Soundstream Rubicon 501 Programming manual

RUBICON

501/

PowerAmplifier

Owner’s Manual

and

Installation Guide

Congratulations!

You now own the Soundstream RUBICON amplifier, the product of an un-

compromising design and engineering philosophy. Your Soundstream

RUBICONamplifierwilloutperformanyotheramplifierintheworld.

Tomaximizetheperformanceof your system, we recommend that youthor-

oughlyacquaintyourselfwithitscapabilitiesandfeatures. Pleaseretainthis

manualandyoursalesreceiptforfuturereference.

Soundstreamamplifiers are the resultof American innovation andthe high-

estqualitycontrol standards. When properly installed,theywill provide you

withmany years of listeningpleasure. Should your amplifier everneed ser-

viceorreplacementduetotheft,pleaserecordthefollowinginformationwhich

willhelpprotect your investment.

ModelandSerial #

Dealer’sName

DateofPurchase

InstallationShop

InstallationDate

CAUTION!

Prolonged listening at high levels may result in hearing loss.

Eventhough yournewSoundstreamRubiconamplifiersounds

better than anything you’ve ever heard, exercise caution to

prevent hearing damage.

Table of Contents

Design Features.............................................................p 4 - 5

Rubicon Amplifier Diagram.............................................p 6 - 7

Crossover and Phase Adjustments................................p 8

Hawkins Bass Control™ Theory and Use......................p 9 - 10

Installation: Wiring, Diagram, and BIO Port....................p 11 - 12

Installation: Mounting .....................................................p 13

Installation:LevelSettingand Front Spoiler ....................p 14

Protection Circuitry and Troubleshooting: ......................p 15

Service and Specifications .............................................p 16

DESIGN FEATURES

¨ ¨

¨ ¨SLA/SH™ (

peaker

oad

dapting /

ubwoofer

yper-Efficient) This

newdual function technologycurrentlyoperatesintwo differentwaysin

differentmodels. In subwoofer applicationsthepowersupplytracksthe

incomingaudiosignal and increases or decreasesitsownvoltagelevel

tomirror the input. Thisdesignresultsinenormouslow impedance, low

frequency stability and maximum efficiency, since no power is wasted

maintaininganunnecessarilyhighvoltage level in the power supply.

¨¨¨¨¨BIO™Port (

ridging

nand

ut)Enables two identical monoamplifers

channelstobefusedtogether into a single subwoofer load withdouble

theoutputpower.

¨¨¨¨¨STACT™(

abilized

pex

urrent

opology)Reducespowersupply

stressby 50%. Typical designsdegradethestereoimage duetophase

reversalof even-order harmonic distortion that occurs betweenthe in-

verted channels. In the STACT design, inversion is done at the power

amplifier drive stage. Since the fully symmetrical power amplifier pro-

ducesnoeven-harmonicdistortionitself and all preamplifier circuitry is

run completely in-phase, no even harmonic distortion phase reversal

occurs.

¨¨¨¨¨Trident™Protection Topology providesthree types of protection:

1. Output protection against short circuits or improper loads.

2. Groundfaultdetection: Shutsdownthe amplifier when a significant

voltage (> 5Volts) fluctuation occurs between electrical (turn-on lead)

andbatteryground.

3. ThermalProtection: Putstheamplifierintothermalrollbackorshuts

theamplifierdown in extreme thermalconditions.

¨¨¨¨¨HawkinsBass Control-Fullyadjustable subwooferequalizatoncircuit

providingfrequency and boost(“Q”)adjustmentforoptimum subwoofer

performance. Afrequencytrackingsubsonicfilterprotectswoofersfrom

potentiallyharmfulllowfrequencyinformationandmaximizesoutputin

ausablerange.

¨¨¨¨¨Harmonic Bass Alignment™The2ndand3rd order harmonic peaks

are critically aligned to fundamental peaks at low frequencies. This

producestighter,moreaccurate bass reproduction.

¨¨¨¨¨Drive Delay II™ Amplifier section powers up 2 to 3 seconds after the

power supply eliminating turn-on and off pops. The turn off process is

reversed: Amplifiersectionturnsoff first, followed by the power supply.

¨¨

¨Output Clipping Indicator indicates clipping on the output stage of

theamplifier. Monitoringtheclippingindicatorsallowstheusertoachieve

maximumSoundPressureLevelwithout clipping the amplifier.

¨¨

¨Dynamically Optimized Power Grid™ Power grid is evenly distrib-

utedbetween primaryandsecondarypower supplies,providinggreater

dynamicsandimprovedRF filtering.

¨¨

¨Chassisink™ All transistors are ideally located and sandwiched be-

tweenthecircuitboardand the heatsink to provide cool efficientampli-

fieroperation.

¨¨

¨Differentially Balanced RCA Input eliminates ground loop related

noise in the audio.

¨¨

¨Continuously Variable Crossover Network: 24dB/Octave lowpass

crossovervariablefrom 40to160 Hz.

¨¨

¨Flexible Input Level Control allows 200 mV to 5 V input sensitivity.

¨¨

¨Symmetrical Discrete Balanced Class A Drive Boards auto-adjust

forlinear performance while drivinglowimpedanceloads.

¨¨

¨Removable Front Spoiler allows for stealth installation of RCA, Bal-

ancedLine,SpeakerandPowerwiring.

SUB

HAWKINS

PHASE

CUP

-R

SONIC

l BASS 00~1800

CONTROL

SOUNDSTREAM

FUSES

+12v

GND REMOTE

f-----l

HAWKINS

XaOVER FREQ BOOST LEVEL INPUT

810

PORT

Sol/

1. Power LED - Indicates amplifier power, either in High Power or

Auto High

Current.

2. Clip Indicators - Indicates the signal output level is too high and the output

stage of the amplifier is clipping.

3. Phase Selector - Select between 0 or 180 degrees of output on speaker

terminals.

4.Subsonic/Hawkins Bass Control Switch - Selectable subwoofer

enhancement circuit. Select “SUB SONIC” to engage the Sub Sonic filter

with no boost. Use the knob indicated by callout #9 to set the frequency: 13-

30Hz. Select “Hawkins Bass Control” to engage the Sub Sonic filter with

available boost. Use the knob indicated by callout #9 to set the frequency:

30 Hz to 70 Hz.

5. BIO Port - RCA input and output connections for bridging two identical am-

plifiers. In BIO mode connect between the master amplifier’s 501/OUT to

the slave amplifier’s 501/IN. This will bridge the amplifiers and bypass the

preamplifier controls on the slave amplifier.

6. RCA Inputs - Right and Left channel RCA inputs.

7. Input Level - Input level control variable from 200 mV to 5 V.

8. Hawkins Bass Control “Boost” Adjustment - Varies from 0 to +9 dB of

boost when the Hawkins Bass Control circuit is engaged.

9. Subsonic/Hawkins Bass Control Adjustment - Frequencyadjustment con-

trol for the Hawkins Bass Control filter or the Sub Sonic filter.

10.Low Pass Filter Control Adjustment - Frequency adjustment control for the

Low Pass filter.

11. Speaker Connection Terminal - Speaker connections for mono channel.

12.REMOTE - Remote turn-on input from the head unit. Accepts +12V.

13. GND- Main ground connection. Bolt to a clean chassis point in the vehicle.

14.+12V - Connected to a fuse or circuit breaker, then to the battery’s positive

terminal.

15.FUSE - Main power supply fuse. Warning: Replace only with the same value

fuses!

KEY TO CALLOUTS

CROSSOVER & PHASE ADJUSTMENTS

TheRUBICONamplifiersincorporateanon-boardstaggered electroniccross-

over. Noexternalelectronic crossover is necessary. The lowpassportionof

the crossover can be set independently of the rest of the system.

12dB/OctaveHighPass

24dB/OctaveLowPass

In many car audio installations, there is a tendency for a “midbass boom.”

Becauseoftheirinteriordimensions, most cars will resonate or ringatthese

midbassfrequencies. If we design thesystem so there isreduced output in

this region, the final response is very smooth and natural sounding. The

Rubicon501/ has an always on low pass crossover that is independently

variablefrom40 to 160 Hzat24 dB/Octave.

Forinitial crossover setup, trysetting the low passfilter to approximately 60

Hz, and the high

pass filter on the

rest of the sytem

to approximately

100 Hz. Change

the crossover

points to accom-

modateagoodmix-

ture of frequency

response, power

handling,andper-

sonalpreference.

Phase Switch

In many car audio systems placement of the subwoofers can cause them

to be out of phase with the rest of the system. This may cause poor

subwooferperformanceduetovarying arrival times. To eliminate this the

Rubicon501/ incorporates a 0 to 180 phase switch. By playing low

frequencymusicandexperimentingwiththesubwooferphasingbetter

sound quality and bass imaging may be obtained.

Hawkins Bass Control

Theory and Use

SUB

. HAWKINS

PHASE

SONIC BASS CP*1800

CONTROL

HAWKINS

X*OVER

FREQ BOOST

HAWKINS 30-70

SUBSONIC 1

J-30

Hawkins Bass Control (parametric)

is a unique

subwoofer control circuit included with the

Soundstream RUBICON501/ amplifier. It is ca-

pable of removing subsonic energy in program

material while boosting subwoofer frequencies.

The circuit consists of two controls. One adjusts

the frequency of operation and the other adjusts

the range of boost. With both controls adjusted

fully counter-clockwise, no boost is applied and

the amplifier is flat in response down to 20 Hz.

FIG.BASS

CONTROL

quency control (Hz) adjusts the

starting point of the subsonic filter.

On the RUBICON501/ the high pass

-5

filter has two frequency ranges.

When the bass control switch is set

to “SUB SONIC”, the high pass filter

frequency can be adjusted from 13

Hz up to a maximum of 30 Hz. In

this setting, no boost

“Q”

control is ,.

available. This control is useful for

setting the lowest frequency that your

subwoofer will see (see figure 1). dB

When the bass control switch is set

1::

to “HAWKINS BASS CONTROL”, the

-20

high pass filter frequency can be ad-

-25

justed from 30 Hz to a maximum of

-301

70 Hz. In this setting, there is an

available boost control of 0 to

dB.

FIG. 2 VARIABLE

“Q”

FIG. 3 VARIABLE HIGH PASS

-5

dB -10

The Boost control

adjusts the amount

of level applied at the set frequency.

This is adjustable from flat

(OdB)

dB.

(See figure 2)

When the Boost is set to 0, Hawkins

acts as a sub-sonic filter only. (See

figure 3) The simple act of removing

potentially harmful low frequencies can

improve system output by as much as

dB.

(see figure 4)

FIG. 4VARIABLE BOOST

Application

Subwoofer drivers in general have

excellent power handling character-

istics over their operational band-

width. Thisbandwidthisdetermined

bymanyfactors, including driver de-

sign, and enclosure type. It is pos-

sible to overdrive any subwoofer

driver by sending powerful signals

outside of its operational bandwidth. These potentially damaging signals

can be removed by adding a subsonic filter. Figure 5 shows the effective-

ness of the Hawkins Bass Control on woofer excursion in a vented enclo-

sure. The woofer travels 7.5 mm at 10 Hz. With Hawkins Bass Control

properly adjusted, this excursion can be reduced to less than 1 mm. This is

of great benefit to lowering woofer distortion and increasing output.

Adjustment

An easy method of optimizing your existing subwoofer enclosure with

Hawkin’s “Hz” control is as follows.

1.Adjust frequency and boost control to full CCW position.

2.Set the bass control switch to “HAWKINS BASS CONTROL”.

3.While listening to music with strong bass content at a moderate level,

slowlyadjustfrequencycontrolclockwise. Listen for a reduction of bass

response.Now, rotate frequency controlslightlybackwards.Thisserves

the purpose of removing the “subsonic” bass energy.

With Soundstream’s Hawkins Bass

Control,theboostandfrequency con-

trolcanprovidevirtuallyanycombina-

tion of boost and cut to suit your de-

signs.So,Hawkins Bass Control can

providethe“tailoring” needed for any

type of “assisted” design and any

woofer in any type of installation.

FIG.5LIMITEDEXCURSION

FIG.6VARIOUSSETTINGS

Table of contents

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