complex

Ever since i got my Sub re-wired to 2ohms all sound cuts off after 30 minutes or so of moderately loud volume.I touched the amp and its burning hot, i think its overheating.

It is a 5 channel amp, specs say it should be able to handle it. What can i do??

kidcas

what gauge are the wires connecting them? you may need bigger wires that can handle them

Sputnik

Think about turning down the gains for the sub channel. Even though it can handle a 2 ohm load, it can still be overdriven. I doubt that thicker guage wires will help you in this situation, as it sounds like the amp is simply being overdriven.

---jps

rotarygod

If the amp cuts out and it is burning hot to the touch, that right there is your problem. You are hitting the thermal cutoff of the amp. This is a safety feature. You have 2 options. Get a fan on the amp/find some creative way of keeping it cool or rewire the subs so that there isn't a 2 ohm load. This isn't as much power but it also won't be as much heat. The specs say it can be done. They just don't say for how long.

complex

I thought about the fan idea, dealer didnt think it was such a good idea, but i still do . I also thought about mounting the amp in the opening in the trunk like some people are doing since the AC would keep it cooler and it would have better circulation, dealer didnt think it was a good idea, i dunno. He said i should get another sub

I dont think the one i have now can do 4 ohm?
I need a 10" 4 ohm sub that hits HARD, and i mean HARD! any brand besides JL will do, 350WRMS is what the amp will deliver. Any suggestions?!

16psibrick

i dont mean to question your ability, but you can tell us whcih amp this is, and which subs and exactly how you wired them?



b

complex

YOU better stop questionining my abilities!!!!!!



Actually a shop did the installation and its 1 sub. This gives me a good opurtunity to debut a crappy rx8 site i made yesterday, here you will find information on the amp and sub.

http://home.nyc.rr.com/cplex2/

16psibrick

well, i do like autotek stuff, used to be sponsored by them, but i have in the past experienced a problem of the street machine and also gs redline class of amps (similar in design to the street machine) going into over thermal protection even when hooked up to the correct impedance. out of the 20 or so i have installed among htese two classes of amps, i think i had two or three having that problem...

i would send it back to the shop and perhaps have them swap out a another amp...

b

complex

Swap it out for the same model?
it is covered by the best warranty in the industry, 3 years. do you think autotek will give me another 1 for this reason alone?

GTRay

just wondering, what do you have against JL Audio subs?

PPI makes some great, hard hitting subs.
what's your definition of hitting "hard?" do you want the subs to operate at frequencies so low only whales and elephants can hear it? or do you want the bass to be crisp, clear, and loud, yet not overpowering? or do you just want your bass to be the focal point of the system... all hands, brace for impact kind of deal?

Ray

complex

Today my dealer switched out the amp for me, i havent been able to get it to shut off yet so well see. JL subs feel "cheap" compared to subs like Kicker and even what i have now, Autotek.As i have said numerous times in other threads JL has the worst warranty!, they do sound OK though.When i say hard hitting i mean loud, clear AND overpowering to a certain extent (for a single sub thats being powered by only 350W RMS).I dont want it to overpower the rest of my system but i do want it to be the "focal point of the system".Ive never heard a PPI.

rotarygod

When I worked for a shop called Auto Entertainment about 10 years ago, we had a customer bring his Camaro in to us. It had been broken into and the theif out of spite for not being able to get the sub box out, decided to repeatedly stab holes through both of the JL 10W6 subs. The kid knew they were not covered under warranty so he jsut decided to purchase new ones. We sold him new ones and sent him on his way. Insurance payed for most of it. We now had these 2 subs just sitting on the floor. We decided to just box them up and send them back to JL to see what they would do about it. A couple of weeks later a brand new pair of subs returned to us in their place free of charge.

I know you're going to say that it was because we were a dealer. Manufacturers such as JL do not allow any warranty work to be performed on any damage as the result of vandalism, neglect or abuse. It doesn't matter if it is a dealer or a customer. This is the way it is written and this is what they tell you and the dealers. However they fixed them and I got a pair of free subs out of it. Yes, I got to keep them. I ended up selling them on the side for $200 for the pair. That was a pretty damn good warranty if you ask me.

The problem isn't always so much with the manufacturer but rather the dealer that needs to send it in. It actually takes 5 minutes of effort for someone to go box up and ship those out. That is 5 minutes longer than it takes to tell you that they won't warranty it. When we asked for things in regards to warranty work, we got it. It didn't matter what the written rule was. Find a better dealer who isn't lazy and you'll get things done. I used to send out blown subs back to Orion from my home address without an explanation as to what was wrong. I just sent a receipt and a return address. I'd always get a new set back. Those days are long gone but even this violated all of their rules for warranty returns.

JL actually has a very good warranty. I've sold their products and many others. Most manufacturers actually stand by their products pretty equally. This also applies to build quality for most of the big name brands. Kicker isn't built any better than JL and neither is Rockford. The reverse also applies. They just use some different materials in construction. JL actually has one of the musically nicest sounding subs out there along with Image Dynamics. Those 2 are my favorites and I might actually favor the Image pieces. Those guys are strict on their warranty but again, if you know who to talk to you can get anything done.

complex

All i know is that my dealer sent in my 10w6, and JL decided that my sub which i didnt abuse, neglect or stab at wasnt covered by the warranty, so 1 month later they send it back. Dealer calls JL, dealer is told NO its not being repaired, hit n miss but im still staying away from JL after wasting $179. BTW, what do you think of Autoteks current line?

AdictiveRx

Its a simple problem....Your Subs and/or speakers are drawing too much power. Your amp is underpowered. Get a new one

GTRay

i would suggest you find someone with one of PPI's old flat cone woofers. those subs always sounded "different" to me. in similar systems it always seemed to me that the PPI subs felt like they were punching you in the chest as apposed to shaking your bones like other subs would do. musically, i preferred the bone shaking feel :-)

i'm not up to speed on PPI's latest equipment but what i remember about their stuff about 5 or 6 years ago was that it was pretty damn hard to beat them in the SPL arena.

Ray

complex

I'll look into the PPI's. I think the amp just needs 1 big fan on it or a few small ones...how can i get this done?

GTRay

computer fans work great, they operate on 12vDC so wiring them to blow fresh air on your amp is a piece of cake.

Ray

complex

I guess it would be easier to put multiple small fans on it instead of 1 big fan but how do i mount them, how much of a difference can i expect?, and should it pull air or blow?

adrian-1

I had the same problem with my JL 500/1 amp powering off once in awhile. It's driving my 2 JL 10 w6v2 subs.
At first I thought it was getting hot and shutting off, but when I checked it right after it would shutoff, it was cold to the touch.
Since it came back on intermittenly, I knew it wasn't a fuse. Noticed it would happen when I hit a bump in the road so it pointed to a loose connection somewhere.
Checked the ground and all other power to the amp. All were tight.
Found it was a loose connection in the fuse holder right before the +12V battery terminal. One of the ends that holds the fuse was not clamping it in tight. I'm guessing the 12V would drop off whenever the fuse holder vibrated.
It's been fine for 2wks now. Just another thing to check for others that have this problem. Yours does sound like it can't handle the subs since you say it gets extremely hot when it shuts off.

GTRay

not knowing the precise layout of your system it's difficult for my to suggest a setup for a panel of fans.

PM me with pics and i'll see what i can come up with.

Ray