M43DD four-channel marine amplifier iliil!Ht OWNER'S MANUAL Thank you for purchasing a]L Audio amplifier for your marine sound system. Your amplifier has been designed and manufactured to exacting standards in order to ensure years of musical enjoyment in your vessel. For maximum performance and extended warranty coverage, we highly recommend that you have your new amplifier installed by an authorized ]L Audio dealer.
PROTECT YOUR HEARING! 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 vessel. 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.
DIMPORTANTI 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 IL 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.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION The JL Audio M4300 is a four-channel, full-range audio amplifier utilizing patented Absolute Symmetry~ Class AlB technology for all channels. The M4300 can be operated with a wide variety of source units and system configurations. TYPICAL INSTALLATION SEQUENCE The following represents the sequence for a typical amplifier installation, using an aftermarket source unit. Additional steps and different procedures may be required in some applications.
The M4300's "+12 VDC" and "Ground" connections are designed to accept 8 AWG 4 AWG power wire. 8 AWG is a minimum power wire size for this amplifier. If you are installing the M4300 with other amplifiers and wish to use a single main power wire, use 4 AWG or larger main power wire (depending on the overall current demands of all the amplifiers in the system).
INPUT SECTION The M4300's input section allows you to send signal to the amplifier section through the use of either two or four differential-balanced inputs. Input connections are via traditional RCA-type jacks. To use speaker-level sources, splice the speaker output wires of the source unit onto a pair of RCA plugs for each input channel pair. No line output converter is needed in most cases. DIMPORTANTI CH I (left) ~ CH 3 (Left) lowlHlgh ~\~==c---~=CH='=(Ri"....
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 14). Doing so will result in audible distortion and possible speaker damage. FILTER CONTROLS Most speakers are not designed to reproduce the full range of frequencies audible by the human ear. For this reason, most speaker systems are comprised of multiple speakers, each dedicated to reproducing a specific frequency range.
BASS BOOST CONTROLS ~L AUD~O Pre-Outs Amplifier Status I tj) II Channell & 2 Controls Filter Freq. {Hz) 80 ~ p:?" p~, 'ij)' I~'H:~~) ss:.~:o LC-H3-&4--C-H3-&4-=-P,'=,.0=-u,-=-,""--J '.0','"1°0°0'1 ,."coml i.,com I 1&21 Discrete 1&21 Sum 2) "Sum": When the M4300 is being used to drive front and rear speaker systems, this preamp output mode will deliver a summed front/rear stereo signal to a subwoofer amplifier, while permitting fading of the front and rear speaker systems from the source unit.
DIMPORTANTI SPEAKER OUTPUTS The M4300's speaker outputs are designed to accept 16 AWG - 8 AWG wire. Each pair of the M4300's channels are designed to deliver power into speaker loads equal to or greater than 2 ohms per channel when using a "stereo" configuration and speaker loads equal to or greater than 4 ohms per bridged pair of channels when using a "bridged" configuration. U= CH=A=:~=£L=l='~=1=~'=~=:'=NE=,D=21=R)= C=HA=N=NE=l=l 02'il0 0inO ~ (=l'=CH=A=NN=£L='=(R:::I::, 0inO 0i~0 ( ••••.
AMPLIFIER STATUS INDICATOR LIGHTS & PROTECTION CIRCUITRY There are two status indicator lights on the input i control end of the amplifier. Low-Voltage protection: If the vessel's supply voltage drops below 10 volts, the entire amplifier will shut itself off to protect its internal circuitry. The green "Power" indicator will turn off when this occurs.
SYSTEM CONFIGURATIONS The M4300 is a flexible amplifier, well-suited for a multitude of system configurations. In this section, the most likely configurations are explained in detail. Once you have selected your desired configuration, you can use the amplifier panel drawing on pages 18 & 19 to mark the required switch positions for easy reference.
Next, turn your attention to the "Channell & 2 Controls" and select "HP" (high-pass) on the "Filter Mode" switch and an appropriate "Filter Freq." (again, 80 Hz is a good starting point). After proper adjustment of the "Input Sens." controls for both channel pairs using the method shown in Appendix A (page 14), you can fine tune filter frequencies and attenuate either pair of channels to achieve proper balance. For precise filter frequency information refer to Appendix B (page 15).
DIMPORTANTI D) Front to Rear HF Fading and Subwoofer Level Control: Required: a source unit or processor with front and rear pairs of stereo outputs plus a dedicated subwoofer output. Input Connections: one stereo pair of source unit outputs is connected to the "CH I (Left)" and "CH 2 (Right)" inputs of the M4300. The second stereo pair of source unit outputs is connected to the "CH 3 (Left)" and "CH 4 (Right)" inputs of the M4300 (select "Discrete" on the "CH 3&4 Input From" switch).
APPENDIX A: Input Sensitivity Level Setting Following the directions below will allow the installer to adjust the input sensitivity of each amplifier channel pair simply and easily in just a few minutes using equipment which is commonly available in installation bays. Necessary Equipment • Digital AC Voltmeter • CD with a sine-wave test tone recorded at o dB reference level in the frequency range to be amplified for that set of channels (50 Hz for subwoofer channels, 1 kHz for a midrange application).
APIPENDIX B: Precise Frequency Selection Chart "FILTER FREQ" AMP FILTER Detent Panel Actual Number Marking Freq. Full counter-clockwise: 53 01 53 02 "50" .53 03 53 04...... . .. .54 05 .. .54 06 ..55 07 55 08.. . "55" .56 09.......... . .56 10.. 57 11 ..58 12.... . ..59 13 ...62 14 ... "60". . .. 65 15......... . 65 16 66 17 70 18 73 19....... . .. 77 20 "80"... . .. 81 21 84 22 88 23 94 24 . 101 25 ..104 26 . . . 120" . . . .. 115 27 .118 28 128 29 137 30 146 31 . .164 32 "150" . . . 177 33 193 34 197 35.
APPENDIX D: TROUBLE SHOOTING "How do I properly set the input sensitivity on my amplifier" Please refer to Appendix A (page 14) to set the input sensitivity for maximum, low-distortion output. liMy amplifier doesn't turn on" Check the fuse, not just visually, but with a continuity meter. It is possible for a fuse to have poor internal connections that cannot be found by visual inspection. It is best to take the fuse out of the holder for testing.
liMy amplifier shuts off once in a while, usually at higher volumes" Check your voltage source and grounding point. The power supply of the M4300 will operate with charging system voltages down to lOY. Shutdown problems at higher volume levels can occur when the charging system voltage drops below lOY. These dips can be of very short duration making them extremely difficult to detect with a common DC voltmeter. To ensure proper voltage, inspect all wiring and termination points.
INSTALLATION NOTES· Useth"d' • your amplifie r 'S sWItch ' IS lagram to document and control positions. (9) ~A: :~ i~:~Orl;a:ng~ utS:='~CH~l Lo92h ~CH: 3:('Le:'ft)~ p~ ~ :~! ~A~f'\= (;:;Lef:tl (j)o(12 ~~'~ p~, P,S, '~ ~~(j).
JJD~D I L& 2 Contro s ITTI Off I HP I LP CH 3 &4 Input From [I I ] 1& 2 Discrete Filter Freq. (Hz) 080 120 55'" 150 50 200 [I] Pre-Outs Input From 1&2IS"m .JL AUDIO M4300 Channe I 3 & 4 Controls Input Sens. o Filter Mode 0 Filter Freq.
LIMITED WARRANTY - AMPLIFIERS (USA) JL AUDIO warrants this product to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ninety (90) days from the original date of purchase. The warranty term is extended to two (2) years if installation is performed or approved by an authorized JL AUDIO dealer (proof of installation or approval required on purchase receipt). This warranty is not transferrable and applies only to the original purchaser from an authorized JL AUDIO dealer.
