RADICAL AUDIO RA13.2 User manual
RA13.2
RA16.2
RA16.3
2-WAY AUDIOPHILE COMPO SET
RA13.2
2-WAY AUDIOPHILE COMPO SET
RA16.2
3-WAY AUDIOPHILE COMPO SET
RA16.3
RA16.3 Manual 1 11.11.2005 10:38:03 Uhr
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Dear Customer,
Congratulations on your purchase of a Radical Audio Inc. loudspeaker system.
Your new component set is comprised of loudspeakers and crossovers that
have been precision engineered to produce the highest quality audio for your
vehicle.
For maximum performance, we recommend you have your new Radical Audio
component system installed and adjusted by an authorized dealer! This manual
assumes that the installer has in-depth knowledge and experience installing
high quality component speaker systems!
Please read this manual carefully. It is suggested to retain the manual, the
purchase receipt and the original carton – for possible future use.
If, after reading this manual, you still have questions regarding this product, we
strongly recommend to see your nearest authorized Radical Audio dealer.
RA16.3 Manual 2 11.11.2005 10:38:03 Uhr
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Package Contents ................................................................................................... 3
Technical Design Features – 2-Way Systems ........................................................ 4
Technical Design Features – 3-Way System ......................................................... 5
Installation – General Suggestions ........................................................................ 6
Mounting Locations ............................................................................................... 6
Mid/Woofer Mounting ............................................................................................ 7
Crossover Wiring & Mounting ............................................................................... 8
Tweeter Mounting .................................................................................................. 9
Midrange Mounting ................................................................................................ 9
Crossover Adjustments 2-Way Sets .................................................................... 10
Crossover Adjustments 3-Way Set ...................................................................... 11
Technical Specifications ....................................................................................... 21
Limited Warranty .................................................................................................. 23
Lieferumfang ......................................................................................................... 12
Technische Merkmale / Features – 2-Weg Systeme ........................................... 13
Technische Merkmale / Features – 3-Weg System ............................................. 14
Montage – Generelle Hinweise ............................................................................ 15
Montageorte ......................................................................................................... 15
Installation Tiefmitteltöner ................................................................................... 16
Anschluss & Montage der Frequenzweichen ..................................................... 17
Montage RA28 Hochtöner ................................................................................... 18
Montage RA50 Mitteltöner .................................................................................. 18
Einstellung Frequenzweiche 2-Weg Sets ............................................................ 19
Einstellung Frequenzweiche 3-Weg Set .............................................................. 20
Technische Daten ................................................................................................. 21
Garantiebestimmungen ....................................................................................... 23
PACKAGE CONTENTS
(2) RA13 (13 cm) or RA16 (16.5 cm) Mid/Woofer
(2) RA50 51 mm Dome Midrange Unit (only RA16.3)
(2) RA28 28 mm Soft Dome Tweeter
(2) RA13.2/RA16.2/RA16.3 Crossover
(2) MassBelt Steel Ring (13 cm or 16.5 cm)
(2) Dashboard Mounting Adaptor for RA50 (only RA16.3)
(2) Foam Mounting Gasket
(2) Tweeter Mounting Hardware
(2) Mid/Woofer Mounting Hardware
(2) Midrange Grille for RA50 (only RA16.3)
(2) Mid/Woofer Grille
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TECHNICAL DESIGN FEATURES –
2-WAY SYSTEMS
MID/WOOFER RA13 / RA16
■ 13 / 16.5 cm Euro-DIN Cast Aluminum Basket
■ Backvented Basket Design
■ 15 / 18 oz. Ceramic Sr-Fe Magnet system
■ Faraday Copper Shorting Ring
■ Fibre Reinforced Injection Cone
■ MBR Nitrite Rubber Surround
■ Yellow Nomex™ Spider
■ 25 mm 2-Layer Wound Voice Coil
■ Copper Clad Aluminum Wire Voice Coil
■ Polyimide Voice Coil Former
■ Extended & Vented T-Yoke
■ Screw Terminal Binding Posts
TWEETER RA28
■ 28 mm Soft Dome Tweeter
■ Tetoron™ Dome Diaphragm
■ NdFeB Push-Pull Magnet Motor
■ Faraday Copper Shorting Ring
■ Coupled Rear Cavity with Wool Damping
■ Copper Clad Aluminum Wire Voice Coil
■ Aluminum Voice Coil Former
■ Low-Viscosity Ferrofluid
CROSSOVER RA13.2 / RA16.2
■ BI-Amping / BI-Wiring Input & Output Terminals
■ Tweeter Attenuation by 4-Position Jumper
■ Presence Attenuation by 2-Position Jumper
■ Glassfibre Epoxy Printed Circuit Board
■ XPP Metalized Polypropylene Film Capacitors
■ Quadlitz Air Core Inductor
■ Metal-Oxide Resistors
RA16.3 Manual 4 11.11.2005 10:38:03 Uhr
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TECHNICAL DESIGN FEATURES –
3-WAY SYSTEM
MID/WOOFER RA16
■ 16.5 cm Euro-DIN Cast Aluminum Basket
■ Backvented Basket Design
■ 18 oz. Ceramic Sr-Fe Magnet system
■ Faraday Copper Shorting Ring
■ Fiber Reinforced Injection Cone
■ MBR Nitrite Rubber Surround
■ Yellow Nomex™ Spider
■ 25 mm 2-Layer Wound Voice Coil
■ Copper Clad Aluminum Wire Voice Coil
■ Polyimide Voice Coil Former
■ Extended & Vented T-Yoke
■ Screw Terminal Binding Posts
DOME MIDRANGE RA50
■ 51 mm Dome Midrange Speaker
■ Woven Glassfibre Dome
■ MBR Butyl Rubber Surround
■ Ultra-Compact ABS Injection Housing
■ NdFeB Neodymium Magnet Motor
■ Low-Viscosity Ferrofluid
■ Polyimide Voice Coil Former
■ Coupled Rear Cavity with Wool Damping
TWEETER RA28
■ 28 mm Soft Dome Tweeter
■ Tetoron™ Dome Diaphragm
■ NdFeB Push-Pull Magnet Motor
■ Faraday Copper Shorting Ring
■ Coupled Rear Cavity with Wool Damping
■ Copper Clad Aluminum Wire Voice Coil
■ Aluminum Voice Coil Former
■ Low-Viscosity Ferrofluid
CROSSOVER RA16.3
■ Tweeter Attenuation by 3-Position Jumper
■ Midrange Attenuation by 2-Position Jumper
■ Glassfibre Epoxy Printed Circuit Board
■ XPP Metalized Polypropylene Film Capacitors
■ Metal-Oxide Resistors
RA16.3 Manual 5 11.11.2005 10:38:03 Uhr
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INSTALLATION – GENERAL SUGGESTIONS
GENERAL SUGGESTIONS
a Make sure you have enough high quality speaker wire at hand to reach
all the drivers and crossovers from their intended mounting locations!
The preferable wire cross-section is 2x2.5mm². Please consider that for
quality reasons, only the tweeter (and the mid/woofer in the RA16.3 set) are
provided with extension leads contained in this set. All other speaker wires
– i.e. to connect the mid/woofers and the amplifier to the crossover(s) – must
be purchased separately from your Radical Audio dealer.
s Before you attempt to install the tweeter or mid/woofer to the doors of a
vehicle, check the available mounting depth! Make sure the speakers or
cross-overs do not interfere with either the door mechanism, or the window
operation.
d Before you start any disassembly, wiring work or installation, disconnect
the negative power cable main lead from the battery for your own safety!
f Never run speaker wires over or through sharp edges. Use rubber grommets
to protect wires routed through metal.
MOUNTING LOCATIONS
A solid front stage with good imaging is one of the most difficult things to
achieve in a vehicle! Mostly because the speakers are placed where they will
fit, as opposed where they can perform best. In most cases the factory cutouts
offer a stable and convenient mounting platform for the mid/woofers. In some
cases you will need to purchase car specific plastic adaptors for proper moun-
ting of Euro-DIN basket mid/woofers to the factory speaker cutouts in the front
doors.
The chosen mounting location for the tweeters will have a profound and direct
influence on the sound staging of the component system. Therefore, after
mounting the mid/woofers and crossovers – it is recommended to provisionally
fix both tweeters in several positions to evaluate the resutling sound quality,
before panels get drilled and cut.
MOUNTING GUIDELINES:
a Place the tweeters where they have a direct and unobstructed path to the
listening area. The best visual location may not be the best sounding one!
s The installation of your component set is carried out best following this
sequence of steps: Removal of Factory Speakers z Wire Routing z
Installation of the Mid/Woofers z Mounting the Crossovers z Mounting the
Tweeters z Mounting the Midrange Units (only for RA16.3)
RA16.3 Manual 6 11.11.2005 10:38:04 Uhr
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MID/WOOFER MOUNTING
You can install the Radical Audio mid/woofers directly into the factory speaker
mounting holes, because their Euro-DIN basket bolt hole configuration will fit to
a great variety of European and Asian cars.
a Remove the plastic grille and unscrew the factory installed 13 cm or 16.5 cm
fullrange speaker unit.
s Stick the RA mid/woofer into the OEM factory speaker cutout to see, if the
existing screw holes and the basket mounting holes align properly. If not,
you have to drill new holes with a 3mm drill bit.
d If the available clearance between the mid/woofer front side and the
backside of the factory grille is more than 10 mm, you can use the
“massbelt” steel rings supplied with this set. These rings are “sandwiched”
between the mounting surface and the mid/woofer unit. The advantage is
a totally even/level mounting surface, as well as higher total speaker mass,
taming down unwanted vibrations of the door panel.
f Attach the wires to the mid/woofer unit. Double-check for correct connection
polarity! Hold the mid/woofer in place and fix it with the provided screws. It
is recommended to use the supplied foam gaskets for an airtight seal.
g Remount the factory plastic grilles. While doing this, check for the clearance
between mid/woofer surround and the backside of OEM plastic grille. Allow
for at least 6mm of clearance – i.e. distance of the surround to any part
sticking out of the backside of the grille. If necessary, cut off plastic ribs that
could interfere with the surround or the cone when music is played.
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CROSSOVER WIRING & MOUNTING
a Wire the crossover unit as shown in the schematic diagram below. Be sure
to maintain speaker polarity at the input/output terminals of the crossover!
Don’t forget to route the tweeter extension wire (and midrange for the
RA16.3 set) from the x-over to the place, where the tweeters are going to be
installed.
s The transparent cover of the x-over housing can be pushed back to gain
access to the screw mounting holes. Fix the crossover in place with the
provided self-tapping screws. Try to avoid the places that expose the
crossovers to dripping water, excess humidity or other fluids.
8
Fig.: Crossover Wiring
RA16.3
Fig.: Crossover Wiring
RA13.2/RA16.2
RA16.3 Manual 8 11.11.2005 10:38:04 Uhr
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TWEETER MOUNTING
The RA28 tweeter units need to be flush mounted to a panel or surface. This
requires holes to be cut. After you have visibly determined which tweeter
mounting location in your vehicle provides space for the tweeters, proceed as
follows:
Q Mark the centre of the spot where the tweeters are going to be mounted
with a felt tip marker.
Q Remove the panels, and check for proper clearance behind it. The required
mounting depth is 28.5mm, double check before cutting holes into plastic
surfaces or sheet metal.
Q Use a 3mm drill bit to drill a pilot hole, then use a hole saw attachment for
your power drill to widen up the pilot hole to become 50mm in diameter.
Q Stick the tweeter through the hole you have cut, attach the cross blade to
the backside of the tweeter by inserting the M4 screw into the brass thread
on the tweeter backside.
Q Connect the tweeter lead wires to the extension cable that goes to the
crossover.
Q Remount panels.
MIDRANGE MOUNTING
Q Caution, only for RA16.3 Set
The RA50 dome midrange units come with two different mounting adaptors,
one suitable for flat surface of flush mounting, the other for angled mounting
inside a 85mm OEM speaker cutout in the dash board.
Q Remove the panel you are going to install the RA50 dome midrange unit
and check for proper clearance behind it. Flush mounting of the midrange
speaker needs at least 31mm clearance to the backside. Make sure there are
no obstructions behind the spot you choose.
Q Mark the centre of the spot with a felt tip market and remove the panel.
Q Predrill a pilot hole with a 3mm drill bit. Widen up the hole to become
75.5mm in diameter, using either a jigsaw or a hole saw attachment for your
power drill.
Q Mount the four metal spring clips to the mid/range unit, placing them into
the small grooves / recesses on the front rim of the RA50 unit.
Q Connect the mid/range speaker to the extension wire that goes to the
crossover.
Q Mount the trim ring of the grille with four screws on top of the hole you have
cut before and insert the dome midrange unit into this hole, by pressing the
metal clips together.
Q Attach the metal mesh grille to the trim ring, and remount the panel to the
vehicle.
RA16.3 Manual 9 11.11.2005 10:38:09 Uhr
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CROSSOVER ADJUSTMENTS – 2-WAY SETS
Before approaching final adjustments of tweeter attenuation levels by selecting
the appropriate jumper positions on the crossover PC board, you need to make
sure that:
Q All tone controls of the headunit, like Bass/Treble or other EQ settings –
including the loudness function – must be set to their neutral / zero position.
„MID ATT” JUMPER
The lower tweeter level in the 3 to 5 kHz range can be adjusted to a higher or
lower volume, by setting the „MID ATT” jumper to either 0dB or to -3dB. This
jumper allows to increase or lower the volume level in the lower treble region
to compensate different mounting locations of the tweeters.
„TWEETER ATT” JUMPER
The overall tweeter level starting from 3kHz right up to 20kHz can be adjusted
using the „TWEETER ATT” jumper, with the settings 0dB/-1.5dB/-3.0dB/-4.5dB.
Four different attenuation levels can be selected on the PC board, to tailor the
treble balance to fit personal taste.
Caution: The tweeter and mid attenuation jumpers of BOTH crossovers must be
set to the same attenuation level.
The final tweeter attenuation level is set, after the installation is complete with
all the additional components that are going to be installed, like for example
subwoofer system, amplifier(s), a.s.o. The tweeter balance should be entirely
played by ear.
Fig.: Jumperpositions RA13.2/RA16.2
RA16.3 Manual 10 11.11.2005 10:38:10 Uhr
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