I've had this setup for a while but when I installed my new hu i rewired the amp and then the amp cut off...

Set-Up:
2 12" Audiobahns in a sealed box
Sound Storm Laboratories Amp 1400W 2XChannel
Kenwood DNX5120 HU

The power and ground have not changed but believe the problem is when i re-wired the amp to the subs.

Before


After


The amp is in "protect" mode, and the manual says to turn the remote power off and on again to reset it. I tried that and so it says the problem could be more serious. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

most likely got your subs wired at to low of an ohm for your amp

 

Yep, your problem is probably that your subs are now showing your amp a load that is lower than it's minimum impedance bridged. If you take it back to the way it was, and it works, you're good. If your re-wire it back to the way it was and your amp still stays off, you need a new one...

 

First thing I'd do is check the wires behind the headunit.
1) make sure everything is wired correctly.
2) make sure all exposed wires and RCA's are taped off with electrical tape.

I know this sounds dumb but did you unplug the battery while installing the headunit? It's Always a good practice just to be safe..

 

How would these send the amp into protect? If he didn't unplug the battery while hooking up the hu, he could've blown a fuse in the hu, but it shouldn't send the amp into protect...

 

Misread thought he was talking about the headunit not the amp.

 

Haha, yeah its the amp.

But I did forget to clarify that everything was working fine after I installed the HU and rewired the amp. It was hitting crazy hard for about a week or so then just yesterday i turned the car on and there was no bass.

Thanks <mattastick> I'll try wiring it the way i originallly did and see if it works. I'm hoping that its the amp cause it sounded great wired like that! The amp is a no-name brand and i got it free with the subs. I'm just disappointed that it teased me by slammin so hard for a while then just crapped out on me.

Will I have the same problem with a new amp? If I were to wire it the new way will i just keep burnin out amps?

 

As long as u dont go below the minimum impedance load youll b straight.

 

D. Greenwood's right. What are the impedances of the coils of your subs? That will help us to suggest a new amp if you need one...

 

most amp's have this also from a shitty ground.. make sure you grounded to a clear, completley metal surface. paint will fuck up your ground too so make sure to scrape it clean.

 

check the ground

 

That was the first thing I thought of. But i've had the same ground for the system since I put it in. I grounded the samp directly to the trunk of my car. Bolt right into the metal...

 

This is all that I could find in the manual:

 

Technical Specification

* Sensitivity: 92.1 dB
* RMS Power Range : 400 Watts
* Peak Power Handling: 800 Watts
* Impedance: Dual 4 Ohm
* Low Frequency response: 24 Hz
* High Frequency Response: 1000 Hz
* Diameter: 12 Inch

Features

* Optimized for Sound Quality
* PHAT Foam Surround
* Non-Pressed, Non-Transfer Paper Cone
* KM3 Coated Cone for Low Cone Distortion
* Flame Design Chrome Stamped Steel Basket
* Dual 4 Ohm Voice Coil
* 2" 4-Layer ASV Voice Coil
* Lug-Lock Terminals
* Mounting Depth: 5 1/4"
* Hole Cutout: 10 7/8"
* Outer Diameter: 12 1/2"

 

my guess is you fried it I've done the same to a few amps in the past thought to myself oh it will be ok if I'm careful eh not so much. but yea you should be able to see some scorching on the board. may have to take it apart from the housing to see it. but I bet something is blown out.

 

Thats what i figured too. I opened it up last night and couldn't see anything scorched or burned. It all looked brand new. But this afternoon I hooked it back up and wired it normally (the way i had it before the new HU) and its still in Protect Mode. I can't get it out of it. Its got to be bad, otherwise I figured I would have found the problem by now...

 

Sounds like its fried, does the amp have a funky burnt smell to it?

 

And if those subs are dual 4 ohm, u more than likely had it wired down to a 1 ohm load and that amp is 2 ohm stable stereo and 4 ohm bridged, not doggin the amp bro but with that being a cheap amp the fuses prolly didnt do their job and u fried the amp. Ive seen several cheaper amps do it.

 

Yeah thats what I figured. I didn't smell anything but its def not working. Don't worry about the amp, i know it was a piece of shit. I got it free with the subs and i've had it for like 4 years!

Part of the problem is i have no idea what people are talking about when you say 1 ohm 2 ohm, bridged, or any of that stuff. i just wired it how it needed to be when i first put the system in. Buy at Best Buy said, "hey i can wire this so it hits harder!" I said cool, and then fried the bastard...

 

Lol yea i wouldnt really trust best buy workin on my car audio, kinda like gettin ur car worked on at walmart lol.

 

Here is a good wiring wizard for those not as informed if changing the ohm http://www.the12volt.com/caraudio/wo...s.asp?Q=2&I=22

 

Damn that was a good link. Don't know if it will help me amp now...i'm pretty sure its toast, lol.

 

Nice site, alot of helpfull info, also if your getting any kind of serious about car audio i would recommend a decent multi-meter, they come in handy alot! Just because your subs say they are a certain ohm doesnt mean that they are, most manufacturers just round it off. Which if they r off bad, that can cause some major headaches and w/o a multi-meter u prolly wouldnt ever figure it out. it will also come in handy to check out your amp u have now too, and with alot of other automotive stuff.

 

By changing the speaker wires around it wouldn't fry your amp. Something else happened. If they installed your headunit I would've gone back at them. Something zapped it.. Did you check your ground?

 

Hey jonesi, running an amp at too low of an impedance level will break things... It looks like his subs are single 4's, and he bridged the amp (subs in parallel) and ended up with a single 2 ohm load. I'd guess the amp can't play bridged at a 2 ohm load... This means bad things for the amp...

 

yea it can damage all kinds of things if left that way. like sundown amps they will run at 0.5 ohms but if ran that way they will not warranty it

 

I guess i should look into a multi-meter. So mattastick, D. Greenwood13 how do i check my subs to know what they are capable of?

 

Get a good DMM (multimeter) and set it to the symbol that is the greek letter Omega. This measures resistance. Then place the red wire on the positive lead of the sub, and the black wire on the negative side of the sub. A resistance will show, and if you post that here, we'll be able to help you with amp suggestions and such...

 

Maybe I'm old school in my thinking but from what I always understood is running a amp too low will put it in protect mode but it shouldn't damage the internals (components, resistors etc). I could be wrong, i've been wrong before. I could see if he ran it the way it was for a extended period of time it could damage the internals. But he said when he hooked it up it just didn't work. Doesn't seem to add up but I guess anything is possible.

 

^Word!!! We can help u out a whole lot more if we know what your working with.
^True, theoretically it should. But sometimes cheaper amps dont do what their supposed to and can even sometimes crap out for no reason and sometimes are hard to understand, hell ive seen a Power Acoustik that would actually work w/o the fuses in.

 

Here's how it can damage internals, especially if your electrical system isn't up to par. As you drop the impedance, the amp needs more power to function correctly. If you're running it at a lower than rated impedance with enough electrical, you should be fine (most Rockfords, especially the old school ones, will do this). But, if you don't have enough current to supply it, it's the same thing as running an amp at very low voltage levels... This is terrible for the amp, and could very easily blow the amp's internals...

 

^Very true!

 

And I totally agree with this but I would expect the damage to occur after playing it for a time period. He hooked it up and it went straight to protection.


I understand it's possible and get the idea I'm just saying in this case something doesn't add up..

 

^

 

Fuck... Twice in one thread...

Reading > Me



Dave your amp is FUBAR'd....



I'm going to do myself a favor and stay out of this thread..

 

ahh good your quote skills are lol i say just get a diff amp thats stable to 1 ohm hell buy mine its 1 ohm stable lol

 

Lol yea thts what i would do too!!!

 

Yeah I def think its FUBAR'd. But it was working for about a week before it went. I thought I mentioned that in my first post. Sorry for the confusion. I'm looking into a new one right now, something with a little more punch and that will hopefully hold up!

 

Do u have anything in mind

 

how much punch and what's ur price range