THUNDER TA91002 Owner's Manual

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Before Starting

MTX recommends that you have your new Thunder ampliﬁ ers installed by an authorized MTX retailer, preferably

MECP certiﬁ ed. If you do decide to do it yourself, make sure you have read the instructions carefully and have

the following tools:

• Electric drill

• Phillips bit or screwdriver

• 1/8” bit

• Wire cutters/crimpers

• Safety glasses

• X-Acto knife

Disconnect the vehicle’s negative battery connection. Any deviation from the recommended connection

procedures may cause serious damage to the ampliﬁ er, speakers, and/or vehicle electrical system. Please

double check the connections before turning the system on.

Installation

Mounting

Place your Thunder ampliﬁ er at the predetermined mounting location. Use a felt pen to mark the exact position

of the mounting holes on the mounting surface. Set the ampliﬁ er aside. Then with a sharp precise blade, cut

small circles in the carpet and padding around the four marks denoting your mounting holes to expose the

metal underneath. Use a center punch to make an indentation in the metal to ensure that you drill the exact

position for the screws.

Note: Please use common sense and make sure that all vehicle wires, gas lines, brake lines, etc. are clear and will

not interfere with the installation. ALWAYS WEAR PROPER SAFETY GLASSES.

Connections

1. Bi-Level Inputs (Low/High Level Input) with Smart Engage™ –

Both a low and high level signal can be used. Be sure to lay the signal wire away from all power cables and

vehicle computers. Use high quality twisted pair interconnect cables to decrease the possibility of radiated

noise entering the system (left input should be used for high level Smart Engage™).

• Using RCA Connections: If the source unit has RCA outputs, simply attach a signal cable from source unit to

amps RCA input. This will provide signal to the amp.

• Using Speaker Level Connections: If the source unit does not have RCA outputs, a high level signal can be

used instead by taking the supplied high level RCA adapter cables and connecting the bare wire ends to the

vehicle’s rear speaker wiring. Connect the left negative speaker wire to the green with black stripe wire on the

supplied high level RCA adapter. Connect the left positive speaker wire to the solid green wire. Do the same

for the right speaker connection using the purple wire. Now plug the RCA connectors, located on opposite

end of the supplied high level RCA cables, into the amp’s inputs.

2. Speaker Wire Connections – When installing the speaker wires, please take proper measures to protect them.

For example, when connecting the door speakers, the speaker wire should run from the ampliﬁ er’s output

terminals, under the carpet, and through the factory rubber boot (loom) that protects the wires in the inner

door jam. If the factory boot cannot be used, take other measures to protect these wires. Sometimes the door

has to be completely removed to use the factory boot. If this is something that you do not feel comfortable

doing, please ask a professional to help you.

When connecting the speaker wires to the ampliﬁ er please observe the printed polarity markings on the

ampliﬁ er’s StreetWires connector. Failing to wire the speakers in proper phase could result in a loss of bass

response or poor overall sound quality.

2-channel Ampliﬁ ers- These amps will have four speaker terminals: left positive, left negative, right positive, and

right negative.

• Stereo (2-channel) Connection: This conﬁ guration is typically used with full range or high frequency

speakers. Each channel can drive a minimum of a 1 ohm load.

• Bridged (1-channel) Connection: This conﬁ guration is typically used with subwoofers. Both channels

combined can drive a minimum of a 2 ohm mono load for max power.

Note: Please pay attention and make sure the speakers or woofers are the correct IMPEDANCE (OHMS) BEFORE

attaching to the ampliﬁ er. Also, observe the proper speaker polarity.