This unit features B.M.S. (Bass Management System) which allows you to control various bass functions either manually (when used with a normal head unit), or remotely when used with compatible Kenwood eXcelon head units equipped with B.M.S. controls. This feature turns the cooling fan of the unit on and off, opens and closes a sliding panel on the top of the unit, and applies 0, 6dB or 12dB of bass boost as explained in the controls section.
Protection circuitry activates when:
A speaker output is shorted or contacts ground
A DC signal sent to speaker output
This unit receives low voltage
The internal temp exceeds 248 degrees F
Controls/ Inputs/Outputs
Top of Amplifier:
Cooling fan LED: blinks when the cooling fan is activated due to temperature or when the top panel is opened, which automatically activates the fan
Operation/Protection LED: glows when the power is on and, goes out or blinks when the protection circuitry is activated
Open/Close button: used to open and close the sliding top panel
Low Voltage LED: illuminates when power voltage falls below 11 volts. If the power returns to a normal level, this LED will blink to alert user to the fact that a voltage drop occurred. The number of blinks will indicate how often the power dropped below 11 volts up to a maximum of 10 times.
" B.M.S." LED: illuminates when bass boost is turned on. If this LED and the cooling fan LED light up in succession or blink at the same time it means that the unit is in DEMO mode (which can be canceled by pushing the open/close button).
Power LED: a large, blue LED shaped like a Kenwood logo illuminates when power is on
Fan grille: located under the top panel
Input sensitivity knob: a variable input level control under the top panel and is adjustable from 0.2 to 5 Volts
Low Pass Frequency Control: used to set the low pass crossover frequency and is variable from 50-200Hz with an18dB/octave slope. It is located under the top panel
Hi Pass Frequency Control: used to set the high pass crossover frequency and is variable from 50-200Hz with a 12dB/octave slope. It is located under the top panel
"B.M.S." Frequency Control: a variable control that allows you to adjust the center frequency at which bass boost (if used) operates. It setting may be varied from 50-100 Hz, and the control is located under the top panel.
Left side of amplifier:
Two 20 amp blade fuses
12Volt power and ground Inputs: a gold plated terminal strip
Speaker outputs: a gold plated terminal strip. For bridged operation the Left+ and Right- terminals are used
Right side of amplifier:
Preamp Input Jacks: Right and Left gold plated RCA jacks
Preamp Output Jacks: Right and Left gold plated RCA jacks. This is a pass through output, not controlled by the internal crossover settings.
RCA cable ground, Remote Turn-on and External Amp Control: a Gold plated terminal strip. The external amp control terminal is used to remotely control the B.M.S. function when this unit is used with a compatible B.M.S. control equipped Kenwood eXcelon head unit.
Operation Switch: can select stereo or mono mode. Mono amplifies the left side input only. It's used when the amplifier is in bridged mode.
Filter Switch can select "HPF" to use the built in high pass crossover (12 dB/octave), "OFF" for full range output or "LPF" to use the built in low pass filter (18dB/octave) or, automatically switch the speaker outputs to mono (L+R) and engage bass boost.
Infrasonic Switch: can be set to off or on. When on, frequencies below 25Hz are cut off for better amplifier efficiency and better audible sound (extremely low frequencies can be stressful to an amplifier and loudspeakers and muddy audible frequencies).
"B.M.S." Switch: activates bass boost, which is centered according to the B.M.S. frequency setting.
When used without a head unit with B.M.S. control:
The switch can be set to Open/Close, in which case the bass will not be boosted and the slide panel is opened by using the top open/close switch.
If set to the B.M.S. +6 position, 6dB of bass boost will be applied, and the slide panel is controlled manually by using the open/close switch.
When used with a compatible Kenwood head unit with B.M.S. control, the amount of bass boost (flat/6dB/12dB) and the opening and closing of the slide panel are controlled from the head unit. Note that compatible head units can control up to three B.M.S. amplifiers.
When the switch is set to the Remote Open/Close position the bass cannot be boosted, but the panel can be opened or closed.
When set to the Remote B.M.S. position, any of the three bass boost settings (flat/+6dB or +12dB) can be selected from the head unit. If +6 or +12 is selected, the fan comes on and the slide panel automatically opens.
When set to B.M.S. (+6), the bass is automatically boosted by +6dB, regardless of the control settings selected on the head unit.
More Specifications
Maximum power output: 150 watts X 2; 600 watts X 1 (bridged mode)
Rated power at 12 volts:
50 watts x 2 (4 ohms, 20Hz-20kHz, .05% THD)
100 watts x 2 (2 ohms, 1kHz, .5% THD)
200 watts x 1 (4 ohms, 1kHz, .5% THD) - bridged mode
Rated power at 14.4 volts:
75 watts x 2 (4 ohms, 20Hz-20kHz, .05% THD)
150 watts x 2 (2 ohms, 1kHz, .5% THD)
300 watts x 1 (4 ohms, 1kHz, .5% THD) - bridged mode
Best frequency response is 5Hz to 50kHz, +0/-3dB
