DS18 SXE Car Audio Amplifier Owner’s Manual

DS18 SXE Car Audio Amplifier

DS18 SXE AMPS
Thank you for choosing DS18/SXE series amplifier! Your choice of SXE series amps indicates a desire for high quality music reproduction in the automobile. DS18/SXE amplifier brings to you over four decades of car audio expertise. So weather you are a daily driver music lover, or a serious car audio competitor.
DS18 / SXE amplifiers have the product for you.
To take full advantage of the DS18/SXE amplifier gear you have just purchased, please read and follow the instructions in this manual. As with all of our products, professional installation by an authorized dealer is highly recommended.
Otherwise, the performance of your new gear may not be satisfactory. In addition to the installation services and expertise offered by an authorized DS18/SXE amplifier dealer, the warranty of this product may be extended when installed by an authorized DS18/SXE amplifier dealer. Be sure to ask your authorized DS18/SXE amplifier dealer about wheather your product may qualify for an extended warranty. You are headed in the right direction with DS18/SXE amplifier.

INTRODUCTION

The DS18/ SXE amplifier for high quality audio reproduction for the audiophile and the everyday listener a like. Allowing you the ability to taylor the sound to best fit the speakers and your listening preferences ensures solid electrical connections that resist corrosion. Fully variable crossover.
Aditionally, they may be used in conjuction with outboard passive or active crossovers, depending on the complexity required by the system. The 12dB per octave slope offers steep roll-off above or below the selected frequency.
Protection circuitry against overload, short circuit, thermal, low voltage, high voltage, and reverse polarity.
This protecction features are designed to protect the amplifier from missuse, as well as from common causes of amplifier failure.

FEATURES

• Compact Size to easy Installation for Any Applications.
• Stable/Reliable Two or Four Layers Traces PCB Design.
• Surface Mount Component Technology.
• Audio Precision Quality Control Verification.
• Clipping LED Indicator.
• Full Adjustable HP/LP @ 12dB/oct Crossover.
• Multiple ways of electronic protection (thermal,
  Over-Load, Short Circuit, impedance, Voltage,Clipping)

INSTALLATION

Professional installation by an authorized DS18 amps dealer is highly recommended!
Otherwise, the performance of your new gear may not be satisfactory. In the event that you decide to do your own installation, please read and follow this manual very carefully. Failure to do so may compromise the integrity of this product, your automobile, and possibly avoid the product warranty.
Amplifiers are generally mounted in the hatch/trunk are of a car or SUV, and under or behind the seat of most pick up trucks. Select a location that will provide adequate ventilation for the amplifier. Avoid mounting the amplifier with the fins facing down. The fins should be facing up, either vertically or horizontally. Secure the amplifier with the screws provided.
Before securing the amplifier, inspect the mounting location carefully to ensure that you do not drill into or damage any electrical, hydraulic, fluid or fuel lines.

INPUT

Input Section
Because of the wide range of head unit output configurations all DS18 / SXE Series amps have an adjustable input sensitivity of “Gain”, the gain is not a volume or a power limiting control like a throttle.
It makes the amp more sensitive to input from the stereo. With the gain up the amp will reach full output at a lower volume setting on the deck. At higher gain settings the amp also becomes more sensitive to noise from the car’s electrical system.
Try to run the gain at the lowest setting possible for your system.
There is no correct gain setting. Because speakers require different power demands to reach the same output, the gains most often need to be used to compensate for these differences. If you, tried to set all the gains at half way you would probably find the system didn’t sound very good. Using good judgement and listening carefully to each speaker is still the best way to tune a system.

CROSSOVER CONTROLS
A crossover is a device that removes unwanted frequencies from a speaker or amplifier. A tweeter can easily be destroyed by bass notes if they are not filtered out. Likewise a subwoofer will not sound natural if it is playing midrange notes.
A crossover removes these sounds from the speaker. As you might guess, careful adjustment in need to ensure that all the speakers are playing the right sounds and that you are left with no “holes” or low spots in the frequency response.

SPEAKER OUTPUTS
This amplifier is a multi channel amplifier design.
Meaning it has more than one channel of speaker outputs. Make this connection carefully and neatly.
Strip your wire back and twist the exposed leads and insert them into the block terminal while being careful that there is no loose or frayed strands of wire and tighten the hexagonal head screw down on the terminal till the wire is tightly secured in place.
If the wires ever come in contact with each other the amplifier will go into protection. Know your total ohm load before you make any connections.

INSTALLATION ALL 2 CHANNELS

ALL 4 CHANNELS

ALL 2 CHANNELS (BRIDGE)

ALL 4 CHANNELS (BRIDGE)

SPECIFICATIONS

MEASUREMENT

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.

WARNING:
Cancer and Reproductive Harm.
www.P65Warning.ca.gov

References

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

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