Having trouble powering amp

 

Bronze Member
Username: Cwruck

Post Number: 88
Registered: Feb-10
hi guys my current set up is an infinity 1600a amp. 600 watts rms 2 ohms and max current draw is 58 amps according to infinity. and i also downgraded from a 4 channel to a 2 channel eclipse. rated at 60 watts rms 4 ohms, i dont know the max draw but im sure it has to be less than 30 amps and i only run the gain at half. i have no electrical upgrades, i have an optima battery its like 1200 cca or something rediculous but it doesnt do anything if hooked up so i just removed it. im running a single 12'' jl w6 and i feel im only getting about 350 watts to it.. the gain is a little over half on the sub amp, and i leave the bass on the headunit all the way down at -7 when i turn up the volume it basically gets to a point where the bass doesnt get any louder even if i turn the amp up all the way, or the bass on the hu up. i was wondering why is this happening? i am using 2 ga wire that i have to strip down to fit in the amps.
could it be that my wire is too old? but i would think it just wouldnt work if that was the case

in my other car i did the big 3 and a battery and i could run 1500 watts on my dd all day long, but in this car i cant even run more than 400 watts of bass.
just wondering what the problem could be.
would the big 3 help with just a 90 amp alt??
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Columbia, SC USA

Post Number: 12722
Registered: Dec-03
you're drawing about 72A max between the two amplifiers.

check your wiring.
set bass on teh HU at zero +/-
set gain on both amps at 1/4 up and leave them both there.
set bass boost and phase on the amps at zero
set the sub amp XO @ 50-60Hz, slope or Q at 18dB
set eclipse amp XO @ 100-120Hz, 12dB slope (Q)

check the RCA lines and make sure one isn't bad or loose.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Cwruck

Post Number: 90
Registered: Feb-10
what advantages would that have? i dont know if turning down the 2 channel would be enough volume. and i have the crossovers set up like that already. the rcas are good, i have tried 3 different sets. i also never use the bass boost so of course i already have that at 0 on both amps.
my wiring is good, good solid connections. i thought i had a bad ground connection so i have tried it in other spots but it doesnt matter.

i have no idea why this is happening. normally i would think you could run much more power without trouble.
hmmm should i add a capacitor?? haha just playing
 

Platinum Member
Username: Nd4spd18

Philadelphia, PA

Post Number: 11011
Registered: Jul-06
Don't take this the wrong way, but

You really have no idea how much power the amplifier is producing. You're trying to judge based on loudness of the sub which you can not do. My guess is somethings up having to do the enclosure or maybe speaker itself. Are you getting a serious drop in voltage? If not the amp is doing just fine...
 

Silver Member
Username: Armykyle1

Ms Us

Post Number: 935
Registered: Dec-08
Those amps are overrated imo.

What's the sub in? Ported sealed? Built right?

GAIN IS NOT VOLUME CONTROL.

Get a DMM and set gain properly.

If ur too lazy for that turn HU 3/4 of the way up then turn the gain up till the sub doesn't get any louder then back it it down a lil bit. If you plan on using bass boost or W/E turn it up 3/4 of the prior to setting the gain. Bass boost is only bad when abused. This is rule of thumb of course.

And of course recheck all connections. Try better RCAs too.
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Columbia, SC USA

Post Number: 12724
Registered: Dec-03
if the gains are set properly and the system isn't loud enough, jsut get bigger amplifiers. that said, is it possible that one of the leads inside the sub box came loose?
I've seen this happen with bridged coils on DVC subs.. one comes loose aned suddenly the sub sounds really weak.
 

Platinum Member
Username: Nd4spd18

Philadelphia, PA

Post Number: 11012
Registered: Jul-06
" Those amps are overrated imo "

Infinity amps are rated to CEA standards, try again
 

Bronze Member
Username: Cwruck

Post Number: 91
Registered: Feb-10
the amp is underrated to tell you the truth.
but there is nothing wrong with the sub, i have used 3 different subs and i get the same results with each sub. the box is ported and is 2.0 cu ft. after displacement just a little over jls specs
i would estimate i am very close with the 350 watts i said it was pushing out. i have done many many installs and im pretty familiar with understanding how much power im getting
i understand gain is not volume control, i never said i used it as that.
my rca cables are good, like i said i have 3 different sets and they are all not cheap quality.
i dont have a way to test my voltage drop but i would say i do have a pretty bad voltage drop.
lights dim and rpms drop over 500 sometimes..
do i have a bad alternator?
my car never has a problem starting up
or could it just be my wires? like i said i would think if i had bad wires they just wouldnt work.. but i have no idea.
and please note my battery is in my trunk, my ground wire is 2 ga and only about 2.5 ft and my battery connection is only about 6 ft long with 2 ga, so im sure the wire can run 150+ amps through it easily..

im probably just going to do the big 3 and ho alt and i already have an optima this summer, but until then just wondering why my car is doing this..

no leads loose either glasswolf checked them already
it seems like i get alot of distortion to the sub when i turn the volume up for longer than 20 min. i can smell the coils so i turn it down then
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Columbia, SC USA

Post Number: 12729
Registered: Dec-03
do me a favor.
go to advance or vatozone or similar, and get both the battery and alternator tested, please.
they have a machine that can test both under load (important) on the spot for free.
make sure both are working properly when presented with high loads.

Let me know and we can go from there
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