Audio Control DQ-61 User manual

®
Making Good Sound Great™
Six-Channel Line Output Converter with
Signal Delay, Equalization, and AccuBASS®
for interfacing with factory installed audio systems
The DQ-61 is your gateway to amazing sound from a factory head unit.
It is a compact six channel, high-performance, line level converter with
independent mul-channel equalizaon and signal delay to custom
tune the system. AudioControl’s patent pending AccuBASS®system
corrects for the factory bass roll-o present in so many of today’s cars.
In short; the DQ-61 can make every car sound its very best.
Whether this is your rst product from the rainforest dwellers of
AudioControl, or you are already a rm believer, you will denitely
enjoy how great the DQ-61 can make your performance system sound.

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Important Safety Instructions
1. Read these instructions.
2. Keep these instructions.
3. Heed all warnings.
4. Follow all instructions.
5. Do not use this apparatus near water.
6. Clean only with a dry cloth.
7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manu-
facturer’s instructions.
8. Do not install near any heat sources such as muers, silencers, exhaust
pipes, or other apparatus (including ampliers) that produce heat.
9. WARNING: Improper installation may lead to permanent injury or death.
Installation of the apparatus must be done with great care by qualied per-
sonnel, to prevent damage to fuel lines, power, and other electrical wiring,
hydraulic brake lines, and other systems, that might compromise vehicle
safety.
10. Provide +12V and Ground wiring of a suitable thickness/gauge to ensure
adequate current to the apparatus.
11. Use rubber grommets to protect wiring whenever passing wires through
metal openings or bulkheads.
12. Only use attachments/accessories specied by the manufacturer.
13. Refer all servicing to qualied service personnel. Servicing is required when
the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as the power input ter-
minals are damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the
apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not
operate normally, or has been dropped.
14. This apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing, and no object
lled with liquids, shall be placed on the apparatus.
15. Fuses shall be replaced only with the correct type and fuse value, and only
when the apparatus is powered o.
16. Exposure to high sound pressure levels may lead to permanent hearing
loss. Take every precaution to protect your hearing.

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The lightning ash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral trian-
gle is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “danger-
ous voltage” within the product’s enclosure, that may be of sucient
magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert
the user of the presence of important operating and maintenance (ser-
vicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance.
Caution: to reduce the risk of electric shock, do not
disassemble the apparatus, other than to remove
the top panel to access the controls. There are no
user-serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to
qualied personnel.
Recycling notice: If the time comes and this apparatus has fullled its
destiny, do not throw it out into the trash. It has to be carefully recy-
cled for the good of mankind, by a facility specially equipped for the
safe recycling of electronic apparatii. Please contact your local or state
recycling leaders for assistance in locating a suitable nearby recycling
facility. Or, contact us and we might be able to repair it for you.

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Key Features
• User friendly Signal Delay to control the acouscal alignment
between the le and right channels plus the front and subwoofer
channels
• Individual equalizaon controls for the front, rear and subwoofer
channels for simple yet precise system tuning
• Six channels of acve speaker level inputs – accept up to 400
was per channel
• AccuBASS®- AudioControl’s patented processing to correct the
bass roll-o in factory source units
• ACR-3 Dash Control Remote allows for control of the subwoofer
level, to bypass processing, and to setup the delay
• Internal Channel Summing – Easy interface with factory installed
ampliers with built-in crossovers
• Discrete Input and Output level controls
• GTO™ signal sensing inputs (selectable) to turn the DQ-61 on
automacally and give you a 12 volt trigger to turn on your am-
plier
• Bulletproof 5 year warranty (when installed by an authorized
AudioControl dealer)

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Quick Installation Information
If you are a seasoned audio enthusiast and are chomping at the bit
to begin your experience with the DQ-61, we oer some Quick Install
Guidelines below to help maximize your experience. Please also refer
to the system diagrams on page 14, 15, and 16.
1. Physically mount the DQ-61 in a locaon that keeps it away from
beverage spills, food crumbs, and the curious ngers of carnival
folk. You will want to select a locaon that allows you access to
the top panel controls. In many cases you can nd factory speak-
er leads in the rear of the vehicle or at the factory amplier that
are easy to access.
2. The DQ-61 needs to be installed in the signal path between your
OEM source unit (or factory amplier) and an aer-market ampli-
er and/or processor(s). Do not connect the DQ-61 between the
factory head unit and the factory amplier. Locate the amplied
speaker wires that are coming from your factory source unit and/
or amplier and connect them to the speaker-level inputs on
your DQ-61.
Note: If your source unit has front, rear, and subwoofer
speaker-level outputs, connect them to the three sets of inputs
on your DQ-61. If the source unit only has front and rear outputs,
the Auto Mode circuitry in your DQ-61 automacally routes the
Channel 2 input channels to the (Channel 3) subwoofer channels.
3. Use RCA connecng cables to connect the RCA outputs of the
DQ-61 to your aer market amplier(s). If this is not obvious to
you, quickly pack up your DQ-61 and run to your nearest autho-
rized AudioControl dealer to have them perform the installaon.
You will thank us later.

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4. Connect +12 volt power, ground and turn-on wires as needed.
Don’t forget the fuse! Note: The DQ-61 has a 12-volt trigger input
but normally you will just let the GTO turn on circuit take care of
that by itself.
5. Connect your amplier trigger input to the 12-volt trigger output
of the DQ-61
6. Turn your amp gains fully down before turning on the system.
7. Turn on the system and level match your DQ-61 to your source
unit and ampliers.
8. On the chassis of the DQ-61, set Signal Delay Mode to Set-Up.
9. Using the ACR-3 Dash Control, adjust the signal delay between
the Le and Right channels for opmum sound. Check out our
YouTube video for assistance.
11. Tap the ACR-3 Dash Control and adjust the signal delay between
the front and subwoofer outputs.
12. On the chassis, change Signal Delay Mode to Normal.
13. Set the equalizaon controls for the front, rear, and subwoofer
channels. While your ears are a good reference point, we recom-
mend using an audio analyzer whenever possible.
14. Adjust the AccuBASS® seng for maximum bass.
15. Sit back and enjoy the sound
If you have made it to this point and you don’t have any quesons,
then “Congratulaons”! With that said, we certainly encourage you to
set aside some me to grab a beverage or two, and read through this
enre manual, since there is a tremendous amount of useful informa-
on. Plus it would make the technical writer’s mom proud of her boy.
We now interrupt your reading of this manual to highlight a very
important feature of all AudioControl Autosound products…

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Our Bulletproof Warranty
AudioControl Autosound products
are designed and assembled at our
factory in the Pacic Northwest,
just outside of a lile town called
Seale, Washington. By nature,
our products are rather sophis-
cated so we spend a good deal of
me training our dealers and their
installaon team. We do this so you will get the best possible results
from your AudioControl components.
To reinforce this point, if you have an Authorized AudioControl
dealer install your DQ61, we will extend the normal one-year war-
ranty to a full FIVE years parts and labor. Complete details of this
warranty are listed at the end of this manual and on our website at
www.audiocontrol.com.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled reading.

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3 2
4 5
12
15 14 10 11
9 8 7 6
1 13

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A Guided Tour of the DQ-61
1. Speaker-level Inputs: The DQ-61 has six speaker-level inputs.
These inputs get their signals from the speaker-level outputs
of your factory-installed source unit or amplier. If your source
unit has front, rear, and subwoofer signals, connect them to the
corresponding inputs on your DQ-61. If your source unit only
has front and rear signals, the AutoMode circuitry of the DQ-61
will route the Channel 2 signals to the Channel 3 (subwoofer)
outputs.
2. Input Level Controls: The DQ-61 is capable of receiving high
waage signals from factory installed source units and/or ampli-
ers. The input level controls allow you to adjust the input signal
levels for maximum audio performance of the DQ-61.
3. EqualizaonControls: To custom tune your system, the DQ-61
gives you dedicated equalizaon controls for the Front, Rear, and
Subwoofer outputs. See the secon on Equalizaon Opmiza-
on, page 20 for more details on how to set these for opmum
performance.
4. AccuBASS®Sengs:This patent pending circuit compensates for
the bass roll-o characteriscs of many factory installed source
units. The Threshold and Level controls let you determine when
the AccuBASS® circuit engages and what level of correcon to
apply. See page 26 for more informaon.
5. SignalDelayMode:This allows the user to put the DQ-61 into a
Set-Up mode and adjust the signal delay sengs using the dash
control. Turn knob to the right unl the Set-Up LED comes on.
When done, turn knob to the le, Normal seng for regular
music listening.

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6. Ground: Connect to a good, veried chassis ground (the baery
comes to mind.) Warning:Factory ground wires typically have
mulple devices connected to them so it is not recommended to
use them.
7. +12V Power: Connect to a good source of 12-volt power (the bat-
tery comes to mind)
8. Remote In: In some unusual installaons, you may not want to
use the GTO™ to turn on your system due to secondary funcons
with factory installed source unit. For these cases the DQ-61 can
be turned on remotely with a +12-volt trigger.
9. Remote Out: This outputs 12 volts with 1 amp of current when
the DQ-61 is powered up, so you can turn on external devices
like signal processors and ampliers with this wire.
10. MaximizedIndicator:This brightly colored LED indicates when
the signal level coming into your DQ-61 is just below clipping.
When properly level matched, this LED should icker occasionally
when your system is playing at its maximum volume level.
11. Power: If you have connected all of your power wires correctly,
this LED should be bright red when your system turns on.
12. RemoteLevelControlACR-3(Included):In the Set-Up mode this
control allows for seng the signal delays. In the Normal mode,
it gives control over the Subwoofer/Ch3 level output. Addion-
ally, in the Normal mode, when you tap this switch it will bypass
the equalizaon, signal delay , and AccuBASS® processing of your
DQ-61 so you can compare the sound.
13. Pre-Amp Outputs: These RCA plugs should be connected to the
next component aer the DQ-61, such as a crossover or ampli-
er. Do not connect any speakers directly to your DQ-61. (De-
nitely don’t connect to any home appliances, like your blender or
toaster.)

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14. Output Level Controls: These knobs allow you to adjust the
signal level from your source unit to match the input of your
aer-market ampliers.
15. ChannelSummedIndicators:These green (like our grass) LED
indicators let you know which channels are being summed into
the main inputs. Under the cover of your DQ-61 are jumpers that
will allow you to sum selected channels into the main and rear
channels.

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Under the Covers - Internal Jumpers
You can opmize your DQ-61 using most of the controls mounted on
the top of the chassis. However, we recognize there are situaons
where advanced users may have the need to congure the DQ-61 for
specic applicaons. Therefore we have provided a few seng that are
located under the chassis top for limited access.
WARNING: Disconnect power to the DQ-61 before the chassis top
is removed.
1 2 4
DQ-61 Jumper locations
(*shown in factory
positions)
Summing AutoMode GTO
Signal Sense Ground
Isolation
Rear
Sum
OFF
Sum
OFF
ON
OFF
Engage
OFF GND
Isolated
200
PwrMax
Sub
Line
Outputs Remote
Volume
Summing
LEDs Power
Inputs
3

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1. OutputSummingJumpers:Some factory installed audio systems
include separate ampliers that output limited bandwidth signals
that are acvely crossed over and are connected directly to
tweeters, midranges, and/or woofers. For opmum performance
you will want to combine (or sum) these separate signals into a
single full range signal. The DQ-61 facilitates this internally via
simple jumper sengs that allow you to select which input sig-
nals will be summed into the Front/Main outputs. An addional
feature is that once you move the Summing jumpers to SUM, the
audio signal coming from the Main Output will also come out of
the Channel 2 Output. When the jumper is moved to the “SUM”
posion for a selected channel, the corresponding indicator LED
on the front of the DQ-61 will turn green The shipped-from-the-
factory seng is in the OFF or non-summed posion.
2. AutoMode:Some cars have low-level or other unusual signals
on their speaker leads that may not trigger the AutoMode circuit
and result in signal switching. If this occurs you can move the
internal AutoMode jumper to “OFF”.
3. GTO™SignalSense:In some situaons, factory installed audio
systems may turn ON or “wake up” due to convenience features
like doors chimes, alarms, and cell phone signals triggering the
source. To prevent these from turning your audio system on
unexpectedly, you can bypass the GTO™ circuit by moving the
GTO™ jumper to “OFF,” and use a switched 12-volt signal con-
nected to the Remote In terminal instead. The DQ-61 ships the
GTO in the “ENGAGE” posion.
4. GroundIsolaonSelector:Alternator noise may appear in a sys-
tem because the source unit and amplier(s) are using dierent
grounding schemes. To help in this situaon, we have provided
alternave grounding connecons. Make sure your system is
turned OFF before you move these jumpers. We ship them in the
isolated posion, which usually gives the best results.

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TypicalDQ-61Installaon,usinganAudioControlLC-4.8004-channelamplierandan LC-1.800SubwooferAmplier
LC-4.800 4-Channel Amplier
Front
Front
Speaker-Level Speaker-Level
Speaker-Level
Line-Level
Line-Level
Line-Level
Front L/R
Rear
L/R
Rear
Front L/R Rear L/R
Subwoofer
Subwoofer
Rear
LC-1.800 Subwoofer Amplier
ACR-3
+ + + +
Factory Amplier

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UsingaDQ-61andTheEpicenterandampliersfromAudioControltoachieve maximumsoundqualityandbass
LC-4.800 4-Channel Amplier
Front
Front
Speaker-Level Speaker-Level
Speaker-Level
Line-Level
Line-Level
Line-Level
Front L/R
Rear
L/R
Rear
Front L/R Rear L/R
Subwoofer
Rear
LC-1.800 Subwoofer Amplier
ACR-3
+ + + +
Factory Amplier
Subwoofer
ACR-1

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Installaonwitha6XS6-ChannelCrossoverand2LC-4.800ampliers
LC-4.800 4-Channel Amplier
Front
Low-Pass
Front
Rear
Rear L/R
Front
Sub
Sub
Speaker-Level
Mono
Speaker-Level
Speaker-Level
Line-Level
Line-Level
Line-Level
Front L/R
Rear
L/R
Rear
Front Low-Pass L/R
Front High-Pass L/R
Subwoofer L/R
Rear L/R
Subwoofer
Rear
LC-4.800 4-Channel Amplier
ACR-3
6XS 6-Channel Crossover
+ +
+ +
Front
High-Pass
+ +
Factory Amplier

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Great Features of the DQ-61
SignalDelayOperaon
Because of speaker placement limitaons and the seang posion in a
car, the driver is in an incorrect acousc alignment with the speakers.
The following steps will help you correct the me alignment by delay-
ing the appropriate speakers for just a few milliseconds, so the DQ-61
is able to allow the dierent signals to arrive at the same me, pung
the driver in perfect acouscal alignment.
1. For best performance and ease of set-up, go to our website at
www.audiocontrol.com and download the DQ-61 Set-Up App
for your Apple iPhone or iPad. It’s FREE and will help take all the
guesswork out of seng up the delay. However, if you do not
have access to an iPhone or iPad you can set up the delay just by
using your ears.
2. Aer you have made all your power and ground connecons,
plug in all your inputs and outputs, turn the Signal Delay knob
on the DQ-61 chassis all the way to the right to go into Set-Up
mode. In this mode, the blue LED will blink on the ACR-3 dash
remote. (See the diagrams on the next page.)
3. You will need to make sure that all your delay sengs are set to
zero, using the following procedure: Start with the Le to Right
seng (the Red LED on the ACR-3 remote will be solid) and turn
the ACR-3 knob completely CLOCKWISE unl you no longer hear
any Mute Clicks. Once you have veried your Le to Right is set
to zero, now set your “Sub to Front” delay at zero as follows:
Simply push in the ACR-3 knob to switch from “Le to Right” to
“Sub to Front”. At this me the blue LED will connue to blink
and the red LED will turn o. Again, turn the ACR-3 knob CLOCK-
WISE unl you no longer hear any Mute Clicks. You have now set
all of the delay in the DQ-61 to zero.

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Normal Mode (ACR-3DashKnobControlstheSubOut)
NORMALLEDON
ACR-3 Both LEDs ON
• Signal Delay Engaged
• Equalizer Engaged
• AccuBASS® Engaged
ACR-3BlueLEDOnly
• Signal Delay Disengaged
• Equalizer Disengaged
• AccuBASS® Disengaged
Set-up Mode (DashKnobcontrolstheSignalDelay)
SET-UP LED ON
BlueLEDFlashing,RedLEDSolid
• Signal Delay Adjustment Le to Right
BlueLEDFlashing,RedLEDO
• Signal Delay Adjustment Sub to Front

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4. Now you need to carefully choose the source material to listen to
while seng the delay. Choose a song that has very strong vocals
and limited instruments. This will make it much easier to “move”
the image from down at your le knee where it currently exists
to up on the center of the dash where it needs to be.
5. Le/RightDelay: Push on the dash remote unl the blue LED is
blinking and the red LED is solid. With the source material play-
ing, slowly turn the ACR-3 dash control knob COUNTER CLOCK-
WISE. Each detent in the remote represents an amount of me
(in milliseconds) that you are delaying the Le Front Speaker. We
have added a small Mute Click along with the detent on the re-
mote to help you determine your amount of delay. Keep in mind
that if you think you have gone too far you can always start over.
Just turn the knob all the way clockwise to start back at zero and
slowly turn counter clockwise unl you reach your desired result.
6. Front/SubwooferDelay: Once you have dialed in your Le /
Right delay, it’s me to set up the sub. Push on the dash remote
to switch delay modes and verify that the blue LED connues
to blink but the red LED is o. Exactly like you did seng up the
front le speaker, start by slowly turning the knob counter clock-
wise to add delay to both of the front speakers. You will noce
with each Mute Click of the remote, the sub will move forward
toward the driver. Again, if you think you have gone too far or
missed that ‘sweet spot’ you can always start over by just turning
the knob back all the way clockwise and repeat the process
again.
Once you have everything where you want it you are done! Easy right?
Now just go back to the Signal Delay knob on the DQ-61 and turn it
counter clockwise back to Normal mode and you are ready to move to
the next step of set-up.

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Equalization Optimization
When it comes to music, everyone has his or her own parcular taste.
Some people want pounding bass and crisp, blood curdling highs. Oth-
ers may prefer a “at” response (whatever the heck that is). At the end
of the day, most people just want their system to sound balanced and
“just like it did in the store” or similar to their buddy’s car. The follow-
ing equalizaon guidelines should help you achieve your own personal
audio nirvana and if you are looking for more detailed informaon on
seng equalizers and small space acouscs please visit the support
secon of our website at www.audiocontrol.com.
1. For opmum performance, get
your hands on a good quality RTA
(real me analyzer); we happen
to make a really good one: the
SA-4140. If you cannot locate an
RTA, you probably want to have
your authorized AudioControl
dealer perform the equalizaon
adjustments since they will have
one. You can certainly adjust your
DQ-61 using your ears, however,
using an RTA will give you the
best results.
2. Begin playing pink noise through your system and place the mi-
crophone for your analyzer on a microphone stand in the driver’s
seat. Take a careful look at the “curve” on your analyzer and how
one frequency combines with the next. There is no one curve
that will sasfy every person, as we all have dierent tastes. The
key is to use your DQ-61 to help balance your system from one
frequency to the next and give your speakers the sparkle, sizzle,
detail or punch that the acouscs of the car have compromised.