What's wrong with my system?

[RAGU408]

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[alaskanzx5]

the sub amp is does have a 12 volt wire going from it to the head unit right? if so its not the amp turning of its the head unit turning off. sounds like when you hu turns off the amp shuts off then when the hu turns on the amp turns on right? so what i would do is run a power wire from the hu to the battery fused of course then a ground wire from the hu to a good grounding point or battery.

[will77530]

why do you have speaker wire coming out of the 12v and ground on the amp atleast thats what it looks like in the third pic

[darkjds]

why do you have speaker wire coming out of the 12v and ground on the amp atleast thats what it looks like in the third pic

prob using it as a remote

[BFF Larry]

Correctly set subsonic filter to about 5 minus box tuning.

Make sure power wires and ground wires are secure and not getting hot.

No bass boost whatsoever.

Set sub level on HU to 0 and bass as well.

Get a Dmm, look for true rms output of amp, and set gain according to the AC voltage since that would be better than not using anything.

How to set your amplifier gain with a DMM:

There are a lot of tutorials on the internet talking about setting your amplifier gain using a DMM (Digital Multi-Meter). Here I will clean up the process as simply (but accurate) as possible.

Necessary Tools/Skills

1. A volt-meter or DMM with standard test leads. 2. Ability to do 6th grade math. 3. Screwdrivers and/orAllenWrenches(to make amplifier connections). 4. A CD with test tones - 50Hz for subs, 1000Hz for speakers.

Start by making a quick list of your equipment and their output voltage (head unit, LOC, processor, crossover, eq, etc.) and input sensitivity (amplifier(s)).

Next, list your power output ratings (actual RMS power)

Then, list your speaker/subwoofer impedance(s).

You need to know how your speakers/subs are wired -what the final impedanceis going to be at the speaker terminals. If you can't figure out these numbers, you shouldn't be installing amplifiers. Pay someone who does and save yourself the damaged equipment.

Those numbers are VERY important as it is needed for the calculations below:

We are going to use the equation solving forVoltage using Power and Resistance.

Voltage = SQRT(Power x Resistance)

Example:

I have a single subwoofer with 4 ohm DVC coils. I'll wire the coils in parallel for a 2 ohm load. The sub is rated for 500W RMS. I have a single amplifier rated500Wx1 at2 ohms. I want all of that power available (knowing that power will only happen for small durations).

Volts = SQRT (500W x 2 ohms) Volts = SQRT (1000) Volts = 31.6VAC

-----------------------------------------------------------You need to determine what the maximum volume level you SHOULD use on the head unit - not the actual maximum volume levelpossible. If your HU goes to VOL 40 but you never go past VOL 25, the set the gains at VOL 25 - and don't go past that level. It may not be that easy for you to determine, so here are a few tips. Determine the maximum head unit voltage you want to use as follows:

1. if you have a factory head unit and factory speakers and are using a LOC for your sub amp, use the highest volume level you do for music (without distortion to the speakers).

2. if you have an aftermarket head unit powering factory or aftermarket speakers and are using the HU preouts for your sub amp, use the highest volume level you do for music (without distortion to the speakers).

3. if you have a factory or aftermarket head unit feeding a signal to amplifiers for speakers and subs, you needto verify the maximum unclipped, non-distorted output -or just use a 75% volume setting if you are unsure if your headunit is capable of 100% unclipped volume. You can verify this with an oscilloscope.

With the invention of the SMD DD-1 (distortion detector) the steps above can be done with more accuracy and without an oscilloscope.

When setting a subwoofer amp - if your head unit is powering speakers, you really want to disconnect them or use a high pass crossover on them. however, this may not be realistic for you. if not, then your max volume setting may not be possible without distorting your speakers. don't distort your speakers for this exercise. use whatever volume you can that doesn't distort your speakers. This is not the ideal situation, to do it right you should put high-pass crossovers on speakers when you have a sub.

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Once you have the head unit max volume determined, and the test tone CD playing on repeat. Set the EQ to flat, turn off processing. Make sure the fader is centered, balance is centered, sub levelcontrols are maximum (sub level is just attenuation anyway).

You can go back to your amplifier. Your system is on and your car can be on or off - but for this work I recommend the car is on and the battery voltage is close to 14VDC.

You can disconnect any speakers/subs not associated with the channels being adjusted. The speakers/subs connected to the channelsyou are adjusting will be connected. I work on channel (or channel pairs) at at a time.

Set the gain to minimum. Turn off any bass boost. With the DMM set to VAC (Volts AC), touch the DMM positive leads on the speaker outputs. Slowly increase the gain until the DMM reads the voltage determined by equations above.

While you're increasing the gain - LISTEN TO YOUR SPEAKERS/SUBS!!! Listen for any distortion - popping, scratching, noises that go away when you turn the volume back down. When playing test tones it is pretty easy to hear distortion.

If you cannot achieve the voltage you calculated then turn the gain back down - avoid leaving any gain setting on MAX. it is possible that your HU output isn't strong enough at your determined volume setting. It is also possible your amplifier isn'tcapableof thatoutput without a higher battery voltage.

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You can use resistors to load the amplifier so you get a more accurate reading (likein the eD video), but the resistor load bank must have a power rating greater than the output power expected. Most of you reading this won't have a load bank on hand, especially for loads over 500W. Don't worry. You should be able to leave the speakers/subs connected - you're listening for clipping and distortion anyway.

Once you have set the gain on all of the channels separately, all of the amps separately. Hook up everything as it should be - all speakers and subs (if anything was disconnected).

Now listen to your system with music. Listen for balance between all of the speakers and subs. If you desire a more balanced sound (i.e.subs overpower speakers) you TURN DOWN GAIN on the loudest speaker/sub. DO NOT INCREASE GAIN past your set points determined above. Most head units have sub level controls, fader, etc. that allow you to attenuate the signal from your HU.

Now you can start introducing EQ, boosts, etc. Note that any bass boost more than 3dB can result in clipping or damage. I prefer a mix-minus EQ process, where i use the EQ to reduce the response peaks, not add response peaks. You've already set the amp gain as high as it should be. Once you get your EQ and boosts set, you should check your gain setting once again. Excessive bass boost settings will causeclipping with thegain steps taken above. If you require bass boost to "sound good" then repeat the gain steps above with bass boost engaged - i.e. you will turn your gain down to compensate for the extra signal level.

If you hear noises then reduce the gain at the point where there are no noises or popping as it may be an indication of amplifier clipping, or speaker/sub distortion. Some systemswill develop a background hiss with improper gain structure.

If it's not loud enough - buy betteror larger speakers/subs, more or larger amps, and start over. Don't force your equipment to be louder than it can, or you'll destroy it. Understand that every system has limitations.

[RAGU408]

Yes it is my head unit that turns off. What is the cause of that. An the extra speaker wires comin out the power an the ground are for my soundstream bx-10 epicenter that's also hooked up. I was told that's how u hook that up right?

[darkjds]

Yes it is my head unit that turns off. What is the cause of that. An the extra speaker wires comin out the power an the ground are for my soundstream bx-10 epicenter that's also hooked up. I was told that's how u hook that up right?

ur using ur remote input as a ground ?????? http://www.sonicelectronix.com/pictures_new.php?id=23655&picture_id=426886

[sprkn_ranger]

Your gain is probobly not set right. Remember, the gain is not a "volume" or "power" knob, its used to match the output voltage of the rcs's on the head unit. Where are you located? there might be a member on here that lives close by to help you tune your amp correctly with a DD-1.

[alaskanzx5]

no what it looks likie he did was wire his epicenter power and ground to the power and ground on the amp then wired the remote for the epicenter to the remote on the amp. you need do seperate grounds on the the amp and epicenter along with power wires. the remote should be fine. not sure but that could be causing all the issues. if not then i would still wire the head unit by running a fused power wire to the battery and then ground it else where instead of using the stock ground. if the head unit shuts off everything shuts off.

[Blackedout]

Bypass the epicenter. Run straight through to the amp.

Double check the ground (Or all the power connections for that matter) on the headunit.

When problem solving, best thing you can do is simplify your system. Reduce the system to the bare minimums (Deck to amp) and work from there.