Ground Zero PLUTONIUM SERIES Troubleshooting guide

PLUTONIUM SERIES

Amplifier

GZPA 2SQ

GZPA 4SQ

Owner’s Manual

& Installation Guide

English

Introduction

Thank you for choosing a GROUND ZERO product and welcome to your new PLUTONIUM series amplifier!

This is the owner´s manual providing instructions on the operation and installation of this high-end car

amplifier. Please, read it carefully. If you have any further questions, please contact your local

Ground Zero dealer or our regional distribution partner.

The amplifier is one of the most important parts of your car audio system. However, it will only be able to

deliver its full performance when each part of the whole system is tuned carefully matching each other.

Therefore, we recommend consulting a car audio specialist to compile the desired sound system,

as well as for installation and tuning.

We hope you will enjoy the sound quality of an enthusiastic development

by the Ground Zero engineering team!

PLUTONIUM Series – The High-End Experience

Products belonging to the GROUND ZERO PLUTONIUM series stand for high-end sound quality

or extreme power handling capability.

To achieve one of these targets, exceptional materials and technologies are applied during the development.

The technical, electrical and mechanical skills of the resulting products convince not only during worldwide

sound quality competitions but also satisfy the demands of high-end enthusiasts with outstanding audio

reproduction ability.

Starting from the market release, the subwoofers have set benchmarks in SPL competitions around the world

and have been awarded for best performance by numerous test magazines.

The GZPA SQ amplifiers have been developed by experienced sound quality engineers and tuned by music

loving enthusiasts. They are being built with highest care using some of the best quality parts available

and run through numerous tests prior to handing over to GROUND ZERO partners and retail shops.

Terms of Warranty

The limited warranty for this product is covered by GROUND ZERO´s regional distribution partners and their

terms and conditions. For further information contact your local retailer or regional distributor.

PLUTONIUM SERIES

Amplifiers

GZPA 2 SQ

GZPA 4 SQ

Features

•High-End SQ amplifier

•Shielded dual power supply

•Discretely constructed MOS-FET amplifier section

•1-ohm stable stereo / 2-ohms stable in bridged mode

•Smoothly variable BIAS adjustment

•Variable input sensitivity

•Capsulated potentiometers

•Wide range high pass and low pass filter

•Filter range multiplication switch (x10)

•Wide frequency range for high resolution music (10 Hz – 50 kHz)

•Soft start delay

•Operation and protection indicator

•Start-Stop capability (9 -16 Volt)

•Overheat and short circuit protection

•Low distortion Burr-Brown OPA2134PA operation amplifier

•Ground Zero exclusive Mundorf Mcap® capacitors

•Solid and high efficient black anodized heatsink

•White illuminated lasered glass logo plate

•Phase control (GZPA 2SQ)

•Pure Direct mode (GZPA 2SQ)

General installation note

•As a precaution, it is recommended to disconnect the vehicles battery before mounting the amplifier.

(Note: For new vehicles, disconnecting the battery might cause various errors in your vehicle´s

electric system that can be cleared only by authorized service partners of your vehicle´s

manufacturer! Please ask your service partner first before disconnecting the battery!)

•The power supply wire (+12 V) has to be protected within max. 20 cm / 8” by a main fuse holder

with a fuse value matching the recommendation for your amplifier

(Note: If there is more than one amplifier connected using this power wire, the main fuse value must

be equal to the sum of the recommended fuses of all connected devices. However, make sure the

diameter of your power wire will be sufficient for the required current!)

•If necessary, replace a defective fuse by a fuse with identical quality and value

•Never drill a hole to the vehicles gas tank or brake lines, to wirings or any other important vehicle

parts!

•Never pass wires over sharp edges or vehicle parts due avoid any kind of damage

•Keep the wiring away from the antenna and electronic devices contributing to radio reception

•Lay the power supply wiring always separated from speaker wiring to avoid disturbance

•The amplifier contains a temperature protection circuit that turns the device off in case of

overheating. After a certain cooling time, it will turn on automatically. To avoid heat build-up,

sufficient air supply for cooling must be provided. Never cover the surface of the amplifier´s

heatsink entirely

•The amplifier should NEVER be mounted onto a vibrating part or surface such as a subwoofer

enclosure. This might lead to malfunction due to loose electrical parts inside the amplifier.

•Some amplifiers offer a high-level input option, however if a pre-amplified output (RCA) is available

(at the head unit), it is strongly recommended to make use of them.

Controls and functions GZPA 2SQ

BIAS adjustment

Adjusting the BIAS setting influences the operation mode and sound of the amplifier. Increasing the BIAS

setting clockwise leads to a warm sound experience with wide stereoscopic sound comparable to the

performance of a Class A amplifier with increased current consumption und heat generation. Reducing the

BIAS setting counterclockwise results in direct and clear music reproduction. Depending on the speaker´s

characteristics and the mounting positions, the adjustment is up to the listener´s taste of music reproduction.

The BIAS setting however, does not influence the general output power of the amplifier

LED illumination

Optionally, the LED illumination of the Ground Zero logo can be switched off. For this purpose, the jumper

positioned on the back side of the top aluminum cover needs to be removed from the illumination pc board.

Power terminal

GROUND Vehicle ground connection

REMOTE Remote connection (turn-on voltage)

BATT+ 12 Volt (Battery)

Speaker terminal

Speaker wire connection

Signal input

RCA wire connection

Input sensitivity

Control for correct input sensitivity adjustment

High pass switch

Switch to activate the high pass filter

High pass multiplier

Switch to multiply (x10) the high pass filter frequency range

High pass frequency

Control to adjust the correct high pass filter frequency

Low pass switch

Switch to activate the low pass filter

Low pass multiplier

Switch to multiply (x10) the low pass filter frequency range

Low pass frequency

Control to adjust the correct low pass filter frequency

Bypass function

Switch to deactivate both crossover filters (Direct signal path)

Phase switch

Switch to activate the phase adjustment control

Phase adjustment

Control to adjust the correct phase

BIAS adjustment

Control to adjust the BIAS setting (check the BIAS adjustment info below)

Status indication

POWER (white) indicates the correct operation mode

PROTECT (red) indicates a defect / activated protection mode

Connections GZPA 2SQ – stereo mode

Connections GZPA 2SQ – bridged mode

Controls and functions GZPA 4SQ

BIAS adjustment

Adjusting the BIAS setting influences the operation mode and sound of the amplifier. Increasing the BIAS

setting clockwise leads to a warm sound experience with wide stereoscopic sound comparable to the

performance of a Class A amplifier with increased current consumption und heat generation. Reducing the

BIAS setting counterclockwise results in direct and clear music reproduction. Depending on the speaker´s

characteristics and the mounting positions, the adjustment is up to the listener´s taste of music reproduction.

The BIAS setting however, does not influence the general output power of the amplifier

LED illumination

Optionally, the LED illumination of the Ground Zero logo can be switched off. For this purpose, the jumper

positioned on the back side of the top aluminum cover needs to be removed from the illumination pc board.

Power terminal

GROUND Vehicle ground connection

REMOTE Remote connection (turn-on voltage)

BATT+ 12 Volt (Battery)

Speaker terminals

Speaker wire connections

Signal input

RCA wire connection

Input sensitivity

Control for correct input sensitivity adjustment

High pass switches

Switches to activate the high pass filter (separately for front and rear)

High pass multipliers

Switches to multiply (x10) the high pass filter frequency range

High pass frequency

Controls to adjust the correct high pass filter frequency

Low pass switch

Switches to activate the low pass filter (separately for front and rear)

Low pass multiplier

Switches to multiply (x10) the low pass filter frequency range

Low pass frequency

Controls to adjust the correct low pass filter frequency

BIAS adjustment

Controls to adjust the BIAS setting (check the BIAS adjustment info

below) for each pair of channels separately

Status indication

POWER (white) indicates the correct operation mode

PROTECT (red) indicates a defect / activated protection mode

Connections GZPA 4SQ – stereo mode

Connections GZPA 4SQ – bridged mode

Trouble shooting

The amplifier includes protection features to prevent any kind of damage caused by misuse or faulty

conditions. Sensor-detected short circuit at the speaker terminals or an impedance below the permitted value

lights up the protection indicators and turns off the amplifier.

To determine the problem, the volume should be reduced to minimum, the power supply disconnected, and

the installation checked carefully for wiring mistakes or defects.

If the amplifier shuts down due to excessive heat, the protection indicators will not light up. In this case the

amplifier just needs a certain time to cool down.

Check the following table to solve a problem. It´s recommended to check the speakers and speaker wires

first, whenever the protection mode has been activated (PROTECT).

Problem

Check point

Reason / action

No audible signal

POWER indication status

Check the fuse(s)

Check the power connection

Check the ground connection

Check the remote wire connection

PROTECT indication status

Speaker short circuit

Check the speakers and speaker wires

Amplifier overheated

Wait for cooling down

Probably damaged amplifier

Contact a Ground Zero service partner

Amplifier is not switching

to operation mode

Power supply Check the fuse(s)

Check the power connection

Check the ground connection

Remote (turn-on) voltage

Check the remote (out) voltage at the head unit

Amplifier switches off or

into protection mode at

high levels

Speaker impedance

Speaker wiring

Check if the impedance at the speaker wire

dropped below the permitted value

No audible signal at one

of the amplifiers channels

RCA cable / speaker wires

Check the terminals and RCA connectors

(check the audio signal on each RCA cable)

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