Kicker IX406 Owner's Manual
Congratulations! You have just purchased one of the latest in a long line of exceptional car audio power
amplifiersfrom Stillwater Designs. Your KICKER Impulse was designed and engineered by the same team which
created many other international award winning KICKER components like the ZR, ZX, and XS-Series amps. It
contains a number of cutting-edge features to give you outstanding performance and dependability when
installed in a properly designed system.
Thanks for buying KICKER. Enjoy.
KICKER IMPULSE AMPLIFIER FEATURES
Separate electronic crossovers are built in for convenience and allow you to select full range or highpass for front
and rear channels as well as full range or lowpass for the sub output.
The Kicker Impulse IX406 Amplifier is 2 Ohm stable on all six channels; the sub out can be bridged to as low as 4
Ohm mono. For connection to the source , you have the option of low level RCA inputs or a high level input for
use with radios that don’t have RCA outputs.
Separate KICKEQ bass and treble controls give you the ability to boost low and high frequencies to tailor the music
to your taste.
Auto-resetting short circuit and overthermal protection circuits are incorporated to protect the amplifier from
failure due to extreme conditions.
State of the art circuitry including MOSFET power supply and glass epoxy circuit boards are used to ensure many
years of trouble free operation.
IX406
Six-Channel Power Amplifier
Wiring
The preferred method of bringing input signal in to the amplifier is with RCA cables from a quality tape or CD
player. A high (speaker) level input signal may also be used if your factory deck or aftermarket source does not
have low level RCA jacks. It is not recommended to mix high and low level inputs. Engine noise in the system will
probably result.
ome of the system possibilities are shown in the System Diagrams section of this manual.
When working with power connections always hook up the ground wire first and disconnect the ground wire last.
Never make any wiring changes with the amplifier powered up.
The chassis mounted fuse(s) are in place to protect the circuitry of the amplifier in the event of major trouble. An
in-line fuse must be installed within 18 inches of the battery to protect the power wire used to supply current to
the amplifier. For the Kicker Impulse IX406 amplifier a fuse value of 60A and 8 gauge power wire are recommended.
If the power wire is longer than 10 feet, it is recommended that the wire size be 4 gauge to reduce losses.
Any time that a power wire goes through a metal panel such as the firewall, or if there is any chance of abrasion,
it is necessary to use a grommet or other suitable form of protection to avoid shorts.
The ground wire should be at least 8 gauge, as short as possible and attached to the body of the vehicle. The
ground point must be free from paint and corrosion.
Mounting the IMPULSE Amplifier
After determining an appropriate mounting
location which provides good air circulation and
access to the end panel controls, use the supplied
screws and washers to firmly mount the amplifier.The amplifier chassis can be used as a template
for the screw locations. Check to make sure that
the mounting screws will not damage any components on the back side of the chosen mounting
surface.
If a vertical mounting surface is chosen, we recommend that the heatsink fins run vertically as
shown for improved cooling.
EXPLANATION OF INPUT OPTIONS FOR THE IMPULSE IX406
The IX406 amplifier has five different options for hookup to your source unit.
1. One pair of RCA cables.
2. Two pairs of RCA cables.
3. Three pairs of RCA cables.
4. One stereo pair of high level inputs.
5. Two stereo pairs of high level inputs.
Combinations of high and low level inputs are not recommended
The Parallel input selector switch allows you to select one or two inputs (low level or high). The sub channels get
their signal from the front and rear inputs, or from separate RCA jacks, determined by the position of the Sub
Channel input switch.
Input Option 1: Using One Pair of RCA Cables
With the Parallel input selector switch in “ON” position, and the Sub input switch in the “F+R” position, all six
channels receive input from the front input RCA’s.This configuration gives output on all six channels with only one
pair of inputs. There is no fader capability.
Input Option 2: Using Two Pairs of RCA Cables
With the Parallel input selector switch in the “OFF” position, and the Sub input switch in the “F+R” position, the
fader capabilities are enabled and the sub channels get signals from both front and rear inputs.
Input Option 3: Using Three Pairs of RCA Cables
If the source unit has a separate sub output or if using an external crossover use this configuration. With the
Parallel input selector in the “OFF” position and RCA’s plugged into the sub inputs, you have six inputs and six outputs, all separate.
Input Option 4: Using a Stereo Pair of High Level Inputs
With the Parallel input selector switch in “ON” position, and the Sub input switch in the “F+R” position, all six channels receive input from the front high level inputs. There is no fader capability.
Input Option 5: Using Two Stereo Pairs of High Level Inputs
With the Parallel input selector switch in the “OFF” position, and the Sub input switch in the “F+R” position, fader
capability is enabled and the sub channels get signal from both front and rear inputs.
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