Rockford Fosgate PA-1HD User manual

Dear Customer:
Congratulations on your purchase of America’s finest car audio components. At Rockford
Fosgate we are committed to musical reproduction at its best, and we are pleased you chose
our product. Through years of engineering expertise, hand craftsmanship and critical
testing procedures we have produced a wide range of products that reproduce music with
all the clarity and richness you deserve.
For maximum performance we recommend you have your new Rockford Fosgate product
installed by an Authorized Rockford Fosgate Dealer, as we provide specialized training
through Rockford Technical Training Institute (RTTI). The length and nature of your
warranty are dramatically affected if you install the product yourself. Please read your
warranty and return your receipt and original carton for possible future use.
For your musical enjoyment, Rockford Fosgate offers everything from two channel
Punch
®
amplifiers, the more powerful four channel Power amplifiers, to three lines of
speakers: Pro Series, The Punch
®
, and Series One™, In addition, we offer two-, three- and
four-way speaker systems, and subwoofer and full range enclosures. For sound reproduc-
tion at its best, we offer signal processors: equalizers, pre-amps, and crossovers.
To insure overall installation quality, Rockford provides top quality wire, connectors,
carpet, grille cloth, “Colours” speaker grilles and amplifier shrouds, high output alterna-
tors, and many more accessories through our Perfect Interface division.
To add the finishing
touch to your new Rockford Fosgate image, order your Rockford
P.0.P which includes everything from t-shirts and jackets, to key chains and neon hats.
To get a free brochure on Rockford Fosgate products and Rockford P.O.P., please call 602-
967-3565 or FAX [phone].
And Remember.. .
PRACTICE SAFE SOUND™
CONTINUOUS EXPOSURE TO SOUND PRESSURE LEVELS OVER 100dB
MAY CAUSE PERMANENT HEARING LOSS. HIGH-POWEREDAUTOSOUND
SYSTEMS MAY PRODUCE SOUND PRESSURE LEVELS WELL OVER 130dB.
USE COMMON SENSE AND PRACTICE SAFE SOUND.

INTRODUCTION
The Rockford Fosgate PA-l HD / PA-1 is an automotive stereo
pre-amplifier which will provide state-of-the-art sound in cars,
vans, boats, or wherever a 9 to 16 volt battery is available.
The Punch®adjustable input circuits are designed to match
almost any music source, from low preamp levels to speaker
levels, with negligible noise.
Three rotary potentiometers control bass,
midbass, and treble
equalization circuits specially designed to compensate for the
response errors present in most mobile installations.
Unlike conventional tone controls, the
Punch
®equalization cor-
rects the specific problems of poor low bass response, mid-bass
bulge, and high frequency
rolloff. The result is full-range sound
without excessive boost in areas where it is not needed.

FEATURES DESCRIPTION (PA-1 HD pictured)
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Volume Control
Front to rear fader, along with a non-faded output.
Bass equalizer designed to compensate for the special
acoustic problems of automobiles
L.E.D. lights (differs slightly on PA-l)
Midbass equalizer designed to address the mid bass
bulge common to most cars
Treble control to set the desired level of brilliance
Input:
-1: Tape -2: CD
CD switchable input gain
Tape switchable gain
Clipping indicators adjustable gain
CD inputs
Tape Inputs
Non-faded Outputs
Rear Outputs
Front Outputs
Power Connection (White Wire)
Ground Connection (Black Wire)
Turn-on Connection (Red Wire)
Adjustable gains for optimum signal to noise ratio.
Full floating supply for superior noise ratio.
Handcrafted in U.S.A.

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INPUT LEVEL CONTROLS
The PA-l HD / PA-1 input level controls are accessible with a
jeweler’s screwdriver through four holes in the cover (left and
right tape [#9] and left and right compact disc [#8]). The controls
are factory preset to a level which matches most 500 millivolt to
1 Volt rated preamp-output source units.
If you are using the speaker-out leads of the source unit, turn the
PA-l HD / PA-l input controls fully counterclockwise to their
minimum gain position.
If the volume control of the source is “touchy” and/or noisy-that
is, if just a little volume from the source drives the system into
distortion-reduce the PA-l HD/PA-l input gaincontrols so thatthe distortion is not audible until the source volume is at about
3/4 of its rotation.
If maximum volume from the source won’t drive the amplifier
into distortion, increase the PA-l HD
/ PA-l input gain controls
until distortion is audible at about 3/4 volume.
CLIPPING LEVEL INDICATORS
The PA-l HD / PA-l clipping level indicator [#10] controls are
accessible with a jeweler’s screwdriver through a hole in the
cover. The controls are factory preset to a level which matches
most 400 millivolt input amplifiers.
The best way to adjust the clipping indicators is to hook an
oscilloscope to the output of the amplifier and turn the pot until
the clipping lights (the two outside red lights) just flash when the
amplifier starts to clip. Without an oscilloscope, adjust the
controls so that the clipping indicators flash before clipping
becomes audible.

TURN-ON CONNECTION
(RED WIRE)
The PA-l HD / PA-l is turned on by applying Positive 12 Volts
to the red wire
[#18]. Usually, the red wire is connected to the
source unit’s “Accessory” or “Auto-Antenna” lead, either of
which will go positive when the source is turned on.
Although the majoriiy of high-quality automotive source units
have an Accessory or Auto-Antenna output, there are many
which may require different turn-on methods. If the source has
no Auto-Antenna lead (or if Auto-Antenna goes down during
tape operation):
a.) Find the internal switched power voltage inside the source
unit and solder a lead to it. Run the lead out through the
back of the unit (being sure to use a grommet for insulation
from the case) and connect to the pre-amplifier turn-on
wire.
b)
Or: install a switch in the car with one terminal connected
to
+12 volts and the other to the PA-1 HD / PA-1 red lead.
c) Or: Connect the PA-1 HD/ PA-l red lead to accessory point
at the vehicle’s fuse block. In this case the pre-amplifier will
be on wheneverthe vehicle is on. This method will allow the
system to amplify any noise and turn-on and turn-off trans-
ients, and may therefore be unsatisfactory.

POWER CONNECTION
(WHITE WIRE)
The White wire [#16] must be connected directly to a positive
terminal of the battery or to the fuse block to provide a power
source with a low voltage drop and low noise. If the power wire
must be extended, use only 18-gauge or larger wire and make
a good splice.
It is best to use as short a wire run as possible. DO NOT run the
power wire next to the input cabling to the pre-amplifier: it will
induce noise.
Avoid running the White power wire near the radio’s antenna or
power leads, or near sensitive equipment or harnesses. The
White power wire could induce noise.
The White wire is provided with an in-line
3/4 ampere fuse. Do
not use a larger fuse or the pre-amplifier will not be adequately
protected.
GROUND CONNECTION
(BLACK WIRE)
The ground wire [#17] must be connected directly to the vehicle
chassis, near the pre-amplifier. Ground loops are aggravated
by the length of the ground wire or any resistance in the ground
path. For this reason we do not recommend extending the
ground wire in any installation.
The ground point in the car should be a piece of chassis metal
that is welded to the main body of the vehicle. Painted surfaces
should be scraped or sanded clean before the ground lug is
bolted down. (Cover the bare-metal area with paint or grease to
prevent rust .)
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SPECIFICATIONS
NOISE:
Signal to nose less than -9OdB.
DISTORTION:
Less than 0.01%THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion & Noise).
PREAMP FREQUENCY RESPONSE:
All controls flat: 20Hz to 10,000 Hz ±.5dB
EQUALIZER CONTROLS:
Bass Equalizer: ±l2dB at 45Hz
Midbass:
±l2dB at 180Hz
Treble: ±12dB at 20,000Hz
CURRENT DRAW:
250 milli-Amperes.
DIMENSIONS: PA-1 HD
6.850” x 3.6” x 1”
174mm x 91.4mm x 25.4mm
DIMENSIONS: PA-1
6.75” x 3.5” x 1.5”
171.4mm x 88.9mm x 38.1mm
NOTE: Specifications subject to change without notice.