Installation manual

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E. ESP-2 POWER WIRING

IMPORTANT: Disconnect the negative terminal of your car’s battery before

working on any electrical connections. Unless you want a little extra tingle in your life

and/or a search for the fuse compartment under the dash.

Type of wire. Both +12 and ground (-) connections to the ESP-2 should be made

with multi-stranded wire no smaller than 16 gauge. The remote turn-on connection

between the head unit and the ESP-2 can be made with thinner wire.

Positive (+12V) connection. If the ESP-2 is being mounted near the power amp(s),

you may simply make a connection from the amp’s +12V distribution block to the ESP-

2’s +12V terminal. If the ESP-2 is being dash-mounted, you may want to go directly to

the battery. A fuse or circuit breaker never is a bad idea. Use at least a ½ amp rating.

Ground connection. The hook-up most open to interpretation and possible

problems is the ground connection. For best protection from noise, there should be

ONE AND ONLY ONE ground path to the negative side of your vehicle’s electrical

system. That means connecting the ground terminals of the head unit, ESP-2, and

power amplifiers together and routing that common heavy gauge ground wire to

someplace you’re SURE is actually part of the negative side of the car’s electrical

system; if possible, the battery itself. The nearest piece of bare metal isn’t necessarily a

true ground. If you’re in doubt, connect the car stereo system’s common ground directly

to the battery’s negative terminal or where the battery’s negative grounding strap

contacts the vehicle frame.

Remote turn-on connection. Sounds titillating doesn’t it? Actually, what it means

is that the ESP-2 is turned on by a control signal from the head unit. If you already

have an amplifier in your system, it is the same wire used for the amp’s remote input.

As with the addition of any additional components one should consider the use of a

relay to turn on the multiple components. If you are a do-it-yourselfer and do not know

how to use a turn-on relay, consult your Authorized AudioControl Dealer.

F. A SHORT TEST RUNF. A SHORT TEST RUN

F. A SHORT TEST RUN

• First, re-connect the negative terminal of the car’s battery.

• Next, make sure that any other dashboard equalizer loudness or tone controls are

either switched out of the signal chain, or turned to their center (neutral position.)

• Confirm that the three rotary controls on the top of the ESP-2 (BASS,

MIDRANGE, TREBLE) are set in their center detent position.

• Turn the ESP-2’s Spatial Restoration Control all the way to the LEFT

(7 O’clock position) and pull the knob out.

• Now pop in a tape or CD and turn the system up to a pleasant listening level.

• Do you hear silence instead of sound? If so, check the wires from the head end unit

to the ESP-2, or the ESP-2 to the power amplifier.

• Make certain the knob is pulled out and rotate the ESP-2 Restoration Control to the

right (toward MAX). Do you hear wonderfully wide stereo with the sound actually

wider than the confines of the vehicle? If so, the basic connections have been made

correctly. If you hear sound, but nothing different even though you’ve turned the

Restoration Control all the way up, check all connections including the one between

the ESP-2 main chassis and the dashboard Control. Also check that you pulled out

the knob on the dash control. If the LED is glowing brightly on the dash control

and you do not hear a difference, check to see if you have used the THRU jacks by

mistake.

• Now with the restoration control cranked back to the left, rotate the head unit’s

balance control to the far left. Does the sound in the car move to the left? If it

heads to the starboard (right for you landlubbers), the RIGHT and LEFT inputs or

outputs need to be checked at the ESP-2 and power amp(s). General practice is to

use RED plugs for RIGHT and BLACK plugs for left. Make sure LEFT is LEFT all

the way on through from the head unit to the power amplifier inputs. If the

problem persists, tear your seats out, turn them the other way and only drive your

car in reverse.

G. ADJUSTING THE SPATIAL RESTORATION TONEG. ADJUSTING THE SPATIAL RESTORATION TONE

G. ADJUSTING THE SPATIAL RESTORATION TONE

G. G.

SHAPING CONTROLSSHAPING CONTROLS

SHAPING CONTROLS

On the top of the ESP-2 are three “tone” controls. NOTE: They only affect the

spatial restoration (ambience) effects added by the ESP-2, NOT the overall

sound.They really have two different purposes:

1. They can be used to compensate for various speaker installations. If you

have OK treble but not as good as we’ve recommended, you can adjust the TREBLE

EQ on the ESP-2 control to boost the high-frequency ambient products. If the ESP-

2’s effect is not pronounced enough, kick up the MIDRANGE. If your system is

really bass-heavy and the ESP-2’s effect sounds weird through the subwoofers,

reduce the BASS, etc.

2. The EQ controls can be used purely to change the effect of the ESP-2. In

other words, use your own taste. Go nuts!

• Play the same tape or CD you did before.

• One by one rotate each control all the way to the left and then all the way to

the right to familiarize yourself with them. Make sure to return each control to the

center detent position before experimenting with the next one.

• Adjust them the way you think they sound best. This is purely subjective.

The Autosound Police won’t come and arrest you no matter what setting you use.

• Now, try some different tapes or CD’s or tune in a clear, strong FM station

and experiment with the ESP-2 Restoration control to discover how much wider

and more dramatic stereo can be.

• Get out of your car and call at least

three friends with car stereo systems that

could benefit from an ESP-2 and exten-

sively brag to them about how much

better your system sounds.

• If you’re still confused, here’s a

good starting point to try.

•

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