Coustic 320QE, & 480QE owner manual Features

Welcome

…to the Coustic world of power and clarity. These new Coustic QE Series 4-channel power amplifiers deliver the cleanest music you’ve ever heard at any power level in the 12-volt environ- ment.

Besides their sleek contoured design, the new 320/480QE power amplifiers offer the latest and most sophisticated audio features. This booklet offers you a guided tour of all these exciting fea- tures. For the best sonic reproduction, please follow the installation suggestions and recommen- dations as closely as possible. The time you spend will prove to be worthwhile when you sit back and enjoy the high fidelity music!

To further explore the potential of your Coustic amplifier, we recommend you match it with our full-feature high performance AM/FM CD/cassette source units, dynamic full-range speakers or subwoofers, state-of-the-art equalizers and electronic crossovers.

Whatever you need for your ultimate car audio system, look to Coustic - we have the fullest range of car audio components to meet the most critical demands.

Coustic...a sound investment.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronically, mechanically, or otherwise, without the prior written permis- sion of Mitek Corporation or Coustic.

Please take a moment to complete and mail in the Owners’ Registration Card. (The serial num- ber of your amplifier is marked on the bottom of its metal chassis.) Please also record the serial number of your amplifier in the space provided below and keep this manual for future reference.

Serial Number: ________________________________________________________________

Date of Purchase: ______________________________________________________________

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FEATURES

MULTI-FUNCTION / MULTI-CHANNEL CIRCUIT DESIGN

The 4-channel 320/480QE amplifier can be configured as a 4-, 3- or 2-channel amplifier with built-in high-pass/low-pass filters. Each of the front and rear stereo amplifiers can be bridged to provide maximum system design flexibility. With the filters switched off, this amplifier can be configured as 2 separate quasi 3-channel amplifiers where each amplifier is capable of simultaneous mono (subwoofer) and stereo (mid-range) operation.

BUILT-IN ELECTRONIC CROSSOVER WITH CONTINUOUSLY ADJUSTABLE CROSSOVER FREQUENCIES

You have the choice of selecting full-range, high-pass only or low-pass only. These filters feature 18 dB per octave high-pass and low-pass. Furthermore, the crossover frequencies are continuously variable for fine-tuning of your audio system.

OVER-CURRENT, SHORT CIRCUIT AND DC OFFSET PROTECTION

The sophisticated circuitry monitors abnormal conditions such as voltage spikes, oscillation, DC offset or short circuit. When any of these undesirable conditions exceed their respective preset limits, the circuit will shut down the audio system briefly and light up the protection indicator to identify the problem for immediate attention. Once the problem is resolved, the amplifier will resume operation automatically.

TRIPLE DARLINGTON HIGH CURRENT/HIGH VOLTAGE FULLY COMPLEMENTARY OUTPUT STAGE

Complementary output stage audio circuitry has long been a hallmark of "exotic" home amplifier design. Coustic is one of the very few car audio manufacturers to incorporate such elaborate audio circuitry into its power amplifiers. Triple Darlington configuration ensures the audio amplifier is always operating under optimum conditions.

LINE OUTPUTS

The full-range line outputs can be used to feed signals to another amplifier for your future expansion or for setting up a more sophisticated system.

WIDE RANGE INPUT SENSITIVITY ADJUSTMENT

The input sensitivity level of the Coustic QE Series amplifiers can be easily varied from as low as 100 mV to as high as 5.0 volts by adjusting the control on the End Panel.

HIGH/LOW IMPEDANCE INPUT

If you are using a floating or common ground car stereo, these amplifiers are the best fit for your system. They are compatible with floating or common ground car stereo speaker outputs even without a floating ground adapter. If, in the future, you decide to change to a higher quality after market source unit with RCA pre-amp outputs (like the Coustic CD527), this same amplifier is there to give you improved frequency response and better sonic performance.

STABLE INTO 2-OHM LOADS

With the over-designed power supply section and a sophisticated power management circuitry, these amplifiers can maintain their stability even in the highly reactive low impedance environment.

ADJUSTABLE BASS BOOST

This feature allows you to enhance the bass performance of your sound system. The control is continuously variable with a maximum boost level of 18 dB.

BUILT-IN REMOTE SUBWOOFER LEVEL CONTROL PORT (not available on 320QE) This amplifier has a built-in remote subwoofer level control input port. With the optional RS remote control, the subwoofer output level can be adjusted to compensate for bass fluctuations in a moving vehicle.

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