Recently I tried installing two different amps. One Pyramid and on MA audio one..Yeah I know, crappy brands, But I have a pyramid sub that sounds decent so I figure I'd try their amp. Anyway, When I tried hooking up the Pyramid amp, everything went smoothly but it actually sounded better WITHOUT the amp, same as with the MA audio one. Could it be just because they are two not so good companies or something else?
Hey mdfmk, Pyramid do not make good amps, MA Audio however does on certain models. If you go for their cheap ones, then yes, they suck. If the amps were connected properly, it's suppose to sound better. Have you set up the gain/level according to your HU? Also if you use the speaker wire converter, it'll degrade the sound quality. RCA is a better choice.
Ok then explain what you mean by not sounding better. Are you comparing it to the HU? Is it poor quality at high volumes or at all settings? Does the mid and highs distort or just the lows on the subs?
When you say it distorts, do you mean the sound shakes or is choppy? If you had proper equipments, you could measure the output of the amp and see if it's bad. Most likely, the cause could be from either inadequate power or poor signal shielding. Is your ground any good? Sometimes that can be the problem.
Basically sounds choppy, What kind of equipment is needed? I might have it. I have the ground wire grounding to a peice of metal underneath the dash, Is that good enough?
Whoa did you say you have a ground wire underneath the dash? Where is your amp located? People usually install them in the truck and create a new grounding there by sanding a piece of the metal sheeting. If you're into electronics, you should be able to measure the output with a scope and determine the distortion factor. You'll also need a signal generator for the input.
I have the amp in the glove compartment. Didn't have long enough wires at the time to mount it somewhere in the back so put it there instead. Only temporarily. I'll measure the output later on today though and get back to you.
Whoa, you either have a big glove compartment or a small amp. Grounding is very important. It has to be done right or else you'll pick up noise and have weird problems.