I have a Kenwood KAC-7201 amp, and recently purchased two 10 inch Polk db104DVC subs with dual voice coils. I tried installing the subs and at first the speakers just crackled. After some tweaking the subs started to hit then the bass began to fade out. Then the amp started to get really hot. I purchased these subs from Crutchfield. They told me to check the gain setting which I already done. Next they told me to wire the subs for an 8 ohm load. I'm a huge newbie about all of this. Crutchfield recommended these subs as the ones that would work best with my amp. Do I need a new amp or should the amp push those subs? How do I wire an 8 ohm load? Any help would be appreciated
Replies (4)
ryan2 on 08/22/2005 10:42:26
We could still use some more detail please. How do you have the subs hooked to your amp? How are the power and ground wire connected? Power wire directly to the + on the bettery with an inline fuse? Ground is less then 3 ft and is connected to bare metal? Also what size power wire are you using?
These question will help us know why the amp is acting the way it is and we'll be able to come up with a solution.
Victor on 08/22/2005 11:25:02
http://www.clubknowledge.com/Car_Audio_FAQ/?t33
u can use this for wiring help..
Victor...
Crum on 08/22/2005 11:42:45
If you follow the link posted by Victor, I believe that you will have the most success following the diagram shown for 2 DVC subs (series VC's, Parallel SUBs). This will net 4 ohm from the amp to the speakers. You will also want to bridge your connection to the amp to maximize power.
As Ryan noted, there are several things besides simply the sub and the amp that could be causing problems. My gut feeling is that the subs are wired incorrectly and that is putting a strain on both the speakers and amp.
What size box do you have the subs in?
Crum
swez on 08/22/2005 12:05:39
Amp getting hot tells us that the subs are not wired properly to amp. The ohmic load is probably too low if you bridged the amp MONO and all coils in parallel net a 1 ohm load. (bad news there)
Nice amp and good subs too. Nice combo recommendation in all. However, it's the install that is probably the culprit here. You have 2 main options:
1. Wire each sub for 2 ohms (both coils in parallel) and use 1 sub per channel. This is a 2 channel wiring scheme.
2. If you bridge the amp for MONO, need to wire each sub for 8 ohms each. (each sub coil set in series) Then, wire both subs in parallel to amp. This nets a safe 4 ohm load to the amp when briged MONO.
Crutch has great tech support and install information when you buy from them. No, they are not the cheapest guys to buy from, but their service and helps are one of the best out there. Also, this amp requires a #4 gage power feed line and ground wire.
I suggest you go back and check how the subs are now wired to this amp. If it's heating up, "most likely", the subs are wired incorrectly to amp or amp gains are set incorrectly.
Finally, what HU are you using here? The gain settings should match HU RCA output voltage.
Example: HU output is typically 1.5 - 4.0 volts . We set the amp gain to match HU output voltage.
Swez
Replies (4)
ryan2 on 08/22/2005 10:42:26
We could still use some more detail please. How do you have the subs hooked to your amp? How are the power and ground wire connected? Power wire directly to the + on the bettery with an inline fuse? Ground is less then 3 ft and is connected to bare metal? Also what size power wire are you using?
These question will help us know why the amp is acting the way it is and we'll be able to come up with a solution.
Victor on 08/22/2005 11:25:02
http://www.clubknowledge.com/Car_Audio_FAQ/?t33
u can use this for wiring help..
Victor...
Crum on 08/22/2005 11:42:45
If you follow the link posted by Victor, I believe that you will have the most success following the diagram shown for 2 DVC subs (series VC's, Parallel SUBs). This will net 4 ohm from the amp to the speakers. You will also want to bridge your connection to the amp to maximize power.
As Ryan noted, there are several things besides simply the sub and the amp that could be causing problems. My gut feeling is that the subs are wired incorrectly and that is putting a strain on both the speakers and amp.
What size box do you have the subs in?
Crum
swez on 08/22/2005 12:05:39
Amp getting hot tells us that the subs are not wired properly to amp. The ohmic load is probably too low if you bridged the amp MONO and all coils in parallel net a 1 ohm load. (bad news there)
Nice amp and good subs too. Nice combo recommendation in all. However, it's the install that is probably the culprit here. You have 2 main options:
1. Wire each sub for 2 ohms (both coils in parallel) and use 1 sub per channel. This is a 2 channel wiring scheme.
2. If you bridge the amp for MONO, need to wire each sub for 8 ohms each. (each sub coil set in series) Then, wire both subs in parallel to amp. This nets a safe 4 ohm load to the amp when briged MONO.
Crutch has great tech support and install information when you buy from them. No, they are not the cheapest guys to buy from, but their service and helps are one of the best out there. Also, this amp requires a #4 gage power feed line and ground wire.
I suggest you go back and check how the subs are now wired to this amp. If it's heating up, "most likely", the subs are wired incorrectly to amp or amp gains are set incorrectly.
Finally, what HU are you using here? The gain settings should match HU RCA output voltage.
Example: HU output is typically 1.5 - 4.0 volts . We set the amp gain to match HU output voltage.
Swez
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