MTX THUNDERFORM User manual

CHEVY TAHOE
Also Fits Yukon and Escalade
Warranty Statement
ThunderForm Loaded Enclosures purchased in the USA from an authorized MTX dealer are
guaranteed against defects in material and workmanship for a period of two years from the date
purchased by the end user, and limited to the original retail purchaser of the product.
Amplified ThunderForm Enclosures purchased in the United States from an authorized MTX dealer
are guaranteed against defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year from the date
purchased by the end user, and limited to the original retail purchaser of the product.
Product found to be defective during that period will be repaired or replaced by MTX at no charge.
This warranty is void if it is determined that unauthorized parties have attempted repairs or altera-
tions of any nature. Warranty does not extend to cosmetics or finish. Before presuming a defect is
present in the product, be certain that all related equipment and wiring is functioning properly. MTX
disclaims any liability for other incurred damages resulting from product defects. Any expenses
incurred in the removal and reinstallation of products are not covered by this warranty. MTX's total
liability will not exceed the purchase price of the product. If a defect is present, your authorized MTX
dealer may be able to effect repairs.
Proof of purchase is required when requesting service, so please retain your sales receipt and take
a moment to register your product online at MTX.com. Also, a Return Authorization number (RA)
is required before shipping product back to MTX, call 800-556-2888 or 608-328-5560 for speaker
RA's.
21A8626
Vehicle Specific Subwoofer Enclosure
Made in the USA
One Mitek Plaza, Winslow, IL. 61089
1-800-225-5689 mtx.com

READ ALL DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE BEGINNING
MOUNTING LOCATION: The enclosure mounts behind rear quarter panel,
under rear window, on drivers' side of cargo area. Side-firing in the Tahoe,
Yukon and Escalade SUV's.
TOOLS REQUIRED FOR INSTALLATION:
Powered Screwdriver #2 Phillips Head Bit
6" Bit Holder Extension 10mm Socket
Socket Wrench 7mm Socket
Felt Tip Pen Cutting Tool (Grill Installation)
INSTALLATION: Follow the steps below
1. Slide front seats to full forward position and fold down rear seat. This will give
you more room to work with.
2. Remove the upper and lower plastic trim in cargo area. Pull with slow, steady
pressure to release the clips that hold the trim into place.
3. Remove the rear upper speaker panel and unplug the speaker.
4. Next, you will need to remove the rear side panel under the drivers' side rear
window. Remove the cargo hanger, round body clip and a 7mm screw. Pull the
panel away from the window with steady outward pressure.
26. Once the enclosure is mounted and the grill is in place, reinstall all panels
and trim reverse of removal.
27. Screw down the jack bracket and secure jack in rear storage compartment.
Use the included mounting strap to secure jack tools under rear drivers' side
seat.
For technical assistance call 1-800-CALL MTX.
These instructions are guidelines only and in no way are intended to replace a
professional installation. As always before screwing or drilling check to make sure
you will not damage any wires or hoses or cause damage to the vehicle.
Warning: Batteries normally produce explosive gases which can cause personal
injury. Therefore, do not allow flames, sparks or lighted substances to come near
the battery. When charging or working near a battery, always shield your face and
protect your eyes. Always provide ventilation.
Conventional Wiring of Aftermarket Radio
_+
20 Amp Fuse
Low Level Signal
Turn On Lead
20A
PWRGNDRE M
EBC
INPUT
RIGHTLEFT
GAINX-OVER
STATUS
Optional EBC
(Electronic Bass Control)
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5. Remove the two 10mm bolts that hold Jack mounting bracket to the floor.
Remove Jack and tools and place them aside, they will be reinstalled in step 27.
6. If your vehicle includes a factory installed woofer in this location it must be
uninstalled. Do this by unplugging the speaker wires, removing the two 10mm
bolts and lifting the enclosure up and out from the vehicle.
7. With the power screw driver and Phillips head bit, mount the included hard-
ware on your new subwoofer enclosure as shown below.
8. Place enclosure under the rear window, over the wheel well and secure in
place with the included hardware.
9. If externally amplified, make speaker connections to the enclosure from the
amplifier, positive to red terminal and negative to black terminal.
AMPLIFIED THUNDERFORM
Routing Power Wire; we recommend a connection directly to the battery.
10. Remove drivers' side and passengers' side threshold trim, pull up on trim,
it will remove easily.
11. Using furnished wiring harness route 10ga red power wire starting at pre-
amp location. Route wire to drivers' side, over to threshold and under carpet to
front of vehicle.
12. Open hood.
13. Drill a hole through the fire wall. Locate a spot low on the fire wall on the
passengers' side. You should always look to find a clear path. Drill a hole from
inside of the vehicle into the engine compartment and insert grommet. You may
also find a pre-existing, unused rubber grommet in this location that you can pass
the wire through.
Note: To avoid any damage to parts inside engine compartment, drill from
inside of vehicle using a short bit.
Setting Gain
Turn gain knob on ThunderForm pre-amp to minimum, counter clockwise.
Play a favorite tape or compact disc that contains consistent music and bass.
At this point, adjust Bass and Treble settings to neutral or flat. Turn the source
unit to maximum listening level. You should know that some source units will
produce distortion or "clip" before the unit reaches maximum volume. Reduce
volume to the loudest listening level before distortion. Turn the gain knob on the
ThunderForm pre-amp clockwise until the speaker starts to distort and reduce
gain to loudest listening level before distortion.
Optional- The EBC, or Electronic Bass Control, allows a remote bass control to
be adjusted from the drivers' seat.
Setting Crossover
You should set the crossover to your own personal listening taste. The cross-
over is adjustable to any frequency between 50Hz (counterclockwise) to 150Hz
(clockwise). As a guideline, the goal is to create the illusion of bass up front. The
higher the crossover point the more “audibly visible” your sub is going to be. Take
your time and really listen to your system, grab a soda and a few of your favorite
tunes and have fun.
TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS IF AMP DOES NOT TURN ON
Check all connections at battery and that fuse is installed
Check speaker wire connections
Check ground
Check fuse on pre-amp
25. To install the grill, use the included template to trace onto the panel. Carefully
cut out plastic leaving grill mounting tabs in place. Secure the grill from the back
side of panel with included screws. To avoid damage to panel or grill, do not over
tighten screws.
Before cutting, equip yourself with proper hand and face protection
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14. Route 10ga red power wire through a grommet into the engine compart-
ment.
Firewall
Battery
Drill Hole
for Grommet
15. Route 10ga power wire through engine compartment safely away from any
moving or hot parts that could damage the wire.
16. Cut 10ga red power wire to length, connect the supplied fuse holder from the
wire kit to the end of the wire.
17. Remove 20amp fuse from MTX fuse holder. Connect furnished ring terminal
to positive side of battery. Remove 10mm nut from factory battery terminal. Place
ring terminal on battery post and retighten nut.
Ignition OFF When Disconnecting Battery
Always turn the ignition OFF when connecting or disconnecting battery cables.
Failing to do so may damage electronic components.
18. Ground amplifier to chassis of vehicle; connect the terminal provided to the
10ga black wire from furnished wiring harness. A good ground is as important as
the power connection. The ground should be as short as possible and the contact
point should be free of paint and debris.
As always, before screwing or drilling check to make sure you will not dam-
age any wires, hoses or cause damage to the vehicle.
Factory Speaker Wire Colors
19. At the factory installed subwoofer, locate the four speaker wires wrapped
in black tape. Wire colors for the left rear speakers are: Brown (positive) and
Yellow (negative). The right rear speaker wire colors are: Dark Blue (positive)
and Light Blue (negative). Tap into wires with the supplied RCA High Level input
wires and route under the carpet to pre-amp of enclosure.
Although, MTX has made every effort to assure proper wiring colors, MTX is not
responsible for any changes made by the vehicle manufacturer which sometime
occur. If wiring colors do not match then physical verification is required.
CONNECTION TO ENCLOSURE
20. Connect speaker wire RCA's to the inputs of pre-amp.
Note: Patented BTL turn on circuitry- amplifier senses DC offset provided by “high
powered” or BTL type head units. This feature turns the amplifier on automatically
if you are using high level inputs.
_+
20 Amp Fuse
20A
PWRGNDRE M
EBC
INP U T
RIG H TLE F T
GAINX-OVER
STATUS
STRIPED
SOLID
SOLID Brown (+)
Yellow (-)
Light Blue (-)
Dark Blue (+)
Optional EBC
(Electronic Bass Control)
21. Plug power wire harness into amplifier pre-amp.
2 0 A
P W RG N DR E M
E B C
INPUT
RIGHTLEFT
GAINX-OVER
STATUS
22. Replace 20amp fuse under hood.
23. When amp turns on, LED will display red during diagnostic mode, and then
green, signaling amp is on and functioning. Amp will only turn on when radio is
on.
24. Adjust gain and crossover.
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