DLS CA10 User Manual

How to install and operate the DLS CA10,
mono amplifier.

Contents

Specifications................................ 1

Features…………………………….. 2
Installation…………………….……. 2
Trouble-shooting…………………….. 2
Tools and materials needed………. 3

Amplifier installation kit………….... 3

Routing Wires…………………….... 3

Wiring

Power and Outputs……………..…. 4
Inputs and controls………………... 5
Input level control 5

Bass Boost,Crossovers………….... 5

Phase control.....………………...… 5

Speaker wiring:

Subwoofers…………………………. 6

Testing........................................... 6

Professional tips…………………….. 7

Welcome!

This owners manual is written in easy english and
uses a lot of drawings to simply the installation and
use of the above amplifiers.

Your DLS amplifiers must be installed correctly in
order to work well. This manual will show you how
to install the amplifier like a pro. Please read the
entire manual before beginning the installation.
Install the amplifier yourself if you feel confident with
our instructions and if you have the proper tools.
However if you feel unsure, turn over the installa­tion job to someone better suited to it.

Warranty Service

This amplifier is covered by warranty, depending
on the conditions in the country where it is sold. If
the amplifier is returned for service, please include
the original dated receipt with the product.



For technical assistance ask the shop where the
product was sold or the distributor in your very coun­try.
You can always phone the DLS Helpdesk in Sweden
+ 46 31 84 00 60 or send an e-mail to [e-mail].
Information can also be found on our WEB-site
www.dls.se

Technical Assistance

Specifications

DLS CLASSIC CA 10

Number of channels 1
Power output in 4 ohm (0,2% THD) 1 x 400 W
Max output in 2 ohm (0,2% THD) 1 x 700 W
Max output in 1 ohm (0,3% THD) 1 x 1000 W
All above output power ratings at 13,8 Volt

Signal to noise ratio, A-weighted >100 dB
Damping factor >100
Frequency response 10 Hz - 125 Hz
Input impedance >10 kohm
Input sensitivity 0,25 - 5V
Phase control 0-180 degrees

continuous
Bass boost adjustable gain 0 - 18 dB
Filter subsonic, 18 dB slope 25 Hz fixed*
Filter lowpass 12 db slope 40-125 Hz
* can be switched in/out
Power consumption, idle 1,0 A
Fuse 5 x 30A
Dimensions (mm) 51,5x450x290
Dimensions (inch) 2,03x17,7x11,4
Weight 6,5 kg

We follow a policy of continuous advancement in
development.
For this reason all or part of specifications & designs
may be changed without prior notice.

CA10 include

 RCA input
 Continuos variable low pass crossover
 Bass boost feature with remote control
 Remote turn on / off
 Phase control continuously variable 0-180

degrees

 Electronic protection circuitry against

short-circuit, DC offset and thermal overload.

Installation

Before you begin installation

Before you begin you need to read the manual, to have
some tools, cables and other material available. There
is one such list of material on the following page.

Amplifier location

CA10

Troubleshooting

If problems occour during the installation, or later,
this guide might help you to find out whats´s wrong.

THE AMPLIFIER IS DEAD:

1. Check power lead, ground and remote

connections at the amplifier using a multi meter.

2. Check the battery terminal connections.

3. Check the power lead fuse or circuit breaker. If

fuse damage continues, inspect the power lead
for short circuits.

4. Check the amplifier protection fuses. Are these
broken change to new ones with the same value.
If short circuiting continues, contact your local
DLS dealer. A fault may exist in the amplifier.

5. To start the amplifier requires a remote voltage of
9-15 volt. Check the voltage with a multi meter.

AMPLIFIER PROTECTION FUSE BLOWS AT LOW
VOLUME :

1. One or more speaker cables are shorted. Make an

insulation test with a multi meter. The cables must not
have a connection to earth.

Important

Allow air circulation around the amplifier.

The DLS Classic series of amplifiers have a
compact design that allows great flexibility in
mounting. You can mount it under a seat or in the
trunk.
When you select a location, do remember that the
amplifier generates a lot of heat.

Choose a location where air can circulate freely
around the amplifier. Do not cover the amplifier
with carpets or hide behind trim panels.
Do not mount the amplifier in an inverted or upside
down position.

Check all locations and placements carefully before
making any cuts, drilling any holes or making any
connections.

Disconnect Battery

THE AMPLIFIER TURNS OFF AFTER 10 - 30 MINU­TES.

The amplifier is overheating due to inadequate venti­lation. Check mounting position is free from obstruction.

Do this:

1. Move the amplifier to a place with better ventil-

ation.

2. Install one or two fans to cool down the heat­sink.

3. Overheating can also be caused by an
impedance load below the level permitted.

NO OUTPUT FROM THE SPEAKERS:

Check the following:

1. Fader control position.

3. Speaker cable connections to both amplifier and

subwoofers.

4. Signal lead plugs and cables.

Before starting the instal­lation, always disconnect
the negative terminal of
the battery.

2

CA10

Tools and material needed

Tools:



 Flat and Phillips screwdrivers




 Wire cutter




 Wire stripper




 Electric drill with drills




 Crimping tool




 Digital multimeter or test lamp




 Wire brush, scraper or a piece



of an abrasive sheet to remove
paint for a good ground connection

 Grease to protect the ground

connection from corrosion

Material:

 Speaker wire: minimum

12 AWG = 4 mm2 for subwoofers

 Sheet metal screws for mounting the

amplifier to the amplifier board and the
amplifier board to the car + some extra
for fuse holder, amplifier ground etc.



 Electrical insulation tape


 ½ inch thick plywood or particle board for

the amplifier to be mounted upon.

Routing wires

Stereo

head unit

Amplifier installation kit:

If available,buy an amplifier installation kit. It
contains normally all you need. This is what you
have to buy if you buy the items separately
 20- 25 feet = 6- 7.5 meter power cable,

preferably AWG 4 = 21 mm2 or heavier

 1 pc of fuseholder to install close to the

car battery + fuse 150 Ampere.

 20 feet of AWG 15 = 1,5 mm2 wire for

remote turn on / off cable from radio.

 RCA-cable for input from radio.

- 20 feet or 5 meter for trunk installations

-12 feet or 2 – 3 meter for under seat
installations

 Two min. 8 gauge ring crimp terminals –one

for connection to the battery plus and one
for the amplifier ground connection.

 Two heavy fork crimp terminals to connect

+ and – to amplifer – but you do only need
them if you use heavy cable or to make the
installation look nicer.

 Two to four fork crimp terminals to

connect the speaker cables – but you do
only need them if you use heavy cables or
want the installation to look nicer.

 One fork crimp terminal to connect the

remote wire to the amplifier, but you need
only to make it look nicer.

 Wire ties
 Insulating grommet or insulating tube

Professional Tip:

If amplifier installation kits are available with diffe­rent size of power cable, chose the most heavy
power cable to improve sound quality and to allow
more amplifiers to be installed now or later.

If possible buy AWG 4 = PL 21 mm2 (or heavier)
cable for best performance.

3

Remote terminal ( REM )

CA10

Wiring

Power and Outputs

Power terminal ( +12V)

Connect the fuse holder as close to the vehicle
battery + as possible, using AWG 4 = 21 mm2 or
heavier cable. Use ring crimp terminal cable to
connect to battery +. Apply silicon grease to the
fuse to prevent corrosion

+12V REM GND

DLS

DLS FH 2B
fuse holder

Connect the battery cable by a crimp fork terminal
( spade ) to the +12 Volt on the amplifier.
Be sure to use a rubber grommet or a plastic
insulating tube where the cable passes the firewall
or other places when it can easily be jammed.
Use ty-wraps to secure to existing cables in the
engine compartment.

For RCA cable signal input:

Connect the radio power antenna lead = remote
turn on/off from the car stereo to the amplifier
remote connection. This turns on the amplifier
whenever the car stereo is turned on.
You can either use the built in remote cable in the
RCA cable itself or use a separate cable.
Sometimes a small disturbance may enter the
amplifier coming from the remote voltage , through
the built in remote wire and into the RCA cable.
Thus we recommend to use a separate remote wire
and run the RCA lead separate from remote wire,
power cables and speaker cables.
You can either use a crimp fork terminal or insert
the cable directly into the amplifier terminal. If there
is no remote voltage available from the stereo, you
must connect to the ignition key through the radio
or any accessories fuse.

+12V REM GND

Ground Terminal ( GND )

Connect to a good chasis ground. The ground
connection should be clean, unpainted metal to prov­ide a good electrical connection. Use a wire brush,
a scraper or a piece of an abrasive sheet to clean
the metal. Use a lock washer or two to secure
contact. Protect with silicon grease or by paint
applied afterwards.

+12V REM GND

4

Fuses

Use only 30 ampere
ATC blade type fuses.
CA 10 uses five 30
ampere fuses.

30A

Input and controls

CA10

Input Wiring

Inputs may be low level from the RCA output of the
car stereo.If your head unit has a separate RCA sub
output we recommend that you to use it for connection
with the CA10

Low level input

Use a pair of shielded stereo audio cables with RCA
type jack. Most trunk-mount amplifiers need a 20
feet RCA cable ( appr 5 – 6
meters). Most under the seat
installations require 12 feet (
2 – 3 meters) RCA cables.
Avoid placing the RCA cable
close to speaker cables,
power cables and remote
control cable. Connect to in­put socket A & B.

Input Level control

The input level control, 5V – 0,25 V,
matches the output of your radio to
the input of the amplifier. After instal-

Level

2V 0,7V

lation is complete, make sure the in­put of the amplifier is turned down all

5V 0,25V

the way ( counter-clockwise at 5V ).
Play a tape or CD, make sure all bass
or treble settings or equalizer are flat, and turn the
volume of the radio up until you just start to hear
distortion. Turn the volume control down just a bit.
On the amplifier increase the input level control (
clockwise or to the right ) until you just start to hear
distortion, then back the level control just a bit. Now
your radio and amplifier levels are matched.

Subsonic filter

The Subsonic filter blocks the
very deepest frequencies from
reaching the subwoofers. It has a
fixed frequency of 25 Hz and can
be switched On / Off.

Subsonic

Off On

Power Light / Protect light

The power light (green ) comes on when

Power
(Green)

Protect
(Red)

the amplifier is turned on.

The protect light ( red ) comes on
when the amplifier shuts down from
overheating, or a short circuit ( spea­ker failure)

Bass Boost on CA10

Bass Boost is used to

increase the bass
volume. You can select
the amplification
between 0 dB
( no amplification ) and
18 dB ( full amplification ).
This function is used to compensate for the bass
box function and to adjust for your own taste of
bass. Set level control at 0 dB if you want it to be
inoperative.
The Bass Boost level can also be adjusted from
the front seat by using the remote level control
box. Connect the cable coming with the amplifier
between the control box and Bass Boost connector
on the amplifier.

Bass Boost

6dB 12dB

0dB 18dB

Low Pass Filter

The LPF ( low pass filter ) allow
low frequencies only and blocks
higher frequencies.
A typical setting is 60 – 80 Hz.
Choose the setting that sounds
best in your car.

LPF

40Hz 125Hz

Phase control

The phase control can be set
continuously from 0 - 180
degrees. This is very useful when
you want to adjust the bass
sound for best front stage image.
Start on 0 and turn the control
slowly clockwise until you
experience the bass sound
coming from the front.
It is also useful when you have
more than one CA10 and want
all speakers to play in phase.
You may have to change the
polarity of the speaker
connection to get the best result.

PHASE

0 180

5

CA10

30A

30A

30A

Speaker wiring CA 10

One 4 ohm subwoofer
4 ohm load

Speaker

+ + - -

Filter settings

Subsonic

30A

30A

Two 2 ohm subwoofers
2 ohm load

Speaker

+ + - -

LPF

Testing

40Hz 125Hz

Off On

The Subsonic filter in ON-position and the LPF fil­ter setting at 60-80 Hz.

Four 4 ohm subwoofers
1 ohm load

Speaker

+ + - -

Before you finish the installation, you should do the
following tests to make sure the wiring is correct and
everything is operating properly.

Reconnect Battery

When wiring is complete,
reconnect the battery
negative terminal.

Test power wiring

1. Turn on the head unit but do not turn up the
volume. The amplifier power light should
come on. If not, check the remote and +12
volt wires. Also check the ground
connection.

2. Turn up the head units volume slightly. All
speakers should operate. if not, check wiring
connections at amplifier and speakers.

Test speaker connections

Make sure the speakers are connected right. Use
the balance control on the head unit to make sure
right channel is on right speaker etc. If speakers
don´t play at all, one or both speaker wires may
be disconnected.

6

CA20, 21 & 40

Professional Tip:Professional Tip:

NOISE PROBLEMS

WHINING NOISE VARYING WITH ENGINE
REVOLUTIONS:

Do this:

1. Rewire the power supply (12 V) to source

unit direct from battery.

2. Rewire ground wire from source unit to
clean position on chassis.

3. Check all power connections to ensure that
they are clean and tight.

4. Check quality of system ground connection.

5. Install a Power Cap capacitor. This can be

helpful against most noise problems.

CONSTANT WHINING NOISE:

Do this:

1. Ensure that all equipment has a common

ground point.

2. Check quality of earth strap connection from
battery negative terminal to chassis.

3. Disconnect signal cables from amplifier to
see if noise disappears. If so the leads are
picking up noise. Test this by laying a new
cable over the seats and reconnecting to the
amplifier. If the noise does not return, re­route original cable away from source of
interference.
If noise remains regardless of cable position,
try to use so called Quasi-balanced signal
cables. DLS PRO or ULTIMATE cables are
quasibalanced.

SPEAKER POLARITY CHECK.

All speakers in a car audio system should be
connected in phase (the same polarity). All spea­ker cones must move in the same direction. Out of
phase speakers will cause a lack of bass, and a
poor stereo soundstage.

Checking polarity:

Hold the - connection of the speaker wire to the ­terminal of a 1,5 Volt flashlight battery. Tap the +
wire on to the + terminal of the battery, and observe
the movement of the cone. The cone should move
outwards when the wire touches the battery, and
inwards when the battery is removed. If it is the
other way around, the speaker has been connected
backwards and it must be removed and connected
correctly.
If your system also has a subwoofer connected
through a passive 6 or 12 dB crossover, try to
connect this with various polarity and judge what
sounds best. The phase shift in passive crossovers
sometimes makes it necessary to change polarity.

+

Battery
1,5 Volt

+

-

-

Professional Tip: Professional Tip:

Installing in trunk

When installing the amplifier in the trunk, run the
power wires along the same path as the other
vehicle wiring. Many cars have insulated channels
for wiring. you will have to remove the door sill trim
and the carpet.

Securing wires

Use wire ties to bundle together when possible.
(But never bundle speaker wires or signal cables
together with power wires.

Professional Tip:

Crimp connections

Purchase crimp connectors and crimping tool.
Connectors are color coded.

1. Strip 1/4 inch (6 mm) of insulation from the wire.

2. Insert into connector

3. Crimp tightly

Professional Tip:

Speaker and power wires

Do not run speaker and power wires next to each
other. Power wires can generate a ”siren” sound in
the speakers. Runs speaker and power wires on
opposite sides of the car.

7

DLS Svenska AB

P.O. Box 13029

Artillerigatan 25

S-40251 Göteborg, Sweden

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

www.dls.se