Boss Audio Systems BPS80 User Manual

U S E R ’ S M A N U A L

BPS80

Congratulations on your
purchase of a
Amplified Subwoofer.

It has been designed, engineered
and manufactured to bring you
the highest level of performance
and quality, and will afford you
years of listening pleasure.

Thank you for making a
your choice for car audio
entertainment!

8” Low Profile
Amplified Subwoofer

BPS80

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CONTENTS

Introduction

What is included?

Features

General precautions

Protection circuitry

Installation precautions

Fuses

Mounting the subwoofer

Connecting the subwoofer

Front panel controls and features

8

Rear panel controls and features

Input wiring

9

Power connections

10

Remote level control connection

10

Troubleshooting

11

12

Specifications

BPS80 Amplified Subwoofer User’s Manual - Page 1

Introduction

What is included?

With the BPS80, we are introducing
a low profile amplified subwoofer, low
enough to easily fit below the seat of
your car. This system offers you a
quick and easy way to add a high­powered subwoofer system to your
audio system.

The integrated amplifier in BPS80
features a low pass crossover and
a subsonic filter, as well as a control
for adjusting the input sensitivity from

0.1V to 1V.

Both high level (speaker level) and
low level (RCA) type inputs are
present, making this a universal
solution for use with any head unit
or other input source.

For further flexibility in the use of a
subwoofer, a variable bass boost
control has been included. you can
control the subwoofer level with the
remote level control module.

When first unpacking your new
amplified subwoofer, please check
first that the package contains all
of the items below. If something is
missing, contact the store where
you purchased the product.

BPS80 amplified subwoofer
Remote subwoofer level control
Remote subwoofer control cable
High level input harness/wire
Mounting EVA pads and screws

Features

Your new Powered
Subwoofer features the following:

• RCA low level input

• High level input

• Green LED power status indicator

• Red LED protect status indicator

BPS80

• Phase selector switch: 0 or 180º

• Adjustable input sensitivity: 0.1V-1V

• Variable bass boost

• Low pass filter (50 - 100Hz)

• Soft delay remote turn-on

• Remote sub-woofer control

• Thermal, short and overload

protection circuit

BPS80 Amplified Subwoofer User’s Manual - Page 2

General precautions

Protection Circuitry

Before installing and using your new

amplified subwoofer, please
become familiar with all the infor­mation contained in this manual.

Please keep this manual in a safe
place for future reference.

Do not open or attempt to repair this
unit yourself. Dangerous high voltages
are present which may result in electric
shock. Refer any repairs to a qualified
service technician.

To avoid risk of electronic shock or
damage to the unit, do not permit any
of this equipment to become damp or
wet from water or drinks. If this does
occur, immediately unplug the power
wires and send the product to your
local dealer or service center as soon
as possible.

If there is smoke or any peculiar odor
presentduringuseor if thereis damage
to any of the component enclosures,
immediately unplug the power cord
and send the product to your local
dealer or service center as soon as
possible .

SHOCK HAZARD!

Do not open the case of this product.
There are dangerous voltages present
within the unit. There are no user­serviceable parts within the unit.

The built-in amplifier incorporates
special protection circuitry which will
disable the amplifier if any of the
following should occur:

Input overload

Short circuit

Extremely high temperatures

If any of these conditions is detected,
the amplifier will go into a self­preservation mode, and the PROTECT
LED on the control panel will glow in
RED color.

What should I do if the POWER STATUS
LED is RED?

If you observe that the POWER STATUS
LED IS RED, please check the system
carefully to determine what has caused
the protection circuit to engage.

To reset the amplified subwoofer when
it is in PROTECT mode, turn the power
off to the system (usually by turning off
the head unit or other signal source
which feeds the amplifier) and then turn
it on again.

If the internal amplifier has shut down
due to thermal overload, you should first
allow it to cool down before restarting.

If the shut down was due to either an
input overload or a short circuit, be sure
to correct these conditions before
attempting to power up the subwoofer
again.

BPS80 Amplified Subwoofer User’s Manual - Page 3

Installation precautions

Mounting the subwoofer

Before you drill or cut any holes,
investigate your car’s layout very
carefully. Take special care when you
work near the gas tank, fuel lines,
hydraulic lines and electrical wiring.

Never operate the subwoofer when it
is unmounted. Attach all audio system
components securely within the
amplifier to prevent damage, especially
in an accident.

Do not mount this product so that wire
connections are unprotected, in a
pinched condition, in contact with any
metal surfaces in your vehicle, or likely
to be damaged by nearby objects.

Before making or breaking power
connections in your system,
disconnect the vehicle battery. Confirm
that your head unit or other equipment
is turned off while connecting the input
jacks and speaker terminals.

1. Find a suitable location in the vehicle
in which to mount the amplifier. A
typical location is shown below:

Vehicle seat

Make sure there is sufficient air
circulation around the intended
mounting location. Position the
subwoofer enclosure where you wish
to install it. Make some small marks
to identify the position and remove the
unit.

If you need to replace the power fuse,
replace it only with a fuse identical to
that supplied with the product. Using
a fuse of a different type or rating may
result in damage to your audio system
or your amplifier which is not covered
by the manufacturer’s warranty.

Fuses

Power fuses protect both the amplifier
and the electrical system of your car
from fault conditions. If you must
replace a fuse in your
powered subwoofer, use a fuse of
exactly the same type and rating. Using
a different type or rating of fuse may
result in damage to your amp or vehicle
or cause a fire.

BPS80

2. Please follow below to install:

(1). Thoroughly clean the area you plan
to attach the subwoofer, using a
vacuum cleaner.

BPS80 Amplified Subwoofer User’s Manual - Page 4

(2). Place a EVA pad below
each mounting leg, and attach the
amplified subwoofer to the surface
below using the (4) self-tapping screws
provided. Of course, before you drill
or cut any holes, investigate your
car’s layout very carefully.

Take special care when you work
near the gas tank, fuel lines, hydraulic
lines and electrical wiring.

Connecting the subwoofer

Before doing any wiring, look through
this manual and identify the diagrams
to follow for power, input and speaker
connections for your particular
installation. Be sure you understand
all the connections before you proceed.

1. Connect the ground terminal to the
closest point on the chassis of the
vehicle. Keep this ground wire to less
than 39” (100 cm) in length. Use 8
gauge (or heavier) wire.

2. Connect the remote terminal to the
remote output of the head unit using
16 gauge (or heavier) wire.

3. Connect an empty fuse holder within
18” (45 cm) of the car battery, and run
8 gauge (or heavier) cable from this
fuse to the amplifier location.

4. Check that the fuse holder is empty.
Then connect the fuse holder to the
“BATT+” connection on the amplifier.

BPS80 Amplified Subwoofer User’s Manual - Page 5

5. Connect all line inputs and outputs (if
used) using high-quality cables. Connect
all speakers, following the diagrams in
this manual. Be sure to observe proper
polarity to avoid audio phase problems.

6. Insert fuse(s) into the battery fuse
holder(s).

Don’t misuse the level control!

Do not mistake the input level control
for a volume control! It is designed
ONLY to match the output level of
your audio source to the input level
of your subwoofer.

7. Recheck all connections before
powering up the subwoofer.

8. Set all level controls to minimum
position, and set all crossover
controls/switches to the desired
frequency points.

9. Power up the head unit and the
subwoofer. Then set the volume control
on the head unit to about 3/4 volume,
and adjust the subwoofer’
controls to just below the level of
distortion.

10. Further fine tuning of the various
controls may be necessary to obtain best
results.

Do not adjust this input level to
maximum unless your input level
requires it.

lgnoring these instructions will result
in an input overload to the amplifier
in the subwoofer, and excessive
audio distortion. It can also cause
the protection circuit to engage.

BPS80 Amplified Subwoofer User’s Manual - Page 6

Front panel controls and features

REMOTE LEVEL CONTROL PORT

Attach the included remote level
control to the port to control the volume
level of

PROTECT STATUS LED

This LED will be red if one of the
protection circuits comes on.

LOW PASS FILTER

This control permits you define the
frequency range you want the
subwoofer amplifier to receive. The
subwoofer will reproduce all sound
BELOW the frequency you set.

If the rest of your system is weak on
the mids, you may wish to set this
control relatively high. If the midrange
is well covered by the rest of your
system, you will probably want the
subwoofer to only receive lower
frequency signal.

BASS BOOST

The bass boost feature will increase
the sound level in the bass

frequencies.

the subwoofer independently.

INPUT GAIN CONTROL

After you have installed your system,
turn this control to minimum

Turn the head unit on (and the
subwoofer will turn on via the remote
connection). Turn the head unit
volume to about 2/3 full level.

Slowly turn up the subwoofer input
gain control until you hear a small
amount of distortion. Then reduce the
level until the distortion is completely
gone. Leave the control at this setting.

PHASE SHIFT
Use this switch to help compensate

for time alignment problems in the
system. Such problems usually result
from having the subwoofer at a
different distance from the listener
than the other speakers in the system.

POWER STATUS LED

This LED is green when power

is on and no problems are
present.

BPS80 Amplified Subwoofer User’s Manual - Page 7

Rear panel controls and features

POWER

Connect the power cable terminals
as per the wiring label on the power
cable. Namely,
RED to BATT +12V,
BLACK to a good chasis ground,
BLUE to remote

The fuse is rated at 20A. Do not use
a fuse with a different value and
NEVER replace the fuse with a wire

or coin.

HIGH LEVEL (speaker level)

If your head unit does not have RCA
outputs, you can use the speaker
outputs for the audio source for the

BPS80.
wire harness and connect the outputs
properly as shown in the connection
diagram in this manual.

LOW LEVEL RCA INPUTS

Low level inputs are the
recommended way to introduce
the audio signal to the subwoofer

if RCA outputs are present on
your head unit or other signal
source (such as a sound processor).

Use the supplied cable and

INPUTS

BPS80 Amplified Subwoofer User’s Manual - Page 8

Low Level Input Wiring

Low-level (RCA) input wiring is preferred for best audio performance. Most trunk
or hatchback installations will require a 15-20 foot RCA cable, while pickup trucks
and under-seat installations will require a 6-12 foot RCA cable. Always use a high­quality cable.

NOTE: Do not connect BOTH the high level and low level inputs from your
receiver to your amplifier at the same time!

(The extension cable to
be purchased separately)

To Audio

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Ou ut ts ofhea

unit or signal

processor

d

High Level Input Wiring

The high level input(s) should only be used when your receiver lacks RCA outputs.
If the RCA outputs are not present, connect the speaker outputs from the receiver
to the high level input connector of the amplifier. Be sure to observe polarity to
avoid audio phase problems.

NOTE: Do not connect BOTH the high level and low level inputs from your
receiver to your amplifier at the same time!

(The extension cable to be purchased separately)

BPS80 Amplified Subwoofer User’s Manual - Page 9

Power Connections

Connect the ground terminal to the closest point on the chassis of the vehicle.
Keep this ground wire to less than 39” (100 cm) in length. Use 8 gauge (or heavier)
wire.

Connect the remote terminal to the remote output of the head unit using 16 gauge
(or heavier) wire.

Connect an empty fuse holder within 18” (45 cm) of the car battery, and run 8 gauge
(or heavier) cable from this fuse to the amplifier location. Then connect the fuse
holder to the “BATT+” connection on the subwoofer rear panel.

Left Panel

Remote Level Control Connection

Install the remote control securely
under the dash or in a similar
location where using it will not
distract the drive.

Right Panel

BPS80 Amplified Subwoofer User’s Manual - Page 10

Troubleshooting

If you experience operation or performance problems with this product, compare

installation with the electrical wiring diagram on the previous pages. If

your

read the following troubleshooting tips which may help eliminateproblems persist,

the problems.

SYMPTOM

Amplifier will not
power up.

Protection LED
comes on when
amplifier is
powered up.

No output.

Low output.

High hiss in the
sound.

Squealing noise
is present.

POSSIBLE REMEDY

Check to make sure you have a good ground connection.
Check that the Remote Input (Turn-On) has at least 3VDC.
Check that there is battery power on the (+) terminal.
Check that there is at least 12v.
Check all fuses, replace if necessary.
Make sure that the Protection LED is not illuminated. If it is lit, shut off

the amplifier briefly, and then repower it.

Turn down the volume control on the head unit to prevent overdriving.
Reset the amplifier. If the Protection LED still comes on, then the amplifier

is faulty and needs servicing.

Check that all fuses are OK.
Check that unit is properly grounded.
Check that the Remote Input (Turn-On) has at least 3VDC.
Check that the RCA audio cables are plugged into the proper inputs.
Check all speaker wiring.

Reset the Level Control.
Check the Crossover Control settings.

Disconnect all RCA inputs to the power sub’s control panel. If the hiss
disappears, then plug in the component driving the amplifier and unplug

its inputs. If the hiss disappears at this point, go on until the faulty/noisy

component is found.
It is best to set the amplifier’s input level control as low as possible. The

best subjective signal-to-noise ratio is achieved in this manner. Try to
set the head unit as high as possible (without distortion) and the amp
input level as low as possible.

Check for improperly grounded RCA interconnects.

Distorted sound.

Amplifier gets
very hot.

Engine noise
(static type)

Engine noise
(alternator

Check that the Input Level Control is set to match the signal level of the
head unit. Always try to set the Input Level as low as possible.

Check that all crossover frequencies are properly set.
Check for short circuits on the speaker leads.

Check that the minimum speaker impedance for the amp model is correct.

Check that there is good air circulation around the amp. In some
applications, it may be necessary to add an external cooling fan.

This is usually caused by poor quality RCA cables, which can pick up
radiated noise. Use only the best quality cables, and route them away
from power cables.

Check that the RCA grounds are not shorted to the vehicle chassis.
Check that the head unit is properly grounded.

whine)

BPS80 Amplified Subwoofer User’s Manual - Page 11

Specifications

8” Amplified Subwoofer

MODEL

Maximum power
THD
Signal-to-noise ratio
Frequency response
Input sensitivity, high level
Input sensitivity, low level
Low pass filter

Bass Boost
Fuse rating
Dimensions

BPS80

400W

<0.5%

>68dB

20Hz - 100Hz

0.4V

90mV

50Hz -100Hz

0 to +12dB
20A

10-1/4” x 14-3/8” x 3” (260 x 365 x 76mm)

All specifications subject to change without notice.

BPS80 Amplified Subwoofer User’s Manual - Page 12