So I found out that my new-to-me amp has a max 4V preamp input, but my Sony XAV-5500 head unit is at 5V. Is that a big issue? Also, the output light on the amp turns red way before my oscilloscope shows clipping. Can someone explain this? Right now, my JL 13W7 hits harder with my JL 1000/1 Slash series amp. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
Can you tell us about your electrical setup? Did you upgrade to handle the 2500 watt amp?
Harmon said:
Can you tell us about your electrical setup? Did you upgrade to handle the 2500 watt amp?
I have a 1/0 gauge big 3 upgrade on my 2015 Chevy Cruze.
Harmon said:
Can you tell us about your electrical setup? Did you upgrade to handle the 2500 watt amp?
I have a 1/0 gauge big 3 upgrade on my 2015 Chevy Cruze.
Stock alternator and battery?
@Harmon
No voltage drop at all, steady 14.6V, no lights dimming either.
Val said:
@Harmon
No voltage drop at all, steady 14.6V, no lights dimming either.
So you think a 2500 watt constant power amp will run well on your stock 130 amp alternator? You say the output is lower than a 1000W amp, so unless the amp is broken, there’s likely an installation problem.
Harmon said:
Can you tell us about your electrical setup? Did you upgrade to handle the 2500 watt amp?
I have a 1/0 gauge big 3 upgrade on my 2015 Chevy Cruze.
Your alternator is 130 amps. You should be tuning with a 40Hz sine wave, usually. You might be starving the amp for power and clipping on the output side, even if the input signal is clean.
The RF site suggests a 200A alternator. You need more power to avoid starving your RF.
@Harmon
Why would he use a 1000Hz sine wave on a mono amp?
Nico said:
@Harmon
Why would he use a 1000Hz sine wave on a mono amp?
Because I’m an idiot and mistyped, thinking it was a full range.
The 5V from the HU isn’t a big deal. You can lower the subwoofer output from the HU and match it perfectly to the 4V using your oscilloscope.
Harmon said:
The 5V from the HU isn’t a big deal. You can lower the subwoofer output from the HU and match it perfectly to the 4V using your oscilloscope.
I’m planning to upgrade my alternator soon. I was mainly wondering about the preamp situation and why the clip light on the amp comes on so far before my oscilloscope shows clipping. My W7 is wired to 3 ohms, so I should be getting about 2k watts, right?
@Val
Where are you taking the signal for the oscilloscope from? Is it from the HU or from the amp output?
Harmon said:
@Val
Where are you taking the signal for the oscilloscope from? Is it from the HU or from the amp output?
From the amp output.
Harmon said:
@Val
Where are you taking the signal for the oscilloscope from? Is it from the HU or from the amp output?
From the amp output.
That’s likely your issue. The VU meter is showing the output signal. Try backing it off and matching the gain properly. You might be sending too strong a signal to the RF. Those VU meters aren’t accurate. Set the gain with the oscilloscope instead.
Harmon said:
@Val
Where are you taking the signal for the oscilloscope from? Is it from the HU or from the amp output?
From the amp output.
Can you take a picture of your amp settings?