amp trouble

[Azkikr111]

man if its not one thing, its another!!!

i think the reason why my amp is frequently shorting out is because the sob is over heating....its a kenwood 600w brigdable...and it doesnt have a fan or anything like that...ive checked all the connections...i think its just not getting enough air (even goin down the hiway at 70 with the windows open)...

any ideas on what could be causing it to short?...and if so, any ideas to fix it?....cheaply...(just spent $75 on dynamat damnit)

[Accord Man]

ok, what do you mean by shorting out? Do you mean cutting out (like moment of silence), or do you see sparkds, blown fuses and so on?? And does it *short* after a certain amount of time of being played hard??



If its just cutting out, then its because your amp is probably reached its max, and the protection is kicking in. In which case, there isnt much to do. You could upgrade wiring, but 50% of the time (for systems like yours), it wont do much.

[Azkikr111]

yeah, its just cutting out..if there were sparks flying id just have fun with a sledge hammer :-P

so you suggesting i just look for a better amp?

(the light goes off when it cuts out, so im almost sure its just the protection...does this mean its overheating?...could i do somethin like custom make a little air vent to go on the side or somethin?)

(also, i think my wiring is pretty good, i got a good 10-12 guage wire on it, i dont know exact size, monster cables (got for free from friend's totalled car) and some regular speaker wire)

[2ndGenTeg]

What is the current draw on that amp? 10 gauge cable might be enough, depending on how efficient the amp is. How high do you have the gains? If they're maxed out, the amp will overheat quicker. Finally, what is the impedence load? If it is too low, that will also cause the amp to overheat.

[Accord Man]

Here's epic question.. Is them amp hot to the touch?

[Azkikr111]

uhhh....illhave to get back to you on that one...i have trouble reaching it when im driving so i only usually glance back at it......but usually once im done driving it is quite warm

[BrandonClaps]

10-12 gauge OMFG!, i'm iming you right now

[Azkikr111]

hehe

[93chromeacc]

get rid of the amp...trust me. I had a Kenwood 1200watt amp and it started doin the same thing. I paid $250 for it brand new (on sale 1/2 off) and then spent another $240 and $80 to get it repaired twice. I just up and sold it for like $400. It was useless. I'm sure yours will go the same way.

[Azkikr111]

yeah, i looked closer and found out that my wire actually is 8 guage...i guess i think i just underjudge the size of my owe posessions.....<<looks at crotch>>.....

"*interesting*"---he says in a peculiar voice.

[Onyx]

How about your power source? On my amp if my power source drops below 10v it will cut off until the power comes back up. Maybe try a cap.

[Azkikr111]

you really think that could be it???...its only a 600w amp, ill look into it...

anyone else suggest that as a reasonable answer too?

(sorry, but more than 1 opinion isnt just rude, its smart) :-P

[Maxvla]

nah... sounds like 93chrome knows about this. he suggests ditching the amp. so i would suggest you ditch the amp.

[BrandonClaps]

take it to an audio store, have them bench test it, may be more worthwhile in the end:crazy:

[Azkikr111]

i just took the ufker to my school shop, we did a volt test on it and found out that with my subs just barely pushing it drops down to like 12-13 ***(i originally accidentally typed 3 instead of 13, lol, oops)*** watts, and the louder i tried pushing it, the further and further it dropped (also the longer i helpd it at one volume it contunued to drop as the amp kept using more power for the contunuous beats of the song)

i wasnt able to puch my subs to hard since the shop class is in the school, and ive been told its so loud you can hear it in the nearby classrooms)(also the fact that my auto shop doesnt like "big bass"......i think he's jealous though)

but i think also im just gunna have the amp looked at, but i just dont want some no name asshole to "check out my amp" and just lie to me to try to sell me a new amp and screw me over lke that (oh yeah, people will do that to you in FL if your not careful)

[Maxvla]

people will do that to you anywhere... it is not florida specific. lol

[Azkikr111]

does anyone know how much i should pay just to get my amp looked at?