How to install and operate the DLS CA22, CA23, CA31, CA41 and CA51 car audio amplifiers.
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.
Technical Assistance
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 info@dls.se.
Information can also be found on our WEB-site www.dls.se
Contents
Features…………………………….. |
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Installation…………………….……. |
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Tools and materials needed………. |
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Amplifier installation kit………….... |
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Routing Wires…………………….... |
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Wiring |
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Power and Outputs……………..…. |
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Inputs and controls………………... |
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Input level control......................... |
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Grand Bass,Crossovers………….... |
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CA 31, CA 41, CA 51 Crossovers… |
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CA 22 and CA 23 speaker wiring: |
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Front speakers…...……………….... |
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Subwoofer…………………………... |
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CA 31 speaker wiring: |
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Front speakers…...……………….... |
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Subwoofer…………………………... |
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CA 41 speaker wiring: |
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Four speakers…………………….... |
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Two speakers + bridged subwoofer. |
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Two way front system with |
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active crossovers……………………. |
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CA 51 speaker wiring: |
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Four speakers…………………….... |
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Subwoofer...................................... |
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Testing……………………………….. |
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Troubleshooting……………………... |
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Professional tips…………………….. |
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Specifications………………………... |
15 |
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CA22, 23, 31, 41 & 51 |
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All models include |
CA22 |
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RCA inputs |
2 x 60 Watt RMS / 2 x 100 Watt max in 2 ohm |
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1x 200 Watt RMS bridged |
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High Level input |
CA23 |
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Continuos variable low pass and/or high |
2 x 135 Watt RMS / 2 x 200 Watt max in 2 ohm |
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pass crossover |
1 x 400 Watt RMS bridged |
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Bass boost feature (only on CA23 & CA41) |
CA31 |
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Remote turn on / off |
2 x 65 Watt RMS / 2 x 90 Watt max in 2 ohm |
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Automatic remote turn on/ off on high level |
1 x 170 Watt RMS bridged |
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input without connecting any remote wire |
1 x 170 W RMS on sub channel |
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Electronic protection circuitry against |
CA41 |
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short-circuit, DC offset and thermal overload. |
4 x 70 Watt RMS / 4 x 125 Watt max in 2 ohm |
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Bridgeable design to direct full power to |
2 x 200 Watt RMS bridged |
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one or two subwoofers etc. |
CA51 |
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4 x 50 Watt RMS / 4 x 80 Watt max in 2 ohm |
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2 x 150 Watt RMS bridged |
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1 x 170 Watt RMS on sub channel |
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All above RMS power ratings with 4 ohm load |
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at 13,8 Volt DC. |
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Installation |
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Before you begin installation |
Disconnect Battery |
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
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.
This is the best way to mount the amplifier to get the best cooling.
Before starting the installation, always disconnect the negative terminal of the battery.
DLS logo on amplifier cooling flange
The DLS logo on top of the amplifier is attached with two hex. screws. The logo can be removed and twisted 90 or 180 degrees, and then screwed back in wanted position. The logo can be mounted in four different ways to match your installation.
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CA22, 23, 31, 41 & 51
Routing wires
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 oxidation
Material:
Speaker wire: minimum
12 AWG = 4 mm2 for subwoofers
13 – 16 AWG = 1,5-2,5 mm2 for other speakers
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.
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
2025 feet = 6- 7.5 meter power cable, minimum AWG 8 = 10 mm2 or heavier
1 pc of fuseholder to install close to the car battery + fuse 50 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 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.
Four to ten 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 it only to make it look nicer.
Four to eight splicers to connect speaker cables to high level input cable, if high level input is used.
Wire ties
Insulating grommet or insulating tube
Stereo head unit
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 cable for best performance.
These are the minimum sizes we recommend for the different models:
CA22 10 mm2 (7AWG) CA23 16 mm2 (5AWG) CA31 21 mm2 (4AWG) CA41 21 mm2 (4AWG) CA51 21 mm2 (4AWG)
This is for cable lengths up to 5 meters. The ground cable must have the same size.
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CA22, 23, 31, 41 & 51
Wiring
Power and Outputs
Power terminal ( +12V)
Connect the fuse holder as close to the vehicle battery + as possible, using AWG 8 = 10 mm2 or heavier cable. Use ring crimp terminal cable to connect to battery +. Apply silicon grease to the fuse to prevent corrosion.
Use a 50 Amp fuse for all amplifiers except for CA51 that requires 80 Amp fuse.
DLS
DLS FH1 fuse holder
Connect the battery cable by a crimp fork terminal ( spade ) to the +12 Volt on the amplifier. If you use a AWG 8 = 10 mm2 or thinner cable, you can do without the crimp terminal and put the cable right into the connector.
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.
Ground Terminal ( GND )
Connect to a good chassis 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 |
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Power |
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+12V REM GND |
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Fuses
Use only one or two 30 ampere ATC blade type fuses. CA 51 uses three 30 ampere fuses. CA22 uses one 25 A fuse.
Remote terminal ( REM )
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 as seen on page 4.
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.
For High Level input:
We recommend you to connect the remote wire as described above. The amplifier will produce soft on / soft off operation this way. You must set the Hi level/Low level switch to High level position in this case.
In the case that there is no remote voltage available from the car stereo or you want to simplify the installation, the amplifier can be turned on/ turned off by the high level input voltage. This is done when the Hi level/Low level switch is set to Hi level position. There is a small disadvantage that this function gives soft turn on operation but some pop sound when switching off.
Power
+12V REM GND
Power Light / Protect light
The power light (green ) comes on when
Power the amplifier is turned on.
(Green)
The protect light ( red ) comes on
Protect
(Red) when the amplifier shuts down from overheating, or a short circuit ( speaker failure)
4
Input and controls |
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CA22, 23, 31, 41 & 51 |
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Input Wiring
Inputs may be low level from the RCA output of the car stereo or high level from the car stereo speaker output. Low level = RCA is to prefer for the best sound quality.
Important
On CA22 & CA23 use either the low level or high level input, do not use both at same time.
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. CA41 and CA51 are also equipped with separate inputs for channel C/D. CA31 & CA 51 has also a separate input for the mono sub channel.
High Level Input
Connect left and right speaker wires coming from the car stereo to the high level input as shown. You must connect both plus and minus as the inputs are balanced, connecting plus only gives lower level and bad sound quality. By changing the polarity of plus and minus, you can change the phase.
CA 22, CA23 & CA31
High Input
(C/D Ch) White: A ch.+
White/Black: A ch.-
Grey/Black: B ch.-
Grey: B ch.+
Hi level input plug on amp.
CA31
On CA31 the high level signal is fed internally to channel C when using high level input.
Automatic turn on when using high level input.
With the Hi/Low input swich set to Hi, the amplifier turns on automatically on high input. You dont need to connect a separate remote wire from your head unit.
CA41
The CA41 four channel amplifier is connected likewise, however we have four channels.
You can feed two channels from RCA and two channels using high level input from rear speaker cables.
High Input
(A/B Ch) White: A ch.+
White/Black: A ch.-
Grey/Black: B ch.-
Grey: B ch.+
Hi level input plug on amp for CH A/B.
High Input
(C/D Ch) Violet: C ch.+
Violet/Black: C ch.-
Green/Black: D ch.-
Green: D ch.+
Hi level input plug on amp for CH C/D.
CA51
The CA51 five channel amplifier is connected likewise, however only Channels A, B, C and D can be fed with high input. The signal is then connected internally to channel E.
Parallel input on CA 31, CA41 & CA51
Parallel Input CA41
Off PCD
Parallel Input CA31
Off PC
Parallel Input CA51
Off PE
On CA41 the PCD position internally connects the A/B and C/ D inputs.
On CA31 & CA51 the PC (PE) position internally connects the A/ B (C/D) input with the input for channel C (E).
In OFF-position you must use dual signal cables or Y-splits.
RCA Output
Input Output
Use RCA Outputs to A A connect additional
amplifiers (not available on
CA31 & CA51).
B B
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