I think I pooched my amp
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=37986
Printed Date: May 03, 2024 at 2:58 AM
Topic: I think I pooched my amp
Posted By: Francious70
Subject: I think I pooched my amp
Date Posted: August 23, 2004 at 10:31 PM
Well, I got my new Phoenix Gold amp in the other day, and installed it the exact same way my Pyramid was installed. Anyways, Friday I was going to pick up lunch, listening to my music at a lower level, when all of a sudden, I hear a thump, and then no bass. I turn off my HU and checked the amp when I got to where I was going, 5 seconds from where I was. All of the wires still plugged in. I checked the fuse, and sure 'nuff, it was blown. I think nothing about it, and go to Auto Zone to get some more fuses after work. Blows another. I unplug the amp, just to be safe. Bout a new wiring kit yesterday, wired it up, and blew that fuse too. Took the amp out of the car, took the cover off, and didn't see anything burnt, so I put the cover back on. The amp is still unpluged, and I am still pissed.
So, my question is, is the amp pooched, or is it somthing else??
Paul
Replies:
Posted By: auex
Date Posted: August 23, 2004 at 10:33 PM
Doesn't sound good. Try disconnecting the speakers and turn the amp on to see if it still blows the fuse.
-------------
Certified Security Specialist
Always check info with a digital multimeter.
I promise to be good.
Tell Darwin I sent you.
I've been sick lately, sorry I won't be on much.
Posted By: Francious70
Date Posted: August 23, 2004 at 10:51 PM
Will do. And I don't like to hear, "Doesn't sound good."  If it does blow a fuse what does that mean??
Paul
Posted By: auex
Date Posted: August 23, 2004 at 11:01 PM
If it blows the fuse when the speakers are disconnected then more then likely the amp is blown, if it doesn't blow then one of your subs may be bad. It would be good if you have a warranty.
-------------
Certified Security Specialist
Always check info with a digital multimeter.
I promise to be good.
Tell Darwin I sent you.
I've been sick lately, sorry I won't be on much.
Posted By: Francious70
Date Posted: August 23, 2004 at 11:42 PM
I wish I did. I bought the sub off e-bay a year ago. I bought the amp from e-bay but already returned one for doing the same thing.
Paul
Posted By: haemphyst
Date Posted: August 24, 2004 at 9:08 AM
ah... now we are on to something. you returned another one for doing the same thing? check first, the way the woofer is wired... is it DVC or single, series or parallel, bridged or stereo load? then, have you checked the POWER LINES to the amp? are you certain you are getting enough power to the amp in the first place? check all of your connections, from the battery back to the amp, and from the amp to the chassis ground. I bet you might find something in these suggestions.
-------------
It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."
Posted By: dragonrage
Date Posted: August 24, 2004 at 9:12 AM
Is the fuse on the amp or the fuse in the wiring kit blowing? If it's on the wiring kit, you may have crossed power wires. If on the amp only, then you may be overloading the amp, possibly due to crossed output wires. A bad ground MIGHT also cause this. I don't know how good Phoenix Gold is with their protection circuits, so I can't really tell you much for sure. ------------- 2009 Pontiac G8 in planning stage
HU: ?
Speakers: ?
Amps: ?
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: August 24, 2004 at 9:54 AM
Sounds like you are either running too low an impedence, your gain is set too high, or both. When you swapped amps, did you properly set up the new amp or just "plug it in?" ------------- Support the12volt.com
Posted By: Francious70
Date Posted: August 24, 2004 at 10:57 AM
As a reply to all of your posts. Umm... yes??
haemphyst:
it's a DVC, wired in with one VC on each channel. The amp is a mono-block internally wired in parallel. As for the power wires, I completely redid the power wires. Bigger wires, and this time, instead of mounting the ground to the body, I bolted it to the frame. That should be under .5 ohms.
dragonrage:
It's the fuse on the wire. The amp its self dosn't have a fuse. I was kinda puzzled to find that out. And what do you mean by crossing output wires??
DYohn:
The impedence is 2 ohms, and the amp is 1 ohm stable. Gain is set at mid. And when I installed the amp, I made sure to turn the gain all the way down, the bass boost all the way down, and set the crossovers at a safe level, then tuned them all to where they sounded good.
Paul
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: August 24, 2004 at 11:28 AM
OK then. Did you try to activate it with no speakers conencted? Sorry to say if it blows with nothing connected and you have a good power and ground, it may very well be a defective amplifier. Is it a factory refurb? Thank you eBay! ------------- Support the12volt.com
Posted By: Francious70
Date Posted: August 24, 2004 at 11:32 AM
Don't know if it's a factory re-furb. Looked brand new to me. But no, I haven't tried that yet. I'll try that on my lunch.
Paul
Posted By: Francious70
Date Posted: August 24, 2004 at 12:17 PM
Well, I tried it with the speaker un-hooked, and it toasted the fuse. So... anyone have any suggestions for a good SQ amp?? I like Zapco's stuff, I also like PPI's art series. Lookin gor about 400 watts RMS, <$500, good quality, and NOT Phoenix Gold.
Paul
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: August 24, 2004 at 12:24 PM
PG makes great amps. Just don't buy questionable stuff off eBay. Get your gear from a reputable, lisenced dealer. ------------- Support the12volt.com
Posted By: Francious70
Date Posted: August 24, 2004 at 12:50 PM
So do you think I should try to return it again??
Paul
Posted By: dxav
Date Posted: August 24, 2004 at 2:41 PM
Just as a note, most of the other installers I know, agree that with a DVC sub, the amp should be wired in mono. I just read an article from CA&E from last year that also states never wiring a separpate VC of a DVC to a single channel of an amp. If one channel pushes slighty more power than the other, you greatly increase the chance of ruining a DVC. Thought you should know....
DXAV
Posted By: Francious70
Date Posted: August 24, 2004 at 4:19 PM
dxav
You would be correct. If you wire a DVC in stereo, you run a risk of damaging it. But that was not a concern for me as I have/had a mono-block amp.
Paul
Posted By: dxav
Date Posted: August 24, 2004 at 7:48 PM
Excellent, sorry I missed that....
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