Directed Audio 6500 User Manual

model

6500

2

© 2002 Directed Electronics, Inc

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© 2002 Directed Electronics, Inc

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations for choosing a Directed
Audio five-band parametric equalizer
from Directed Electronics.

Directed has been the industry leader in
high-quality mobile audio and security
since 1990, and with the introduction of
the Directed Audio 6500 five-band para­metric equalizer, Directed continues to
set new standards of performance, reli­ability and affordability in the mobile
electronics industry.

Featuring separately adjustable front
and rear crossovers, active gain pream-

plifiers and three-source input capability,
the Directed Audio 6500 five-band para­metric equalizer will integrate with the
most sophisticated of mobile audio/
video systems, and will excite and
delight the mobile sound enthusiast with
years of high-quality audio reproduction.

The Directed Audio 6500 five-band para­metric equalizer is covered by two-year
limited warranty. Be sure to retain your
original sales receipt, and refer to the
warranty section of this guide for full
details about your coverage.

Limited Two-Year Consumer Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Installation Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Control Panel Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Rear Panel Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Initial Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Crossover and Filter Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

System Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

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© 2002 Directed Electronics, Inc

LIMITED TWO-YEAR CONSUMER WARRANTY

Directed Electronics, Inc. promises to the original
purchaser, to replace this product should it prove
to be defective in workmanship or material under
normal use, for a period of two years from the
date of purchase by the dealer as indicated by
the date code marking of the product PROVIDED
the product was installed by an authorized
Directed dealer. During this two-year period, there
will be no charge for this replacement PROVIDED
the unit is returned to Directed, shipping pre-paid.
If the unit is installed by anyone other than an
authorized Directed dealer, the warranty period
will be one year from the date of purchase by the
dealer as indicated by the date code marking of
the product. During this one-year period there will
be no charge for this replacement PROVIDED the
unit is returned to Directed, shipping pre-paid.
This warranty is non-transferable and does not
apply to any unit that has been modified or used
in a manner contrary to its intended purpose, and
does not cover damage to the unit caused by
installation or removal of the unit. This warranty
is void if the product has been damaged by acci­dent or unreasonable use, neglect, improper
service or other causes not arising out of defects
in materials or construction. ALL WARRANTIES

INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO EXPRESS
WARRANTY, IMPLIED WARRANTY, WARRANTY
OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR PARTIC­ULAR PURPOSE, AND WARRANTY OF NON-

INFRINGEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
ARE EXPRESSLY EXCLUDED TO THE MAXIMUM
EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW, AND DIRECTED
NEITHER ASSUMES NOR AUTHORIZES ANY
PERSON TO ASSUME FOR IT ANY LIABILITY IN
CONNECTION WITH THE SALE OF THE
PRODUCT. DIRECTED HAS ABSOLUTELY NO
LIABILITY FOR ANY AND ALL ACTS OF THIRD
PARTIES INCLUDING ITS AUTHORIZED
DEALERS OR INSTALLERS. Unit must be returned

to Directed, postage pre-paid, with: consumer’s
name, telephone number, and address, autho­rized dealer’s name and address, and product
description. IN ORDER FOR THIS WARRANTY TO

BE VALID, YOUR UNIT MUST BE SHIPPED WITH
PROOF OF INSTALLATION BY AN AUTHORIZED
DIRECTED DEALER. ALL UNITS RECEIVED BY
DIRECTED FOR WARRANTY REPAIR WITHOUT
PROOF OF DIRECTED DEALER INSTALLATION
WILL BE COVERED BY THE LIMITED ONE-YEAR
PARTS AND LABOR WARRANTY. Note: This

warranty does not cover labor costs for the
removal and reinstallation of the unit. BY

PURCHASING THIS PRODUCT, THE CONSUMER
AGREES AND CONSENTS THAT ALL DISPUTES
BETWEEN THE CONSUMER AND Directed
SHALL BE RESOLVED IN ACCORDANCE WITH
CALIFORNIA LAWS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY,
CALIFORNIA.

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High-powered car audio

systems may produce
sound pressure levels that exceed the
threshold at which hearing loss may
result.

They may also impair a driver’s ability to
hear traffic sounds or emergency vehi­cles. Use common sense and practice
safe listening habits when listening to or
adjusting your audio system.

WARNING

FEATURES

 18dB boost/cut filters with

adjustable center frequencies.

 Dual function controls pull out for

easy system tuning.

 Separately adjustable front and rear

high-pass crossovers.

 Dedicated subwoofer output with

adjustable low-pass crossover.

 Front panel controls for fader, sub

level, and HP/LP frequencies.

 Master volume control drives over

10 volts RMS output (sub out).

 Three switched inputs for controlling

multiple sources.

 Selectable dual color illumination

and backlit controls.

 Built-in remote output with turn-on

delay for switching on amps.

 30V MOSFET switching power

supply.

 Gold-plated RCA input/output jacks.

 Half-din chassis for ease of

installation.

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© 2002 Directed Electronics, Inc

INSTALLATION GUIDELINES

1. Read this manual carefully and in
its entirety before installing this
equalizer.

2. Always disconnect the battery or
remove the fuses for circuits you
will be working on.

3. Check for clearance of any hazards
such as wiring harnesses or heater
core before mounting the equalizer
to any panels in the vehicle.

4. Mount the equalizer in a location
that is easy to access and won't be
distracting to vehicle operation
while making adjustments.

5. Route all power wires and audio
cables away from sharp metal
edges that can cause shorts to

ground and any moving parts that
can tangle the wires such as heater
controls or wiper motors.

6. Route all power and signal cables
as far as possible from other vehicle
wiring harnesses. Loom when
appropriate.

7. It is recommended that the equal­izer be grounded directly to the
chassis of the Source 1 head unit.
The Source 1 head unit should be
grounded at a chassis point (prefer­ably bare or scraped sheet metal)
other than the factory head unit
ground wire or under dash brackets.

8. Use only the supplied machine
screws to mount the equalizer or
damage to the circuitry could occur.

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© 2002 Directed Electronics, Inc

CONTROL PANEL FEATURES

Adjustment Knobs

The 6500 five-band parametric equalizer
features dual-function control knobs that
extend when needed for adjustments
and retract when not in use, allowing full
adjustability with minimum control panel
clutter. When the knobs are extended for
adjustment they have an in and out posi­tion that allows each knob to control
multiple processor settings.



EExxtteenndd aanndd RReettrraacctt KKnnoobbss

- To
extend and retract the adjustment
knobs, press and release them into
the control panel; they will extend
or retract with each press.



IINN aanndd OOUUTT PPoossiittiioonn

- A knob is set
to its in position when it is initially
extended. To set a knob to its out
position pull gently on the knob
until a plainly-felt notched position
is reached.

NNOOTTEE::

DO NOT use excessive force when using the adjustment
knobs or damage to their release mechanism can result.

1.

MMaasstteerr VVoolluummee//FFaaddeerr CCoonnttrrooll KKnnoobb

 IN/VOLUME - When in this

knob controls the overall
volume of the system. It
affects all line-level outputs to
the amplifiers.

 OUT/FADER - When out this

knob controls the front to rear

balance of the high-pass output
jacks.

2.

IInnppuutt SSoouurrccee LLEEDD

- The color of the
LED indicates which input source is
currently active.

GREEN indicates Source 1 is active.

RED indicates Source 2 is active.

ORANGE indicates the control panel
AUX is active.

3.

IInnppuutt SSoouurrccee SSwwiittcchh

- This is a
momentary push-button switch that
will cycle through the three input
sources by activating a new input
source each time it is pressed.

NNOOTTEE::

The EQ defaults to SRC 1 when the unit is switched on.

4.

SSuubbwwooooffeerr VVoolluummee CCoonnttrrooll

 IN/SUB VOLUME: When in this

knob controls the dedicated
subwoofer output volume.

 OUT/SUB FREQUENCY: When

out this knob controls the low­pass crossover frequency for
the dedicated subwoofer output
between 30-400Hz at 12dB/
octave.

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© 2002 Directed Electronics, Inc

1

2

4

3

5

FIGURE 1—CONTROL PANEL

5.

HHiigghh-PPaassss OOuuttppuutt FFrreeqquueennccyy CCoonnttrrooll

 IN/FRONT OUT FREQUENCY:

When in this knob controls the
high-pass crossover point for
the front outputs between
30Hz and 400 Hz at
12dB/octave.

 OUT/REAR OUT FREQUENCY:

When out this knob controls the
high pass crossover point for
the rear outputs between 30Hz
and 400 Hz at 12dB/octave.

NNOOTTEE::

If rear panel switch #7 is in the full range position this
knob has no function.

6.

FFrreeqquueennccyy CCoonnttrroollss

 IN/FREQUENCY GAIN CONTROL:

When IN these knobs control the
gains for their respective
frequencies. The center position

is flat with a maximum +18dB
and -18dB adjustment capability.

 OUT/PARAMETER CONTROLS:

When out these knobs control
the center frequency of their
respective filter band. The
center frequency ranges are
described in the chart below.

CCoonnttrrooll KKnnoobb FFiilltteerr PPaarraammeetteerr
Subwoofer 30 to 70 Hz
Midbass 125 to 250 Hz
Low Midrange 400 to 800 Hz
High Midrange 1 to 5 kHz
High Frequencies 8 to 20 kHz

7.

AAuuxx IInn

- This is a 3.5 mm stereo input
jack for use as an auxiliary input for
portable music players, laptops,
camcorders, or video games.

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7

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© 2002 Directed Electronics, Inc

Power Connector

1.

RReemmoottee TTuurrnn OOnn OOuuttppuutt

- This
output is intended to be the remote
turn on for the system amplifiers
and has a built-in delay. Two to
three seconds after the 6500
receives a (+)12V turn on signal it
will send a (+)12V turn on signal
to the amplifiers. This feature is
designed into the 6500 to elimi­nate system turn-on pops that can
occur when several components
turn on at the same time.

2.

((++))1122VV CCoonnssttaanntt PPoowweerr

- This is
the main power input for the 6500
and must be connected to a
(+)12V constant power supply. DO
NOT connect this to a switched 12V
source or the system may pop
when the key is turned off.

3.

RReemmoottee TTuurrnn OOnn IInnppuutt

- This is the
input for turning on the 6500 and
system amplifiers. It should be
connected to the (+) 12V remote
turn on output of the system head
unit. The 6500 has a built in turn
off delay to prevent turn-off pops.
When the remote turn on signal
from the head unit shuts off, the
amplifiers will turn off immediately
and the 6500 will stay on for five
seconds before turning off. This
feature is designed into the 6500
to eliminate system turn off pops

that can occur when several compo­nents turn off at the same time. DO
NOT connect this to a (+)12V
constant power supply.

4.

GGrroouunndd

- Connect this terminal to a
quality ground location, preferably
the chassis of the head unit, which
must itself be properly grounded to
the vehicle chassis. It is not recom­mended that the factory radio
ground be used for after market
audio components.

5.

PPoowweerr FFuussee

- This fuse protects the
6500's on-board electrical compo­nents. Never replace this fuse with
one of higher value or damage to
the 6500 could occur and result in
loss of your warranty.

6.

IIlllluummiinnaattiioonn SSwwiittcchh

- This switch
changes the front panel back­lighting from BLUE to GREEN to
match the vehicle dash or radio
backlighting.

7.

HHiigghh PPaassss OOuuttppuutt SSwwiittcchh

- This
switch controls whether the front
and rear outputs are full range or
crossed over as high pass outputs to
the amplifiers. When set to high
pass output the front and rear output
crossovers are separately variable
from 30 to 400Hz, by using the
high pass frequency control knob
(#5) on the front panel.

REAR PANEL FEATURES

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© 2002 Directed Electronics, Inc

1. Make sure the main source unit is
connected to the Source 1 inputs,
then adjust the main source units
volume to just below maximum.

2. Adjust the Source 1 input gains (top
of unit) to the minimum setting and
the 6500 master volume control to
the maximum setting.

NNOOTTEE::

If connecting more than one input source to the
6500, use the Source 1 gain controls to match the
input level of both sources.

3. Set the filter gains to the flat
(center) setting.

4. Complete all signal and power
connection to the 6500.

5. Turn the system on and increase the
gain on the Source 1 inputs until
audible distortion can be heard. The
system should be very loud at this
time.

6. Reduce the 6500 master volume
level and test for well-balanced and
linear volume adjustment when
using the Source 1 volume control.

7. When connecting a second source
unit to the Source 2 input, the
source one input gains (top of unit)
may need further adjusting to
achieve a close signal level match.

INITIAL SETTINGS

ATC 3A

FIGURE 2—REAR PANEL

8.

FFrroonntt AAmmpplliiffiieerr OOuuttppuutt

- These are
output jacks for sending the audio
signal to the front amplifier.

9.

RReeaarr AAmmpplliiffiieerr OOuuttppuutt

- These are
output jacks for sending the audio
signal to the rear amplifier.

10.

SSuubbwwooooffeerr AAmmpplliiffiieerr OOuuttppuutt

- These

are output jacks for sending the
audio signal to the subwoofer
amplifier.

11.

SSoouurrccee 11 IInnppuutt

- This is the input for

the main source unit.

12.

SSoouurrccee 22 IInnppuutt

- This is the input for

the secondary source unit.

1243

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6121110987

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© 2002 Directed Electronics, Inc

The crossover and filter gain adjust­ments can be performed two different
ways, by using a piece of audio test
equipment called an RTA (Real Time
Analyzer) or by listening to a familiar
piece of music. The RTA is most
commonly used to achieve the flattest
possible system response in preparation
for a sound-off competition. Although an
RTA may help in setting a flat system
response, it does not allow for your
personal listening preferences. When
setting the EQ filter and gain controls
using a familiar piece of music, adjust­ments can be made according the way
you like the music to sound in relation
to the vehicles acoustics and the type of
drivers in the system.

1. Set all filter gain controls to their
flat setting by adjusting all the filter
knobs to the center or 0 setting
when they are extended and set to
their in position.

2. Set all frequency controls to their
flat setting by adjusting all the filter
knobs knobs to the flat or 0 setting
when they are extended and set to
their out position.

3. If using the dedicated subwoofer
output, set its gain and frequency
control to the center position.

NNOOTTEE::

When interfacing Directed class d amplifiers with non­defeatable low-pass crossovers adjust the amplifiers
crossover point to its highest frequency setting.

4. Turn on the head unit and play a
familiar piece of music as reference
material.

5. If the front and rear outputs have
been set to high pass by setting the
switch on the rear panel to the high
pass setting, adjust the front
crossover to the lowest possible
setting with a minimum of distor­tion. Repeat for the rear speakers.

6. At this time adjust the subwoofer
frequency and volume to match the
crossover settings for the satellite
speakers. When set properly the
bass should not be localized and
voices should not be heard through
the subwoofers.

7. Adjusting the frequency control
knobs out direction from center will
change the center frequency and
bandwidth parameter for that
particular filter. The higher the
frequency (clockwise) for a filter
the wider bandwidth, the lower the
frequency (counter-clockwise) the
narrower bandwidth.

8. Once the center frequencies and
bandwidth have been adjusted
controls have been set, use the
filter gains (filter knob’s in position)
to fine tune the system for differing
tastes in music or material.

CROSSOVER AND FILTER ADJUSTMENTS

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© 2002 Directed Electronics, Inc

SYSTEM DIAGRAM

ILLUMINATION

SWITCH

ATC 3A

GROUND
REMOTE IN
(+)12V CONSTANT
REMOTE OUT

To Front Amp

To Rear Amp

HIGH PASS

OUTPUT SWITCH

To Sub Amp

To Source 2

To Source 1

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© 2002 Directed Electronics, Inc

SPECIFICATIONS

Directed model 6500

Filter Parameters Sub 30-70Hz, Mid-bass 125-250Hz,

Low-mid 400-800Hz. Hi-mid 1.5­5kHz Hi 8-20kHz

Boost/Cut 18dB/octave maximum
Filter Bandwidth Varies with center frequency
Crossover/Range LP/HP, 12dB/octave, variable 30-

400Hz

Signal-to-Noise Ratio 100dB @ 1 volt input
Frequency Response 20Hz-30kHz, +/- 0.5dB
Maximum Output Voltage 6V RMS front/rear outputs

10V RMS subwoofer output

Output Impedance 500 ohm
Gain (all filters set flat) 1V in = 2V (front/rear), 6V (sub)
Total Harmonic Distortion < 0.006%
Stereo Separation >75dB @ 1kHz
Input Sensitivity 50mv - 4.0V RMS (fixed inputs)

50mv - 10V RMS (variable input)

Input Impedance 21K ohms
Operating voltage/fuse 11-15V negative ground/3A ATC
Remote Out 500mA @ 11.5V
Size (H x W x D) 1"x 7"x 4-3/4"

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© 2002 Directed Electronics, Inc

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© 2002 Directed Electronics, Inc

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© 2002 Directed Electronics, Inc

The company behind this system is Directed Electronics, Inc.

Since its inception, Directed has had one purpose, to provide customers with the

finest vehicle security, car stereo products, rear seat entertainment, and accessories

available. The recipient of more than 20 patents in the field of advanced electronic

technology, Directed is ISO 9001 registered.

Directed® is committed to delivering world-class quality
products and services that excite and delight our customers.

Directed Electronics, Inc.
Vista, California 92083

www.directed.com

Directed is a proud member of

Quality Directed products are sold and serviced throughout North America and around the world

Call 800 274 0200 for more information about our products and services

© 2002 Directed Electronics, Inc. - All rights reserved - G44555 05/02