I have a SoundStream TR880 (880 watts) bridged at 4 ohm into an Adire Brahma 12". When I really get the bass thumping, when the hairs on my neck start to buzz, the sub cuts out. Its like you're about to get laid and she passes out cold... (yes, that means stop)

It usually comes back on in a few seconds.

I only have 8awg grounds (two amps) but they are grounded to the chassis very near the amp. The power is 4awg. It seams unlikely I am reaching newarly 900 watts at this level. Could the whimpy ground cause a cut out?
I plan to install larger grounds but I have been short on cash.

I also have alot of interior light dimming. It doesn't bother me but might this indicate something else that I should look into?

All in all, the system completely blows me away and the level at which things cut out is probably an unsafe listening volume. Still, I want mooooore. more, more, more!

If it matters to you, the head is alpine, signal through street wires, speaker wire to sub 12awg, 1 ft cube enclosure.

tanx in advance

 

while the ground wire could possibly be a problem i would venture to say the main cause of the problem is a lack of voltage. I'd bet it you take a meter to the amp and just measure the voltage while the sub is pounding you'll see that you are getting massive voltage drops. First i would match up your wiring. whatever guage you have going into the amp, have the matching guage for the ground. That may help, but I am betting your going to need a atleast a cap, although I would suggest just doing it right and getting your alternater upgraded.

 

The amount of current a circuit can pass is limited by the "narrowest" point - think of it like plumbing pipe. If you have a narrow pipe in the drain, doesn't matter how much water you put in the sink, things will go awry past a certain point.

You need a digital voltmeter across the + and - terminals of the amp (not the battery - right at the amp itself) and watch the DVM display while you lean on the volume. Watch what it says.

I don't KNOW that that's a problem, but your motorboating is a symptom if either dropping voltage or the amp is going into short-circuit protection. Some amps "see" too low an impedance on their short-circuit protection when their woofers are at full excursion. If your voltage is fine when the bass cuts out, and the amp isn't hot, I would suspect the low-impedance protection (if that SS actually has any.)

 

It doesn't matter to me, does it matter to you?



FYI, a couple feet of 4 gauge is very cheap... I'd upgrade that.

 

thanks y'all, thought i'd follow up. I had a bass boos t button all the way up. It was causing massive amplification of only the lowest notes. While that probably caused ultimate trunk vibration, it didn't sound good.

I turned that down, replaced my grounds with 4awg and all good.

I will probably get a cap as well but to help make successive hits cleaner. I don't think a cap has the sustained voltage to prevent cutting out like this. the alternator upgrade however, would defintely be in order to get my volume past 17 (my god, it goes way past 11). After about 18, the fuse blows. I intentionally use a fuse that will keep 30 amps for the car to run on.

 

Thanks for the update.

As a side note, when you turn up the bass boost 3dB, you are asing for 2x the power at that note and the surrounding notes. If you turn it up 6 dB, it's 4x, and 12dB is 8x, and 18dB...which is the max on most of those knobs... is a bit more power than that amp/electrical system are probably gonna really generate, so turning it down to a reasonable level was a very good idea.

 

What if you turn down the input sensitivity/ gain?

 

I'm followng up to say I traded that old dang TL/P in about a year ago. ..for an 03 TL/S! I yanked the system from my previous ride but I have been too lazy to put it back into my new car. I am about to beging the journey of installation. I am going to poll for advice but I'll do that on another thred...

thanks