Kicker KEYLOC User manual

KEYLOC
DSP-Powered Line Output Converter
Convertidor de salida de línea alimentado por
procesador de señales digitales (DSP)
Convertisseur de sortie ligne à processeur
de signal numérique
DSP-betriebener Line-Output-Wandler
Owner’s Manual
Manual del Propietario
Manuel d’utilisation
Benutzerhandbuch
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1English
Contents
Overview........................2
Specifications........................ 3
Before You Begin................... 4
Features.........................5
Installation ......................6
Mounting............................... 6
Wiring ................................... 7
Setup...........................10
Setting Input Level ............... 13
Signal Restoration................ 16
Error Codes ........................ 20
Line-Output Conversion....... 21
Troubleshooting............22

2English
Overview
IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING
PROLONGED CONTINUOUS OPERATION OF AN AMPLIFIER, SPEAKER, OR
SUBWOOFER IN A DISTORTED, CLIPPED OR OVER-POWERED MANNER
CAN CAUSE YOUR AUDIO SYSTEM TO OVERHEAT, POSSIBLY CATCHING
FIRE AND RESULTING IN SERIOUS DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPONENTS
AND/OR VEHICLE. AMPLIFIERS REQUIRE UP TO 4 INCHES (10CM) OPEN
VENTILATION. SUBWOOFERS SHOULD BE MOUNTED WITH AT LEAST 1
INCH (2.5CM) CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE FRONT OF THE SPEAKER AND
ANY SURFACE. KICKER PRODUCTS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SOUND
LEVELS THAT CAN PERMANENTLY DAMAGE YOUR HEARING! TURNING UP A
SYSTEM TO A LEVEL THAT HAS AUDIBLE DISTORTION IS MORE DAMAGING
TO YOUR EARS THAN LISTENING TO AN UNDISTORTED SYSTEM AT THE
SAME VOLUME LEVEL. THE THRESHOLD OF PAIN IS ALWAYS AN INDICATOR
THAT THE SOUND LEVEL IS TOO LOUD AND MAY PERMANENTLY DAMAGE
YOUR HEARING. PLEASE USE COMMON SENSE WHEN CONTROLLING
VOLUME.
The revolutionary KEYLOC is not your standard LOC.
In addition to providing you with a preamp-level signal
for use with aftermarket amplifiers, the KEYLOC
revolutionizes audio integration into OEM systems.
The KEYLOC does this with a tuning process
that automatically detects the available frequency
response from the input signal and, if desired,
corrects factory EQ settings, creating a linear signal. It
also detects and defeats factory settings like All-Pass
filters and time delay.
This DSP-powered mobile audio multitool strips the
factory audio of coloration while attenuating and
maximizing available frequencies to achieve a full-
range signal. This allows you to get to the important
work of tuning your audio system with the ease and
confidence that come from knowing you’re working
with a clean signal.
With a simple, step-by-step detection and calibration
process, your aftermarket installs are about to get a
lot easier, with results you can hear!

3English
Model: KEYLOC
Rated Output per channel
1KHz @ 14.4V, ≤ 1% THD+N 10V
Length [in, cm] 5-1/2, 14
Height [in, cm] 1-3/8, 3.5
Width [in, cm] 2-3/4, 7.1
Frequency Response 20Hz–20kHz
Signal-to-Noise Ratio >90dB, A-weighted, re: rated
power
Input Sensitivity Lo: 250mV–10V - Fixed 60Ω Load
Hi: 1V–40V
Specifications

4English
Before You Begin
There are multiple audio tracks you will need to
download from Kicker.com to get the most out of
the KEYLOC. Please use the following link
https://www.kicker.com/test-tones to download these
tracks:
• Full test
• Gain Match
• Noise floor
Optional Tracks:
• Pink Noise
• 20Hz - 20kHz sweep track

5English
Features
The KEYLOC is a 2-channel DSP based active line
output converter with the following features.
Automatic Turn-on: DC offset remote input turn-on,
and remote output turn-on (100mA) to turn on other
products.
Frequency Response Correction: Smooths
frequency response of two channels from your
source unit via EQ correction. It can fix EQs with Qs
ranging from 0.5-10 with up to +/- of 12dB of boost
or cut.
Factory Time Delay Defeat: Ranging from .06mS
– 10mS, the algorithm is accurate down to .06mS.
ALL-Pass Filter Defeat: The KEYLOC can correct
up to three all-pass filters on one channel. The
All-pass filters can have a Q ranging from 0.5–3.5,
as long as they do not interact with the other All-Pass
filter’s phase.
Passive Frequency Detection: Before running the
KEYLOC setup process, it is in passive frequency
detection mode. You can use this mode to detect
what band of frequencies are available on the given
speaker outputs that the KEYLOC is connected to.
Input Level: The speaker inputs are capable of
receiving either HI or LO level signals from your
source unit. When using a HI-Level signal, simply
press the Input Level switch on the amplifier to HI.

6English
Installation
Mounting
Choose a structurally sound location to mount the
KEYLOC. Make sure there are no items behind the
area where the screws will be driven. If possible,
mount the KEYLOC behind the dash or in the climate-
controlled passenger compartment. Drill four holes
using a 7/64” (3mm) bit and use the supplied #8
screws to mount.

7English
Wiring
Disconnect the vehicle’s battery to avoid an electrical
short. Then connect the ground wire to the KEYLOC.
Make the ground wire short, 24” (60cm) or less, and
connect it to a paint-and-corrosion-free, solid, metal
area of the vehicle’s chassis. Install a 2A fuse
between the KEYLOC and the power source. The
fuse should be within 18” (45cm) of the power source
and in-line with the harness’ yellow power cable,
which is connected to the KEYLOC. Keep the audio
signal cable away from factory wiring harnesses and
other power wiring. If you need to cross this wiring,
cross it at a 90-degree angle. Connect your source
unit’s speaker outputs to the KEYLOC speaker
inputs. When interfacing into factory speaker wires it
is recommended to splice and solder, if you need to
use wire taps make sure you use proper sized wire
taps to ensure a solid connection.
12V
battery
fuse
R+
L+
R-
L-
remote in
(from source unit
remote out
(to amplifier)
input sensitivity
LO
HI
bare-metal
chassis
ground
ground
≤18”
(45cm)
speaker level inputs
(from source unit)

8English
Connect the preamp-level RCA outputs to your
amplifier.
RCA Outputs (to amplifier)
USB for internal use only
Testing for DC Offset: If your head unit has a
remote output you can connect this to the remote
input of the KEYLOC. If your head unit does not have
a remote output, the KEYLOC can use the DC offset
that is present on the speaker outputs of most factory
head units. To measure for DC offset, connect your
voltmeter’s negative lead to the vehicle’s chassis
ground, the positive lead to the speaker wire you are
interfacing with, and set the voltmeter to ‘DC volts’.
When the source unit you’re using is on, you should
see DC voltage from between 2.5V–6V. The KEYLOC
will sense this DC offset to turn on, and output 12V
on its own remote output (up to 100mA) to turn on
your aftermarket amplifier(s). If tools are unavailable,
please see page 16.
This simple test will determine if you need to connect
the Remote Turn-On lead to a switched +12V DC
source, or if you can depend on DC Offset Turn-On
to turn the KEYLOC on and off.

9English
The radio must be on (a low volume setting is fine for
this test). Set your voltmeter to measure DC Voltage.
Connect one of your voltmeter’s test probes to a
speaker lead and the other probe to chassis ground.
There should be a DC voltage present on your
speaker lead. The DC Voltage must be between 2.5
and 6V DC to be able to turn the KEYLOC on. If it
is the red Remote Turn-On wire does not need to
be used. The KEYLOC will sense this DC offset to
turn on, and output +12V on its remote output (up to
100mA) to turn on your aftermarket amplifier(s).
IMPORTANT: If the DC Voltage you measure is
less than 2.5V, the KEYLOC DC offset turn on
function will not operate reliably. If this is the
case, you will need to find a +12V DC switched
circuit in the vehicle and connect the RED
remote turn-on wire to that switched circuit.
voltmeter
chassis ground
source unit

10English
Passive Frequency Detection is ready when
the KEYLOC first powers up. We recommend you
perform this test right away to confirm the wires that
you’ve found have the signal you need for the given
application.
NOTE: If you need a full-range signal and there isn’t
one available, you will have to use multiple KEYLOCs
and sum their outputs together externally.
To perform this test, you need the Pink Noise test
track from https://www.kicker.com/test-tones. Shorter
tracks will work, but longer tracks like this will give you
more time to perform the test.
1. Turn the INPUT gain adjustment on top of the
KEYLOC all the way down.
2. Turn the factory source unit volume to at least 50%.
3. Play the Pink Noise test track.
4. Turn the INPUT adjustment up slowly until you see
LEDs 1, 2, and/or 3 illuminate. (LED 4 will remain off)
The Status LEDs will serve as a three-band Real-
Time Analyzer (RTA), confirming what frequencies are
included with the signal into which you have tapped.
Setup

11English
NOTE: If you see one or two LEDs on, but you have
to turn the INPUT adjustment up a great deal to get
the others to turn on, this means that the signal is
not full-range and the KEYLOC may have difficulty
restoring it to full-range. This is only a concern if the
system requires a full-range signal. If you are installing
a subwoofer system, it is essential that the “1-LOW”
LED comes on. This indicates you have bass - but
it is not essential that 2-MID or 3-HIGH LEDs come
on if you are using the KEYLOC for a subwoofer only
application.
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ
Power | Low | Mid | High | EQ
Status LEDs

12English
Frequency Detection
Low Mid High
20Hz–200Hz 200Hz–2kHz 2kHz–20kHz
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ
Bass frequencies only
Mid & High frequencies only
High frequencies only

13English
Setting Input Level
Testing the output voltage of the source unit
before selecting the input level setting is highly
recommended to determine whether the KEYLOC
needs to be in HI or LO level input mode. In general, if
your input signal is coming from the audio source unit
use the LO Level Input Sensitivity setting, or if your
input signal is coming from a factory amplifier use the
HI Level Input Sensitivity setting. The LO range can
accept 250mV-10V. The HI range can accept 1V –
40 V. If no tools are available, please go to page 16. If
you’re not sure what the output voltage is, please use
the following process:
Testing Audio Source Output Voltage: This will
tell you whether to set the INPUT level setting switch
to HI or LO. This can be done with a voltmeter as
used above or an oscilloscope.
To use a voltmeter, change the setting on the meter
to measure AC Voltage. Connect the positive lead
of the meter to the speaker + and the negative lead
to the speaker –. Turn the source unit up to max
volume playing a O dB sinewave test tone. Because
factory source units have equalization applied to
their outputs not every frequency will have the same
output voltage. Because of this, we suggest doing
this test with a 20Hz - 20kHz sweep track. This track
will sweep from 20Hz to 20kHz to let you find the
highest voltage over the entire audio band and can be
downloaded from https://www.kicker.com/test-tones.

14English
Optional Testing for Audio Source Clipping
Point with an Oscilloscope: This test will tell you
where to set the volume knob of the factory source
unit during the KEYLOC setup process. This can
be used instead of the previous process with the
voltmeter to tell you if the INPUT Level switch should
be in the HI or LO setting.
IMPORTANT: If the signal coming out of the
factory source unit is clipping, the KEYLOC
setup process will fail to correctly fix the
signal!
If you have an oscilloscope, use the method below
to get the best results on the first try. If you do not
have access to an oscilloscope, please go to Signal
Restoration on page 16.
NOTE: Don’t do this test with the factory speakers
connected, and ensure the speaker leads are not
shorted together.
1. Connect your oscilloscope probes across the
speaker (+) and (–) leads as shown.
2. Set the oscilloscope to read AC Voltage.
3. Set the tone controls in your factory source unit’s
menu control to 0 or their neutral position.
oscilloscope
source unit

15English
4. Once your test equipment is ready, play the 20Hz -
20kHz sweep track.
5. Turn up the volume of the source unit until you see
clipping of the waveform (this is when the tops and
bottoms of the sine wave starts to be cut off).
6. Turn the volume down one or two clicks from that
point. Note the AC Voltage indicated, and the volume
level indicated on the factory source unit.
7. IMMEDIATELY turn down the volume to a low level.
This volume setting represents your maximum “clean”
output level on the factory audio source. Use this
volume setting for the correcting signal step below.
Advise your customer that volume settings above this
level will introduce distortion into the audio path and
will not sound as clean as below this volume level.
NOTE: If the voltage measured in this test is higher
than 10V AC, you MUST set the input level switch to
HI. If the voltage is below 1V AC, you MUST set the
input level switch to LO.
12V
input sensitivity
LO
HI
In the LO setting range, there is a 60Ω load applied
for use with newer smart radios that shut off their
outputs if they do not detect a speaker connected to
the source unit. If there is a need to load a source
unit that has an output voltage greater than 10V,
please use the KISLOAD products instead of the
KEYLOC’s built in load resistors.

16English
Signal Restoration
Correcting Signal: This 12-step process uses the
KEYLOC’s internal DSP to correct factory equalization,
time delay, or phase processing. It takes between
5–10 minutes in most applications to complete. This
process requires you to be able to see the Status
LEDs clearly, as well as access to the INPUT and
OUTPUT gain adjustments, HI/LO switch, and KEY
button on the KEYLOC
IMPORTANT: To perform this step, if you have
not already downloaded them you will need
three tracks from www.kicker.com/test-tones:
GainMatch NoiseFloor FullTest
This is the order in which you will use these files, so
this is the order you should use when saving them to
a USB stick or burning them to an Audio CD.
NOTE: There are both MP3 and WAV files available.
NOTE: If you press the KEY button at the wrong time
during this process, you will get an error code - all
blue LEDs blinking. If this happens, press and release
the KEY button to exit the process, and then start
over from the beginning.
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ

17English
NOTE: At the beginning of this process, the outputs
of the KEYLOC are muted. At the end of this process,
the KEYLOC will begin to pass audio.
Turn the OUTPUT gain adjustment down!
1. Turn down the INPUT GAIN and OUTPUT GAIN
adjustments - fully counterclockwise.
2. Set the Factory Source Unit’s volume knob - set it
to the maximum clean volume level that is not clipped
as confirmed in the previous steps. If you didn’t test
for clipping, set radio volume to 75%.
3. In the factory source unit’s audio menu, confirm
the Bass and Treble and Balance and Fader controls,
and any Equalizer controls, are all set to 0 or their
neutral position. Turn off any settings such as speed-
compensated volume, or any audio processing you
don’t intend to use with the upgraded system.
4. Press and Hold the KEY button for 8 seconds. The
LEDs will sweep from 1 to 4, and then illuminate 2,
1+2, 1+2+3, and then 1-4 together.
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ

18English
5. Release the KEY button. LED 1 will illuminate; LED
2-4 will turn off. You are now in the KEYLOC’s Gain
match mode.
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ
6. Play the GainMatch track.
7. Slowly turn the INPUT gain knob clockwise until
either LED 3 or 4 turn on. Once they do, slowly turn
back the knob counterclockwise until both LED
3 and 4 turn off. Closely watch both LEDs for 10
seconds - they often will illuminate again, and this
means you must turn the knob counterclockwise an
additional amount until both LEDs remain off for a full
10 seconds. If both LEDs remain on at all times or
remain off at all times regardless of the gain setting,
check the position of the HI/LO button is set to the
proper setting given the source unit’s output voltage.
If they remain off regardless of the position of the HI/
LO button, check your connections.
PWR
1-LOW
2-MID
3-HIGH
4-EQ
LEDs 3 and/or 4 on LEDs 3 and 4 off
Once both LEDs 3 and 4 stop blinking you have
properly set the INPUT sensitivity.
8. Stop track: GainMatch, then play track: Noisefloor
9. Press the KEY Button. LED 1 will begin to blink.
When the Noise floor is detected, LED1 will stop
blinking and LED2 will start blinking.

19English
10. Play track: FullTest. While the track is running you
will see the LEDs progress from LED1 to LED4. The
FullTest track is 22 minutes long to accommodate
for many applications, however most corrections will
take between three to eight minutes. Here is what to
expect during this test.
a. LED 2 will be solid 10–20 seconds then
(first EQ correction sweep)
b. LED 3 will be solid for 30–90 seconds.
(second EQ correction sweep)
c. LED 4 will be solid for 30–90 seconds.
(final EQ sweep)
d. LED 3 and 4 will light up between 30–240
seconds (AllPass and Time delay detection)
e. The LEDs will begin to flash once the KEYLOC
has collected enough data and is processing the
test results.
11. The LEDs will sweep back and forth when the
KEYLOC has completed its calculations, and audio
will begin passing. Press the KEY button to exit the
set-up mode.
12. LED 4 will turn on to indicate the EQ correction
is running. LEDs 1 – 3 will light up to indicate the
available frequency ranges.
To toggle the EQ correction ON/OFF, press the KEY
button once. If LED4 is ON, EQ correction is on. If
LED 4 is OFF, EQ correction is off.
To reset the KEYLOC to factory: Enter the main
menu by pressing and holding the KEY button for 6
seconds. You will see the LEDs sweep from 1 – 4.
Release the KEY Button and LED 1 will light up. Click
the KEY button until LED 3 is illuminated. Hold the