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PLANNING YOUR INSTALLATION

It is important that you take the time to read 

this manual and that you plan out your 
installation carefully. The following are some 
considerations that you must take into account 
when planning your installation.

Cooling Efficiency Considerations: 

The outer shell of your JL Audio amplifier 

is designed to remove heat from the amplifier 
circuitry. For optimum cooling performance, 
this outer shell should be exposed to as large a 
volume of air as possible. Enclosing the amplifier 
in a small, poorly ventilated chamber can 
lead to excessive heat build-up and degraded 
performance. If an installation calls for an 
enclosure around the amplifier, we recommend 
that this enclosure be ventilated with the aid 
of a fan. In normal applications, fan-cooling 
is not necessary.

Mounting the amplifier upside down is 
strongly discouraged.

If mounting the amplifier under a seat, 

make sure there is at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of 
space above the amplifier’s outer shell to permit 
proper cooling.

Safety Considerations: 

Your amplifier needs to be installed in a dry, 

well-ventilated environment and in a manner 
which does not interfere with your vehicle’s safety 
equipment (air bags, seat belt systems, ABS brake 
systems, etc.). You should also take the time to 
securely mount the amplifier using the supplied 
screws so that it does not come loose in the event 
of a collision or a sudden jolt to the vehicle.

Stupid Mistakes to Avoid
•  

Check before drilling any holes in your vehicle 
to make sure that you will not be drilling 
through a gas tank, brake line, wiring harness or 
other vital vehicle system.

•  Do not run system wiring outside or underneath 

the vehicle. This is an extremely dangerous 
practice which can result in severe damage to 
your vehicle and person.

•  Protect all system wires from sharp metal 

edges and wear by carefully routing them, 
tying them down and using grommets and 
loom where appropriate.

•  Do not mount the amplifier in the engine 

compartment, under the vehicle, on the roof 
or in any other area that will expose the 
amplifier circuitry to the elements. 

JL AUDIO 

A1800

 

3

PROTECT YOUR HEARING! 

We value you as a long-term customer. For 

that reason, we urge you to practice restraint in 
the operation of this product so as not to damage 
your hearing and that of others in your vehicle. 
Studies have shown that continuous exposure to 
high sound pressure levels can lead to permanent 
(irreparable) hearing loss. This and all other 
high-power amplifiers are capable of producing 
such high sound pressure levels when connected 
to a speaker system. Please limit your continuous 
exposure to high volume levels.

While driving, operate your audio system in 

a manner that still allows you to hear necessary 
noises to operate your vehicle safely (horns, 
sirens, etc.).

SERIAL NUMBER  

In the event that your amplifier requires 

service or is ever stolen, you will need to have 
a record of the product’s serial number. Please 
take the time to enter that number in the space 
provided below. The serial number can be found 
on the bottom panel of the amplifier and on the 
amplifier packaging.

Serial Number: 

INSTALLATION APPLICATIONS

This amplifier is designed for operation in 

vehicles with 12 volt, negative-ground electrical 
systems. Use of this product in vehicles with 
positive ground and/or voltages other than 12V 
may result in damage to the product and will void 
the warranty.

This product is not certified or approved for 

use in aircraft.

Do not attempt to “bridge” the outputs of this 

amplifier with the outputs of a second amplifier, 
including an identical one.

JL AUDIO 

A1800

Bass Boost Controls

Input Voltage

Low | High

CH 1 (Left)

Input Sens.

LP Filter

Filter Freq. (Hz)

40

45

55

65

80

100

200

Bass Boost

Remote

Bass Port

Power

Protect

CH 2 (Right)

Pre-Outs

Left & Right

Preamp Input Jacks

(pg. 6)

Protection Status 

Indicator

(pg. 9)

Left & Right

Preamp Output Jacks

(pg. 8)

Input Voltage 

Selection

(pg. 6)

Power Status 

Indicator

(pg. 9)

Bass EQ

On/Off Switch

(pg. 8)

Jack for

Remote Bass

Control Knob

(pg. 8)

Filter Mode 

Selection

(pg. 7)

Filter

Frequency Selector

(pg. 7)

Input Sensitivity 

Control

(pg. 6)

Remote Turn-On 

Connector

(pg. 6)

Chassis Ground 

Connector

(pg. 5)

+12 V Power 

Connector

(pg. 5)

Speaker Outputs

(pg. 8)

Summary of Contents for A1800

Page 1: ...and installation equipment to ensure optimum performance from this product Should you decide to install the amplifier yourself please take the time to read this manual thoroughly so as to familiarize...

Page 2: ...e roof or in any other area that will expose the amplifier circuitry to the elements JL AUDIO A1800 3 PROTECT YOUR HEARING We value you as a long term customer For that reason we urge you to practice...

Page 3: ...The JL Audio A1800 is a monoblock subwoofer amplifier utilizing proprietary and patented Class D technology Its frequency response is limited to the range below 250 Hz It is not designed for driving m...

Page 4: ...ss speakers in the system Experiment to find the slope which best matches the acoustic requirements of your system JL AUDIO A1800 7 TURN ON LEAD The A1800 uses a conventional 12V remote turn on lead t...

Page 5: ...r bass content pass through A sub that fires directly into the listening environment is more likely to benefit from a 24 dB octave slope Note The above hint is not set in stone You should always liste...

Page 6: ...re due to a short circuit or a dangerously low impedance connected to the amplifier output s Connecting the speaker outputs to an impedance lower than 2 ohms will cause this protection mode to activat...

Page 7: ...r that set of channels 50 Hz for subwoofer channels 1 kHz for a midrange application Do not use attenuated test tones 10 dB 20 dB etc The Nine Step Procedure 1 Disconnect the speaker s from the amplif...

Page 8: ...ith the metal inside the terminal block The speaker wire connectors are designed to accept up to 8 AWG wire Make sure to strip the wire to allow for a sufficient connection with the metal inside the t...

Page 9: ...ES Use this diagram to document your amplifier s switch and control positions Bass Boost Controls Input Voltage Low High CH 1 Left Input Sens LP Filter Filter Freq Hz 40 45 55 65 80 100 200 Bass Boost...

Page 10: ...JL AUDIO A1800 19 18 JL AUDIO A1800 INSTALLATION NOTES INSTALLATION NOTES...

Page 11: ...tions on implied warranties therefore these exclusions may not apply to you This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state If you need...

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