What happened to my amp?

 

wolfhound
Unregistered guest
Well my head unit goes up to 40 and i usually listen to it around 24 25 and i put in a cd that had a song that didnt really have much bass so i turn it up to 31 32 and like 2 minutes later my amp turns off. So when i get home i check the amp and the two fuses on it were burnt out, the one by the battery was fine. The amp was a little warm but not like very hot. I dint have any 30 amp fuses like it had before so i put in two 20 amp fuses it works fine now and everyhing but what happened how come the fuses blew out and how long can i keep those 20 amp fuses on there? Would i lose some watts or something it sounds pretty much the same.My manual says for my gain 200mv to 5 volts i have it at around halfway. my head unit is 2.5 volts.I had the amp for 7 months and this is the first time this ever happened.
 

wolfhound
Unregistered guest
Bump Bump Bump
 

New member
Username: Wolf_hound

Post Number: 1
Registered: Sep-05
Okay i registered to see if any one could help me out I guess you have to be part of the clique like other forums for someone to help you out. I just need a quick answer on what happened to my amp so it wont happen again.
 

Gold Member
Username: Basshead86

Ocala, FL USA

Post Number: 1685
Registered: Aug-05
sorry about that dude i didn't even notice this thread, b/c i was busy talking to other people.


i would guess that your amp was severely clipping, and got too hot, or that it is a cheaper amp and you ran it at full power, and it got hot, blew the fuses, and shut off.

could be wrong though.:-)

 

New member
Username: Wolf_hound

Post Number: 2
Registered: Sep-05
Thanks Muddy.Do I have My Gain Set rright I got it at half way And My Manual says 200mv to 5 volts Whats Mv? My amp is a Mtx Well everything was going right the previous months before until I decided to turn it up more in that song that didnt have much bass. The amp wasnt even that warm and i got home like two minutes after it shut off. Oh my bass boost is at almost half way too if i lower it down it dosent sound that loud I noticed somethimes that my woofers are kinda like flopping a little bit is that what you call bottoming out.
 

Silver Member
Username: Tdisanto

Post Number: 118
Registered: Sep-05
The 20 amp fuses will last until you draw more current than they are designed to draw. I would recommend putting in the 30 amp because thats what the amp is designed for, however, 20 is better than say 40 amp fuses because they wont protect the amp from high current draw that could damage the amp.


If the amp got warm/hot, the fuses wouldnt necessarily blow. The fuses protect the amp from excessive current that the cicuitry in the amp cannot handle. (current creates heat (well resistance does),more current = more heat))

They might have blown because the gain was set too high and you were pushing the amp to its limits.

Also, middle isnt necessarily 2.5volts on the gain control. Thats a common misconception. You need to set your gain (sensitivity) by putting your HU on 3/4 vol. and turn the gain control until it starts to distort. Then turn it down a bit.

The best way is with a scope, but who has one :-)

Hope all that helps.
 

Gold Member
Username: Basshead86

Ocala, FL USA

Post Number: 1692
Registered: Aug-05
yes, if your subs are making a flapping sound then you are bottoming them out, or your tinsel leads are slapping. both of which are caused from too much power(an amp that is too powerful for your subs, or an amp that is clipping the signal) which causes the subs to extend beyond their normal operating limits.
it is much more clear to me that you have clipped the amp. if you have to turn the bass boost on then it is a clear sign that your amp isn't powerful enough, or your HU settings are tuned incorrectly with too much emphasis on the lower octaves(also know as bass boost).
so when you turn the remote bass gain up, you are adding even more bass(in your case distortion) and thus the amp doesn't have enough power to reproduce the signal with that much lower octave output, so, it clips the signal.
 

New member
Username: Wolf_hound

Post Number: 3
Registered: Sep-05
Yeah Ill Buy the 30 amp fuses tomorrow morning.
Thats exactly whqat i did to set my gain though. I think i Was pushing the amp to its limits since i turned the headunit up more for that song. Ill lower my gain tomorrow and see what happens. The Subs Somethimes when i turn up the head unit they kinda flopp but i tdont think is the tinsel leads cause i cant hear them . So when i set my gain again Should i turn up the bass boost first and then the gain or what. Thank You guys for your help.
 

Silver Member
Username: Tdisanto

Post Number: 123
Registered: Sep-05
The best gauge is your ear. if you hear distortion be smart and turn it down. If its not loud enough for you when it starts to distort, get better stuff: bottom line.

I would set the bass boost first cause its gunna "boost" the lower frequencies therfore making the amp produce a higher output to those corresponding freq. If you didnt set the gain with the bass boost and then turned it on, you might start to distort/or clip, at the 3/4 or above volume level.
 

Silver Member
Username: Tdisanto

Post Number: 124
Registered: Sep-05
a lot of people try to max out their system because they want more from it (im guilty too, that one great song comes on and you just want it LOUD) However you should back off when you hear distortion otherwise you could find yourself with a handfull of busted equipment.
 

Silver Member
Username: Tdisanto

Post Number: 125
Registered: Sep-05
also, lol, you should turn down the V-knob when you hear distortion because you are actually distorting before you can hear it. So when you hear it you have actually already exceeded that threshold of distrotion. Thats why its crucial to turn it down a view notches :-)

besides distortion sounds poo!!!
 

Gold Member
Username: Mikechec9

Http://www.cardomain.c...

Post Number: 1050
Registered: May-05
"yes, if your subs are making a flapping sound then you are bottoming them out, or your tinsel leads are slapping. both of which are caused from too much power(an amp that is too powerful for your subs, or an amp that is clipping the signal) which causes the subs to extend beyond their normal operating limits."

yop. and this is a good thing only in that some subs don't necessarily have an audible warning that they are being driven past their limits. at least yours do.
and the amp probably blew the fuses because you were pushing the amp past its limits also (like Mike said).
 

New member
Username: Wolf_hound

Post Number: 4
Registered: Sep-05
lol Yeah thats exactly what i was trying to do d@mn that song lol. Oh i forgot where do i set the high pass filter to i know the low pass should be around 80hz and my electronic cross over is set at 75hz.
 

Gold Member
Username: Mikechec9

Http://www.cardomain.c...

Post Number: 1051
Registered: May-05
with regards to your subfilter, if its a sealed box and you don't have excessive power to the sub, then it doesn't matter. the air will serve as your support for the subs. you could actually turn it completely off (unless its a nondefeatable sub filter).
if it's ported, it depends on where the sub is tuned. you don't want it to unload and over extend, causing mechanical damage.
unless you were referring to the high end xo on your components which, of course, is entirely dependent on your set up.
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