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PA 12V AMPLIFIERS
ENGLISH
Tools YouMay Need
• Phillips head screwdriver
• Panel prytool
• Electric drilland 3/16"and 1/8"drill bits
•
Permanent ink markeror pencil
• Solderless, crimp-onconnectors anda crimpingtool
• Safety glasses
• Wire strippersand cutters
• Electrical tape
• Grommets forpassing wires throughmetal carwalls
• Amplifier PowerWire Kit(available at yourauthorized
Polk Audio Dealer)
SAFE LIMITS OF OPERATION
Polk Audiospecifies the recommendedamplification
range for eachof its passive(non-amplified) loudspeakers.
Typi-cally that specification willbe expressedas arange
of powersuch as20-200 Watts (perchannel). Itis important
to understandwhat thosenumbers meanwhen choosing
a receiveror amplifierfor yourPolk loudspeakers. Thelower
number indicatesthe lowestcontinuous ratedpower that
will yieldacceptable performancein atypical listening
environment. Thehigher numberindicates thehighest
per channelpower thatshould beused withyour Polk
speakers. Thatnumber shouldnot beconfused with a
“Power Handling”specification andit doesnot imply that
the speakerwill safelyhandle thatfull amountof power
on along-term basis.We specifya widerange ofpower
ratings because notall electronicsmanufacturers usethe
same methodfor ratingpower. Infact, highquality lower-
rated amplifiers soundbetter andplay louderthan low
quality units withhigher powerrating.
Automobile horsepower isgood analogy.Your carprobably
has farmore horsepowerthan itneeds foryour dailycom-
mute andis likely capableof going wellover 120MPH
(190KM/hr). Having thatextra poweris goodfor on-ramp
acceleration anddanger avoidance (likegetting awayfrom
brain-eating zombies)but thatdoesn’t meanthat itis advis-
able tooperate your car onNorth Americanhighways at
full powerand maximumspeed foran extendedperiod of
time. Justask yourlocal statetrooper ifyou arein doubt.
Similarly, werecommend usingamplifiers andreceivers
with ratedpower abovethe PowerHandling limitsof our
speakers becausehaving extra power availablefor short
terms peaks isconducive tobetter sound quality,maximum
dynamic rangeand effortlesshigh volumeoutput. Butwe
strongly urgeyou notto usethe fullpower of your amp or
receiver fordaily listening.
Loudspeakers canbe damagedwhen anamplifier, regard-
less ofits wattage,is madeto playat higherlistening levels
than itspower can clearlyproduce. Operationat thislevel
can resultin very highlevels of audibledistortion originating
in theamplifier, which canadd aharsh, grittysound toyour
listening material.If youhear distortion—turnthe vol-
ume downor riskdamaging yourspeakers. Youcan
damage justabout anyspeaker, regardlessof powerrating,
if youdrive anamplifier to or beyondthe pointof distortion.
INSTALLATION GUIDELINES
1.Please readthis owner’smanual carefullybefore
installing thisamplifier.
2.Disconnect thebattery groundterminal prior
to making anyelectrical connections.
3.Check forany hazardsor obstructionssuch asgas
tanks, fuelor brakelines, andwiring harnessesbefore
mounting theamplifier.
4.Pick amounting locationthat willprovide adequate
access andventilation andprotect theamplifier from
heat, moisture,and dirt.
5.To securelymount youramplifier youmust firstremove
the topcover assembly.Unscrew thefour (4)top cover
assembly retainingscrews.
6.Avoid sharpmetal areaswhen routingcables tothe
amplifier, andrun RCAcables awayfrom thepower
cables andother potentiallynoisy carharnesses.
7.The amplifiershould begrounded witha short,heavy
gauge wireconnected directlyto the carat abare metal
surface, preferablyscraped bodysheet metal.Do not
use factoryground locations,seat bolts,or brackets
that arespot welded.
8.Always fuseyour powerconnection within8 to10 inches
of thebattery terminal.Use afuse orcircuit breakerrated
slightly morethan theon-board fuse(s)of theamplifier(s).
The gaugeof powerwire usedshould takeinto account
the totalcurrent drawof thesystem, andthe lengthof
wire used.IASCA andother autosound competition
organizations havecharts availablefor this;you can
also finda chartin theMECP studyguide. Minimum
wire gaugerecommendations forthe individualampli-
fiers arelisted onthe specificationpage. Alwaysuse
the samegauge wirefor theamplifier groundthat you
use forthe powerwire. Be sure to examinethe battery
ground cableof thevehicle, andif necessary,upgrade
it byadding anadditional ground wirethat isthe same
gauge asthe amplifier’s power wire.Remember, the
amplifier canonly deliverits ratedoutput whenit isnot
current limitedby thepower andground supplywires.
9.This amplifieris designedto drivea speakerload that
measures from2 to 8Ohms (1Ohm onthe PA1100.5
Sub Output).Keep inmind thatheat isthe long-term
enemy ofautomotive electronicsand thelower your
WARNING
High-powered caraudio systemsmay produce sound
pressure levelsthat exceed thethreshold atwhich
hearing loss may result.
They mayalso impaira driver’sability tohear traffic
sounds or emergency vehicles.Use commonsense and
practice safelistening habitswhen listening toor
adjusting youraudio system.
FEATURES
• Super-efficient ClassD PWMdesign runsmuch
cooler thanconventional amps(PA1100.5 only).
• High-speed MOSFETswitching powersupply
and complementarybi-polar outputs
• Stereo, mono,or simultaneousstereo/mono operation
• Thermal, DC offset, reversepolarity, (shortcircuit and
over/under voltageprotection-PA500.4 andPA1100.5)
• Selectable 12dB/octave two-waycrossover (PA200.4)
• Continuously variable12dB/octave low-passcrossover
(PA500.4 and PA1100.5)
• Switchable subsonic filter24dB/octave
(PA500.4 and PA1100.5)
• Switchable 8dB bassEQ function.
• Switchable 180° phaseinversion
(PA500.4 and PA1100.5)
• Remote subwoofer levelcontrol function
(PA500.4 and PA1100.5)
• Variable inputsensitivity optimizesmatch
with differentsignal sources.
• Chrome-plated wireterminals andRCA
connectors ensure maximum signaltransfer.
• Rugged heatsinkand cover.
• Unity gainpass-through RCAjacks.
GETTING STARTED
Take Inventory
Check toensure youhave everythingin your PolkAudio
amplifier carton to start enjoyingyour system.Inside,
you shouldfind:
1.Polk AudioAmplifier
(either PA200.4, PA500.4or PA1100.5)
2. PhillipsScrews (4)
3. MountingWashers (4)
4. LockingWashers (4)
5. RubberWashers (4)
6. FuseReplacements
7. WireHarness
8. Owner’sManual
9. OnlineRegistration Card
10. RemoteVolume Module- (PA500.4/PA1100.5only)
11. PhoneLine Cord- (PA500.4/PA1100.5 only)
Important Note:If anythingis missingor damaged,or if
your PolkAudio amplifier failsto operate, notifyyour dealer
immediately. Werecommend keepingyour originalcarton
and packingmaterials incase youneed to shipthe unitin
the future.
In theevent thatyour amplifierrequires serviceor isever
stolen, youwill needto havea record ofthe product’s
serial number.Please take thetime toenter thatnumber
in thespace providedbelow. Theserial numbercan be
found onthe bottompanel ofthe amplifierand onthe
amplifier packaging.
Serial Number:____________________________
Polk AudioCustomer Service800-377-7655
(M-F, 9-6EST, US& Canadaonly) orvia email
polkcs@polkaudio.com. Outside theUS &
Canada, call410-358-3600. Tolearn moreabout
Polk Audio 12Vamplifiers goto www.polkaudio.com
Polk Audio, Inc.5601 MetroDrive Baltimore,MD 21215
READ THIS FIRST
Installing acar audiosystem isa seriousproject. Ifyou have
any doubts aboutyour abilityto executeany ofthe installa-
tion stepsfound in this manual,save yourselfa lotof grief
and contacta professional installer.Your PolkAudio dealer
is agood placeto find one.If youintend to do theinstalla-
tion yourselfwe assume youpossess someskill inthe proper
use ofhand andpower tools.No matterhow muchinstalla-
tion experienceyou have,we recommendthat you…
• Read this manualthoroughly beforeyou begin.
• Plan yourinstallation carefully.
• Allow enoughtime to completethe installation
without rushing.
• Take stepsto protectyour carand upholstery
from unwantedscratches and punctures.
• Wear properprotective safetygear.
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