Hey, I have a 4ch 800w amp driving a 12" Blaster sub rated at 350w, a pair of Kenwood 4" splits and a pair of 4" mids. The sub uses two rear channels (bridged) and the splits and mids use the front channels. The head unit only had one pair pre-outs so I had to split them into two pairs for the amp. I have just used normal cable for the power supply and ground (2mmx2mm).
The problem is that the amp gets REALLY hot even after just a few minutes of use. I wanted to know some possible causes for this.
Replies (3)
erikcooper on 02/13/2004 00:56:29
You got any part numbers for those speakers and amp? And how big is that wire? If it is 2mm you need to change it... The part numbers will help us get to the bottom of the problem more than likely though so once you get those just post them and we will see what we can do.
ryan on 02/13/2004 11:51:26
How many ohms is this sub and how do u have it wired to ur amp? Also is ur sub hooked up in series or parallel?
swez on 02/21/2004 18:33:04
The front channels are probably OK! If you have 2 speakers wired to each channel in parallel, that's a 2 ohm load per channel and most amps can manage that. They may run warm, but if the amp is 2 ohm stable, it should be OK. If the amp is not 2 ohm stable,(only 4) this is the root of your overheating problem.
Also, the 12" sub... hope it is a 4 ohm SVC sub. When bridging a 4 channel as noted, the load must be 4 ohms. If lower, the amp will heat up a lot.
What are the gain settings used for each part of the amp? A safe number is usually about 2.0 volts, depending on the HU used. If your HU puts out ~2 volts and the amp gains are set below 1.0 volts, this will overdrive the amp and heat it up to fail in short order.
Finally, the power and ground wire diameter for this amp may be a factor as well. The minimum gage for this amp is probably #8 gage wire. I am assuming the 800 watts is total peak power and the RMS rating is more like 100 RMS per channel. If your wires are hot when the amp has been running for a few minutes, get larger power wires ASAP or you could have a fire!
Swez
The problem is that the amp gets REALLY hot even after just a few minutes of use. I wanted to know some possible causes for this.
Replies (3)
erikcooper on 02/13/2004 00:56:29
You got any part numbers for those speakers and amp? And how big is that wire? If it is 2mm you need to change it... The part numbers will help us get to the bottom of the problem more than likely though so once you get those just post them and we will see what we can do.
ryan on 02/13/2004 11:51:26
How many ohms is this sub and how do u have it wired to ur amp? Also is ur sub hooked up in series or parallel?
swez on 02/21/2004 18:33:04
The front channels are probably OK! If you have 2 speakers wired to each channel in parallel, that's a 2 ohm load per channel and most amps can manage that. They may run warm, but if the amp is 2 ohm stable, it should be OK. If the amp is not 2 ohm stable,(only 4) this is the root of your overheating problem.
Also, the 12" sub... hope it is a 4 ohm SVC sub. When bridging a 4 channel as noted, the load must be 4 ohms. If lower, the amp will heat up a lot.
What are the gain settings used for each part of the amp? A safe number is usually about 2.0 volts, depending on the HU used. If your HU puts out ~2 volts and the amp gains are set below 1.0 volts, this will overdrive the amp and heat it up to fail in short order.
Finally, the power and ground wire diameter for this amp may be a factor as well. The minimum gage for this amp is probably #8 gage wire. I am assuming the 800 watts is total peak power and the RMS rating is more like 100 RMS per channel. If your wires are hot when the amp has been running for a few minutes, get larger power wires ASAP or you could have a fire!
Swez
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