Pioneer RS-A99 User Manual

Optical Digital Reference System
BRIDGEABLE FOUR-CHANNEL POWER AMPLIFIER

RS-A99

Owner’s Manual

English

Contents

Thank you for purchasing this PIONEER product.

To ensure proper use, please read through this manual before using this product.

Please keep the manual in a safe and accessible place for future reference.

Before you start

In case of trouble 3
Before connecting/installing the amplifier 3

Setting the Unit

What’s what 5
Setting level adjustment control

appropriately 5

Connecting the units

Setting example 7
Connection diagram 7
Before connecting the amplifier 8
About bridged mode 8
About suitable specification of speaker 9
Connecting the speakers 9
Connections when using the RCA input

jack 10
Solderless terminal connections 11
Connecting the power terminal 11
Connecting the speaker output

terminals 12

Installation

Before installing the amplifier 13
Example of installation on the floor mat or

chassis 13
Changing the direction of the badge 14

Additional information
Specifications 15

2

En

Before you start

If you want to dispose this product, do not mix
it with general household waste. There is a se­parate collection system for used electronic
products in accordance with legislation that re­quires proper treatment, recovery and recy­cling.

Private households in the member states of
the EU, in Switzerland and Norway may return
their used electronic products free of charge
to designated collection facilities or to a retai­ler (if you purchase a similar new one).
For countries not mentioned above, please
contact your local authorities for the correct
method of disposal.
By doing so you will ensure that your disposed
product undergoes the necessary treatment,
recovery and recycling and thus prevent po­tential negative effects on the environment
and human health.

In case of trouble

Should this product fail to operate properly,
please contact your dealer or nearest author­ized Pioneer Service Station.

Before connecting/
installing the amplifier

WARNING

! The use of a special red battery and ground

wire RD-228, available separately, is recom­mended. Connect the battery wire directly to

Section

01

Before you start

the car battery positive terminal + and the
ground wire to the car body.

! This unit is for vehicles with a 12 V battery and

negative grounding. Before installing in re­creational vehicles, trucks or buses, check the
battery voltage.

! When installing this unit, make sure to con-

nect the ground wire first. Ensure that the
ground wire is properly connected to metal
parts of the car ’s body. The ground wire of the
one of this unit must be connected to the car
separately with different screws. If the screw
for the ground wire loosens or falls out, it
could result in fire, generation of smoke or
malfunction.

! Use a fuse of the rating prescribed.
! Check the connections of the power supply

and speakers if the fuse of the separately sold
battery wire or the amplifier fuse blows. Deter­mine and resolve the cause, then replace the
fuse with and identical equivalent.

! Always install the amplifier on a flat surface.

Do not install the amplifier on a surface that
is not flat or on a surface with a protrusion.
Doing so could result in malfunction.

! When installing the amplifier, do not allow

parts such as extra screws to get caught be­tween the amplifier and the automobile.
Doing so could cause malfunction.

! Do not allow this unit to come into contact

with liquids. Electrical shock could result.
Also, damage to this unit, smoke, and over­heating could result from contact with liquids.
The surfaces of the amplifier and any attached
speakers may also heat up and cause minor
burns.

! In the event of any abnormality, the power

supply to the amplifier is cut off to prevent
equipment malfunction. If this occurs, switch
the system power off and check the power
supply and speaker connections. If you are un­able to determine the cause, please contact
your dealer.

! Disconnect the negative terminal of the bat-

tery before installation.

En

3

Section

01

Before you start

CAUTION

! Always keep the volume low enough to hear

outside sounds.

! Extended use of the car stereo while the en-

gine is at rest or idling may exhaust the
battery.

4

En

Setting the Unit

Section

02

What’s what

Top

1

Left

2 3 4 4 3 2

To adjust the switch, use a flathead screwdri­ver if needed.

1 Power indicator

The power indicator lights up to indicate
power ON.

2 LEVEL ADJUST (level adjustment) con­trol

LEVEL ADJUST (level adjustment) control

helps align the input level of each channel.
Both LEFT CHANNEL (left channel) and
RIGHT CHANNEL (right channel) are avail­able for CH A (channel A) and CH B (chan­nel B).
To increase the level, turn LEVEL ADJUST
(level adjustment) clockwise. To decrease
the level, turn LEVEL ADJUST (level adjust­ment) counterclockwise.
! In case of a bridge connection of speak-

ers, set the speakers’ LEVEL ADJUST
(level adjustment) switches to the same
position.

! When connecting to a car stereo that

outputs high power, if you turn up the vo­lume of the car stereo and distortion is
increased, turn down the car stereo vo­lume.

3 INPUT SELECT (input select) switch

Select 2CH for two-channel input and 4CH
for four–channel input.
! Set the LEFT CHANNEL (left channel)

and RIGHT CHANNEL (right channel)
switches to the same position.

4 SUPER HI-VOLTAGE MODE (super high­voltage mode) switch

When connecting to RS-P99 (sold sepa­rately), turn on the
SUPER HI-VOLTAGE MODE (super high-vol­tage mode) switch.
! Set the LEFT CHANNEL (left channel)

and RIGHT CHANNEL (right channel)
switches to the same position.

! When connecting to devices other than

RS-P99, turn the switch to off. If you turn
it on, the volume may decrease.

Setting level adjustment
control appropriately

! Protective function included to prevent

malfunction of the unit and/or speakers
due to excessive output, improper use or
improper connection.

! When outputting high volume sound etc.,

this function cuts off the output for a few
seconds as a normal function, but output
is restored when the volume of the head
unit is turned down.

Setting the Unit

En

5

Section

02

Setting the Unit

! A cut in sound output may indicate that the

output level of the head unit and the input
level of the amplifier do not match. To en­sure continuous sound output with the
head unit at a high volume, turn the ampli­fier level adjustment control right or left to
a level appropriate for the preout maximum
output level of the head unit to control ex­cess output.

! Despite correct volume and level adjust-

ment control settings, the unit sound still
cuts out periodically. In such a case, please
contact the nearest authorized Pioneer Ser­vice Station.

Level adjustment control of this unit

! If the amplifier level adjustment control is

raised inappropriately, this will simply in­crease distortion, with little increase in
power.

! If the signal waveform is distorted by high

output, raising the level adjustment control
of the amplifier only changes the power
slightly.

6

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Connecting the units

Section

03

Setting example

In this system, connect this unit to 4 channels
in 1, and 3 channels in 2.

1 2

3

89 a

d
e
f

In this system, connect 2 channels to each
unit.

3

8

d
e
f

3 Tweeter
4 Middle-range speaker
5 Low-range speaker
6 Subwoofer
7 This unit
8 High range output
9 Mid range output
a Low range output
b Subwoofer output
c RS-P99 (sold separately)
d Optical cable
e IP-BUS cable
f Analog signal

45 6

77

b

c

45 6

7

7 7 7

9ab

c

Connection diagram

1

c

d

2

7

e

9

a

1 Special red battery wire

RD-228 (sold separately)
After completing all other amplifier connec­tions, finally connect the battery wire terminal
of the amplifier to the positive (+) battery
terminal.

2 Ground wire (Black)

RD-228 (sold separately)
Connect to a clean, paint-free metal location.

3 Car stereo with RCA output jacks (sold sepa-

rately)

4 RS-P99 (sold separately)
5 External output

If only one input plug is used, do not connect
anything to RCA input jack B.

6 Connecting wire with RCA pin plugs (sold se-

parately)

7 RCA input jack A
8 RCA input jack B

3

4

5

6

8

f

b

Connecting the units

En

7

Section

03

Connecting the units

9 Speaker output terminals

Please see the following section for speaker
connection instructions. Refer to Connecting
the speaker output terminals on page 12.

a Fuse (25 A)
b System remote control wire (sold separately)

Connect male terminal of this wire to the sys­tem remote control terminal of the car stereo.
The female terminal can be connected to the
auto-antenna relay control terminal. If the car
stereo lacks a system remote control terminal,
connect the male terminal to the power term­inal via the ignition switch.

c Fuse (40 A) × 2
d Grommet
e Left side
f Right side

Note

INPUT SELECT (input select) switch must be set.
For details, see Setting the Unit on page 5.

Before connecting the
amplifier

WARNING

! Secure the wiring with cable clamps or adhe-

sive tape. To protect the wiring, wrap sections
in contact with metal parts in adhesive tape.

! Never cut the insulation of the power supply

to feed power to other equipment. Current ca­pacity of the wire is limited.

CAUTION

! Never shorten any wires, the protection circuit

may malfunction.

! Never wire the speaker negative cable directly-

to ground.

! Never band together multiple speaker’snega-

tive cables.

! If the system remote control wire of the ampli-

fier is connected to the power terminal via the
ignition switch (12 V DC), the amplifier will re­main on with the ignition whether the car
stereo is on or off, which may exhaust battery
if the engine is at rest or idling.

! Install and route the separately sold battery

wire as far as possible from the speaker wires.
Install and route the separately sold battery
wire, ground wire, speaker wires and the am­plifier as far away as possible from the anten­na, antenna cable and tuner.

About bridged mode

Speaker impedance is max. 4 W, please carefully
check. Improper connection to the amplifier may
result in malfunction or personal injury due to
burns from overheating.
For bridged mode for a two-channel amplifier,
with a 4 W load, either wire two 8 W speakers in
parallel, Left + and Right * (Diagram A) or use a
single 4 W speaker. For other amplifiers, please
follow the speaker output connection diagram for
bridging shown on rear: two 8 W speakers in par­allel for a 4 W load or a single 4 W speaker per
channel.
For any further enquiries, contact your local
authorized Pioneer dealer or customer service.

8

En

Connecting the units

Section

03

About suitable
specification of speaker

Ensure speakers conform to the following
standards, otherwise there is a risk of fire,
smoke or damage. Speaker impedance is 2 W
to 8 W,or4W to 8 W for two-channel and other
bridge connections.

Subwoofer

Speaker channel Power

Four-channel output

Two-channel output

Three-channel
Speaker output A

Three-channel
Speaker output B

Other than subwoofer

Speaker channel Power

Four-channel output

Two-channel output

Three-channel
Speaker output A

Three-channel
Speaker output B

Nominal input:
Min. 60 W

Nominal input:
Min. 180 W

Nominal input:
Min. 60 W

Nominal input:
Min. 180 W

Max. input:
Min. 100 W

Max. input:
Min. 300 W

Max. input:
Min. 100 W

Max. input:
Min. 300 W

Four-channel output

12

3

4

12

1 Left
2 Right
3 Speaker out A
4 Speaker out B

Three-channel output

12

3

4

1 Left
2 Right
3 Speaker out A
4 Speaker out B (Mono)

Connecting the units

Connecting the speakers

The speaker output mode can be four-channel,
three-channel (stereo and mono) or two-chan­nel (stereo or mono). Connect the speaker
leads based on the mode and the figures
shown below.

En

9

2

1

Section

03

Connecting the units

Two-channel output (Stereo)

1

1 Speaker (Left)
2 Speaker (Right)

Two-channel output (Mono)

1

1 Speaker (Mono)

! Set the LEFT CHANNEL (left channel) and

RIGHT CHANNEL (right channel) switches

to the same position.

1

2

3

4

1 RCA input jack A
2 RCA input jack B
3 Connecting wires with RCA plugs (sold sepa-

rately)

4 From RS-P99 (sold separately) etc. (RCA out-

put)
If only one input plug is used, connect the
plug to RCA input jack A rather than B.

Two-channel output (Stereo) / (Mono)

! Slide INPUT SELECT (input select) switch

to 2CH position.

! Set the LEFT CHANNEL (left channel) and

RIGHT CHANNEL (right channel) switches

to the same position.

1

Connections when using
the RCA input jack

Connect the car stereo RCA output jack and
the RCA input jack of the amplifier.

Four-channel / Three-channel output

! Slide INPUT SELECT (input select) switch

to 4CH position.

10

En

2

3

1 RCA input jack A

For two-channel output, connect the RCA
plugs to the RCA input jack A.

45 6

Connecting the units

Section

03

2 Connecting wires with RCA plugs (sold sepa-

rately)

3 From RS-P99 (sold separately) etc. (RCA out-

put)

Solderless terminal
connections

! Do not connect cords with exposed core

wires to the amplifier power terminals
(power terminal, ground terminal, system
remote control terminal), since disconnec­tion or breakage may result in fire or short­circuit.

! Periodically inspect and tighten the wire as

necessary.

! Do not solder or bind the ends of the

twisted wires.

! Fasten while ensuring the insulating

sheath of the wire is not clamped.

! Use the supplied hexagonal wrench to

tighten and loosen the terminal screw of
the amplifier and use it to securely fasten
the wire. Be careful to avoid excessive tigh­tening of this screw, which may damage
the wire.

CAUTION

Use the supplied hexagonal wrench to tighten
the screws when fastening wires to the terminal.
The use of a long, commercially available hexago­nal wrench may exert excessive torque, possibly
resulting in damage to the terminals and
wires.

Connecting the power
terminal

WARNING

! The use of a special red battery and ground

wire RD-228, available separately, is recom­mended. Connect the battery wire directly to
the car battery positive terminal (+) and the
ground wire to the car body.

! If the battery wire is not securely fixed to the

terminal using the terminal screws, there is a
risk of overheating, malfunction and injury, in­cluding minor burns.

1 Route battery wire from engine com­partment to the vehicle interior.

After completing all other amplifier connec­tions, finally connect the battery wire terminal
of the amplifier to the positive (+) battery
terminal.

123

1 Positive (+) terminal
2 Engine compartment
3 Vehicle interior
4 Fuse (40 A) × 2
5 Insert the O-ring rubber grommet into the

vehicle body.

6 Drill a 14 mm hole into the vehicle body.

2 Connect the wires to the terminal.

Fix the wires securely with the terminal
screws.

Connecting the units

En

11

6

1

Section

03

Connecting the units

2

1

7

5

1 Power terminal
2 System remote control terminal
3 Terminal screws
4 GND terminal
5 Ground wire
6 System remote control wire
7 Battery wire

3

4

3 Put the wire ties in the slits and wrap
the wire ties around the wires.

1 Wire tie

# Make sure the wires are connected and at­tached properly before wrapping the wire ties
around the wires.
# Wrap the wire tie around the wire insulation,
not the stripped wire.
# Cut off any excess portions of the wire ties.

Connecting the speaker
output terminals

Use a wire of 12 AWG to 18 AWG wire for the
speaker wire.

1 Expose the end of the speaker wires
using nippers or a cutter by about 14 mm
to 16 mm.

1

1 14 mm to 16 mm

2 Connect the speaker wires to the
speaker output terminals.

Fix the speaker wires securely with the term­inal screws.

1

2

3

1 Terminal screws
2 Speaker wires
3 Speaker output terminals

3 Put the wire ties in the slits and wrap
the wire ties around the wires.

1

1 Wire tie

# Make sure the wires are connected and at­tached properly before wrapping the wire ties
around the wires.
# Wrap the wire tie around the wire insulation,
not the stripped wire.
# Cut off any excess portions of the wire ties.

12

En

Installation

Section

04

Before installing the amplifier

WARNING

! Do not use unauthorized parts as this may

cause malfunctions.

! Do not install this unit where:

— it may interfere with operation of the vehi-

cle.

— it may cause injury to a passenger as a re-

sult of a sudden stop.

! Install tapping screws in such a way that the

screw tip does not touch any wire. This is im­portant to prevent wires from being cut by vi­bration of the car, which can result in fire.

! Place all cables away from moving parts, such

as the gear shift and seat rails.

! When drilling to install the amplifier, always

confirm no parts are behind the panel and
protect all cables and important equipment (e.
g. fuel/brake lines, wiring) from damage.

CAUTION

! To ensure proper heat dissipation of the ampli-

fier, ensure the following during installation:
— Allow adequate space above the amplifier

for proper ventilation.

— Do not cover the amplifier with a floor mat

or carpet.

! Place all cables away from hot places, such

as near the heater outlet.

! The optimal installation location differs de-

pending on the car model. Secure the ampli­fier at a sufficiently rigid location.

! Check all connections and systems before

final installation.

! After installing the amplifier, confirm that the

spare tire, jack and tools can be easily re­moved.

Example of installation on
the floor mat or chassis

1 Place the amplifier in the desired instal­lation location.

Insert the supplied tapping screws (5 mm ×
25 mm) into the screw holes and push on the
screws with a screwdriver so they make an im­print where the installation holes are to be lo­cated.

2 Install the unit.

1

2

3

1 Tapping screws (5 mm × 25 mm)
2 Car mat or chassis
3 Drill a 3-mm to 3.5-mm hole

Installation

En

13

Section

04

Installation

3 Attach the terminal cover to prevent
short circuit.

1

2

3

1 Hexagonal wrench (large)
2 Terminal screws
3 terminal cover

Changing the direction of
the badge

1 To remove the badge, loose screws by
using a hexagonal wrench (small).

2 Change the direction of badge, and
then tighten the screws with a hexagonal
wrench (small).

1

2

3

1 Hexagonal wrench (small)
2 Screws
3 Badge

14

En

Additional information

Specifications

Power source ............................. 14.4 V DC (10.8 V to 15.1 V

allowable)

Grounding system ................... Negative type

Current consumption ............ 27 A (at continuous power,

4 W)

3 A (No signal)

Average current drawn ......... 9A(4W for four channels)

9A(4W for two channels)

Fuse ................................................ 25 A × 2

Dimensions (W × H × D) ... 258 mm × 63 mm × 360

mm

Weight .......................................... 8.3 kg

Maximum power output ....... 100 W × 4 (4 W)/300W×2

(4 W)
Continuous power output ... 50 W × 4 (at 14.4 V, 4 W,20

Hz to 20 kHz, 0.08 %)

150 W × 2 (at 14.4 V, 4 W,20

Hz to 20 kHz, 0.8 %)

75 W × 4 (at 14.4 V, 2 W,20

Hz to 20 kHz, 0.8 %)

Load impedance ...................... 4 W (2 W to 8 W allowable)

Frequency response ............... 10 Hz to 100 kHz (+0 dB, -1

dB)

Signal-to-noise ratio ............... 108 dB (IEC -A network)

Distortion ..................................... 0.002 % (1 W, 1 kHz)

Separation .................................. 85 dB (100 Hz to 10 kHz, 20

kHz LPF)

Slew rate ...................................... 100 V / µ sec.

Damping factor ........................ 130

Level adjustment (Gain control)

..................................................... ±3 dB (L/R independent)

Maximum input / Continuous input

RCA ...................................... 10 V / 2.5 V

(Super high-voltage mode

on)

Input impedance ..................... 5kW (Super high-voltage

mode on)

22 kW (Super high-voltage

mode off)

Notes

! Specifications and the design are subject to

modifications without notice.

! The average current drawn is nearly the maxi-

mum current drawn by this unit when an
audio signal is input. Use this value when
working out total current drawn by multiple
power amplifiers.

Appendix

Additional information

En

15

PIONEER CORPORATION

1-1, Shin-ogura, Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki-shi,
Kanagawa 212-0031, JAPAN

PIONEER ELECTRONICS (USA) INC.

P.O. Box 1540, Long Beach, California 90801-1540, U.S.A.
TEL: [phone]

PIONEER EUROPE NV

Haven 1087, Keetberglaan 1, B-9120 Melsele, Belgium/Belgique
TEL: [phone]

PIONEER ELECTRONICS ASIACENTRE PTE. LTD.

253 Alexandra Road, #04-01, Singapore 159936
TEL: [phone]

PIONEER ELECTRONICS AUSTRALIA PTY. LTD.

178-184 Boundary Road, Braeside, Victoria 3195, Australia
TEL: [phone]

PIONEER ELECTRONICS OF CANADA, INC.

300 Allstate Parkway, Markham, Ontario L3R 0P2, Canada
TEL: [phone]
TEL: [phone]

PIONEER ELECTRONICS DE MEXICO, S.A. de C.V.

Blvd.Manuel Avila Camacho 138 10 piso
Col.Lomas de Chapultepec, Mexico, D.F. 11000
TEL: [phone]

先鋒股份有限公司

總公司：台北市中山北路二段44號13樓

電話： [phone]

先鋒電子（香港）有限公司

香港九龍尖沙嘴海港域世界商業中心

9樓901-6室
電話： [phone]

Published by Pioneer Corporation.
Copyright ã 2010 by Pioneer Corporation.
All rights reserved.

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