro placas de circuitos de 4 capa
• Very high efficiency Digital circuit design/ Yes / Sí ISí

MEASUREMENTS

TROUBLESHOOTING

The protection circuits of the amplifier prevents severe damages from faulty conditions & improper use. The protection indicatior will switch on due to short circuit connection & speaker overload, thus the amplifier will be turned off. Prior to inspecting the occurred problem, turn all levels down & all power off, then carefully check the installation for wiring mistakes, shorts or faulty ground (GND). If the amplifier shuts down due to excessive heat, the protection indicator will light up; please allow time for the unit to be cooled off. Before removing your amplifier, refer to the list below and follow the suggested procedures step by step. If not at ease, contact an authorized installer which can assist you.

AMPLIFIER DOESN’T TURN ON

• Measure voltage on the +12V terminal.
• Ensure that the remote terminal has min 11 VDC remote connection.
• Recheck the ground (GND) connection. Inspect the in-line fuses.
• Check the protection LED is not on.

PROTECTION LED IS LIT ONCE THE AMPLIFIER IS TURNED ON

• Check shorts on speaker wires & the connected load / impedance. Check power cables&GND. Disconnect the speaker cables and reset the amplifier.
• High / Low voltage, operation voltage is 10V 16V. – Voltages below/ beyond this will cause the amplifier to go into protect.

FUSE BLOWING

• Measure the speaker impedance & that it is in accordance with the configuration.
• Inspect the power cable for shorts along with vehicle chassis.

OVERHEATING

• Measure the speaker impedance & that it is in accordance with the configuration.
• Check speaker shorts.
• Ensure airflow around the amplifier is sufficient& that the amplifier is not installed in areas of excessive vibration & upside down.

AUDIO OUTPUT INSUFFICIENT DISTORTED SOUND

• Ensure that the gain settings on the amplifier is matched with the output level of the head unit.
• Adjust the head unit volume.
• Check speaker shorts.
• Adjust the crossover frequencies in accordance with the setup.
• If no output at all, check the RCA connections & the cable itself.

POP NOISE WHEN TURN ON

• Disconnect the signal input to the amplifier, then turn it on and off.
  1. If the noise is cancelled, then connect a delay turn on module on the REM wire running from the source unit to the amplifier.
  2. Use another 12V source for REM lead to the amplifier. If the noise is cancelled, use a relay to isolate the amplifier from the turn on thump.

HIGH HISS-ENGINE NOiSE IN SPEAKERS

• Ensure that al signal transterring wires (RCA, Speaker cables etc) are kept seperately away from the power and the ground wires.
• Bypass all electrical components between the Head unit and the amplifier. Connect the Head unit directly to the amplifier’s input. If the noise is eliminated, the unit bypassed is the one causing the noise.
• Remove the existing ground wires for all electrical components installed. Ensure that the point of ground is 100% metal which has been grinded free of rust, paint etc.
• Replace the ground cable from the OEM battery/ alternator and ensure it is grounde0 accordingly.
• Test the battery and alternator load (can be carried out by a professional. Ensure that the vehichle’s electrical system is in a good condition, this includes distributor, alternator, spark plugs / wires, voltage regulators etc.

WARRANTY

Please visit our website DS18.com for more information on our Warranty policy
We reserve the right to change products and specifications at any time without notice. Images may or may not included optional equipment

FOR MORE INFORMATION
PLEASE VISIT
DS18.COM

References

• Official DS18 Pro Audio Store - Speakers, Subwoofers, Amps & More!
• Official DS18 Pro Audio Store - Speakers, Subwoofers, Amps & More!

Read User Manual Online (PDF format)

Download This Manual (PDF format)

Download this manual  >>