newb to car audio, i need amp help. BADLY lol

[zshortcut 0]

i would LOVE to meet up with someone to teach me the basics and help me get my system under control

im in daytona beach, ormond, edgewater, palmcoast, port orange, new symerna.

anyone in any of those areas would be amazing

[sefugi 166]

Would love to help out with something like this, but a little to far away being in Pensacola.

[ChevyBoy95 15]

ok...

turn bass boost on the amp all the way off.

turn bass on the headunit to flat (+-0)

take the subs out of the box and take a picture and upload it to here with how they are wired. (help us help you)

take a multimeter (DMM) and put it on ohms and test each coil on the subs

[ChevyBoy95 15]

if i back it down the subs go down?

then i'll really have no base, i guess thats where the bigger comes in?

it sounds like i either need to take it to an audio shop and let them go at it or i'd really like to meet an audio guy like yourself that lives around here that could teach me

no, they usually rip you off (in price) and do a half ass job anyway.

[zshortcut 0]

im almost positive there wired for 2 ohm but im gunna look anyway.

okay so if i shouldnt go to a shop how am i suppose to check the ohms?

[sefugi 166]

im almost positive there wired for 2 ohm but im gunna look anyway.

okay so if i shouldnt go to a shop how am i suppose to check the ohms?

multimeter

[zshortcut 0]

i dont have one?

okay im deff wired for 2 ohms like the picture showed.

[ChevyBoy95 15]

i dont have one?

okay im deff wired for 2 ohms like the picture showed.

are there only two wires from the box going to the amp? if so your probably wired to 2 ohms bridged when the minimum for bridged is 4 ohms.

[edouble101 314]

well that amp is rated at 4 ohm mono for 1100 watts..... soo....

first thing is first. make sure they are indeed dual 2's

then you need a new amp. somthing that put full power out at 2 ohms.

IF they are indeed dual 2's

but you need a new amp anyway that one is a piece of shit. . its RMS 550 watts.. not anywhere near 1000 anyway.

so i would replace it anyway no matter what.

Before recommending new equipment you should recommend methods of checking existing equipment for malfunction and improper install. Since the equipment previously worked in a different instsall lets examine the current install and equipment.

1. Use the diagram I posted to verify that the subs are wired to 2 ohms. This assumes the subs are D2. If the subs are D1's the posted diagram will give you an impedence of 1 ohm.

2. Check with subwoofer's DCR individually and not connected to anything!

This video may help you.

BTW Harbor Freight sells cheap dvm.

Educate yourself. There are many helpful videos on Youtube. Alot of your questions were probably already asked by someone else so use the "search" bar.

[ChevyBoy95 15]

yea the harbor fright one is cool, i have one, and they are a few bucks i think. the only thing, yes youtube is great for learning but there is also a lot of people on youtube who dont know much and make videos about stuff that's way over their head.

[zshortcut 0]

damit, the freaking audio guy did this exact thing yesterday and he did so many different things to show me that i dont remember which was which

whats one of these things cost?

[edouble101 314]

damit, the freaking audio guy did this exact thing yesterday and he did so many different things to show me that i dont remember which was which

whats one of these things cost?

The Harbor Freight dvm is cheap, less than $10. I got mine free with a coupon from a Harbor Freight ad. I also have a Craftsman that was much more expensive and the el'cheapo Harbor Freight dvm is spot on.

How does you ground wire look? Ie. what is it bolted to?

[zshortcut 0]

alright i might just have to buy one, it seems like such a wasted to buy one for a one time thing :/

the ground is screwed with the trunk latch

[ChevyBoy95 15]

click this, its the multimeter we are talking about, only 5 bucks

edit: just use the store locator and find a harbor freight in your area.

Edited August 16, 2011 by ChevyBoy95

[edouble101 314]

Read over all of your user manuals for each component in your audio system. Start with the head unit. Have all your settings at "flat" or any boost levels at zero.

[edouble101 314]

alright i might just have to buy one, it seems like such a wasted to buy one for a one time thing :/

the ground is screwed with the trunk latch

Do you have bare wire to metal contact? Or bare metal ring terminal to bare metal contact?

[zshortcut 0]

you want me to set everything to flat?

there wont be any boom

i'll try it, i'll try anything lol but whats my goal, what am i trying to do?

[ssh 924]

alright i might just have to buy one, it seems like such a wasted to buy one for a one time thing :/

the ground is screwed with the trunk latch

It won't be a waste, it will come in handy.

[zshortcut 0]

theres a ring on it. theres gotta be a smart way to say that but theres a ring lol

[sefugi 166]

you want me to set everything to flat?

there wont be any boom

i'll try it, i'll try anything lol but whats my goal, what am i trying to do?

What was your first need for help??

Boom is no good if it shuts off after a few minutes.

[zshortcut 0]

you want me to set everything to flat?

there wont be any boom

i'll try it, i'll try anything lol but whats my goal, what am i trying to do?

What was your first need for help??

Boom is no good if it shuts off after a few minutes.

when i crank the volume the amp shuts off, i dont think i have enough power, but at the same time the guy i got it from was fine so???

[ChevyBoy95 15]

you want me to set everything to flat?

there wont be any boom

i'll try it, i'll try anything lol but whats my goal, what am i trying to do?

if everything is done right and you have the enough power, there will be some boom.

and when you get the multimeter, put it in your glove box and leave it there, its what i do and say if your car wont start, you can check the battery, see if the alt is charging, etc. Its good for car audio but much more too.

[Ohjay 116]

alright i might just have to buy one, it seems like such a wasted to buy one for a one time thing :/

the ground is screwed with the trunk latch

It won't be a waste, it will come in handy.

It will become your best friend when tracking down any electrical problems. I use mine all the time, most valuable tool I have for car audio.

[ChevyBoy95 15]

you want me to set everything to flat?

there wont be any boom

i'll try it, i'll try anything lol but whats my goal, what am i trying to do?

What was your first need for help??

Boom is no good if it shuts off after a few minutes.

when i crank the volume the amp shuts off, i dont think i have enough power, but at the same time the guy i got it from was fine so???

there are a lot of factors that play a part in if something works. there are many variables that could change from his vehicle to yours.

[zshortcut 0]

you want me to set everything to flat?

there wont be any boom

i'll try it, i'll try anything lol but whats my goal, what am i trying to do?

if everything is done right and you have the enough power, there will be some boom.

and when you get the multimeter, put it in your glove box and leave it there, its what i do and say if your car wont start, you can check the battery, see if the alt is charging, etc. Its good for car audio but much more too.

thats just it tho, i dont think i have enough power. i need someone to look at my car, there are so many things that a trained eye would look at and say thats your problem but i dont kno enough about it to kno