Zapco C2K owners manual
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Contents
MISSION STATEMENT........................................................................ 3
C2K INTRODUCTION .......................................................................... 4
CUSTOMIZING YOUR COMPETITION 2000 SERIES AMPLIFIER....... 5
MADE IN AMERICA............................................................................. 6
OUR DEDICATION TO SONIC PURITY REQUIRES THE HIGHEST OF
QUALITY IN INTERNAL COMPONENT PARTS .................................. 7
SYMBILINK™ BALANCED SYSTEM................................................... 9
SPECIFICATIONS YOU CAN HEAR...................................................10
A WORD ABOUT “WEIGHTED” SPECIFICATIONS...........................11
WARNINGS.........................................................................................12
INSTALLATION GUIDELINES ............................................................13
COMPETITION 2000 KEY FEATURES ...............................................14
THE COMPETITION 2000 TWO CHANNEL AMPS.............................15
2 CHANNEL CONTROLS....................................................................17
POWER ENDPLATE CONTROLS.......................................................19
12V HOOKUP......................................................................................19
C2K-1.0X POWER VS. DISTORTION AND SPECIFICATIONS...........20
C2K-2.0X POWER VS. DISTORTION AND SPECIFICATIONS...........22
C2K-3.0X POWER VS. DISTORTION AND SPECIFICATIONS...........24
C2K-6.0X POWER VS. DISTORTION AND SPECIFICATIONS...........26
C2K CROSSOVER RESPONSE..........................................................28
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THE COMPETITION 2000 4 CHANNEL AMPS ...................................29
4 CHANNEL CONTROLS....................................................................31
POWER ENDPLATE CONTROLS.......................................................33
12V HOOKUP......................................................................................33
C2K-2.5X POWER VS. DISTORTION AND SPECIFICATIONS...........34
C2K-4.0X POWER VS. DISTORTION AND SPECIFICATIONS...........36
CUMULATIVE ERROR........................................................................38
CLASS D FOR THE AUDIOPHILE......................................................39
CLASS D CONTROL PLATE FEATURES...........................................41
CLASS D AMPLIFIER WARNINGS.....................................................42
SYSTEM DIAGRAMS ..........................................................................43
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.................................................................56
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Mission Statement
Committed to excellence
ZAPCO is dedicated to the pursuit of audio fidelity. Our prime
objectives are to design and manufacture audio products of unsurpassed
quality, to provide unparalleled support and service for these products
and to conduct business in a manner that will enhance the quality of life
for all involved.
Experience:
Knowledge from doing
There is absolutely no substitute for experience; that is a simple fact
of life. Another simple fact is that ZAPCO has, for over twenty five years,
been the leader in defining quality standards for the car audio industry.
These years of experience have led to a thorough understanding of the
challenges that are unique to the world of car audio. ZAPCO's relentless
quest for sonic purity consistently yields imaginative designs that utilize
the most innovative technologies. The resulting products set the criteria
by which all others in the industry are judged.
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C2K Introduction
The ZAPCO Competition 2000 Series Amplifiers
Thank you for considering ZAPCO and congratulations on
your purchase of our Competition 2000 series product.
The ZAPCO competition series has long been considered the finest
sound quality amplifier for competitive use. For the year 2000, we once
again raise the bar and take the quest for sonic purity to its next level.
Our new Competition chassis and updated circuit design have not only
brought improved cosmetics and more features to the line, they have
done what many thought was impossible. They have actually improved
the sonic performance of the competition series.
In one of the many rave reviews of ZAPCO products last year, one
writer stated that ZAPCO’s circuit design and construction quality were
“head and shoulders” above the competition. We can only imagine what
they’ll be saying this year.
In developing this manual, we have tried to include all the technical
information needed to properly install and use the product. We have also
included a good deal of information which we hope will help you
understand what makes our Competition series different from all other
products, and why we at ZAPCO believe it’s worth the time, money, and
effort to design and build our amps and processors the way we do.
We hope you will read and enjoy the manual in its entirety, that you
will have many years of musical pleasure from the product. If you should
have any questions or comments, they will be both welcome and
appreciated. You can contact us on the net at www.zapco.com or by
phone at (209) 577-4268.
Thank you, from all of us at ZAPCO.
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Customizing Your Competition 2000 Series
Amplifier
Our new Competition 2000 series amps provide the ultimate in sonic
purity and audio performance. We felt they should also provide the
ultimate in cosmetic integration. The four trim panels (two on top and one
on each side) of the competition amps may be changed by your dealer to
color match any car or to match any installation need. They can be
replaced with virtually any “Formica”, or laminate, or by any of a number
of custom metal finishes available from ZAPCO. Check with your dealer
to see the various finishes available from ZAPCO and any custom
finishes he might offer individually.
Since replacement of the panels requires some disassembly, we
highly recommend that it be performed only by an authorized dealer.
Improper re-assembly could result in voiding of the warranty.
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Made In America
Now just what does this mean and why does it matter? We ask this
question because we believe it matters a great deal. We know others
think it matters also, because it’s plastered on so many boxes. However,
before we look at why it matters, let’s ask what it means.
If a product comes into this country complete except for a couple of
screws that hold on a cover plate, should it be called “Made in America”?
We don’t think so! If a company hides its origin of manufacture, you know
there’s a reason. Usually it’s that the quality is so poor that they need the
“Made in America” claim to make the sale.
Are foreign products inferior? Of course not! Most car audio
manufacturers have products built all over the world, and they are fine
products. However, if you look at the boxes they come in, each box will
tell you exactly where the product in that box was made. These
companies let their reputation stand or fall on the quality of what they
produce. If you make a quality product you don’t have to trick people into
buying it with dishonest labels.
Why do we want to protect the “Made in America” label? The
concept of “Made in America” speaks directly to our ability to control the
quality and performance of the products we sell. It means that we make
our products here, top to bottom, in Modesto, CA. We don’t just sell
amps and processors. We conceive, design, test, and manufacture every
amp and processor we sell, ourselves. We build up all our own circuit
boards on our own surface mount machines. We wind most of our power
supply transformers right here at the factory. We even have our own heat
sink extruded so our own machine shop can build the chassis and our
screener can then screen them. We use 5532 and Bur Brown op-amps in
our products and 1% metal film resisters throughout.
When Auto Sound and Security reviewed our amp, they felt these
better components played a major part in our superior sound quality.
Why don’t other companies use the same quality parts? As the reviewer
put it “You don’t see these used very often because they cost more”. At
ZAPCO, we will not sacrifice our sound quality or engineering integrity to
save on production cost. We fully intend to continue building the finest
car audio electronics money can buy. We can only do that by putting the
finest quality components we can find inside the product. How do we
know these components go into our products? We put them in ourselves.
Because we build it all ourselves we can guarantee the quality control of
every product ZAPCO sells.
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Our Dedication to Sonic Purity Requires the
Highest of Quality in Internal Component Parts
• Resistors
All resistors (other than power resistors) are 1-% precision, low noise
metal film. This is a key reason why ZAPCO products have the
industries’ best noise specifications, and why you won’t see as much
fluctuation in our test certificates as you will in others. Precision resistors
also reduce distortion and improve channel matching.
• Capacitors
Capacitors are similar to batteries. Like a battery, they store energy
and have an electrolyte (internal fluid). Also like a battery, a capacitor
can have a very limited life. “Computer grade” capacitors for example,
are reliable only in cool environments with very little current applied to
them. Only the best high current and high temperature capacitors should
be used in an auto-sound application. Although these capacitors
typically cost five times as much as those used in our competitor’s
products, ZAPCO insists that no audio degradation will occur over time.
• Transistors
Two types of transistors are used in ZAPCO products, bi-polar and
MOSFET. MOSFET transistors are rugged, high current devices that are
suitably used as switches. They are the choice for switching power
supplies. They are however, very non-linear and are not suitable for use
as audio outputs. They cannot be matched and their inherent distortion
requires too much feedback to achieve reasonable distortion levels.
Bipolar transistors are used exclusively in our outputs. The audio
performance of a bipolar transistor heavily outweighs any minor
advantages a MOSFET might offer in durability. We solve the durability
question by simply using considerably more output devices than the amp
needs. This gives us a bulletproof amp with the sound we demand of a
ZAPCO product.
• Transformers
Most of the transformers used in our products are hand-wound in our
own facility to ensure maximum quality. This is the only way that current
capability, efficiency, and radiated noise can all be kept within our
demanding parameters. All transformers are securely mounted in their
respective chassis. Transformers are massive, and if not securely
mounted can cause failure among internal components due to vibration.
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• Power Supplies
Regulated or Un-regulated? For years amplifier designers have
debated which type of power supply is best. What’s the truth about
power supplies? They each have advantages and disadvantages and
there is no, one, best type. Limiting yourself to one type of power supply
limits your amplifier design components. ZAPCO uses both types of
supplies depending on the intended use of each amp, as well as
expected current demands and operating environment.
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Symbilink™ Balanced System
The most natural configuration for an audio system in the automobile
places the signal source in the dash with the amplifiers located some
distance away, usually under the seat or in the trunk of the vehicle. The
reality of this arrangement dictates the necessity to make long runs of
low level signal cable usually from the front to the back of the car. The
electrical environment in an automobile is one that is inherently noisy
and filled with conditions that threaten to degrade signal fidelity at every
turn. Capacitive loading due to the long cable lengths, the potential for
ground loops, alternator charging currents or currents generated by the
amplifiers themselves are all factors that induce noise and distortion into
the signal cables. By no means is this an ideal situation. Thankfully,
ZAPCO has found the solution.
SymbiLink components convert a standard unbalanced audio
signal into the fully balanced domain usually reserved for expensive
professional audio equipment found in recording studios or at your local
concert venue. After this conversion is made, the audio cabling
becomes virtually immune to electrical interference in the surrounding
environment and is much less susceptible to signal degradation over
long cable runs. It is for this reason that balanced signal cables are
common in professional or industrial applications. ZAPCO has made this
technology available for your car. ZAPCO engineers also discovered
that the pulsating D.C. current in the automobile chassis and amplifier
power wiring caused a significant amount of low frequency distortion.
ZAPCO's balanced SymbiLink technology completely eliminates this
distortion.
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Specifications You Can Hear
Our dedication to sonic purity, and to the concept of cumulative error
demands that we design and build our amps and processors to be the
cleanest in the industry. And we do! ZAPCO amps are the standard by
which other amps are measured. However, it concerns us when one
specification (THD) that can’t be heard in most modern, high end amps
becomes the only meaningful specification manufacturers seem to
publish. THD is only one of a number of specs that make ZAPCO amps
sound better than the others, and, of the four prime specs, it is probably
the least obvious in normal use.
• Damping Factor:
The most common misconception about ZAPCO amps is that we
drastically under-rate our power output. Not true, it just sounds that way.
Today’s music, of all styles, has a great deal of bass content. Damping
describes an amps ability to control a woofer. An amp with poor damping
will leave bass notes sounding soft and undefined, regardless of its
power. In most amp lines, the largest units have damping factors
between 200 and 400. In the ZAPCO Competition series, our smallest
amp has dampening of over 875. Since rock solid bass is perceived as a
function of power, our 100 watt amp sounds like other companies’ 300
watt amps.
• Slew Rate:
A similar situation exists in the higher frequencies. Ever turn up the
volume and hear cymbals sounding like finger-nails on a blackboard?
That’s because the amplifier simply wasn’t fast enough to accurately
reproduce the high frequency ring of the cymbals. A higher slew rate
means a faster amp, which means crystal clear highs. ZAPCO amps
have the highest slew rates in the industry. Once again, clear defined,
sound is perceived as a function of power.
• Signal to Noise Ratio:
Noise is an ever-present problem in auto-sound reproduction.
ZAPCO approaches this problem in two ways. First, is at the input
source. Our amps can all use the SymbiLink balance line inputs, which
drastically reduce the noise coming into the amp. Secondly, ZAPCO
amps are built with the highest quality, lowest noise components
available. We have the highest signal to noise ratios in the industry. The
extra money we spend on better components is directly rewarded with
better sound.
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• Stereo Separation:
The ability of an amplifier to maintain the separation between the
right and left channels is what allows an amp to reproduce an accurate
sound stage. Music is recorded with each instrument in its own location
in the sound stage. You should hear it the same way.
• Results:
To assure that no ZAPCO product ever fails to meet our standards,
we must build them all to exceed these standards by comfortable
margins. Our superior design and construction give our amps
advantages that go beyond power output and show a sound quality
difference you will hear the moment you turn on your system.
A WORD ABOUT “WEIGHTED”
SPECIFICATIONS
Most of the time, when you see specifications, they will be preceded
by the term “A” weighted. “A” weighting is a way of coloring numbers to
make specifications look better. You assume the factor you’re measuring
is going to have a certain amount of bad stuff, so you pretend that much
isn’t there and only measure the rest.
About the only place you can find specs that aren’t “A” weighted is in
ZAPCO manuals and literature. We publish only “raw” specs at ZAPCO.
If we don’t like the specifications of one of our products we’ll make it
better, not try to make the numbers look better.
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Warnings
ZAPCO highly recommends that a fuse or circuit breaker be placed
within 18" of the battery. Although products have adequate internal
protection, it is possible that a pinched power wire between the
component and the battery may result in a fire. The protection device
should be placed where it can be accessed easily and all wiring should
be routed safely and correctly according to the following guidelines:
Do not run wiring close to hot or spinning objects.
Always use wire grommets when routing wire through the firewall or
any other metal panels.
Make sure that the potential for pinched wiring is avoided by routing
all wires away from moving hinges and seats. This also includes brake,
gas and clutch pedals, hood and trunk hinges, etc.
Caution:
Continuous exposure to excessive sound pressure levels may cause
permanent hearing loss. ZAPCO strongly advises that you use common
sense when setting volume levels. If you experience ringing in the ears,
it could cause permanent hearing damage!
CAUTION!
When connecting our amplifiers to prewired stock speakers care
must be taken that there are no common connections in the speaker
wires, i.e. minus to minus or plus to plus connections, as this will cause
the amplifier to go into immediate protection or may cause damage to the
amplifier. Output connections are not common chassis ground. Please
follow the hookup instructions in this owner’s manual. Any questions
should be directed to your local Zapco dealer or call us at 209-577-4268.
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Installation Guidelines
Mounting your Competition Amplifier is easy. Keep in mind the
following guidelines:
• The amplifier may be mounted in any direction, on wood, metal or
carpet.
• The metal case of the amplifier may be grounded or left isolated.
• The amplifier requires adequate ventilation. Position the amplifier
with sufficient surrounding area for proper cooling.
• Keep fan and vent endplates clear for proper internal cooling.
• Keep the amplifier out of the engine compartment and other
locations that may cause excessive heat or moisture.
• Do not mount the amplifier to a subwoofer enclosure or any
other place that may have excessive vibration!
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Competition 2000 Key Features
• Symbilink Balanced Signal Technology
• Low Distortion
• Symmetrical, discrete Power Amplifier Circuitry
• Short Circuit, High Temperature, Reverse, DC offset, and
Overvoltage Protection
• 25-Ampere Bipolar Amplifier Output Transistors
• Precision 1% Resistors used throughout
• 50-Ampere MOSFET Switching Devices
• Very high Damping Factor
• Low Global Feedback
• Can drive highly Reactive Loads
• Four Layer Circuit Board with 2 ounce Copper
• Dual Color LED for Power and Protection Indications
• Gate Drive Boost maximizes power supply efficiency and improves
overall performance
• Load stability to one ohm on two channel models set to stereo mode
• Quality ZAPCO construction
• Designed and manufactured in the USA
• Three year warranty (Dealer Installed)
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The Competition 2000 Two Channel Amps
ZAPCO has a reputation for sound reproduction and for quality that
is unsurpassed. With all the new amps coming onto the market, not one
was any threat to ZAPCO’s standing as the premium amp and processor
line. So, why change now?
Because we can!
Because ZAPCO conceives, designs, and builds every product we
sell ourselves, we and we alone determine our standards. Rather than
chase the industry, we seek new ways to improve the finest products
available…Our own.
Our new chassis design, with changeable inserts, allows
unparalleled cosmetic integration. It also allowed us to incorporate a
number of performance enhancements into the new line along with the
improved features.
All the new amps have dual cooling fans, one intake, and one
exhaust. This gives optimum cooling for the power supply and the output
devices and increases the mounting possibilities.
The new chassis allows our circuit boards to be considerably wider,
allowing more space between components and more copper on the
board.
The entire C2K line uses four layer boards with 2-Oz copper, instead
of the industry standard two-layer/1 Oz board. No other manufacturer
does this. It gives our amps improved specs in almost every area.
Our newly redesigned power supplies with custom wound torroids
give the C2K two channel amps up to 40% more power into one-ohm
loads than previously possible.
Since total value results from both performance and versatility, we
have included all the features you would want in the new comps. We
have even designed a few features you’ve probably never seen before.
Please take the time to study the next few pages and become familiar
with all the features and controls of your C2K amp.
Then, grab your favorite disk, hit the volume, and experience the
result of our passions for music and for sonic purity. We think you will
agree that they are passions well worth indulging.
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2 Channel Controls
1. Channel Selector: Allows selection of either Rt. or Lt. channel input
when used as a single channel mono amp.
2. Xover Range Select: Shows frequency ranges for internal range
switch (13) and AUX range switch (6).
3. Amp Function Selector: Configures the input to the internal amp for
single channel bridged, stereo, or L&R sum mono (bass amp).
4. Left and Right clip indicators: If they flash more than occasionally,
there is too much gain on the amplifier, and the signal is being
distorted.
5. Speaker Connectors: Marked for two channels at 1-Ohm minimum or
one channel at 2 Ohms Minimum.
6. Aux Freq Range: Sets xover range for AUX out crossover [see range
select (2)].
7. Aux XO Freq: Sets crossover frequency within range setting (6).
8. Crossover Function: Sets Aux crossover function to Hi, Low, or Full
Range.
9. Aux Out: Auxiliary output to provide conditioned signal for another
amp.
10. Sub Filt: Subsonic filter to protect speakers and reduce distortion.
11. Input voltage selector: allows amp to be used with non-SimbiLink
systems if needed.
12. Amp Gain: This should always be in the full off position and is used
only to balance multi-amp systems. (Feel free to contact ZAPCO for
instructions).
13. Identical to 6, but for the amps internal crossover.
14. Identical to 7, but for the amps internal crossover.
15. Identical to 8, but for the amps internal crossover.
16. Pre Clip indicator: When this light flashes, it indicates that too much
signal is being given to the amp. Check for excess gain in preamp or
line driver or switch the voltage selector.
17. Input: Main SymbiLink input to amplifier.
18. Slave Output: True “passthrough” output to feed unaffected signal
out for next amp.
19. Unbalanced selector: Can be used w/voltage selector to run amp
with weaker RCA signals when SymbiLink balanced lines are not
available.
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