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subs working as normal speakers, wtf

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Old May-13th-2003, 12:08 PM
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Question subs working as normal speakers, wtf

hey, i just installed a box with 2 10's and i hooked up the amp, but when i turn the amp on the 2 10's are working as speakers instead, and im not getting bass out of them

now the amp does work, cause i hooked it up to my back speakers and amplified those,

but why are my subs working at speakers instead? is the amp to weak?


the parts im using (amd and subs) are about 9 years old , they were only used for about a year maybe 1.5 years max. i dont know the sub specs, the amp is a kenwood 100watts i think, it doesn't have a rating on it. but i know for a fact that this amp was used on those 10's and it worked,
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Old May-13th-2003, 01:09 PM
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Your subs were probably trying to play "full range" sound instead of just the frequencies it was design to play. Does this amp have a crossover? Do you have a separate crossover for your amp? If not you need one or they won't play. You said also that when the amp was hooked up to the rear speakers that it stopped playing. Did you check the fuse in the amp? And you should have an inline fuse near the battery connected to the power wires that run to your amp. What model Kenwood do you have any way? I know a little about their power ratings. It may be rated 100 watts max and not continuous power. If that is the case, then you may need a bigger amp. I can tell you for sure if you provide the model number. Also, you can use passive crossovers to block high frequencies going to the subs, but recommend you use a crossover with different crossover points for tweaking so you can get the best out of them. A separate crossover doesn't run that much neither.

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Old May-13th-2003, 01:59 PM
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ok, here are the amp specs
found the manual on the kenwood site
ftp://docs.kenwoodusa.com/manuals/OM...-1993-KUSA.pdf

as for the way i hooked it up here goes

look at page 5 and 15 in the manual to get the whole picture of the diagram in english, thats exactly what i did except i hooked it up to the 2 10's instead of 2 speakers, and i ran the remote wire (power cont wire on diagram) to the amp power wire so its always on and i made a separate on/off switch for the amp, dont want it to come on with my deck.

i think you are right about the crossever stuff, cause i have no idea what that is lol

ps, the amp does work, i hooked it up to the car speakers, so fuse is good, and right now it is temporarly amplifying my back speakers until i can get this resolved.

also, when i was installing this thing, i noticed on the old wires that i replaced a small circuit board with some transistors (i think) on the amp output, my brother isn't much help since he had it done professionally, and didn't take much care in ripping it out of his first car.

Last edited by lukasz70; May-13th-2003 at 02:05 PM.
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Old May-13th-2003, 05:01 PM
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That amp is too small to push 2 10's and you need to get a crossover (unless one is built in). You can get a Kenwood mono amp with a built in crossover (designed specifically for subs). Alpine even has them too. You can look under www.crutchfield.com and if you have a local store that will beat the price, bring in the add and show it to them. Circuit City sells both Kenwood and Alpine. Lastly, you can check out Ebay and buy stuff cheap, but just make sure you have heard of the brand. There are a lot of them out there that I haven't ever heard of so beware. Most amps today have built in crossovers, so you may be able to do away with one in the beginning, until you expand your system. I had something similar to the KAC 424 (I think i was the 421 model, which was an older one), and it puts out about the same power as a high power deck, maybe cleaner though. I would recommend at least around 75 watts to each 10" sub to give you enough boom to shake your mirrors inside and out of the car. Other sites that are good are www.sounddomain.com for products as well as pics of Protege installs. I would keep the KAC-424 and use it for your front speakers, and your deck for the rear, and if you don't have much money, get a used amp or new mono amp (whichever one, make sure it has a built in Low Pass crossover). That would be the simplest way to do it, and it would sound good. And that's just what you want

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Old May-13th-2003, 11:20 PM
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cool, thx for advice

right now my system consists of a kenwood deck, 2 kenwood 6.5in in the front and 2 6.5in pioneer coaxail speakers in the back, all 4 rated at 120w, and a tube (8in 100w amplified sub in my back seat )

but my deck is 35x4 so thats all im pushing through the speakers, until now, i have my 2 back ones amplified with that amp,
and yeah, i am tight on cash, i dont really want to spend alot on my 94 pro, im thinking of crossing over to vtec next winter

anway, this is the cheepest amp i found
would this work? http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...d=&newdeptid=9

ps, this is also the store i will probably deal with, unless i buy a refurbished one

so when picking out an amp, its not gonna say built in crossovers, im guessing that this is the high/low pass filter right?
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Old May-14th-2003, 10:21 AM
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That would work, but the subs would still be a little underpowered. Just from looking at the specs, it appears to be around 80 watts continuous (bridged). I know it claims 220 watts max, but that only means it will put out that power for 1 sec and not continuous. I don't think it has a Low Pass filter for subs neither. I would still try to look in to getting a more powerful amp for your 10s to do them some justice. I used to have a Kenwood KAC-821 which was rated at 75 watts per channel, and it pushed my Kicker competition 10s fine. I eventually got Pioneer 12s and used the same amp to push those. Although it wasn't getting the best out of the subs, it still hit hard and people noticed from a block away. There is some one on this site selling a Bazooka amp (330 watts) for $100. Also, you can check sites like Ebay or see if that site you mentioned will beat a price quote from another site and do a little searching. Good luck. Let me know what happens.

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Old May-16th-2003, 05:45 PM
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i went to pep boys and bought a 500 watt amp for 89.99 and it sounds pretty good (i have 2 10's too) i'm gonna buy a new one in the summer though and hopefully some solo barics....yeah!! because this one doesnt have a crossover or bass boost (its a full range amp with a mono setting) but it sounds good if your on a tight budget ........like i am most of the time
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Old May-19th-2003, 06:33 AM
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i oughta kick your ***, rampage amplifier was it... or no, jensen, right? anyway, lucaz10, you're not even staying loyal to the familia (i'm an *******, i know), however, i'd say, just goto http://www.thezeb.com or http://www.cdzone.net and pick up some new subs and an amp for cheap, then you'll be set. stay AWAY from sony, i'd much rather see someone run jensen products than a sony product. you have to look at the rms wattage on the subs and run at least that from your amplifier.. thats what i recommend.
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Old May-19th-2003, 09:48 AM
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yeah it was rampage

but like i said i'm buying a nu amp and yeah sony is garbage
i've heard sony's subs and i actually have 2 10" jensens and they hit harder than the sony's do


ok i'll prob be slaughtered for that last comment but its true
peace
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Old May-19th-2003, 03:58 PM
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well, im not in a rush to get an amp anymore,
but when a deal comes up i'll grab one and take the advise to you guys gave me.
the amp i have now, i just amplified my back speakers and these things pound now and i put the tube (8in 100w amplified sub) in my back seat lol , its getto but the sound quility is really good and the system is pretty good for me right now,
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Old May-19th-2003, 07:48 PM
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Originally posted by THAPRO1
i went to pep boys and bought a 500 watt amp for 89.99 and it sounds pretty good (i have 2 10's too) i'm gonna buy a new one in the summer though and hopefully some solo barics....yeah!! because this one doesnt have a crossover or bass boost (its a full range amp with a mono setting) but it sounds good if your on a tight budget ........like i am most of the time
if it has a mono setting, you may not need a crossover. check the owner's manual on it to make sure. Also, you can wire in a passive "coil" to take the high frequencies out of your subs via the (+) terminal. You can get one at any place that sells car stereos online or locally.

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Old May-19th-2003, 08:14 PM
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maybe this has been said i dont know , didnt feel like reading entire post, Make sure the amp is switched to LPF (Low Pass Filter) if it is a 4channel it wont have this option unless its a bridgable amp. If the amp is on HPF (High Pass FIlter) nothin but vocals and mids will come out, No bass. by switchin it to LPF you can listen to the bass witout the vocals and mids comin outta the voicecoils on the sub(s). Also running one 2channel amp bridge both subs down from 4ohm to 2, or 8ohm to 4, this will increase the power of the subs and make them hit better. YOu can also bridge them with a monoblock amp.

IF you need wiring diagrams let me know, tell me what u have and the specs and ill make specific diagrams for ur setup.
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Old May-19th-2003, 09:25 PM
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Hi all,

I have this Profile 4 x 75 RMS watt @ 4 ohm load or 2 x 225 RMS watt @ 4 ohm load amp that I used on my rockfords before I got my alpine HU. It put out some good clean power to the rockfords. I could only put the gain up 1/2 way due to the power. It has a high and low pass crossover along with other adjustments. I will send it to anyone one who wants it (cheap). You will not be dissapointed.

I have no use for it and it is just sitting in my closet. Hate to see it not being used.

For you guys who are not wanting to spend a lot of money and want t respectable amp, here it is. Just want to let you know about this.

It was used for under 6 months.

-R
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Old May-20th-2003, 02:59 AM
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how much do ya want for it?
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Old May-20th-2003, 03:04 AM
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if it has a mono setting, you may not need a crossover. check the owner's manual on it to make sure. Also, you can wire in a passive "coil" to take the high frequencies out of your subs via the (+) terminal. You can get one at any place that sells car stereos online or locally.

Hmmmm thanks alot for the info but i'm prob gonna get a whole new system this summer cuz i hate that amp it keeps cutting out on me whe ever bass hits hard plus i want sumthing that HITS HARDER!!!


p.s. hey demoninvictus don't say i told you so about the amp err nuthin i don't wanna hear your smart mouth.......lol
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