Setting The Controls - Cadence Momentum CSA SERIES Owner's Manual

FEATURES
The wire harness should be made of red primary cable of at least 8 gauge for the
CSA1000.2 and at least 4 gauge for all other larger models. The harness should
terminate in a large ring terminal for connection directly to the positive terminal of
the car battery. Use a spade plug to attach the wire, which connects to the amplifier
location marked +12V.
A second black color wire of equal gauge should be used as a ground connection to a
welded chassis member. When connecting the ground wire make sure that there is no
paint or other insulator blocking a good ground connection. When installing multiple
amplifiers, mount them in close proximity so that they can all share the same ground
point. Attach the black ground wire to the amplifier screw terminal marked Ground.
We recommend that you use the Cadence AMPKIT4 or AMPKIT8 amplifier installation
kits, which contains all the cabling and accessories necessary for a good, reliable
installation.
Over the years we have received amplifiers back to our service department with melted
power/ground terminals. The cause of this is a bad ground connection. When there is
a lack of good ground, heat builds up at the weakest point which happens to be the
contact screw of the amplifier terminal. Over time the heat generated will begin to melt
the terminal. It is a good practice to feel the power and ground wires with your hands,
near their amplifier connection after having played the amp for a while. If the wires feel
hot to the touch you probably have a bad or loose connection. If you are sure of your
connections and the wires still feel hot to the touch, you should upgrade the gauge of
wire to next heaviest gauge (see wiring diagram, page 5).

SETTING THE CONTROLS:

AUDIO PREAMP INPUT
The Momentum CSA series amplifiers feature RCA pre amp inputs. Run RCA cables
from your sound source to the inputs of the amplifier. We suggest the use of high
quality shielded RCA patch cords to help reduce and eliminate unwanted electrical
noise to your system. Be sure to run the RCA cables on the opposite side of the vehicle
that you used to carry the power and ground leads of the amplifier.
BUILT IN LOW PASS ELECTRONIC FILTER
All Momentum CSA series amplifiers feature 12dB per octave fully adjustable low-pass
and high pass electronic filters.
For Low Pass sub woofer systems, set the FILTER switch to LOW PASS. Now the knob
marked LPF or LOW PASS will control the low pass frequencies anywhere from 50Hz to
500Hz depending on the model. A frequent error made is setting the low pass frequency
too low, especially when using a vented sub woofer enclosures. We recommend that
for most installations you do not set the frequency knob lower than 80 to 100Hz (the
12 o'clock position).
When using the amplifiers for component speakers or co-axials, you will want to set the
FILTER switch to HIGH PASS. The HPF control knob adjusts the high pass frequencies
between 120Hz and 3KHz. Do not attach tweeters directly to the amplifier, (even in the
high pass mode) without a passive crossover to protect them.
SUBSONIC FILTERING
For sub woofer installations with passive LP crossover, you can set the amplifier's
FILTER switch to HIGH PASS while setting the SUB SONIC knob to 30Hz, this will
act as SUBSONIC FILTER for all signals below 30Hz. This is especially useful for
vented enclosures where the port tuning frequency falls below the sub woofer tuning
frequency to protect against sub woofer unloading.
GAIN (INPUT LEVEL CONTROL)
To adjust the GAIN turn the control using a small flat head screwdriver fully counter
clock wise to the minimum position. Do not apply any pressure while turning as this
might break the control unit. Adjust your radio volume level to maximum volume. Now
turn the level control on the amplifier clockwise towards the Maximum marking until
audible distortion occurs. When you begin to hear any distortion in the sound, back
down one notch and your amp is set. It is helpful to have a second person to help you
set the gain.
When setting up a multi-amp system, set each amplifier's gain separately. Start off with
the bass amplifier, then adjust the highs amplifier's level control to match.
Once you are satisfied with the level control settings, use any equalizer controls to
adjust the system tonal level for personal preference. Keep in mind that after equalizing,
you may have to go back and reset the amplifiers level controls.
*
The level control of any car amplifier should not be mistaken for a volume control. It is a sophisticated device designed to match the output level of your
source unit to the input level of the amplifier. Do not adjust the amplifier gain to maximum unless your input level requires it. 4 3