Kenwood KAC-M1814 4-Channel Compact Bridgeable Marine/Motorsports 400W Max Power Digital Amplifier-Complete Features/User Manual

Kenwood KAC-M1814 4-Channel Compact Bridgeable Marine/Motorsports 400W

Max Power Digital Amplifier

Specifications

• DIMENSIONS : 8.5 x 3 x 7 inches
• WEIGHT : 0.57 kgs
• POWER OUTPUT : 400W
• FREQUENCY RESPONSE : 20-20kHz
• SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO : 98dB
• BRAND : Kenwood

Introduction

The Kenwood KAC-M1814 amplifier is a 4-channel compact bridgeable digital amplifier that has a peak power output of 400W. It uses a digital amplifier technology with speaker level input with signal sensing turned on. It has a load capability of 2 ohms. The power supply is done by MOS-FET switching. It features a 1m (3.3 ft) RCA cable as well. The speakers are capable of producing high quality sound along with superior clarity. They feature a conformal coating and a plastic covered connector to ensure complete protection of the amplifier.

Accessories

Dimensions

Safety precautions

WARNING

• To prevent injury or fire, take the following precautions:
• Mounting and wiring this product requires skills and experience. For safety’s sake, leave the mounting and wiring work to professionals.
• To prevent a short circuit, never put or leave any metallic objects (such as coins or metal tools) inside the unit. If the unit starts to emit smoke or strange smells, turn off the power immediately and consult your KENWOOD dealer.
• Do not touch the unit during use because the sur-face of the unit becomes hot and may cause burns if touched.

CAUTION

To prevent damage to the machine, take the following precautions:

• Be sure the unit is connected to a 12 V DC power sup-ply with a negative ground connection.
• Do not open the top or bottom covers of the unit.
• Do not install the unit in a spot exposed to direct sunlight or excessive heat or humidity. Also avoid places with too much dust or the possibility of water splashing.
• When replacing a fuse, only use a new one with the prescribed rating. Using a fuse with the wrong rating may cause your unit to malfunction.
• To prevent a short circuit when replacing a fuse, fi rst disconnect the wiring harness.

NOTE

• If you experience problems during installation, consult your KENWOOD dealer.
• If the unit does not seem to be working right, consult your KENWOOD dealer.

Cleaning the unit

If the front panel gets dirty, turn off the power and wipe the panel with a dry silicon cloth or soft cloth.

CAUTION
Do not wipe the panel with a hard cloth or a cloth dampened by volatile solvents such as paint thinner and alcohol. They can scratch the surface of the panel and / or cause the indicator letters to peel off.

To prevent battery rise

When the unit is used in the ACC ON position without turning the engine ON, it depletes the battery. Use it after starting the engine.

Protection function

The protection function is activated in the following situations:

This unit is equipped with a protection function for protecting this unit and your speakers from various accidents or problems that can occur. When the protection function is triggered, the amplifier stops operating.

• When a speaker wire may be short-circuited.
• When a speaker output contacts ground.
• When the unit malfunctions and a DC signal is sent to the speaker output.
• When the internal temperature is high and unit won’t operate.
• When detects a low impedance at the speaker connections.

Wiring

If a buzzing noise is heard from the speakers when the engine is running, connect a line noise filter (optional) to each of the battery wire.

• Do not allow the wire to directly contact the edge of the iron plate by using Grommets.

• Connect the ground wire to a metal part of the car chassis that acts as an electrical ground passing electricity to the battery‘s negative ⊖ Do not turn the power on if the ground wire is not connected.

• Be sure to install a protective fuse in the power cord near the battery. The protective fuse should be the same capacity as the unit’s fuse capacity or somewhat larger.

• When more than one power amplifier is going to be used, use a power supply wiring wire and protective fuse of greater current-handling capacity than the total maximum current drawn by each amplifier.

• Speaker selection

• Using speakers with smaller input ratings than the amplifier’s output power would result in smoke generation or equipment failure.

• The impedance of the speakers that are going to be connected should be 2 Ω or greater (for stereo connections), or 4 Ω or greater (for bridged connections). When more than one set of speakers are going to be used, calculate the combined impedance of the speakers and then connect suitable speakers to the amplifier.

Troubleshooting Guide

What might appear to be a malfunction in your unit may just be the result of slight mis operation or miswiring. Before calling service, fi rst check the following table for possible problems.

Installation

Example A: using the screws

Example B: using the wire bands

Protective cover

CAUTION

• Do not install in the below locations; (Unstable location, In a location that interferes with driving, In a location that gets wet, In a dusty location, In a place that gets hot, In a place that gets direct sunlight, In a location that gets hit by hot air)
• Do not install the unit under the carpet. Otherwise heat build-up occurs and the unit may be damaged.
• Install this unit in a location which allows heat to easily dissipate. Once installed, do not place any object on top of the unit.
• The surface temperature of the amplifier will become hot during use. Install the amplifier in a place where people, resins, and other substances that are sensitive to heat will not come into contact with it.
• When making a hole under a seat, inside the trunk, or somewhere else in the vehicle, check that there is nothing hazardous on the opposite side such as a gasoline tank, brake pipe, or wiring harness, and be careful not to cause scratches or other damage.
• Do not install near the dashboard, rear tray, or air bag safety parts.
• The installation to the vehicle should securely fasten the unit to a place in which it will not obstruct driving. If the unit comes off due to a shock and hits a person or safety part, it may cause injury or an accident.
• After installing the unit, check to make sure that electrical equipment such as the brake lamps, turn signal lamps and windshield wipers operate normally.

Installation procedure

Read the instruction manual well to select the proper connection and setting.

1. Remove the ignition key and disconnect the negative⊖terminal of the battery to prevent short circuits.
2. There are two options:

• Refer to “Connection” as below:

  • Type A: RCA INPUT connection
  • A-1 Connect the battery wire.
  • A-2 Connect the ground wire to chassis ground of vehicle. A-3 Connect the power control wire.
  • A-4 Connect the speakers.
  • A-5 Connect the DC cable into the connector at KAC-M1814.
  • A-6 Connect the RCA cable.

Type B: SPEAKER INPUT connection

• B-1 Connect the battery wire.
• 2 Connect the ground wire to chassis ground of vehicle.
• B-3 Connect the speakers.
• B-4 Connect the DC cable into the connector at KAC-M1814.
• B-5 Cut off the RCA cable, then connect the correct corresponding speaker output from the FACTORY INSTALLED HEAD UNIT directly.

Attach the unit

Connect the negative terminal of the battery. System examples

4-channel system

After setting up the unit, put the protective cover ⑥ on the control panel.

Connection

WARNING
Remove the ignition key and disconnect the negative ⊖ terminal of the battery to prevent short circuits. In a computer-equipped vehicle, when you remove the ⊖ terminal of the battery, the memory may disappear, or a defect may occur in the electrical system of the vehicle. Consult your dealer for further details.

Type A: RCA INPUT connection

WARNING
Particular attention must be given to making good electrical contact at the amplifier-output and speaker terminals. Poor or loose connections can cause sparking or burning at the terminals because of the very high power that the amplifier can deliver.

CAUTION

• If sound is not output normally, immediately turn power off and check connections.
• Be sure to turn the power off before changing the setting of any switch. If the fuse blows, check wires for shorts, then replace the fuse with one of the same ratings.
• Check that no unconnected wires or connectors are touching the car body. Do not remove caps from unconnected wires or connectors to prevent short circuits.
• Connect the speaker wires to appropriate speaker connectors separately. Sharing the negative wire of the speaker or grounding speaker wires to the metal body of the car can cause this unit to fail.
• After installation, check that the brake lamps, turn signal lamps and wind-shield wipers work properly.

Controls

This is a 4-channel amplifier including 2 stereo amplifiers in a body. One amplifier is referred to as amplifier A and the other is amplifier B. This unit is compatible with a large variety of systems by combining the switches and functions described in the following.

FILTER FREQUENCY control (A.ch / B.ch)

Sets the cutoff frequency when the “FILTER” switch is set to “HPF” or “LPF”.

FILTER switch (A.ch / B.ch)

This switch allows to apply high-pass or low-pass filtering to the speaker outputs.

• HPF (High-Pass Filter) position:
  The filter outputs the band of higher frequencies than the frequency set with the “FILTER FREQUENCY” control.

• OFF position:
  The entire bandwidth is output with-out filtering.

• LPF (Low-Pass Filter) position: The filter outputs the band of lower frequencies than the frequency set with the “FILTER FREQUENCY” control.

LINE IN terminal (A.ch / B.ch)

INPUT SENSITIVITY control (A.ch / B.ch)

Set this control according to the pre-output level of the HEAD UNIT connected with this unit.

NOTE
For the pre-output level, refer to the “Specifications” in the instruction manual of the HEAD UNIT.

For U.S.A.

FCC WARNING
This equipment may generate or use radio frequency energy. Changes or modifications to this equipment may cause harmful interference unless the modifications are expressly approved in the instruction manual. The user could lose the authority to operate this equipment if an unauthorized change or modification is made.

FCC NOTE

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment may cause harmful interference to radio communications, if it is not installed and used in accordance with the instructions. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio / TV technician for help.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION

• Would I need an amp wiring kit?

• No, the package includes everything.

• What is the size of this amp l-w-h?
  The size of the amp is (W)5-11/16″ x (H)1-3/4″ x (D)3-7/8″

• Does it come with a volume control knob?
  No, it doesn’t come with a volume control knob.

• Is this amplifier waterproof?
  No, the amplifier isn’t waterproof.

• Will this amp push 4 6×9’s?
  Yes, it can push 4 6x9s.

• Does this amp have a bass boost control?
  No, it doesn’t have a bass boost control.

• Will this fit on a Harley touring?
  Yes, it will fit on a Harley touring.

• Is it Bluetooth?
  No, it isn’t compatible with Bluetooth.

• Is this a class D amp?
  Yes, it is a class D amplifier.

• Do this come with wiring harness for 18 road glides?
  No.

https://www.rocktheboatmarinestereo.com/specs/KAC1814.pdf

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