Amp Problem

[VLman]

Having a bit of trouble with my new amp. Its a Boss (yes I know not the best brand) that I got from Brisbane Car sound for cheap. Its one of the 1000 watt ones. I have replaced my old amp with it and the new one seems to be fine till you really turn the volume up then it drops out. ie the power lights turns off. The every now and then it will kick back in. If I turn the volume down heaps it will start back up again fine. Is it because I might need a bigger power wire ?? I have got big power wire not too big though. My remote wire is pretty huge and running off accessories instead of remote from head unit. Thanks

[tandy ass]

Could be clipping and a safety cutout activating

Could be as you say, a not-thick-enough power wire.

Could be a dud amplifier

Could be a faulty speaker that the amplifier goes into protection to prevent itself blowing up

Could be a poor earth

Could be your left headlight being slightly out of alignment causing phasing errors on the current peaks that go to the amplifier


Ok could be any of them except the last one :)

If it is truely 1000 watts RMS then it will need to draw around 150 amps (considering class A-B energy loss) so you would definitely need a 4 gauge cable.

[VLman]

ok ta the amp has meen running for about 30 mins on about half volume and then the power light died on it and wont turn back on. I got the multimeter out and there is 14 volts goin into it. Is that normal? When the car is running there is about 16 to 17!! maybe my batterys f%$ked??

[tandy ass]

16-17 volts going to the amplifier means your alternator's regulator is stuffed and should be replaced immediately to prevent severe and very expensive damage to the engine computer, your head unit, your amplifiers, lights, wiring (from excessive current as a result of high voltage) and almost all electrical devices in the car.

[Au2low]

Hey, are you running it from the RCA out on the head unit? sometimes you can change the 'pre-out' settings on your head unit, If you are putting to much power into it, the amp will shut down,

What speakers are you running it with?, i.e. front / back / subs?

Do you speakers have crossovers in them? I've had dud cross overs before that can shut my amp off (when I pump more power from them)

Try disconnecting some speakers and go one by one.

But yeah, 4G would be a smart move, Also, you should be able to tell what size wiring you would need by the fuse on the amp,
whats the fuse size?

[tandy ass]

au2low; I think you're missing the point

His alternator is supplying well over 14 volts... I think thats a slightly greater concern than anything else :)

[Au2low]

could also have a bad mulitmeter like me :)

[SomeFReaK]

Also check the grounds, and also look at the speaker load on the amp, are the speakers 4 ohms???

[mirage]

what guage is the power cable?
if its dropping out at higher volumes, to me it sounds like its not getting the current its asking for which could be your ground, power cable or alternator.
If in doubt just go to the place you bought the amp, any decent store will at least attempt to debug it free of charge.

17V is abnormally high but most automotive electrics from my experience in the industry should be able to survive up to double voltage. They have to consider every idiot out there with a set of jumper leads before releasing a product.