JL Audio J2360.2 User Manual
OWNER’S MANUAL
360W 2-Channel, Full-Range Amplifier
Thank you for purchasing a JL Audio amplifier for
your automotive sound system.
Your amplifier has been designed and manufactured to exacting
standards in order to ensure years of musical enjoyment in your vehicle.
For maximum performance, we highly recommend that you have
your new amplifier installed by an authorized JL Audio dealer. Your
authorized dealer has the training, expertise and installation equipment
to ensure optimum performance from this product. Should you
decide to install the amplifier yourself, please take the time
to read this manual thoroughly so as to familiarize yourself
with its installation requirements and setup procedures.
If you have any questions regarding the instructions in this
manual or any aspect of your amplifier’s operation, please contact your
authorized JL Audio dealer for assistance. If you need further assistance,
please call our Technical Support Department
at (954) 443-1100 during business hours.
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IMPORTANT
!
PROTECT YOUR HEARING!
Filter Frequency (Hz)Input Sens. Bass Boost
min max
50 500 O +9dB
Power Protect
LEFT
RIGHT
LEFT
RIGHT
Preamp
Outputs
Amplifier
Inputs
HP | Off | LP
Filter Mode
High-Level Inputs
Protectio n Status
Indicator
(pg. 11)
Filter Frequency
Selector
(pg. 11)
Left & Righ t
Preamp Out put Jacks
(pg. 8)
Left & Righ t
Preamp Inp ut Jacks
(pg. 6)
High-Level
Input Jack
(pg. 6,7)
Power Statu s
Indicator
(pg. 11)
Bass Boost
Control
(pg. 9)
Filter Mode
Selector
(pg. 8)
Input Sensitiv ity
Control
(pg. 7)
+12 V Power
Connector
(pg. 5)
Chassis Ground
Connector
(pg. 5)
Remote Turn-On
Connector
(pg. 6)
Speaker Outputs
(pg. 10)
Made in China
20A20A
We value you as a long-term customer. For
that reason, we urge you to practice restraint in
the operation of this product so as not to damage
your hearing and that of others in your vehicle.
Studies have shown that continuous exposure to
high sound pressure levels can lead to permanent
(irreparable) hearing loss. This and all other
high-power amplifiers are capable of producing
such high sound pressure levels when connected
to a speaker system. Please limit your continuous
exposure to high volume levels.
While driving, operate your audio system in
a manner that still allows you to hear necessary
noises to operate your vehicle safely (horns,
sirens, etc.).
SERIAL NUMBER
In the event that your amplifier requires
service or is ever stolen, you will need to have
a record of the product’s serial number. Please
take the time to enter that number in the space
provided below. The serial number can be found
on the bottom panel of the amplifier and on the
amplifier packaging.
Serial Number:
INSTALLATION APPLICATIONS
This amplifier is designed for operation in
vehicles with 12 volt, negative-ground electrical
systems. Use of this product in vehicles with
positive ground and/or voltages other than 12V
may result in damage to the product and will void
th e w ar ran ty.
This product is not certified or approved for
use in aircraft.
Do not attempt to “bridge” the outputs of this
amplifier with the outputs of a second amplifier,
including an identical one.
PLANNING YOUR INSTALLATION
It is important that you take the time to read
this manual and that you plan out your
installation carefully. The following are some
considerations that you must take into account
when planning your installation.
Cooling Efficiency Considerations:
The outer shell of your JL Audio amplifier is
designed to remove heat from the amplifier
circuitry. For optimum cooling performance, this
outer shell should be exposed to as large a volume
of air as possible. Enclosing the amplifier in a
small, poorly ventilated chamber can lead to
excessive heat build-up and degraded
performance. If an installation calls for an
enclosure around the amplifier, we recommend
that this enclosure be ventilated with the aid
of a fan. In normal applications, fan-cooling
is not necessary.
Mounting the amplifier upside down is
strongly discouraged.
If mounting the amplifier under a seat,
make sure there is at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of
space above the amplifier’s outer shell to permit
proper cooling.
Safety Considerations:
Your amplifier needs to be installed in a dry,
well-ventilated environment and in a manner
which does not interfere with your vehicle’s safety
equipment (air bags, seat belt systems, ABS brake
systems, etc.). You should also take the time to
securely mount the amplifier so that it does not
come loose in the event of a collision or a sudden
jolt to the vehicle.
Stupid Mistakes to Avoid
• Check before drilling any holes in your vehicle
to make sure that you will not be drilling
through a gas tank, brake line, wiring harness or
other vital vehicle system.
• Do not run system wiring outside or underneath
the vehicle. This is an extremely dangerous
practice which can result in severe damage to
your vehicle and person.
• Protect all system wires from sharp metal
edges and wear by carefully routing them,
tying them down and using grommets and
loom where appropriate.
• Do not mount the amplifier in the engine
compartment, under the vehicle, on the roof
or in any other area that will expose the
amplifier circuitry to the elements.
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LEFT CHANNEL RIGHT CHANNEL
Bridged
FUSESGround
20A20A
Remote+ 12VDC
IMPORTANT
!
LEFT CHANNEL RIGHT CHANNEL
Bridged
FUSESGround
20A20A
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The JL Audio J2-360.2 is a two-channel, fullrange audio amplifier utilizing
Class A/B technolog y.
The J2-360.2 can be operated with a wide
variety of source units and system configurations.
For detailed specifications, please refer to
Appendix B (page 13).
5) Run speaker cables from the speaker systems
to the amplifier mounting location.
6) Find a good, solid metal grounding point
close to the amplif ier and connect the
negative power wire to it using appropriate
hardware. Use the same size power wire as the
wire connected to the “+12 VD C” connection
(minimum 4 AWG), no longer than 36 inches
TYPICAL INSTALLATION SEQUENCE
The following represents the sequence
for a typical amplifier installation, using an
aftermarket source unit or OEM Interface
product. Additional steps and different
procedures may be required in some applications.
If you have any questions, please contact your
authorized JL Audio dealer for assistance.
1) Disconnect the negative battery post
connection and secure the disconnected cable
to prevent accidental re-connection during
installation. This step is not optional.
2) Run 4 AWG power wire from the battery
location to the amplifier mounting location,
taking care to route it in such a way that it
will not be damaged and will not interfere
with vehicle operation. Use 2 AWG or larger
power wire and a power distribution block if
additional amplifiers are being installed with
the J2-360.2.
3) Connect power wire to the positive battery
post. Fuse the wire with an appropriate fuse
block (and connectors) within 18 inches (45
cm) wire length of the positive battery post.
This fuse is essential to protect the vehicle.
Do not install the fuse until the power wire
has been securely connected to the amplifier.
4) Run signal cables and remote turn-on wire
from the source unit to the final amplifier
mounting location.
(90 cm) from the amplifier to the ground
connection point. In some vehicles, it may be
necessary to upgrade the battery ground wire.
(See page 5 for important notice).
7)
Securely mount the amplifier using
appropriate hardware.
8) Connect the positive and negative power
wires to the amplifier.
9) Connect the remote turn-on wire
to the amplifier.
10) Connect the input cables to the amplifier.
11) Connect the speaker cables to the amplifier.
12) Carefully review the amplifier’s control
settings to make sure that they are set
according to the needs of the system.
13) Install the power wire fuse (40A for a
single J2-360.2) and reconnect the negative
battery post terminal.
14) Turn on the source unit at a low level
to double-check that the amplifier is
configured correctly. Resist the temptation
to crank it up until you have verified the
control settings.
15) Make necessary adjustments to the input
sensitivity controls to obtain the right
overall output and the desired balance
in the system. See Appendix A (page 12)
for the recommended input sensitivity
setting method.
16) Enjoy the fruits of your labor with your
favorite music.
POWER CONNECTIONS
Before installing the amplifier, disconnect the
negative (ground) wire from the vehicle’s battery.
This will prevent accidental damage to the system,
the vehicle and your body during installation.
The J2-360.2’s “+12V DC ” and “Ground”
connections are designed to accept 4 AWG power
wire. 4 AWG is a minimum power wire size for
this amplifier.
If you are installing the J2-360.2 with other
amplifiers and wish to use a single main power
wire, use 2 AWG or larger main power wire
(depending on the overall current demands of all
the amplifiers in the system). This 2 AWG or
larger power wire should terminate into a
distribution block mounted as close to the
amplifiers as possible and should connect to the
J2-360.2 with 4 AWG power wire.
Note: Smaller AWG numbers mean bigger wire
and vice-versa (1/0 AWG is the largest, 2 AWG is
smaller, then 4 AWG, then 8 AWG, etc.).
To connect the power and ground wires to the
amplifier, strip 1/2-inch (12 mm) of insulation
from each wire and insert the bare wire into the
the appropriate terminal block positions on the
J2-360.2. Use a Phillips screwdriver to secure the
wire via the screw on the top of each terminal.
The “GROUND” connection should be made
using 4 AWG wire and should be kept as short
as possible, while accessing a solid piece of sheet
metal in the vehicle. The surface of the sheet
metal should be sanded at the contact point
to create a clean, metal-to-metal connection
between the chassis and the termination of
the ground wire. The use of a star washer to
lock down the connection is advisable.
Any wires run through metal barriers (such as
firewalls), must be protected with a high quality
insulating grommet to prevent damage to the
insulation of the wire. Failure to do so may result
in a dangerous short circuit.
Many vehicles employ small (10 AWG -
6 AWG) wire to ground the battery to the
vehicle chassis and to connect the alternator’s
positive connection to the battery. To prevent
voltage drops, these wires should be upgraded
to 4 AWG when installing amplifier systems
with main fuse ratings above 60A.
FUSE REQUIREMENTS
While the J2-360.2 has two 20A ATC fuses
on its power connection panel, these do nothing
to protect the vehicle from a dangerous short
circuit in the power wire. They only protect the
amplifier. It is absolutely vital that the main
power lead to the amplifier(s) in the system be
fused within 18 inches (45 cm) of the positive
battery post connection. The fuse value at each
power wire should be high enough for all of the
equipment being run from that power wire.
If only the J2-360.2 is being run from that power
wire, we recommend a 40A fuse be used. AFS,
AGU or MAXI-ty pe fuses are recommended.
6 JL Audio
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IMPORTANT
!
Filter Frequency (Hz)Input Sens. Bass Boost
min max
50 500 O +9dB
HP | Off | LP
Filter Mode
IMPORTANT
!
TURNON LEAD
LEFT CHANNEL RIGHT CHANNEL
Bridged
FUSESGround
20A20A
Remote+ 12VDC
Filter Frequency (Hz)Input Sens. Bass Boost
min max
50 500 O +9dB
LEFT
RIGHT
Amplifier
Inputs
HP | Off | LP
Filter Mode
Filter Frequency (Hz)Input Sens. Bass Boost
min max
50 500 O +9dB
LEFT
RIGHT
LEFT
RIGHT
Preamp
Outputs
Amplifier
Inputs
HP | Off | LP
Filter Mode
High-Level Inputs
The J2-360.2 is turned on and off
using a conventional +12V remote turn-
on lead, typically controlled by the
source unit’s remote turn-on output.
The amplif ier will turn on when +12V is
present at its “Remote” input and turn off when
+12V is switched off. If a source unit does not
have a dedicated remote turn-on output, the
amplifier’s turn-on lead can be connected to +12V
via a switch that derives power from an ignitionswitched circuit.
18 AWG wire is more than adequate for
the remote turn-on connection. To connect
the remote turn-on wire to the amplifier, strip
1/2-inch (12 mm) of insulation from the wire
and insert it into the “Remote” receptacle on the
power connector. Tighten the connector down
using a Phillips screwdriver.
INPUT SECTIONS
The J2-360.2’s has one pair of stereo
inputs.The input section input section
offers two input connection methods, one
for high-level (speaker level) signals and
one for low-level (preamp level) signals.
1) Low-Level Inputs: A standard left/
right pair of RCA type jacks in the
“Amplifier Inputs” section is used for
preamp level (low-level) signal input
on the J2-360.2. This is the preferred
connection method whenever available.
2) High-Level Inputs: If your system does
not offer a preamp level signal option, you
can connect speaker level signals directly to
the “High-Level Inputs” connectors using
the supplied mating connectors and wire
harnesses. Simply splice the appropriate
left/right and positive/negative wires to the
included harnesses and plug the harness into
the “High-Level Inputs” connectors on the
amplifier. The J2-360.2 will attenuate the highlevel signals to make them compatible with its
input stages.
Make sure you observe correct polarity in
making the “High Level Input” connections.
Failure to do so will reduce bass and affect
stereo imaging.
The connections for the “Hig h Level Input s” plug
wires are a s follows from left to right on the plug:
Channels 1&2 (FRONT)
White: Left Positive (+)
White/Black: Left Negative (–)
Black: Common Ground (rarely used)*
Gray: Right Positive (+)
Gray/Black: Right Negative (–)
Channels 3&4 (REAR or SUB)
Green: Left Positive (+)
Green/Black: Left Negative (–)
Black: Common Ground (rarely used)*
Purple: Right Positive (+)
Purple/Black: Right Negative (–)
*The only time you will use the Common Ground
connections is with some older (pre-1980’s) factory
systems or head units that ground their speakers to
chassis ground. To use these connections, ground
the black wires on the plugs to chassis ground and
only connect the Left and Right Positive plug wires
to the factory radio outputs.
INPUT SENSITIVITY CONTROLS
The control labeled “Input Sens.” can be used
to match the source unit’s output voltage to the
input stage the amplifier for maximum clean
output. Rotating the control clockwise will result
in higher sensitivity (louder for a given input
voltage). Rotating the control counter-clockwise
will result in lower sensitivity (quieter for a given
input voltage.)
To properly set the amplifier for maximum
clean output, please refer to Appendix A (page
12) in this manual. After using this procedure,
you can then adjust any or all “Input Sens.”
levels downward if this is required to achieve the
desired system balance.
Do not increase any “Input Sens.” setting for
any channel(s) of any amplifier in the system
beyond the maximum level established during
the procedure outlined in Appendix A (page
12). Doing so will result in audible distortion
and possible speaker damage.
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