Support
This list contains frequently asked questions regarding the i-soamp, the Auxgate multimedia extension and i-sotec subwoofers.Where can I buy i-sotec products?
Where in my vehicle can I store the i-soamp?
How long is the supplied connector cable?
I want to place the i-soamp in the boot. Is there an extender cable available?
I do not have much space in my car. How big is the i-soamp?
My factory radio does not have ISO connectors. Can I install an i-soamp even so?
How much electric current is required for operating the i-soamp? Is the current supply of my radio connector sufficient?
Can the i-soamp harm or destroy my factory loudspeakers?
Can I also use aftermarket speakers with my i-soamp?
Can I connect a subwoofer to the i-soamp?
Does i-sotec’s subwoofer CompactSub fit in my compact car?
My new car does not have a spare wheel. Can I use the i-sosub nevertheless?
In which cars does the U-Sub fit?
Can I buy an i-sotec subwoofer housing without the loudspeaker?
How warm does the i-soamp get?
Can I use the i-soamp with an active loudspeaker system?
What is the intended use of which Auxgate device?
What can I do if disturbing noise appears in AUX mode?
Can I connect an additional bass amplifier to the i-soamp Medialink?
I lost my manual. Where can I get a new one?
I have another question.
Where in my vehicle can I store the i-soamp?
Because of it’s small and compact size, you can place the i-soamp beneath the passenger seat or in the passenger footwell of nearly any car.
We recommend the installation beneath the passenger seat, because this can be done completely without tools. With velcro-tape you can fix the i-soamp to the car interior’s carpet against getting out of place.
In the passenger footwell, you can hide the i-soamp under the carpet. Just cut out the insulating material in the size of the amplifier, replace it with the amplifier and put the carpet back above it. If you keep the cut out block of insulating material, you can put it back after de-installing the amplifier (e.g. for leased cars).
How long is the supplied connector cable?
The ISO-cable for the connection of the i-soamp to the ISO plugs of the radio and the car cable harness is two meters long. This should enable the installation beneath the passenger seat or in the passenger footwell without any problems.
I want to place the i-soamp in the boot. Is there an extender cable available?
Unfortunately, an extender cable for the i-soamp is not available. However, because of it’s compact size, placing the i-soamp in the boot is not necessary. We recommend to place it beneath the passenger seat or in the passenger footwell; this can easily be done with the supplied 2-meter-cable.
I do not have much space in my car. How big is the i-soamp?
All i-soamp amplifiers are very compact. The exact sizes for the distinct types are as follows:
i-soamp-2: 160 x 136 x 43 mm
i-soamp-4: 160 x 136 x 43 mm
i-soamp-4cx: 200 x 156 x 48 mm
i-soamp Medialink: 200 x 156 x 48 mm
Auxgate® multimedia-extensions are even smaller in size:
Auxgate Connect: 136 x 80 x 43 mm
Auxgate Easy: 80 x 76 x 27 mm
My factory radio does not have ISO connectors. Can I install an i-soamp even so?
The i-soamp was especially designed for the use with OEM factory radios. To connect radios with other than the standard ISO connectors, i-sotec offers adapters for more than 500 car types. To check, if you need such an adapter, see this list or use our configuration tool (at the time only available in German).
How much electric current is required for operating the i-soamp? Is the current supply of my radio connector sufficient?
The i-soamp has a maximum current requirement of 15 Ampere.
In most cars, the power plug on the cable harness delivers enough current to drive the car radio and the i-soamp (connected via the supplied ISO power adapter) at once. If in doubt, please see your car’s and/or your radio’s manual or ask your qualified car audio dealer.
If the cable harness does not provide enough electric current to drive the i-soamp, you can connect it directly to the battery with the adapter cable AD-0125.
If you use more than one i-soamp (e.g. to drive a passive subwoofer with an additional i-soamp-2), we recommend to connect at least one amplifier directly to the battery.
Can the i-soamp harm or destroy my factory loudspeakers?
The construction goal of the i-soamp was to optimize the factory equipment’s sound quality rather than to provide maximum volume. As a result, most factory speakers can handle the i-soamp’s output of 2 x 85 W (i-soamp-2), 4 x 65 W (i-soamp-4) or 4 x 70 W (i-soamp-4cx und Medialink) without any problem.
You can adjust the basic volume level of the i-soamp with it’s level control knobs. For safety reasons, we recommend to do this very carefully when operating the amplifier for the first time. If distortion appears, turn back the volume! For details on the volume setting, please see your i-soamp’s manual.
Can I also use aftermarket speakers with my i-soamp?
The i-soamp can be used with any passive loudspeakers that have an impedance of at least 4 Ohms. With both, factory or aftermarket speakers, we recommend to adjust the basic volume level of the i-soamp carefully to the speakers’ capacity. For details on the volume setting, please see your i-soamp’s manual.
Can I connect a subwoofer to the i-soamp?
With the two- and four-channel amplifiers i-soamp-2, i-soamp-4, i-soamp-4cx and i-soamp Medialink, you can bridge two channels and so drive a passive subwoofer with nearly twice the power output. i-sotec offers subwoofers especially designed for use with the i-soamp. Other subwoofers can damage the i-soamp. Therefore i-sotec only accepts liability for the use of genuine i-sotec subwoofers.
For the nearer future, i-sotec plans to offer a low-cost mono amplifier for the use with any (also third-party) passive subwoofers.
The Auxgate multimedia extension is not designed for subwoofer use.
Does i-sotec’s subwoofer CompactSub fit in my compact car?
There is a reason why we named that one CompactSub: With it’s dimensions of only 197 x 310 x 345 mm it consumes extremely little space and fits in nearly every boot.
Problems, however, can appear in sports cars with no luggage compartment at all, or in ultra-compact cars, such as the smart fortwo or Smart Roadster. Because of this, i-sotec offers car-specific subwoofer housings for the Smart vehicles.
My new car does not have a spare wheel. Can I use the i-sosub nevertheless?
With our new subwoofer accessory, the Sub-Box, you can place the i-sosub securely in the empty spare wheel trough and so use it in cars that do not have a full-size spare wheel. Even if there is no spare wheel trough at all (e.g. in SUVs that have the spare wheel attached outside) you can fix the i-sosub securely in the boot with the Sub-Box.
In which cars does the U-Sub fit?
The U-Sub was especially designed to be placed beneath the passenger seat of the new Toyota Aygo or the similar built Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107. However, it is no problem to use it in other cars, if they provide sufficient space beneath the passenger seat. (e.g. many vans and minibuses). The size of the U-Sub is 454 x 260 x119 mm (width x depth x heigth). If you are not sure, whether your car provides enough space beneath the seats, please ask your qualified car audio dealer for advise.
Can I buy an i-sotec subwoofer housing without the loudspeaker?
i-sotec subwoofers are developed as a complete, ready-to-use product with all the components - housings, loudspeakers and connections - aligned to each other to provide maximum sound quality and easy installation. Due to our Plug-and-Go policy, we do not sell single components.
How warm does the i-soamp get?
The i-soamp amplifier can heat itself up to 80 degrees Celsius. So it should not be installed next to heat-sensitive parts of the car interior.
Can I use the i-soamp with an active loudspeaker system?
The use of the i-soamp with a full-active loudspeaker system is not possible.
With a semi-active loudspeaker system, the i-soamp can be used to amplify the non-active speakers. For details, please ask your qualified car audio dealer.
What is the intended use of which Auxgate device?
The Auxgate Easy is designed to offer the most simple and inexpensive, yet fully automatic connection of a portable navigation device or a mobile phone handsfree kit to the car audio system. The automatic signal management and the mono input of this device exactly fit this purpose.
If you want to connect additional audio devices, e.g. MP3 or DVD players, to your car audio system, we recommend the Auxgate Connect or the multimedia amplifier i-soamp Medialink. These devices have two AUX inputs, each with matched signal management – one for navigation/telephone, the other for the audio device. So all your radio’s convenience features stay usable during MP3 playback. Also, the reproduction of the AUX sources from both inputs comes in full hifi-stereo quality or (with the Medialink) even with the increased sound quality of an i-soamp.
What can I do if disturbing noise appears in AUX mode?
With some navigation devices, PDAs, etc. that use a charger connected to the car’s 12V current supply (charging adapters or direct connection via the cigarette lighter) used with an Auxgate Conect, interferences may appear and result in disturbing noise. This can be prevented by the use of the AD-0128 adapter with an integrated decoupling transformer.
The NAV inputs of Auxgate Connect Flex and Auxgate Easy already have an integrated decoupling transformer.
The AUX inputs of the i-soamp Medialink are galvanically decoupled, so iterferrences are less likely to appear. But if they do, an AD-0128 will prevent them.
Can I connect an additional bass amplifier to the i-soamp Medialink?
In principle, the Medialink does support the use of an additional bass amplifier (mode 4 Ch. + Sub). Unfortunately, there is no bass amplifier available yet, that supports multimedia operation. So, subwoofer use with the Medialink at this time is only possible in three-channel mode (2 Ch. + Sub, 2 x 70 W + 1 x 120 W, no additional amplifier).
The i-soamp-2, recommended as add-on for i-soamp-4 or i-soamp-4cx, does not support the Medialink’s multimedia features (reproduction and management of external audio sources, muting, etc.) So we cannot recommend it as an add-on for the Medialink.
A bass add-on solution, that provides the full multimedia convenience of the Medialink also in five-channel-mode, is in progress.
I lost my manual. Where can I get a new one?
You can download the manuals for all i-soamp amplifiers and Auxgate® multimedia extensions as PDF-files right here:
Manual for i-soamp-4, i-soamp-2, i-soamp-4cx (636 kB)
Manual for i-soamp Medialink/Auxgate Connect (524 kB)
You can either view the files on screen or print them. To do this, you need a PDF viewing application, e.g. the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
I have another question.
Please ask your qualified i-sotec dealer or feel free to contact our customer service:
phone: +49(0)541 18 19 70
e-mail: support@i-sotec.com
