ZRS C1 QUICK INSTALLATION GUIDE
REMOTE TURN-ON FROM HEAD UNIT
4 GAUGE MINIMUM FOR TYPICAL INSTALLATIONS. FOR HIGH
130 AMP FUSE
POWER OR COMPETITION INSTALLS PLEASE USE 2 OR 0 GAUGE
HEAVY DUTY POWER CABLE. YOU MUST INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL
130 AMP IN-LINE FUSE IN THE MAIN POWER CABLE CONNECTION.
ZRS Type C1 - Mono Block Class D Power Amplifier
4-Ohm Power : 1 x 800 Watts RMS
2-Ohm Power : 1 x 1400 Watts RMS
1-Ohm Power : 1 x 2250 Watts RMS
IHF 2002 Rated : 1 x 45000 Watts Peak
Two Amps Bridged : 1 x 4500 Watts RMS @ 2-Ohm
Damping Factor : >100 @ 100Hz
Preamp Voltage : 200mV to 9Volt
Frequency Response : 10Hz-500Hz
Signal to Noise Ratio : >88dB
Crossover Slope : 24dB
Subsonic Filter : 10Hz - 50Hz
Bass Focus : 0 +7dB Adjustable
LP Crossover : 50Hz-250Hz Adjustable
Bass Equalizer : 0 - 12dB Adjustable
Phase Shift : 0 - 180 Degrees Selectable
Dimensions : 9.6” x 2.32” x 19” (243x59x484mm)
Width x Height x Length
We have spared no expense in designing these amplifiers, creating the most rugged,
reliable, powerful and best performing amplifiers. In fact we are so sure of the quality we
backup every ZRS Series amplifier with our exclusive two-year warranty which exemplifies
our commitment to excellence in car audio musical reproduction. (See enclosed warranty
card for details.)
Please read this installation guide carefully for proper use of your Cadence power amplifier.
Should you need technical assistance during or after your installation please call our
technical-line between 9:30 am and 5:00 PM EST at 732/370-5400. Read this entire guide
fully before attempting your installation.
WARNING: BE AWARE! Use of this amplifier at extreme high volumes for extended
periods of time may cause hearing loss and or hearing damage. During periods of
prolonged high volume levels it is recommended that you use ear safety devices. Playing
Cadence amplifiers at high volume levels while driving will impair your ability to hear
necessary traffic sounds. While driving always keep your sound volume at reasonable
levels. We at Cadence want you listening for many years to come.
When installing the amplifier, secure it tightly. An unmounted amplifier in your car can cause
serious injury to passengers and damage to your vehicle if it is set in motion by an abrupt
driving maneuver or short stop.
We suggest you construct a Red wiring harness with 2 additional fuse. One fuse should be
located near the car battery. This fuse near the battery offers protection against damage
from short circuits to the car chassis between the battery and the amplifier. A second fuse
closer to the amplifier offers additional safety to the amplifier itself. This fused red power
wire should be attached to the amplifier power terminal marked 12V+.
The wire harness should be made of primary cable of at least 4 gauge. The harness should
terminate in a large ring terminal for connection directly to the positive terminal of the car
battery. Use a spade plug to attach the wire, which connects to the amplifier location
marked 12V+.
A second black color wire of equal gauge should be used as a ground connection to a
welded chassis member. When connecting the ground wire make sure that there is no paint
or other insulator blocking a good ground connection. When installing multiple amplifiers,
mount them in close proximity so that they can all share the same ground point. Attach the
black ground wire to the amplifier screw terminal marked Ground.
We recommend that you use the Cadence amplifier installation kits, which contain all the
cabling and accessories necessary for a good, reliable installation.
Over the years we have received amplifiers back to our service department with melted
power/ground terminals. The cause of this is a bad ground connection. When there is a lack
of good ground, heat builds up at the weakest point which happens to be the contact screw
of the amplifier terminal. Over time the heat generated will begin to melt the terminal. It is a
good practice to feel the power and ground wires with your hands, near their amplifier
connection after having played the amp for a while. If the wires feel hot to the touch you
probably have a bad or loose connection. If you are sure of your connections and the wires
still feel hot to the touch, you should upgrade the gauge of wire to next heaviest gauge.
The remote turn on connection is located on the barrier strip next to the power and ground
connections. This connection is responsible for turning the amplifier on and off with the rest
of the system. A smaller gauge wire can be used to make this connection to your radio's
power antenna lead. Should your system not have any turn on leads, you can wire the
remote terminal to an accessory lead, which turns on, with your cars ignition.
The ZRS Series amplifiers feature RCA preamp inputs. Run RCA cables from your sound
source to the inputs of the amplifier. We suggest the use of high quality shielded RCA patch
cords to help reduce and eliminate unwanted electrical noise to your system.
To avoid electrical noise from being injected in to your sound systems be sure to run the
RCA cables on the opposite side of the vehicle that you used to carry the power and ground
leads of the amplifier.
ZRS C1
1-Ohm Mono Load
Woofer Wiring
BRIDGING AMPLIFIERS - HOW TO SET SWITCHES, INPUTS AND REMOTE CONTROL.
When bridging two amplifiers together all pre amp signals including crossover, phase control, bass equalizer, input gain, subsonic filter, bass focus are controlled by the Master amplifier.
The entire pre amp section of the Slave amplifier is bypassed. This is done so all you have to do is to set the Master amplifier and the Slave amplifier will match the Master exactly. There is no
need for any manual matching to occur. This ensures perfect alignment of your system. One Bass Control knob, plugged in to the Master amplifier will also control both amplifiers, thereby
simplifying your installation as well.
You can use the RCA Pre amp Output of the Master Amplifier to feed secondary Full Range Multi-Channel amplifiers for a Mult-Amp system.
Set Master Amplifier to “MASTER”
Set Salve amplifier to “SLAVE 2”
Set Phase Shift on both amps to same position.
Set all crossover setting, bass equalizer, subsonic filter, bass focus on MASTER amp to desired settings.
Use the “Bridging Cable” which was supplied with amplifier to connect MASTER OUT of amplifier #1 (Master) to SLAVE IN of amplifiers #2 (SLAVE). Do not substitute any other cable, if you
need a longer cable or lost your cable, please contact Cadence.
Connect a heavy duty speaker wire between the NEGATIVE terminals of both amplifiers.
Connect your woofers NEGATIVE TERMINAL to MASTER amplifiers speaker POSITIVE TERMINAL and your woofers POSITIVE TERMINAL to SLAVE amplifier POSITIVE TERMINAL.
from radio, do not
wire woofers to
this terminal!
2-Ohm
Final Woofer Load
= 1-Ohm Load.
2-Ohm
Final Woofer Load
Bridging Two
ZRS C1 Amplifiers
Or
To amp +
DVC 2-Ohm
Wired in Parallel
to 1-Ohm
To amp -
Remote turn on
RCA Headunit signal to
Master Amp only! No RCA
Cables to be attached to
Slave Amplifier.
Amp #1 in Master Mode
Amp #2 in Slave 2 Mode
Fully adjusted Signal
is transferred from Master
to Slave Amp via
Phone Cable.
USE HEAVY GAUGE
WIRE TO CONNECT
BOTH AMPLIFIERS
SPEAKER “NEGATIVE”
CONNECTIONS.
When bridging two
ZRS C1 amplifiers, the
final impedance of the
bridged channel shall be
no less than 2 ohms.
Under no circumstances
can you bridge two different
models of amplifiers
MINUS TERMINAL OF
WOOFER TO
MASTER AMPLIFIER
POSITIVE TERMINAL.
POSITIVE TERMINAL
OF WOOFER TO
SLAVE AMPLIFIER
POSITIVE TERMINAL.
2-Ohm
Load!
Final Impedance
ZRS C1
1-Ohm Mono Load
from radio, do not
wire woofers to
Remote turn on
Woofer Wiring
this terminal!
DVC 4-Ohm
Wired in Parallel
to 2-Ohm
DVC 4-Ohm
Wired in Parallel
to 2-Ohm
= 1-Ohm Load.
DAISY CHAINING AMPLIFIERS - HOW TO SET SWITCHES, INPUTS AND REMOTE CONTROL.
When daisy chaining two amplifiers together all pre amp signals including crossover, phase control, bass equalizer, input gain, subsonic filter, bass focus are controlled by the Master
amplifier. The entire pre amp section of the Slave amplifier is bypassed. This is done so all you have to do is to set the Master amplifier and the Slave amplifier will match the Master exactly.
There is no need for any manual matching to occur. This ensures perfect alignment of your system. One Bass Control knob, plugged in to the Master amplifier will also control both
amplifiers, thereby simplifying your installation as well.
Use the RCA Pre amp Output of the Master Amplifier to feed secondary Full Range Multi-Channel amplifiers for a Mult-Amp system.
Set Master Amplifier to “MASTER”
Set Salve amplifier to “SLAVE 1”
Set Phase Shift on both amps to same position.
Set all crossover setting, bass equalizer, subsonic filter, bass focus on MASTER amp to desired settings.
Use the “Bridging Cable” which was supplied with amplifier to connect MASTER OUT of amplifier #1 (Master) to SLAVE IN of amplifiers #2 (SLAVE). Do not substitute any other cable, if you
need a longer cable or lost your cable, please contact Cadence.
Connect woofers as you would typically connect them to each amplifier, not exceeding a 1 ohm load per amplifier. You can daisy chain as many ZRS C1 as you like while retaining control of
your entire system from the Master amplifier.
Daisy Chaining
ZRS C1 Amplifiers
RCA Headunit signal to
Master Amp only! No RCA
Cables to be attached to
Slave Amplifier.
Amp #1 in Master Mode
Amp #2 in Slave 1 Mode
Fully adjusted Signal
is transferred from Master
to Slave Amp via
Phone Cable.
1-Ohm
Final Impedance
Load!
When daisy chaining two ZRS C1 amplifiers, you can
wire each woofer to any of the amplifiers positive or
negative terminals as they are wired internally in parallel.
Under no circumstances can you daisy chain two
different models of amplifiers.
1-Ohm
Final Impedance
Load!
ZRS C1 CONTROLS
MASTER/SLAVE CONFIGURATION.
Whether you are daisy chaining or bridging two ZRS C1 amplifiers, our exclusive MASTER/SLAVE configuration insures the simplest installation possibilities. By
following the guidelines set up. While other brands have you gain matching, crossover matching and phase matching their amps in multi-amp installations, the Cadence
ZRS C1 system allows you to control ALL pre amp functions from the master amp including gains, crossovers and even the dashboard remote bass control. This system
allows you to install any number of amps in a bridged mode to double power to 2 ohm or in daisy chain mode for multi-woofer systems.
RCA Headunit signal to
Master Amp only! No RCA
Cables to be attached to
Slave Amplifier.
Amp #1 in Master Mode
BRIDGING AMPS
Amp #2 in Slave 2 Mode
RCA PREAMP
OUTPUT
The preamp output is a
full range signal mixed
f r o m b o t h i n p u t
chann e l s . Use this
s i g n a l t o f e e d a
secondary full range
am p l i f i e r i n y o u r
system.
ADJUSTABLE SUBSONIC
WITH BASS FOCUS
Fully adjusted Signal
is transferred from Master
to Slave Amp via
Phone Cable.
GAIN CONTROL
The super heavy-duty heat sink guarantees
that your amplifier will stay cool no matter
how hard you pound it. Computerized
thermal protection circuitry guarantees the
amplifiers stability. We have spared no
expense, cut no corners in designing,
engineering and building the ZRS C1. Each
amp is carefully assembled by a group of
highly skilled technicians and then tested
and burned in for a full 24 hours before being
released for delivery to you.
INPUT
The ZRS C1 amplifier
features advanced input
gain control from 0.2 volts
to 9 volts so that the amp
can operate efficiently
and at full power from any
head unit pre amp signal.
24dB CROSSOVER SLOPE
BASS EQUALIZER
DASH MOUNT
BASS REMOTE
When using the Remote
Subwoofer Control in a
multi amp system the
bass remote of the Master
amp will control all amps
in the system. Use only
cable supplied with the
remote for connection.
RCA Headunit signal to
Master Amp only! No RCA
Cables to be attached to
Slave Amplifier.
Amp #1 in Master Mode
DAISY CHAIN
Amp #2 in Slave 1 Mode
Fully adjusted Signal
is transferred from Master
to Slave Amp via
Phone Cable.
POWER & DIAGNOSTIC
LED INDICATORS
ZRS amplifiers feature
s o p h i s t i c a t e d I C
cont r o lled p r otect i o n
circuitry. If the amp goes
i n t o a d i a gn o s t ic
condition from thermal
over load or speaker short
circuit the LED will light
and amp will shut down.
CONNECTION
TERMINALS
The ZRS C1 features our exclusive
BASS FOCUS circuitry which works
as a variable Q control at the
Subsonic Filter setting. By supplying
up to 7dB of boost you can
compensate for drivers in too small
The crossover of the ZRS C1
features a steep 24dB per octave
slo p e But t erwo r th l o w p a ss
crossover ensuring that only the
lowest frequencies are reproduced
by the amplifier.
The ZRS C1 features heavy duty bolt down terminals,
the power and ground terminals accept 0 - 2 gauge wire
while the speaker terminals can accept 8 gauge wire.
enclosures so a 10” woofer can
sound like a 12” woofer and a 12”
woofer can sound like a 15” woofer. In
a vented enclosure set the Bass
Focus to the port tuning frequency
and you can add 7dB of increased
The amplifier also includes a Bass
Equalizer with a center frequency of
45Hz which can be adjusted for up
to 12dB of additional gain at that
frequency.
bass rumble.
Before you begin with your installation, disconnect the NEGATIVE (-) terminal from your car's battery. This safety precaution will avoid possible short circuits while wiring your amplifier.
Cadence amplifiers operate on 12-volt negative ground systems only.
It is recommend that you layout your sound system design on paper first. This will help you during the installation so that you will have a wiring flow chart and not miss-wire any of your
components.
Mount the amplifier in the trunk or hatch area of your vehicle. Never install an amplifier in the engine compartment or on the firewall. Please be sure to leave breathing room around the
amplifier heat sink so that it can dissipate the heat it produces efficiently. The amplifier can be installed either horizontally or vertically.
When mounting the amplifier on the trunk floor, be sure to watch for your gas tank, gas lines and electrical lines. Do not drill or mount any screws where they might penetrate the gas tank of
your car.
Once the system is operational, the first thing to do, is set all crossover points to approximate settings. In the case of the basic sub woofer system Low Pass filter crossover at 100 Hz or so.
Set the Bass Boost equalizer controls to 0 dB ( Flat Switch Position.)
Now you should set the amplifiers Input Sensitivity adjustment. The knob accessible on the side of the amplifier marked INPUT GAIN adjusts the input sensitivity from 300mV to 7Volts.
To adjust the input sensitivity, turn the control using a small flat head screwdriver fully counter clock wise to the minimum position. Do not apply any pressure while turning as this might
break the control unit. Adjust your radio volume level to maximum volume. Now turn the level control on the amplifier clockwise towards the Maximum marking until audible distortion
occurs. When you begin to hear any distortion in the sound, back down one notch and your amp is set. It is helpful to have a second person to help you set the gain.
When setting up a multi-amp system, set each amplifier’s gain separately. Start off with the bass amplifier, then adjust the highs amplifier’s level control to match.
Once you are satisfied with the level control settings, use any equalizer controls to adjust the system tonal level for personal preference. Keep in mind that after equalizing, you may have to
go back and reset the amplifiers level controls.
The level control of any car amplifier should not be mistaken for a volume control. It is a sophisticated device designed to match the output level of your source unit to the
input level of the amplifier. Do not adjust the amplifier gain to maximum unless your input level requires it.
If your unit has been professionally installed please do not change the gain settings set by the installer, he is the professional!
Your system can also be extremely sensitive to noise when the LEVEL is set to maximum and does not match your input signal. The gain adjustments need to be made only once when first
setting up the system.
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