C400.4 CARBON - Car amplifier POLK AUDIO - Free user manual and instructions

USER MANUAL C400.4 CARBON POLK AUDIO

POLK/MOMO: CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE

Getting Started Guide de démarrage Please inspect your new amplifier(s) carefully. Notify your Polk Audio dealer if you notice any damage or missing items. Keep the carton and packing material; this will do the best job of protecting your equipment if it must be transported. Veuillez inspecter votre nouvel amplificateur avec soin. Si vous découvrez des anomalies, des avaries ou s'il manque des pièces, contactez votre revendeur agréé Polk Audio. Conservez la boîte et l'emballage - ils assureront la protection de vos composants en transit éventuel. PARTS INCLUDED

2 Hex wrenches Screws (2 long, 2 short) Extra washers Fuse replacements Moisture Packet (Do not eat!) In the event that your amplifier requires service or is ever stolen, you will need to have a record of the product’s serial number. Please take the time to enter that number in the space provided below. The serial number can be found on the bottom panel of the amplifier and on the amplifier packaging.

All Carbon Series Amplifier Models Feature:

• Polk’s Maximum Dynamic Headroom (MDH) Power Supply allows Polk/MOMO Amplifiers to deliver more instantaneous power peaks, easily driving your speakers during musical peaks. Get “max headroom” (!) and more power for low impedance loads.
• Each model features fully adjustable electronic crossovers to power any install using any speakers on the market.
• Each model also features the exclusive Polk/MOMO PreEQ Switch, which optimizes the crossovers for use with Polk/MOMO Ultra High Performance Speakers and Subwoofers so you can take high performance to whole new level.
• 5-Way Smart System Protection (SSP) circuits: Power and Ground-Reversal Protection, Thermal and Short Protection, Current Overdraw and Low Impedance Protection circuits with auto-Standby Mode ensure safety, reliability and durability.
• Hideaway Cover Plate conceals the wiring and the “Set It Once” user-adjustable controls for clean-looking, fiddlefree installs.
• Polk Performance Certificate attests to each individual amp’s Power Rating, and serial number.
• High-density split-dome convection heat sinks with more surface area than standard fins for extreme heat dissipation and a long, reliable life of high amplification. No need for noisy fans.
• High damping factor improves driver control for tighter, punchier bass.
• Subsonic Filter (15Hz@24dB/octave) for an extra level of speaker protection.
• Remote Subwoofer Level Control available on all models (a stock feature on the mono sub amp).
• Power, Thermal and Short Protection LEDs easily visible on top plate.
• Gold-Plated Screw-Down Capture Terminals for the most secure connections.
• Small footprints for compact installs. Removable End Caps for even smaller footprints: big power in small packages. C400.4 Features:
• May be used as a 4-channel, 3-channel or 2-channel amplifier for maximum adaptability. Allows bi-amplification of Polk/MOMO component systems or Polk/MOMO Coaxial speakers.
• Variable Low Pass and High Pass crossover filters, 50Hz5kHz, switchable between 12dB/Octave and 24dB/Octave: all the control you need to power virtually any type of speaker from tweeters to component systems to subwoofers.
• Exclusive Polk/MOMO Pre-EQ Switch: One-button preset active crossover and EQ optimization for the best performance from Polk/MOMO Component systems.
• Active crossover optimized for all 62” component systems.

POLK/MOMO: CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE

Read This First Installing a car audio system is a serious project. If you have any doubts about your ability to execute any of the installation steps found in this manual, save yourself a lot of grief and contact a professional installer. Your Polk Audio dealer is a good place to find one. If you intend to do the installation yourself we assume you possess some skill in the proper use of hand and power tools. No matter how much installation experience you have, we recommend that you…

• Read this manual thoroughly before you begin
• Plan your installation carefully
• Allow enough time to complete the installation without rushing
• Take steps to protect your car and upholstery from unwanted scratches and punctures.
• Wear proper protective safety gear. Tools you May Need
• Phillips head screwdriver
• Electric drill and 3/16" and 1/8" drill bits
• Permanent ink marker or pencil
• Solderless, crimp-on connectors and a crimping tool
• Wire strippers and cutters
• Grommets for passing wires through metal car walls
• Amplifier Power Wire Kit (available at your authorized Polk Audio Dealer) Safe Limits of Operation Your Polk Audio AutoSound equipment is constructed of the highest quality materials for years of trouble-free performance. You should be aware that damage to loudspeakers can occur when an amplifier, regardless of its wattage, is made to play at higher listening levels than its power can clearly produce. Operation at this level can result in very high levels of audible distortion originating in the amplifier, which can add a harsh, gritty sound to your listening material. If you hear distortion—turn it down or risk damaging your speakers. You can damage any speaker, regardless of power rating, if you push any amplifier, regardless of power rating, to the point of distortion.

• ALWAYS DISCONNECT YOUR VEHICLE’S BATTERY GROUND BEFORE WORKING WITH YOUR VEHICLE’S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
• This amplifier is designed for use in vehicles with 12-volt, negative-ground electrical systems. Use of this product in vehicles with positive-ground, or with voltages other than 12 volts, may result in damage to the product and the system, and will void the warranty. This product is NOT certified or approved for use in aircraft.
• We recommend that you carefully design your car audio system before you begin a major installation like this. Draw it all out. Make sure that the cables for power and signal are not on the same side of the vehicle and that they do not cross each other; this will help reduce any noise that may radiate from the power cable to the signal cable. If a signal cable is too close to a power cable, it may pick up the magnetic field generated by the power cable, which could lead to a loss of quality in your signal.
• Do not run wires under your vehicle or outside your vehicle.
• For best possible performance, give your power the widest possible throughway. Use the largest gauge power/ground cable available; we recommend at least 8 AWG. Use the largest gauge connectors, as well: barrier spades at the amp and terminal rings to the battery. See your authorized Polk AutoSound Dealer for power cables and wire connectors.
• Protect your vehicle with a circuit breaker or fuse placed no more than 12" (30cm) from your battery. This circuit breaker or fuse should be no greater than the fuse(s) of your amplifier for optimal protection. For example, this Polk Audio Amplifier has two 30A fuses. Your “vehicle protection” fuse should be rated at 60A. See your authorized Polk AutoSound Dealer for professional advice on fuses and circuit breakers.
• Make your ground wires as short as possible to avoid Ground Loop engine noise and hum from interfering with your system. When using multiple components, ground everything at the same point.
• ALWAYS DISCONNECT YOUR VEHICLE’S BATTERY GROUND BEFORE WORKING WITH YOUR VEHICLE’S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

POLK/MOMO: CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE

IN PLACE AS A “TEMPLATE.” YOU COULD

1. DISCONNECT the negative battery post connection and

secure the disconnected cable away from the battery to prevent “accidental re-connection” during the installation process. This is not an option. Just do it, Ben Franklin.

2. RUN power wire from the engine compartment to the

amplifier installation location, taking care to route it in such a way that it will not be damaged and will not interfere with vehicle operation.

2. Faites passer le câble d’alimentation positif du compartiment

moteur jusqu’à l’endroit choisi pour l’installation de l’amplificateur. Assurez-vous que le câble n’est pas à risque ou ne peut pas nuire à l’opération du véhicule. Your amp will need to draw large levels of current, so use the largest gauge power/ground cable available; we recommend at least 8 AWG. (See your authorized Polk AutoSound Dealer for power cables and wire connectors.) Don’t forget to protect your vehicle with a circuit breaker or fuse placed no more than 12" (30cm) from your battery. This circuit breaker or fuse should be no greater than the fuse(s) of your amplifier for optimal protection. For example, this Polk Audio Amplifier has two 30A fuses. Your “vehicle protection” fuse should be rated at 60A. (See your authorized Polk AutoSound Dealer for professional advice on fuses and circuit breakers.)

3. CONNECT power wire with EMPTY fuse holder to the positive battery post. Do not install the fuse itself until the

power wire has been connected to the amplifier.

4. RUN signal cables and remote turn-on wire from the head

unit to the amplifier mounting location. Use high quality RCA cables for signal connections. The remote turn-on connection allows the amplifier to be turned on and off with the power control of your head unit. Use smaller cable here, 16 gauge is probably best. (See your authorized Polk AutoSound Dealer for professional advice on cables and connectors.) Make sure that the cables for power and audio signal are not on the same side of the vehicle and that they do not cross each other; this will help reduce any noise that may radiate from the power cable to the signal cable. If an audio signal cable is too close to a power cable, it may pick up the magnetic field generated by the power cable, which could lead to a loss of quality in your signal.

5. RUN speaker wire from the speakers to the amplifier

installation location. Measure enough wire to reach from your amplifier to each speaker or inline crossover, plus an additional 12" to allow moving the speakers or equipment without having to disconnect the wires.

6. FIND a good solid metal grounding point close to the

amplifier and connect the negative power wire to it.

POLK/MOMO: CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE

Typical Installation, continued For the ground connection, also use the largest gauge cable available. Connect to the terminal marked GND and then connect this cable directly to your car’s chassis. Keep the length of the GND connection as short as possible, ideally under 6", to avoid ground loops and engine noise hum problems. Make certain that the ground point is directly connected to the car’s metal chassis, with no dirt or paint getting in the way of a clean metal-to-metal connection.

7. SECURELY install the amplifier in your chosen location.

Take the time to secure the amplifier solidly so that it does not come loose in the event of a collision or sudden jolt to the vehicle. Warning: Low Flying Amp!

8. CONNECT the positive and negative power wires to the

amplifier. A fuse near the amplifier is not necessary.

9. CONNECT the remote turn-on wire to the amplifier.

10. CONNECT the RCA signal input cables to the amplifier.

11. CONNECT the speaker wires to the amplifier.

Make sure to use speaker wire of at least 16 gauge or thicker. Be certain to maintain correct polarity. One of the terminals on the rear of your speaker is positive (+) and the other is negative (-). Make certain that you connect the wire from the positive (+) terminal of your amplifier to the positive (+) terminal on your speaker, and the wire from the negative (-) terminal of your amplifier to the negative (-) terminal on your speaker. Most speaker wire has some indicator (color code, ribbing, or printing) on one of the two wires to help you maintain consistency. Make certain that no bare wire ends touch each other. Such contact could result in an electrical short and cause your head unit or amplifier to turn off or malfunction.

12. Carefully review the amplifier’s control settings to

make sure that they are set according to the needs of your system.

13. Now install the power wire fuse and reconnect the

negative battery post terminal. (See your authorized Polk AutoSound Dealer for professional advice on fuses and circuit breakers.)

14. Turn on the head unit at low level to check that the

amplifier is configured correctly. Resist the temptation—RESIST!—to crank it up until you have verified the control settings and made your fine tunings. 15. Make the necessary adjustments to the input sensitivity to obtain the right overall output and the desired balance between the two pairs of channels and other amps in your system. ADDITIONAL STEPS AND DIFFERENT PROCEDURES MAY BE REQUIRED IN SOME APPLICATIONS. IF YOU HAVE ANY

QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR AUTHORIZED POLK

AUDIO AUTOSOUND DEALER OR POLK AUDIO

POLK/MOMO: CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE

Rear RCA INPUT JACKS Front Front

FUSES REMOTE TRUN-ON LEAD GROUND LEAD BATTERY LEAD Detailed Adjustments for the Amp Panel

1 REMOTE BASS GAIN MODULE JACK

Accepts telephone jack input connection from the remote bass gain module (only works on REAR channel when crossover is set to LP). Set GAIN (8) to max when using the remote. Remote bass gain module is sold separately. See your Authorized Polk AutoSound Dealer or visit the webstore at polkaudio.com.

2 FREQUENCY SLOPE TOGGLE

Use this switch to determine the grade of the frequency slope over which the amplifier "rolls off" the frequencies for better blending between highs and lows. Choose either steep crossover slope (24dB/Octave) or a more gentle crossover slope (12dB/Octave).

3 FREQUENCY MULTIPLICATION SWITCH

Choose "x1" for lower crossover frequencies(50 to 500Hz), choose “x10” and the crossover frequency will be multiplied by 10 (500Hz to 5kHz).

4 CROSSOVER FREQUENCY ADJUSTMENT

When the FREQUENCY MULTIPLICATION SWITCH is set to “x1,” the crossover frequency can be adjusted between 50 to 500Hz. When the FREQUENCY MULTIPLICATION SWITCH is set to “x10,” the crossover frequency can be adjusted between 500Hz to 5kHz. The crossover frequency adjustment filters out frequencies that you don't want the speaker to reproduce. When the CROSOVER MODE is set to LP it filters out the midrange and high frequencies from the subwoofer. If it is set too high, you’ll hear voices and other midrange sounds coming from the subwoofer and the bass will seem to come only from the rear of the vehicle. If it is set too low, you’ll miss the “kidney punch” kick of the mid-bass. Set the control to 80Hz – 120Hz and adjust it by ear from there. When the CROSSOVER MODE is set to HP it filters out bass from your midrange or full range speakers. That takes strain off the speakers, allowing them to play louder with less distortion. Set the Frequency Control to around 80Hz – 100Hz. If it sounds like you’re losing too much mid-bass punch, turn the Frequency Control down to 50Hz. Most of the time you should set the LP and HP filters to around the same frequency setting, but always let your ears be the final judge. Experiment and go with the settings that sound best. When the CROSSOVER MODE is set to OFF, the Frequency Control does nothing. When the Pre EQ switch is on, the Frequency Control does nothing (the crossovers are preset by the Pre EQ feature).

POLK/MOMO: CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE

One-button preset crossover and EQ optimization for the best performance from Polk/MOMO Component systems. Using this will override all other crossover settings.

7 INPUT TYPE SELECTOR

This switch allows you to select the type of connection being made. The default for the average head unit is the LOW position, as the most popular head unit output connections are low voltage. To use HIGH level speaker wire inputs, simply splice an RCA connector onto your speaker wire, then set this switch to HIGH. If you have a higher output head unit, a 4V or 8V head unit output (see your head unit’s owner’s manual), set this selector to HIGH because you will have high voltage coming into the amp.

POLK/MOMO: CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE

Warning: Tweeters can only be

Polk/MOMO Woofer Polk/MOMO Woofer Remote turn on from source unit FUSE DIST. BLOCK

Pre-EQ "BYPASS" Front

Remote turn on from source unit Coax Driver Front

BATTERY FUSE Coax Driver

Rear Output from headunit Coax Driver Front Output from headunit Front and Rear Coax Hook-Up Connexions avant/arrière coaxiales DIST. BLOCK

POLK/MOMO: CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE

Optional remote gain for Rear channel Channel Rear 1/2 Channel Front 1/2 Coax Driver Coax Driver Full Range Output from headunit Front Coax and Rear Subwoofer Hook-Up Connexions avant coaxiale/arrière subwoofer

Front Subwoofer Output from headunit

DIST. BLOCK Subwoofer impedance should be 4Ω or greater. Subwoofer Remote turn on from source unit FUSE

Optional remote gain for Rear channel

Front Crossover Crossover Full Range Output from headunit

Front Subwoofer Output from headunit

POLK/MOMO: CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE

POLK/MOMO: CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE

Polk/MOMO Series Limited Warranty Polk Audio, Inc., warrants to the original retail purchaser only. This warranty will terminate automatically prior to its stated expiration if the original retail purchaser sells or transfers the Product to any other party. Polk Audio, Inc., warrants, to the original retail purchaser only, that the LOUDSPEAKER(S), PASSIVE CROSSOVER COMPONENT(S) and ENCLOSURE on this Polk Audio Loudspeaker Product will be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of one (1) year from the date of original retail purchase from a Polk Audio Authorized Dealer. Furthermore, Polk Audio, Inc., warrants, to the original retail purchaser only, that any AMPLIFIER OR OTHER ELECTRONIC COMPONENT will be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of one (1) year (extended to two years when professionally installed) from the date of original retail purchase from a Polk Audio Authorized Dealer. To allow Polk Audio to offer the best possible warranty service, please register your new product online at: www.polkaudio.com/registration or call Polk customer service 800-377-7655 in the USA and Canada (outside the USA: 410-358-3600) within ten (10) days of the date of original purchase. Be sure to keep your original purchase receipt. Defective Products must be shipped, together with proof of purchase, prepaid insured to the Polk Audio Authorized Dealer from whom you purchased the Product, or to the Factory at 2550 Britannia Boulevard, Suite A, San Diego, California 92154. Products must be shipped in the original shipping container or its equivalent; in any case the risk of loss or damage in transit is to be borne by you. If upon examination at the Factory or Polk Audio Authorized Dealer it is determined that the unit was defective in materials or workmanship at any time during this Warranty period, Polk Audio or the Polk Audio Authorized Dealer will, at its option, repair or replace this Product at no additional charge, except as set forth below. All replaced parts and Products become the property of Polk Audio. Products replaced or repaired under this warranty will be returned to you, within a reasonable time, freight prepaid.

This warranty does not include service or parts to repair damage caused by accident, disaster, misuse, abuse, negligence, inadequate packing or shipping procedures, commercial use, voltage inputs in excess of the rated maximum of the unit, cosmetic appearance of cabinetry not directly attributable to defect in materials or workmanship, or service, repair, or modification of the Product which has not been authorized or approved by Polk Audio. This warranty shall terminate if the Serial number on the Product has been removed, tampered with or defaced. This warranty is in lieu of all other expressed Warranties. If this Product is defective in materials or workmanship as warranted above, your sole remedy shall be repair or replacement as provided above. In no event will Polk Audio, Inc. be liable to you for any incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use the Product, even if Polk Audio, Inc. or a Polk Audio Authorized Dealer has been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other party. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of consequential damages, so the above limitation and exclusion may not apply to you. All implied warranties on this Product are limited to the duration of this expressed Warranty. Some states do not allow limitation on how long an implied Warranty lasts, so the above limitations may not apply to you. This Warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you also may have other rights which vary from state to state. This Warranty applies only to Products purchased in Canada, the United States of America, its possessions, and U.S. and NATO armed forces exchanges and audio clubs. The Warranty terms and conditions applicable to Products purchased in other countries are available from the Polk Audio Authorized Distributors in such countries.

POLK/MOMO: CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE