Could 12+ Power Wire Go Bad ?

[oceanman55]

Hi everyone!

I was hoping you could help me with a problem that I have been having with my system. About 2 months ago, I upgraded my amplifier to a kicker 1200.1 to push my kicker l7 15 set to 1 ohm. At the time I still had a crappy 8 gauge power cable and amp would go into protect mode everytime the amp would hit really heavy bass. Anyway, i upgraded my wire to a 4g from knukonceptz and for like 3 weeks my stereo sounded so unbelievably amazing. my headunit had to be turned to like 25% to keep the bass from drowning out the music. One day, the bass was gone. I didnt change anything at all! I just got into my car and i noticed that the subwoofer was maybe 1/10th as loud as it was before, but still functioning. I have been trying to figure out the problem forever it seems now. I have a new headunit, rca's, ground, amp, and sub. I seem to be running out of components of my audio system to change that could be causing this problem. could the 12+ power cable that i put in possibly be causing the problem ? any other ideas ?

Thanks for your help!

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[Kyle. 10+ year member]

Was the Stereo working good when using the 4awg? If not Most likely a faulty Wire. but If I'm not mistaking If something happened to the Positive cable, You wouldn't be getting power to the amp. because The only thing that can really happen is the cable grounding and the fuse pop.

But if its not to much of a hassle it wouldn't hurt to Switch out the Live.

Have you changed anything on the deck/amp?

I'm not sure about anything though So someone can assist me on this.

 

[audioarsonal 10+ year member]

It sounds like your box isn't sealed.Have you checked it and the spekers to make sure they are all sealed tightly?

 

[oceanman55]

Yea, the stereo sounded absolutely amazing with the 4 gauge for like 3 weeks and then one day it just stopped. I bought another amp (memphis 1000d) and another set of subwoofers (jl w6 12"). The time when the stereo sounded great i was running my kicker 1200.1 amp and a kicker l7 15 wired to 1 ohm. I have since bought the extra equipment trying to diagnose the problem. It seems like no matter what i change, the problem remains. I even bought a new headunit, and the weak subwoofer volume remains. I'm just so frustrated at this point.

The boxes are both correctly sealed also.

Thanks for the help so far!

 

[gearhound17 10+ year member]

Check your 12v connection at the amp (when its on) with a DMM (digital multi meter) and see what the reading is.

Also check to make sure you have your subwoofer volume up so your RCA's provide the necessary voltage to the amp.

Check crossover settings on deck and amp to make sure its not too high.

Check subsonic filter on amp if using a ported box.

 

[w00tah 10+ year member]

Yea, the stereo sounded absolutely amazing with the 4 gauge for like 3 weeks and then one day it just stopped. I bought another amp (memphis 1000d) and another set of subwoofers (jl w6 12"). The time when the stereo sounded great i was running my kicker 1200.1 amp and a kicker l7 15 wired to 1 ohm. I have since bought the extra equipment trying to diagnose the problem. It seems like no matter what i change, the problem remains. I even bought a new headunit, and the weak subwoofer volume remains. I'm just so frustrated at this point.
The boxes are both correctly sealed also.

Thanks for the help so far!

With the gain on that amp up too far on that sub, it could have popped it.

I'd check the coils on the L7 with a DMM to confirm whether it died or not.

Kef

 

[oceanman55]

As soon as i get out off of work today, i think im going to buy some 4 ga and see if replacing the 12+ makes a difference.

The sub works, it just doesnt get loud. When i run either the 15 or both 12's at once, the volume sound like a decent hitting 10", which is not all that great. The gain was never turned above 75% on the amp and i never turned the subwoofer louder than 75% on my headunit too.

I just find it so strange that I am able to get some sound out of my sub, but that i cant get it to hit remotely hard without clipping even though I'm using the same equipment and even other similarly rated equipment.

has anyone has an experience with a faulty 12+ before ?

thanks!

 

[5dollapizza 10+ year member]

check your power at the amp before you go spending more money. dmm will tell you if you have the correct voltage. also check all your fuses. i've seen ones that didn't correctly pop and only let a minimal voltage pass. that would also probably fry your amp tho. if that doesn't work i guess change your power wire, but i'd run it outside the car first before yanking apart the car only to have it not work.

 

[terra 5,000+ posts]

I'm confused by your posts. What sub stage are you currently running? And no the wire itself will not "go bad" short of any physical damage caused by install or daily wear and tear.

 

[oceanman55]

Hey everyone. Problem fixed. Apparently my 12+ power wire is damaged. I ran a completely independent string of wire, and my sub has returned to hitting ridiculously deep bass. I cant believe after all this time, that my problem was a faulty power wire. I just want to say thanks again to everyone who gave me some help on this. You guys rock!

 

[dumple 5,000+ posts]

thought those kicker amps were not 1 ohm stable