Clipping

[Peggle]

Hello again

I recently bought an AB Hyrbid 4480.1 amp to run my 2 RF P3's. I had some bad clipping problems when i first installed it and after messing around with the amp i fixed it to some degree. What i did was turn the low pass filter all the way off and it seemed to work fine, but on some songs it starts to clip again. It only seems to do it when the bass hits really hard in short bursts. I only have the bass knob a little less than halfway and i adjusted the gain correctly. I was wondering what the deal was. I read somewhere that clipping occurs when the amp isnt getting enough power so i figured that its either my battery, or the 4 gauge wire thats messing with me. The amp is rated at 2200w RMS @ 1ohm and im assuming that its pulling way too much power for my cars electrical system since everything is stock

any ideas?

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[audio9]

do the big 3 upgrade. its cheap and effective

 

[NASTY08IMPALA 5,000+ posts]

Get a good agm under the hood..do the big 3 and set ur gains with the bass knob unplugged ..that way when u turn it all the way up it wont go past wat u have the amp set at..and set the lpf at 80...keep loud features and bass boost off..and when u set gains make sure sub level is all the way up on the deck

 

[robert420 10+ year member]

check the ground

 

[jerryp.]

check the ground and take a dmm, have your car running and measure the voltage at the amps end when it hits the heavy bass notes to see if you have significant voltage drop. I'd set my gain set on the 1200rms your P3's can take, not the 2200 rms of the amp since you may over power your subs that way.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

Did any of you tools realize that he's running 4 gauge to a 2200w rms amp?

You should have an extra battery or two, 0 gauge wire, h/o alt and big 3.

Without enough current supply, your voltage drops. If you have just your factory electrical, you are absolutely over-straining it. Your clipping is likely due to the voltage drop, because your amp is working at a lower voltage, causing it to try to put out more power than it is receiving.

 

[Peggle]

It's strange, whenever I go to adjust the amps gain, just the slightest turn lower and I can't hear anything out of the subs and the slightest turn up and my subs start exploding, I'm talking TINY turns. It's very hard to find the sweet spot on that amp and also, what does the big 3 consist of?

 

[Peggle]

Did any of you tools realize that he's running 4 gauge to a 2200w rms amp?
You should have an extra battery or two, 0 gauge wire, h/o alt and big 3.

Without enough current supply, your voltage drops. If you have just your factory electrical, you are absolutely over-straining it. Your clipping is likely due to the voltage drop, because your amp is working at a lower voltage, causing it to try to put out more power than it is receiving.

This is what I figured the problem was. But something I've noticed is that sticking the 4 gauge wire into the amp was a squeeze. I won't be able to fit anything larger in the hole

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

You can get wire reducers made or purchase them to fit 0 gauge into 4 gauge holes.

 

[Chriszle 10+ year member]

You need to run 1/0 if your running 2200 watts. Plain and simple. If you cannot get it to fit, you can get an adapter, or shave the wire down. Also, you need to do the big 3 and add another battery at the very least. People are giving you correct advice, it is up to you if you want to listen.

 

[Peggle]

You see, I can't run my subs at 2200w rms, they're rated at 600 rms each with a max of 1200w. If I were running them at 2200w rms then my speakers would be dead in no time and I don't want to risk it. I have a limited budget so I think a ho alt is out of the question. I know I'm going to get another battery if it's relatively cheap and I'll look into 0 gauge wire. But I'm still in the dark about this big 3 lol, could someone elaborate?

 

[Peggle]

Ah sorry for being stupid, I figured out what the big 3 was. With my amp, what gauge wire would be sufficient to do the big 3?

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

I would do it in 0 gauge.

 

[Peggle]

Hmm I was hoping that wouldn't be the case, but I guess it's better to be safe than sorry! So would it be necessary to get another battery after performing the big 3?

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

The big 3 reduces electrical resistance, making the electricity flow easier, i.e. less electrical loss in a way. An extra battery is just going to store that energy. Having the big 3 is just that, it doesn't require anything else.