In my Jeep Grand Cherokee my sony explode 1200 watt 4 chanel amp shuts off when it gets turned up past a certain point. It did not do this when i first installed the amp but started to about after 6months. If i shut my radio off and turn it back on then the amp turns on again untill i turn it up to loud. I still have my factory speakers in. (which arn't bad cause thay are infinities since i have the limited) I also have 1000 watt amp powering my subs which does not turn off. Please help me i need my loud music back....
thanx
Chris Erbo FROWN MAD MAD MAD
Replies (8)
Doycth on 06/10/2004 14:13:10
I forgot to mention that i have both of these amps hooked up to a monster cable 1 faud cap. Also i am using 4 gauge power wire fused and split into two 8 gauge wires for the power and i have the two 8 gauge grounds leading into one 4gauge grounded wire.
Pinch on 06/10/2004 14:57:33
It may help to check the amps when things shut off to see if they are giving you any indication as to what's happening. I had an old Sony 5 Channel amp wich had LEDs to indicate certain situations. For example: when I played at high volumes for long trips the amp would get hot and eventually shut off; a red LED would turn on to indicate that a thermal shut off had occoured. I don't know which model(s) you have, but maybe they've got such a feature for overcurrent/temp. That would be just a starting point. Another thing I would try is disconnecting speakers one at a time from the amp to see if one of the channels is shorting out. Disconnect a speaker, crank it & see what happens. If disconnecting one of your speakers eliminates the problem, try using a different speakers on that same channel to see if it is the speaker or the amp itself. Best of luck!
Pinch
ttocs on 06/10/2004 15:30:32
how long has the amp been playing when it shuts off? With the hotter months now in effect it could be going into thermal protection. What speakers is it driving?
swez on 06/10/2004 18:04:06
I think he said stock Infinity (probably Gold) speakers are being used here.
Pinch hit several key points about thermal protection circuits which will shut off the amp when it gets too hot from high output listening.
1. Hotter days make a difference too as now, the ambient air temp where your amps are sitting, is probably 20-30 degrees warmer than when it was installed last Fall. Takes less time for the amp(s) to reach thermal overload in Summer. Common issue and cooling fans may help.
2. A shorted speaker will also stress the amp circuits. If one or more of your stock speakers are blown (shorted) this will easily shut the amp down as well. Since these are stock speakers, they can only take so much power (20-30 watts RMS) before they give it up. Pull each wire set to speakers (one wire set at a time) and check the ohmic resistance to each speaker location. They should all be very close to the same ohmic values. (~4 ohms) The rear speakers may be a tad higher in resistance as some OEM's use higher resistance speakers in back to match front speaker output.
3. Check your HPF (high pass filter) settings on the 4 channel amp. They should be close to ~80 Hz. All frequencies below that, are handled by the subs. DO NOT USE ANY BASS BOOST FEATURES ON THE 4 CHANNEL AMP. This will also drive up the heat in mid/high amps. Let the subs do all that work for you.
4. Also, may want to dial up the "gain sensitivity controls" on the 4 channel amp. If the gains are now set close to say... 1.5-2.0 volts, try adjusting them to say 2.5-3.0 volts. This will prevent the amp from clipping too much. Clipping not only caused excess distortions at high listening levels, but also causes the amp to overheat.
5. The tone control settings (or EQ) on your HU, should be used sparingly. It is better to reduce EQ numbers (flat or a few dB less) than to boost certain frequencies well above say +6dB. It's a ratio balancing tool to maintain a "good balance" between lows, mids & highs. If too much EQ is used, it drives up the input voltage to the amps and causes them to clip and overheat permaturely.
6. Since your sub amp does not shut off... no need to play with that one. The 1 Farad Cap should be on the sub amp only. Usually not needed on full range amps. The LPF (low pass filter) should be set to ~ 80 Hz., here as well. Any bass boost you use, should be minimal (+6dB at most) to prevent sub amp clipping.
7. About power wire to amps... check the fuse ratings for each amp. The #4 power & ground wires are generally good for 80-100A., worth of current draw. The #8 gage has a maximum of 50A., per wire. If either amp can pull more than 50 amperes of current at full output, a #8 wire is too small. Drop to #4 gage wire for amp(s) that draw over 50 amperes of current. If both amps have a sum total of more than 100 amperes in fuses, better to drop to a #2 gage power feed line and than #4-#8 wires to each amplifier. Less voltage drop this way and the overall system is more efficient in managing current flow, heat and nominal voltage to each amplifier.
Finally, what are the model numbers of each amp you have now? This will help us pinpoint most problems of this nature. The more you tell us... the better we can direct your hands to fix it. I don't enjoy driving blindfolded at high speeds... hehe
Swez
PS Sony plays a numbers game regarding power output specs. Most laymen don't know or understand that about Sony. They rate their gear at Peak output power. Big numbers yes... but when they are standardized to RMS (Average/Continous) power ratings... what you thought you had is not what you really get in terms of real world power ratings.
Not bashing just Sony here, as other brands now do the same thing. Fact is, most don't know it unless they really understand audio gear ratings and specifications.
pmpn8ez on 06/11/2004 23:55:59
Doycth: I was having the exact same problems...running a Sony 4 channel 600 Watt with Infinities....the problem was clipping. Infininy has something in the speakers that notices the squaring (clipping) of the signal and shuts the amp off in order to save your speakers...
The fix: Make sure the gain adjustment on the AMP matched with the voltage output on you HU preamp output. If the volume isn't loud enough...you'll need a bigger amp..but turning the gain past your voltage causes the clipping
Hope this helps.
_lance
cplkittle on 06/12/2004 08:24:21
Sonys are notorious for overheating, due to their inadequate power supply. Two things I have done to extend the playing time is mount the amp on 1/2" blocks or legs to allow airflow under the amp, and use a larger wire (in your case run 4 all the way to the amps).
also do not bridge these at a lower resistance than it can handle.
Doycth on 06/14/2004 15:29:03
Sorry it took me so long to get back to ya but my internet conection is at work. The amps are sony explodes and when it shuts off the light lights up under "over current". My speakers are all pretty blown and i have new infiniti's ready to go in so i will try this, this weekend (hopefully) and let you guys know. thanx!
swez on 06/15/2004 17:33:05
If the old speakers were blown, most likely the amp was clipping severely. That means high distortion levels from HU to amp or amp to speakers.
As Pez8 said, the input sensitivity settings should be set close to the HU output voltage settinngs. Here is an FAQ that explains how to set them by ear with good results:
1. http://www.clubknowledge.com/Car_Audio_FAQ/?t3
2.http://www.clubknowledge.com/Car_Audio_FAQ/?t20
Swez
thanx
Chris Erbo FROWN MAD MAD MAD
Replies (8)
Doycth on 06/10/2004 14:13:10
I forgot to mention that i have both of these amps hooked up to a monster cable 1 faud cap. Also i am using 4 gauge power wire fused and split into two 8 gauge wires for the power and i have the two 8 gauge grounds leading into one 4gauge grounded wire.
Pinch on 06/10/2004 14:57:33
It may help to check the amps when things shut off to see if they are giving you any indication as to what's happening. I had an old Sony 5 Channel amp wich had LEDs to indicate certain situations. For example: when I played at high volumes for long trips the amp would get hot and eventually shut off; a red LED would turn on to indicate that a thermal shut off had occoured. I don't know which model(s) you have, but maybe they've got such a feature for overcurrent/temp. That would be just a starting point. Another thing I would try is disconnecting speakers one at a time from the amp to see if one of the channels is shorting out. Disconnect a speaker, crank it & see what happens. If disconnecting one of your speakers eliminates the problem, try using a different speakers on that same channel to see if it is the speaker or the amp itself. Best of luck!
Pinch
ttocs on 06/10/2004 15:30:32
how long has the amp been playing when it shuts off? With the hotter months now in effect it could be going into thermal protection. What speakers is it driving?
swez on 06/10/2004 18:04:06
I think he said stock Infinity (probably Gold) speakers are being used here.
Pinch hit several key points about thermal protection circuits which will shut off the amp when it gets too hot from high output listening.
1. Hotter days make a difference too as now, the ambient air temp where your amps are sitting, is probably 20-30 degrees warmer than when it was installed last Fall. Takes less time for the amp(s) to reach thermal overload in Summer. Common issue and cooling fans may help.
2. A shorted speaker will also stress the amp circuits. If one or more of your stock speakers are blown (shorted) this will easily shut the amp down as well. Since these are stock speakers, they can only take so much power (20-30 watts RMS) before they give it up. Pull each wire set to speakers (one wire set at a time) and check the ohmic resistance to each speaker location. They should all be very close to the same ohmic values. (~4 ohms) The rear speakers may be a tad higher in resistance as some OEM's use higher resistance speakers in back to match front speaker output.
3. Check your HPF (high pass filter) settings on the 4 channel amp. They should be close to ~80 Hz. All frequencies below that, are handled by the subs. DO NOT USE ANY BASS BOOST FEATURES ON THE 4 CHANNEL AMP. This will also drive up the heat in mid/high amps. Let the subs do all that work for you.
4. Also, may want to dial up the "gain sensitivity controls" on the 4 channel amp. If the gains are now set close to say... 1.5-2.0 volts, try adjusting them to say 2.5-3.0 volts. This will prevent the amp from clipping too much. Clipping not only caused excess distortions at high listening levels, but also causes the amp to overheat.
5. The tone control settings (or EQ) on your HU, should be used sparingly. It is better to reduce EQ numbers (flat or a few dB less) than to boost certain frequencies well above say +6dB. It's a ratio balancing tool to maintain a "good balance" between lows, mids & highs. If too much EQ is used, it drives up the input voltage to the amps and causes them to clip and overheat permaturely.
6. Since your sub amp does not shut off... no need to play with that one. The 1 Farad Cap should be on the sub amp only. Usually not needed on full range amps. The LPF (low pass filter) should be set to ~ 80 Hz., here as well. Any bass boost you use, should be minimal (+6dB at most) to prevent sub amp clipping.
7. About power wire to amps... check the fuse ratings for each amp. The #4 power & ground wires are generally good for 80-100A., worth of current draw. The #8 gage has a maximum of 50A., per wire. If either amp can pull more than 50 amperes of current at full output, a #8 wire is too small. Drop to #4 gage wire for amp(s) that draw over 50 amperes of current. If both amps have a sum total of more than 100 amperes in fuses, better to drop to a #2 gage power feed line and than #4-#8 wires to each amplifier. Less voltage drop this way and the overall system is more efficient in managing current flow, heat and nominal voltage to each amplifier.
Finally, what are the model numbers of each amp you have now? This will help us pinpoint most problems of this nature. The more you tell us... the better we can direct your hands to fix it. I don't enjoy driving blindfolded at high speeds... hehe
Swez
PS Sony plays a numbers game regarding power output specs. Most laymen don't know or understand that about Sony. They rate their gear at Peak output power. Big numbers yes... but when they are standardized to RMS (Average/Continous) power ratings... what you thought you had is not what you really get in terms of real world power ratings.
Not bashing just Sony here, as other brands now do the same thing. Fact is, most don't know it unless they really understand audio gear ratings and specifications.
pmpn8ez on 06/11/2004 23:55:59
Doycth: I was having the exact same problems...running a Sony 4 channel 600 Watt with Infinities....the problem was clipping. Infininy has something in the speakers that notices the squaring (clipping) of the signal and shuts the amp off in order to save your speakers...
The fix: Make sure the gain adjustment on the AMP matched with the voltage output on you HU preamp output. If the volume isn't loud enough...you'll need a bigger amp..but turning the gain past your voltage causes the clipping
Hope this helps.
_lance
cplkittle on 06/12/2004 08:24:21
Sonys are notorious for overheating, due to their inadequate power supply. Two things I have done to extend the playing time is mount the amp on 1/2" blocks or legs to allow airflow under the amp, and use a larger wire (in your case run 4 all the way to the amps).
also do not bridge these at a lower resistance than it can handle.
Doycth on 06/14/2004 15:29:03
Sorry it took me so long to get back to ya but my internet conection is at work. The amps are sony explodes and when it shuts off the light lights up under "over current". My speakers are all pretty blown and i have new infiniti's ready to go in so i will try this, this weekend (hopefully) and let you guys know. thanx!
swez on 06/15/2004 17:33:05
If the old speakers were blown, most likely the amp was clipping severely. That means high distortion levels from HU to amp or amp to speakers.
As Pez8 said, the input sensitivity settings should be set close to the HU output voltage settinngs. Here is an FAQ that explains how to set them by ear with good results:
1. http://www.clubknowledge.com/Car_Audio_FAQ/?t3
2.http://www.clubknowledge.com/Car_Audio_FAQ/?t20
Swez
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