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KA-1000-THX AMPLIFIER
I M P O R TA N T S A F E T Y IN S T R U C T IO N S
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 ONL Y with dry cloth.
7. DO NOT block an y ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer's
instructions.
8. DO NOT install near an y heat sources such as radiators, heat reg isters, stoves, or other
a pparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.
9 . DO NOT defea t the safet y pu rp ose of the p olar ized or gr oun din g type pl ug. A pol ari zed p lu g
has tw o b lades w ith one wid er than th e oth e r. A gr ound in g ty p e plu g h as two bl ades an d a
th ir d gr ound in g pr ong . The wi der b lad e o r the thir d p ron g are p rovid ed for your saf ety . I f
th e provi ded p lug does n o t fit in to your outlet, con sul t an e lectr ic ian for repl acement of th e
o b solete outlet.
10. PROTECT the power cord from being walked on or pinched, particularly at plugs,
convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the a pparatus.
11. ONL Y USE attachments/accessories specified b y the manufacturer .
12. USE only with a cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or ta ble specified by the manufacturer , or sold
with the a pparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/a ppa -
ratus combination to a void injury from tip-over .
13. UNPLUG this a pparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
14. REFER all ser vicing to qualified ser vice personnel. Ser vicing is required when the apparatus
has been dama ged in any wa y , such as power -supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has
been spilled or objects ha ve fallen into the apparatus, the a pparatus has been exposed to
rain or moisture, does not opera te normall y , or has been dropped.
This symbol indica tes that there are important operating and maintenance instructions
in the literature accompan ying this unit.
This symbol indicates that dangerous volta ge constituting a risk of electric shock is
present within this unit.
W ARNING: T o reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or
moisture.
W ARNING: V olta ges in this equipment are hazardous to life. No user -ser viceable parts inside.
Refer all servicing to qualified ser vice personnel.
CAUTION: Changes or modifications not expressl y a pproved by the manufacturer could void the
user s authority to opera te this device.
A B O U T YO U R K L IP S C H P U R C H A S E
Thank you for your purchase of a Klipsch subwoofer amplifier . After reading this manual
and connecting your system, you will hear the results of over 55 years of stringent
engineering and class-leading research and development. Please be sure to fill out the
warranty card at the back of this manual or online a t www .klipsch.com so we are better
a ble to ser ve you. Again, thank you for choosing Klipsch and we hope that your subwoofer
amplifier brings life to your music and movies for many years.
U N PA C K I N G
The easiest way to remove the amplifier from its carton is to turn the open end of the box
down so that it is resting on a table or the floor , with the flaps spread out and awa y . Then
pull the box straight up and off. Remove an y packing material from the amplifier , place it
back in the carton, and store in case you ever need to ship the amplifier .
F R O N T PA N E L C O N T R O L S
1. Master Power On/Off
The Master Power switch turns the amplifier on and of f. In addition to the Master Power
switch, the KA-1000-THX has an Auto Power function that will allow the amplifier to turn
itself on and off automa tically when an audio signal is detected. An LED indica tes the
current status of the amplifier -“ RED when the amplifier is in Standb y and GREEN when the
amplifier is active. The LED is off when the Master Power switch is set to the Of f position.
2. Auto Power On/Off
The Auto Power switch has two settings -“ On and Of f. In the Of f position, the Master
Power switch turns the amplifier on or of f. If you lea ve the Master Power switch in the On
position and set the Auto Power switch to the On position, then the amplifier will automa t-
icall y turn itself on and of f when an audio signal is detected. There is a 2 second On dela y
and a 15 minute Of f delay when using the Auto Power function.
3. Phase Control
The Phase control on the KA-1000-THX is continuousl y variable from 0Ëš to 180Ëš. This
control allows you to fine tune the performance of your subwoofer system b y o p t i m i z i n g the
blend with the main speakers. Basicall y, one of the positions will result in an audible
increase in bass output depending upon room placement.
4. Boundary Gain Compensation On/Off
The Boundar y Gain Compensa tion switch allows you to fine-tune the low-end extension of
your subwoofer system based upon room placement. In some room locations, your
subwoofers low-end response may become exa g gerated or boom y due to the increase in
output from your room s acoustics. In this case, selecting the On position will restore the
system to a flatter , less boomy response. If you are using a THX
®
Ultra2
-„¢
receiver or
processor and you have selected Ultra2 for the sub setting, the boundary gain compensa -
tion switch should be set to Of f.
5. THX On/Off
The THX switch provides a means to bypass the crossover and level controls when using a
THX preamplifier or receiver . In the On position, the crossover and level controls do not
function. (In this configuration, your preamplifier or receiver will perform those functions.) In
the Of f position, the crossover and level controls opera te normall y . Be sure the volume
level on your preamplifier or receiver is turned down before changing the setting of this
switch.
6. Lowpass Crossover
The Lowpass Crossover control allows you to select the proper frequency a t which your
subwoofer system blends with your main speakers. It is selecta ble from 40-120Hz. Y ou
should set this control to the a pproxima te low-frequency limit of your main left and right
speakers. In a THX system, this setting would be 80Hz. If the THX control is set to the On
position, this control will not operate. An LED status indicator is provided to tell you whether
or not this control is opera tional -“ GREEN for active and RED for bypassed.
7. Level Control
The Level control is the volume setting for the amplifier . It is used in conjunction with the
subwoofer output level control on your preamplifier or receiver . It is used to adjust the over -
all output level of your subwoofer system. If the THX control is set to the On position, this
control will not opera te. An LED sta tus indicator is provided to tell you whether or not this
control is opera tional -“ GREEN for active and RED for bypassed.
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KA-1000-THX AMPLIFIER
C O N N E C T IO N A N D A D J U S T M E N T
The KA-1000-THX is a high-performance, THX Ultra2-certified Class D digital power ampli -
fier with a built-in subwoofer crossover . It is designed specifically to drive one or two
KW -120-THX subwoofers to maximum output without audible distortion or risk of damage.
Although the amplifier s connections and controls are simple, their use varies somewha t
according to the subwoofer system s application. T ypical setup procedures are described in
the following sections -“ one for digital systems and one for analog systems.
THX / Digital Surround Receiver or Processor Connection - T oday s Dolby Digital
®
and
DTS
®
digital surround receivers and processors, as well as all THX-certified models, have
line-level subwoofer outputs and built-in subwoofer crossovers. If your system is built
around one of these, it will almost al ways be best to use the KA-1000-THX with the THX
switch in the On position. This will bypass the crossover and level controls. Connect the
subwoofer output on the receiver or processor to one or both of the KA-1000-THX s two
input jacks (Figure 2). Use a shielded, high quality subwoofer interconnect ca ble of appro -
priate length with RCA plugs on each end. Y our dealer can help you select a suitable cable.
Be sure to go into your receiver or processor s speaker setup menu and set Subwoofer to
On or Y es, or if it is a THX Ultra2 certified model, select Ultra2 in the subwoofer menu.
Y our receiver or processor may have additional bass mana gement abilities beyond simpl y
activating the subwoofer output. Consult your receiver or processor s owner s manual or
your dealer for more informa tion on the proper bass mana gement settings for your system.
Crossover Adjustment -“ With the THX switch in the On position as suggested for this type
of setup, the crossover control will not function. Its status LED will be red signifying that this
control is b ypassed. Y our receiver or processor will perf orm the crossover functions for the
subwoofer in this situation. When using either the KL-650-THX or KL-525-THX as your front
speakers, select the 80Hz (THX) crossover frequency .
Level Control -“ With the THX switch in the On position as suggested for this type of setup,
the level control will not function. Its status LED will be red signifying that this control is
b ypassed. Y our receiver or processor will perf orm the volume level functions for the sub -
woofer in this situation.
Phase Control -“ In some installations the setting of the Phase control may not make much
difference, whereas in others it ma y be necessary to go back and forth between the Phase
and Level controls for a while in order to get the very best blend with the main speakers.
Since each control setting (including the one for crossover frequency in the receiver or
processor) af fects the optimum settings for the others, it often takes a while to get ever y -
thing dialed in just right. Start with the Phase control at 0° and play a recording with a
prominent, repeating bass line in your listening position. Repeat this process with the
control in the 90° and 180° positions. Use the setting that yields the greatest bass output.
R E A R PA N E L IN P U T S A N D O U T P U T S / C O N N E C T IO N S A N D S E T U P
Make all connections with the power turned OFF on both the subwoofer amplifier and your
receiver or preamplifier!
1. Line Level Input
The Line Level input consists of a pair of gold-plated RCA phono jacks. Either one or both
may be used. (Use a shielded, high quality subwoofer interconnect cable of a ppropriate length
with RCA plugs on each end. Y our dealer can help you select a suitable cable.) This input can
function as either a Line Level input or an LFE Input, depending on the position of the THX
On/Off switch. When THX is On, the Lowpass Crossover is bypassed and the Line Level input
effectively functions as an unfiltered LFE input.
2. Line Level Output
The Line Level output consists of a pair of gold-pla ted RCA phono jacks. Either one or both
may be used. This output is an unfiltered passthru of the Line Level input signal. It can be
used to connect to a second KA-1000-THX amplifier or to connect back to your electronics if
needed.
3. Speaker Level Outputs
The Speaker Level outputs are two professional style Speakon
®
NL2 connections. This is a
simple connection that is easy to use, secure and foolproof. Y ou simply align the tab on the
connector with the slot on the output jack, full y insert the connector , turn it clockwise and the
collar locks into place (Figure 1) . T o remove it, pull back on the collar and while holding it
back, turn it counterclockwise and pull it out. This connection is repeated on the back of the
subwoofer enclosure. If you are using two KW -120-THX subwoofers, connect the second one
in the same fashion to the KA-1000-THX s second output jack. (A single, 20-f oot length, THX
Ultra certified subwoofer speaker cable is provided with each KW -120-THX subwoofer enclo -
sure. Contact your dealer if you need a longer ca ble.)
4. AC Line Cord
The AC Line connection uses a detachable three-prong power cord. Insert the line cord into
this jack, set the Master Power switch to Of f, then insert the power cord into an appropria te
AC receptacle. Leave the Master Power switch off until all connections are completed. (W e
recommend leaving the Master Power and Auto Power switches in the On position for
normal operation in most systems.)
Figure 1
Figure 2