Audio Control THREE.1 Owner's Manual

THREE.1

In-Dash

In-Dash Equalizer and Crossover

Owner’s Enjoyment Manual

making good stereo sound better

22410 70th Avenue West • Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043 • Phone 425-775-8461 • Fax 425-778-3166

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Owner’s Enjoyment Manual

THREE.1

In-Dash

Table Of Contents

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Features and Highlights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

A Guided Tour of the THREE.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Placement and Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Power Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Audio Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Level Matching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Adjusting the equalizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Crossover Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Warranty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Owner’s Enjoyment Manual

Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of a truly unique

and versatile product, the AudioControl THREE.1(pronounced Three Point One), the latest addition to the growing family of AudioControl in-dash equalizers. This product not only improves the sound quality and performance of any amplified car stereo system but provides you with an audiophile quality 24dB/octave electronic crossover. This combination is ideal for any car audio enthusiast regardless of whether you are a dyed in the wool sound-off competitor or you just want to crank your system up until the nearby buildings shake.

Ever wonder who bought that lime green Plymouth station

wagon you saw sitting in the car lot? It was built with some-

body in mind. Music is the same way. People have

different tastes and opinions about the music they listen to (i.e. the SPICE Girls versus Garth Brooks).

The THREE.1 will let you tune your system to

what you like, similar to what a recording

engineer does in the studio.

Now sit back and grab a home brew

and peruse through this Enjoyment

Manual for the THREE.1 in-dash equalizer.

Features of the THREE.1 :

• Stereo graphic equalization

• Para-BASS band low frequency contouring

• 24dB/Octave Linkwitz Riley crossover

• Pre-amp gain of 20dB

• Line driver: 13 volts peak output

• Balanced differential inputs

• Subwoofer level control

• High headroom PWM switching power supply

• Switchable backlighting color (amber/green)

• Master volume and fader control

• Selectable ground isolation

• Optimum voltage LED

QUICK INSTALLATION INFO

For those of you who are short on time and brimming with confidence, or caffeine for that matter, refer to pages 9, 10 and 11 (Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9). As a matter of reference the THREE.1 is shipped in the following configuration:

Shipped Option Page #

Illumination Green Amber 7

Inputs Balanced Unbalanced 6

Ground Isolation Isolated 200 ohm or

Ground 7

Input Gain Unity 0 to +20dB 7

Crossover frequency 90 Hz 30Hz - 3500Hz 7

It is important to know that we recommend that you allow your authorized AudioControl dealer install your THREE.1. If he or she installs your THREE.1, we will warranty your THREE.1 for an unbelievable 5 years parts and labor. Should you opt to install the THREE.1 on your own, we will warranty it for 1 year.

Owner’s Enjoyment Manual

THREE.1

In-Dash

FEATURES AND HIGHLIGHTS

The following section will tell you about all of the nifty features of your THREE.1. Knowing these features will help you maximize the performance of your THREE.1 in-dash equalizer/crossover. You will also score points with your fellow autosound buddies.

Graphic Stereo Equalization: The THREE.1 turns the dashboard of your car into a mini-mixing board, just like that in a recording studio. The THREE.1 has three frequency controls set at 10KHz, 1.25KHz and 125Hz respectively. The frequencies were selected to provide you with a just enough control to make dramatic improvements in any system.

Master Volume: The THREE.1 has a big master volume KNOB (no annoying up & down switches for us) to control the signal output to the amplifiers. Raise the volume level on your source units to their maximum and you will never need to touch them again.

24dB/Octave Linkwitz Riley Crossover: What is the benefit of fine tuning your system if you cannot accurately route the proper frequencies to the proper amplifier channels? The programmable audiophile crossover in the THREE.1 is the same crossover in many other award winning

AudioControl components and is a far cry from the wimpy crossovers that find their way into many amplifiers these days.

Para-BASS : You want bass, we got bass. This specially

designed parametric control lets you adapt the bass response of any system to your listening desire. Given all of the various types of music combined with numerous possible bass response anomalies in every vehicle, a single control for bass just doesn’t cut it. It’s like painting a picture with only one color...BORING!

Pre-Amp Line Driver: Talk about your ironies.

Amplifiers require a high voltage input signal (generally 2 to 5 volts) to operate with maximum dynamic range and the best signal-to-noise ratio. On the other hand, typical source units only produce 1 to 2 volts, if your lucky. In a system where the source unit is located in the front of the car and the amplifier(s) are located in the rear, the length of the connecting cables can have an negative impact on the strength of the signal.

The THREE.1 includes a line driver that takes the weak output voltage of a head unit and increases it 20dB (up to 13 volts peak) and then delivers it downstream to the amplifier inputs.

Owner’s Enjoyment Manual

Balanced Inputs: The THREE.1 uses a unique balanced

differential input circuit that helps cancel any noise that radiates into the signal path between the source unit and your THREE.1.

Figure 1: Balanced Inputs

Speaker Level Inputs: If you are like most people and

like the look and features of your factory installed source unit but feel it’s lacking in the power side, good news. The THREE.1 has speaker level inputs that will interface with most factory installed source units (even Bose) and let you add amplifiers and speakers to your hearts content.

Subwoofer Level Control: Need a little more bass to

impress your buddies? Or maybe you want to tone it down to not scare off your date. Whatever the case, the THREE.1 has a subwoofer output level control that allows you to balance the amount of signal that goes to your subwoofer outputs.

Fader Control: The THREE.1 has 4 output channels and a fader control to allow for easy balancing between the front and rear speakers.

The Most Important Feature Of All: Reliability. That’s right, your AudioControl THREE.1 comes with a full 5 year parts and labor warranty when it is installed by an authorized United States AudioControl dealer. These seasoned pro’s have the training and the equipment to take care of the job quickly and not leave your dashboard looking like swiss cheese. Keep in mind that if you or your friends are “good with electronics” and choose to install it yourself, your THREE.1 still has a 1 year parts and labor warranty.

To activate your warranty, you need to FILL OUT AND SEND IN YOUR WARRANTY CARD! Also, save your invoice or sales slip as proof of purchase. Not only are these necessary for warranty purposes, they are also important if the unforeseen disappearance of your THREE.1 should happen while you are socializing at the local espresso and salmon bar. Insurance companies have very little imagination.

Owner’s Enjoyment Manual

+ 14 hidden pages