Whats wrong with my sub Amp? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

pixelbend · 10-21-2005, 07:37 AM

Ok here's my dilemma. I have a box with a single 12" Kicker SoloBaric (the square sub) in my Jeep. On top of that I have a Sony XPlod 800W mono amp.

The other day I was moving it around and the whole thing just stopped working. I checked around the sub and amp and found that the two 30W fuses that plug into the amp where blown. So I humped down to my local AutoZone and purchased a five pack of 30W fuses. Replaced them and....nothing. When I first start the Jeep and the amp gets power, the light on the amp labeled "Power/Protection" turns green, the sub makes a single thump and then the light goes red and the sub makes an exhaling sound.

The fuses that I put in are still intact and check fine for continuity. I have checked my ground wire for continuity and it checks fine too. If I put a multimeter to the positive and ground wires while they are off the amp I pull 13 volts.

All I can think is that the amp is blown somewhere on the board, but maybe I have missed something. Can anyone help me out?

Redjake · 10-21-2005, 11:42 AM

Sony amps have a history of being.......less-than-desireable. My friend nuked his Sony amp within the first week of purchasing it, and I've heard other horror stories that were similar in nature. I would bet the amp is fucked up internally. Is there anyway you could try another amp to see if that's the problem?

pixelbend · 10-21-2005, 12:27 PM

Possibly. A friend of mine may have an amp that I could try.

jujueye · 11-06-2005, 02:17 PM

Damn. That's a good one. Wish I were there. I love this kind of troubleshooting!

OK, let's back up a bit. If you moved the whole sub box + amp, then we need to suspect everything. Can you see inside the sub box? There is a chance of some loose connection there. Likely not completely disconnected, because now when you turn on your Jeep and tunes, you still get a thump so this likely means there is power throughout the circuit. If you can take a look at that, just double check.

The fuses were blown once, which is a last ditch effort for most car amps. They usually occur due to either a short or too much power being called for, like when you really crank it up. Since it was working before, we can rule out problem two here and focus on shorts. However, if it is an internal problem with the amp, the fuses may never blow because a component inside the amp trips the protection circtuitry. Rather confusing. For instance, in one of my old soundstream amps, it took five minutes or so for the amp to warm up, then it would just quietly die. It turned out to be an output diode, and went to the shop. Yeah, I know that doesn't help.

How is your remote turn on lead to the amp? Trace that as far as you can, and even disconnect and reconnect it. While you're at it, disconnect and reconnect your speaker leads at the amp. Even one strand of wire can cause a short.

I'm still concerned that maybe when the fuse blew, it really was a last ditch effort and something inside the amp took the brunt of the 14V...which would really be a bad design.

One good thing, though, is that the amp keeps coming on. Something is still working in there......

I'll check back on this if I come up with anything else.

Edit: OH! Check your RCAs for continuity as well. Check ground (sleeve) to ground (sleeve), check tip to tip, then check sleeve to tip. THERE SHOULD BE NO CONTINUITY FROM SLEEVE TO TIP. (I'm sure you already knew that...haha)

pixelbend · 11-07-2005, 05:44 AM

Thanks for all the info! Yeah, I can get inside the sub box by taking out the sub itself, so that's no big deal to take off then replace. I'll check all my connections out as soon as possible and report back.

jujueye · 11-20-2005, 11:43 PM

any luck, my pixellated friend?

pixelbend · 11-21-2005, 05:59 AM

Thanks for thinking of me

Haven't had a lot of time to work on it lately. Since this will be a long weekend, I plan on giving it a good work over then.

I'll let you know.

10-21-2005, 07:37 AM	#1 (permalink)
pixelbend Too hot in the hot tub!	Whats wrong with my sub Amp? Ok here's my dilemma. I have a box with a single 12" Kicker SoloBaric (the square sub) in my Jeep. On top of that I have a Sony XPlod 800W mono amp. The other day I was moving it around and the whole thing just stopped working. I checked around the sub and amp and found that the two 30W fuses that plug into the amp where blown. So I humped down to my local AutoZone and purchased a five pack of 30W fuses. Replaced them and....nothing. When I first start the Jeep and the amp gets power, the light on the amp labeled "Power/Protection" turns green, the sub makes a single thump and then the light goes red and the sub makes an exhaling sound. The fuses that I put in are still intact and check fine for continuity. I have checked my ground wire for continuity and it checks fine too. If I put a multimeter to the positive and ground wires while they are off the amp I pull 13 volts. All I can think is that the amp is blown somewhere on the board, but maybe I have missed something. Can anyone help me out? __________________ But I don't want ANY Spam!

10-21-2005, 11:42 AM	#2 (permalink)
Redjake I'm a family man - I run a family business. Location: Wilson, NC	Sony amps have a history of being.......less-than-desireable. My friend nuked his Sony amp within the first week of purchasing it, and I've heard other horror stories that were similar in nature. I would bet the amp is fucked up internally. Is there anyway you could try another amp to see if that's the problem? __________________ Off the record, on the q.t., and very hush-hush.

10-21-2005, 12:27 PM	#3 (permalink)
pixelbend Too hot in the hot tub!	Possibly. A friend of mine may have an amp that I could try. __________________ But I don't want ANY Spam!

11-06-2005, 02:17 PM	#4 (permalink)
jujueye alpaca lunch for the trip Location: in my computer	Damn. That's a good one. Wish I were there. I love this kind of troubleshooting! OK, let's back up a bit. If you moved the whole sub box + amp, then we need to suspect everything. Can you see inside the sub box? There is a chance of some loose connection there. Likely not completely disconnected, because now when you turn on your Jeep and tunes, you still get a thump so this likely means there is power throughout the circuit. If you can take a look at that, just double check. The fuses were blown once, which is a last ditch effort for most car amps. They usually occur due to either a short or too much power being called for, like when you really crank it up. Since it was working before, we can rule out problem two here and focus on shorts. However, if it is an internal problem with the amp, the fuses may never blow because a component inside the amp trips the protection circtuitry. Rather confusing. For instance, in one of my old soundstream amps, it took five minutes or so for the amp to warm up, then it would just quietly die. It turned out to be an output diode, and went to the shop. Yeah, I know that doesn't help. How is your remote turn on lead to the amp? Trace that as far as you can, and even disconnect and reconnect it. While you're at it, disconnect and reconnect your speaker leads at the amp. Even one strand of wire can cause a short. I'm still concerned that maybe when the fuse blew, it really was a last ditch effort and something inside the amp took the brunt of the 14V...which would really be a bad design. One good thing, though, is that the amp keeps coming on. Something is still working in there...... I'll check back on this if I come up with anything else. Edit: OH! Check your RCAs for continuity as well. Check ground (sleeve) to ground (sleeve), check tip to tip, then check sleeve to tip. THERE SHOULD BE NO CONTINUITY FROM SLEEVE TO TIP. (I'm sure you already knew that...haha) Last edited by jujueye; 11-06-2005 at 02:23 PM..

11-07-2005, 05:44 AM	#5 (permalink)
pixelbend Too hot in the hot tub!	Thanks for all the info! Yeah, I can get inside the sub box by taking out the sub itself, so that's no big deal to take off then replace. I'll check all my connections out as soon as possible and report back. __________________ But I don't want ANY Spam!

11-20-2005, 11:43 PM	#6 (permalink)
jujueye alpaca lunch for the trip Location: in my computer	any luck, my pixellated friend?

11-21-2005, 05:59 AM	#7 (permalink)
pixelbend Too hot in the hot tub!	Thanks for thinking of me Haven't had a lot of time to work on it lately. Since this will be a long weekend, I plan on giving it a good work over then. I'll let you know. __________________ But I don't want ANY Spam!