Troubleshooting: amp(s) not loud enough?

  • 4
    Participant count
  • Participant list

emilimo701
10+ year member

CarAudio.com Elite
So I'm kind of stumped. A couple weeks ago I installed my amp and subwoofer after a long hiatus. I put my Cadence amp back with my Polk SR. The amp is rated around 800w RMS at 2 ohms I believe.

Long story short, I had to turn the gain up all the way for it to match my music. Actually at that point it was slightly louder than desired, but attenuating the subwoofer output by 5db made it about perfect. So, something didn't seem right. I had used the same amp-sub combo before, and it gave it plenty of power. Assuming the amp (it's about 6-7 years old i'm guessing. i got it on ebay for $85) had something wrong with it, and knowing I was getting a new amp soon regardless, I ignored it.

Now I just got a crescendo bc2000d. same thing. It is rated around 750w RMS at 4 ohms, and I have it set up to a 10" Orion sub now. and with the amp almost full gain and clipping (there is a clipping indicator on the remote gain control), the woofer is barely breaking a sweat... only reaching about 10% of its excursion limit, if I were to guess.

Things I have tried:

-checking the ground

-disconnecting and reconnecting all the the power cables

-checking to see if there was some type of attenuation on my head unit

-hooking up ipod directly to the amp (not through head unit), no noticeable difference in output

my Sony head unit's preamp outputs are rated at 4 volts RMS.

any ideas? should I try wiring the sub to 1 ohm?? :-O the subwoofer is rated 500w RMS... and the amp 2250w RMS...

 
So my engine idle voltage was hovering fine around 13.8 volts.

I have some 0 gauge cable, so I'm going to reinstall all the power cable, clean off the battery terminals, etc. I also have this ground terminal on the way.

I should have 0 gauge installed anyway so I figured this was the logical next step. I'll report back once I finish putting the power cable and amp rack in.

 
I would try using a different source for signal, like an ipod and some headphone-to-RCA cables and a Y splitter and see what it does.
Used an iPod shuffle at full volume and it was pretty much the same. I might try some other sources once I get it set up again with the new wiring.

 
I assume you checked to make sure both coils are connected, and correctly....what about RCA's? have you tried another set of RCA's?...run a 50 or 60 hz test tone through the system with the volume set about 3/4 and roll back the gain until it is not clipping..or even some good bass tunes, anything to check with a dmm with the sub hooked up to see exactly what is going on with output voltage at the amp's outputs.

 
I assume you checked to make sure both coils are connected, and correctly....what about RCA's? have you tried another set of RCA's?...run a 50 or 60 hz test tone through the system with the volume set about 3/4 and roll back the gain until it is not clipping..or even some good bass tunes, anything to check with a dmm with the sub hooked up to see exactly what is going on with output voltage at the amp's outputs.
A good question on the RCA cables because I have changed them. Before I was using streetwires (ZN5 I think) and now I'm using kicker RCAs.

In that scenario, what should the voltage look like at the amp's outputs?

 
@ 54.7-8 v Ac with the 750watts at 4 ohms...i would be suspicious of anything below 40v output on a 50hz test tone, have you set your gain with a DMM? Maybe try disconnecting the subs and setting the gain with the DMM to 54.7-8 and work from there on the clipping. the clip indicator will tell alot, but there is sometimes a delay, depending on the manufacturer. If I may ask, why do you choose sealed?..SQ?

 
Activity
No one is currently typing a reply...
Old Thread: Please note, there have been no replies in this thread for over 3 years!
Content in this thread may no longer be relevant.
Perhaps it would be better to start a new thread instead.

Similar threads

Yes you can if you have all the connectors in the rear of the stereo. There should be a bunch of rca connectors plugged in the back of it and if...
1
962
And I moved my underhood fuse block to be harder to see 🤣
28
3K
I'd probably start by making sure the connector at the back of the HU is tight.
1
965
Hi all, In the process of adding a sub and new speakers to my 5th gen RAM. In terms of what happened, I installed a 2x10 sub and it's running...
0
737

About this thread

emilimo701

10+ year member
CarAudio.com Elite
Thread starter
emilimo701
Joined
Location
Boston, MA
Start date
Participants
Who Replied
Replies
13
Views
9,743
Last reply date
Last reply from
quackhead
1000007975.jpg

Mr FaceCaser

    May 16, 2024
  • 0
  • 0
1000007974.jpg

Mr FaceCaser

    May 16, 2024
  • 0
  • 0

New threads

Top