Subs Stop Working When The Bass Is Up?

[Mckenzie]

I got this amp

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_158ZZR3301/So...XM-ZZR3301.html

 

With two of these kenwood subs

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_113W3012/Kenwood-KFC-W3012.html

 

And this amp wiring kit.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_142PA41/EFX-4...Wiring-Kit.html

 

With this speaker wire

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_211UCT12/Stre...eaker-Wire.html

 

Whenever the bass knob is turned up in my 01 silverado(stock radio) the subs stop working after 3-4 minutes. The amp is not hot, so it isnt self shutting down. This is a real annoying problem, and i'd like to know wtf the problem is. Oh and even with the bass knob up, the subs arent pounding as loud as they could.

[zcs626]

Have you ever measured the voltage on the amp when the subs shut down?

 

Of all my experience, I would put all my money in that it is your amp. No offense, but those Sony's are NOTORIOUS for doing exactly what you are describing.

 

Now I could be wrong, but like I said I am just going off past experiences.

[jrod332]

It probably is your amp shutting down to cool off. It will do that do protect itself. I think you may need a bigger amp. The subs you have are a 4 ohm sub. The amp you have has a rating of only 330 watts RMS for a 4 ohm sub. Plus its a single channel amp. Made for one sub depending on how you wired it. I would think that amp is trying to push a lot of power. If you wire 2 subs in series than you increase the ohm load. If you wire it in parallel than you decrease the ohm load. You should always run an amp at the lowest load possible.

[Mckenzie]

It probably is your amp shutting down to cool off. It will do that do protect itself. I think you may need a bigger amp. The subs you have are a 4 ohm sub. The amp you have has a rating of only 330 watts RMS for a 4 ohm sub. Plus its a single channel amp. Made for one sub depending on how you wired it. I would think that amp is trying to push a lot of power. If you wire 2 subs in series than you increase the ohm load. If you wire it in parallel than you decrease the ohm load. You should always run an amp at the lowest load possible.

I've felt the amp and it is not hot at all, but I think it might be the wiring because I had a friend install it for me, and he did not wire it parallel. If I had someone wire it parallel, would that fix the problem?

[jrod332]

Some amps will have a lower thermal cutoff than others. Alpines and kenwoods tend to be workhorses.

 

It cant hurt to wire it that way. have one wire come from the positive on the amp go to the positive on one sub. Run one wire from that subs positive to the other subs positive. Run the Negative to the other sub and run a wire from that negative to the other negative on the other sub. That would than be wired in parallel, and would reduce the ohm in half.

[tunseeker1]

What enclosure do you have the subs in?

The enclosure makes more difference then the amplifier.

 

What are the settings on the amplifier/radio?

If you are clipping the inputs/outputs the amplifier can go into protection and shut down.

 

Why are you using the bass boost knob?

This will cause output distortion and can cause some very bad things to happen. If you aren't loud enough without the bass boost you need to look at the system a bit to find the problem.

 

 

How have you connected the amplifier to the radio for signal?

What volume level are you usually at on the radio during play?

Where is the amplifier grounded?

What type of music do you listen to?

 

Can you post pictures of your install?

[SavageNFS]

What enclosure do you have the subs in?

The enclosure makes more difference then the amplifier.

 

What are the settings on the amplifier/radio?

If you are clipping the inputs/outputs the amplifier can go into protection and shut down.

 

Why are you using the bass boost knob?

This will cause output distortion and can cause some very bad things to happen. If you aren't loud enough without the bass boost you need to look at the system a bit to find the problem.

 

 

How have you connected the amplifier to the radio for signal?

What volume level are you usually at on the radio during play?

Where is the amplifier grounded?

What type of music do you listen to?

 

Can you post pictures of your install?

 

this

 

All relevant questions. The Sony amps are notorious for this problem.

[tunseeker1]

I don't know that its just the amplifier. I competed with Sony products for a few seasons and never had a problem.

[ruggedlife]

could be as simple as a poor ground. enough to let it play but not enough to let it jam...

[Mckenzie]

I should have sanded the paint off the bolt that it was grounded to! Will it mess my system up if I disconnect the ground? Or will I need to disconnect the amp from the battery before removing the ground wire?

 

I'm pretty sure it's not the amp itself, but when ETFet a new HU I'll have it rewired it for parrallel

 

also I'll get some pictures up in a week as soon as I get my MacBook pro

[tunseeker1]

If you didn't sand the paint off then you should do it.

 

You don't have to disconnect the power wire just don't have the amplifier or truck on when you disconnect/reconnect.

[kdixer]

Do not wire the subs parallel if your amp is only rated for a 4 ohm load. Two 4 ohm subs wired parallel will be a 2 ohm load therefore putting more of a strain on your amp.

 

Edit:

 

Just looked at the specs for your amp and it is a mono amp suited for a 2 ohm load so you will be fine wired parallel.

[Mckenzie]

I grounded the wire on a different bolt, and I think that is what was wrong with it because it is working pretty good now