I think I need a special amp?

[AcidicDreams 10+ year member]

Have you tried just running your speakers off the head unit? I know it won't sound as nice but then you wont' have to worry about your speakers blowing at least for the most part. If you need some more speakers I have 2 pairs of 6.5" that I could sell.
Best of luck fixing your problem. I wish I could help.

Thanks for your time,

Darren

WRONG answer.....

Any HU has a horrific internal amp that is driven to clipping very quickly...

 

[dB-r 10+ year member]

If your gain is already set all the way down, and you are still damaging the speakers, you can either fade the front-back on your radio to attenuate your signal, assuming you are not using front and rear inputs. If you are using them both, use only one front or rear, and Y-adapter it to all 4 channels and fade the front out. Built in attenuation that way, do it all with your head unit, or like I said get an attenuator or I can install it inside your amp, for reasonable price.

 

[neonrt 10+ year member]

i agree with the guy that said just pull the fuse before your kids take the car. You dont blow stuff up, so hey enjoy it while you are out, and screw the kids. only sure way to keep them from blowing stuff up.

 

[req 5,000+ posts]

I have a real problem. I have blown up at least $600 worth of speakers. I have tried several amps and continue to blow my speakers. Even Diamond audio coponents rated at 180watt RMS.

thats quite a lot of power for most components on the market.

Here is my problem. When I turn my head unit up to MAX [35] my 4 channel amps puts out to much voltage with the gain turned all the way down.

that does not seem to make much sense? you measured this with a multimeter on AC voltage hooked up to the speaker terminals while the components were playing?

Using the gain tutorial turning my gain all the way down I have to lower my HU volume to 3/4 to get the correct voltage for my speakers.

so volume maxed, and gain all the way down, i thought that put out as much voltage as max gain? is that not what you said in the beginning //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif

Then my kids use my car, turn it all the way up and BAMM. Out another $200.00.

well it seems that your kids need to learn what riding a bike means. and take the seat off too.

This is the case even when the amp is rated lower than the speakers.

that i find hard to believe. and if that is true, then something is driving your amplifiers into clipping, and the speakers can not dissapate the heat caused by a "pause" of the cones travel because the top and bottom arcs of the sine wave has been 'clipped'. the travel of the cone causes airflow wich dissapates heat, and when the cone pauses at the top and bottom of the teavel, they get hot and melt glue. i hope you knew that already, but meh.

I was wondering if it could have something to do with my piece of Crap HU having 5V pre-outs instead of the reg voltage. Do I need a special amp for my HU?

well. having a headunit with a higher pre-out voltage usually is a better thing because the amplifier has more of an input signal and in turn has to amplify the signal LESS, wich means less distortion and less clipping.

Please help..... I want my sound back.

i suggest getting your multimeter and put it on the actual phono plugs on your RCA's (inner prong on the RCA is +, and outer ring is -) and turn the headunit all the way up playing lets say a 1000hz sine wave and test and see how much AC voltage you are getting. take that and read your amplifiers manual and see where it suggest putting the gain knob for that voltage. then set it to that point, and turn it down just a tad. that should be where your amp wants the gain.

make sure your kids arent turning the **** bass boost up too. that might be your **** problem.

i dunno man. its eaither your kids ****ing shit up, or your headunit is ****ed up. assuming you have set your gains correctly, i could not troubleshoot your issue unless i was there.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=266-242

Install those inline on the RCAs and then set the gains. Problem solved.

 

[Biker 10+ year member]

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=266-242
Install those inline on the RCAs and then set the gains. Problem solved.

Thank you Helotaxi for your advice. I want to thank everyone else also although there are a lot of you guys not getting the posted problem. Obviously the HU at MAX Volume is putting out to much of a signal if the GAIN on the amp wont adjust proper voltage.

IE: I did the math and "125w x 4 ohms = 500 the square root of 500 = 22.4 volts per channel"

With the gain knob for that channel "TURNED ALL THE WAY DOWN" I have 26 VAC using a true RMS meter on the AC setting. I have to believe this is destroying my speakers.

Its not just my kids, I also have Ho's riding with me constantly turning it up all the way every time I take my eyes off the HU. I have a dozen reasons already for slapping these Ho's and dont need another.

SO as I said in the begining. Thanks Helotaxi I believe you have solved my problem.

Thanks Biker

 

[Biker 10+ year member]

Is this an acceptable option

Thanks Biker

http://cgi.ebay.com/PERIPHERAL-ATTN-CAR-AUDIO-MATCHING-LINE-RCA-ATTENUATOR_W0QQitemZ140087955581QQcategoryZ50552QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item140087955581

 

[htownplaya456 10+ year member]

put some properly rated fuses inline with your speakers... so if they get in there and turn it all the way up it will just blow the fuses before your speakers... sure it gets annoying to change fuses but hey.. id rather spend 5 bucks in fuses and not 200 and speakers catch what im sayin?

 

[maxxguy1 10+ year member]

put some properly rated fuses inline with your speakers... so if they get in there and turn it all the way up it will just blow the fuses before your speakers... sure it gets annoying to change fuses but hey.. id rather spend 5 bucks in fuses and not 200 and speakers catch what im sayin?

ya that works great for that purpass here is the proper way to find out what fuse to use amprage = sguare root of rms power diveided by the ohm load of the speaker.

 

[type[s5] 10+ year member]

WRONG answer.....
Any HU has a horrific internal amp that is driven to clipping very quickly...

I disagree... I've ran nothing but cheapie Pioneer decks to my stock speakers in the past and have noticed no clipping with them no matter how loud I decide to listen to my music. They don't sound as good, of course, but they provide nowhere near enough power to cause clipping, unless settings on your HU are too high. Even then, the HU is not the source of the problem: it's the user.

 

[dleccord 5,000+ posts]

;2836885']I disagree... I've ran nothing but cheapie Pioneer decks to my stock speakers in the past and have noticed no clipping with them no matter how loud I decide to listen to my music. They don't sound as good' date=' of course, but they provide nowhere near enough power to cause clipping, unless settings on your HU are too high. Even then, the HU is not the source of the problem: it's the user.[/quote']
I dont know a head unit out there that wouldnt clip at max volume. Is that what you meant?

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

The HU amp clips, not the speakers so saying that the HU amp doesn't make enough power to clip makes no sense. All HU amps clip at high volume. Most distort audibly well before that (as much as 10% THD).

 

[profundus-sanus 10+ year member]

i'd do it right and get an amp that accepts 5v inputs or a h/u that has 4v outputs. Sounds like your getting amps limited to 4v inputs.

Or get the output attenuator if you wanna save the money.

My 880prs doesn't audibly clip... but all of the lower line pioneers i had did. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[sundownz Pro Seller]

You need to run extremely steep crossover slopes.

Try high passing the components at 80 Hz with a 36 - 48 dB slope... buy an external crossover and stack crossover points if necessary. Also... go fully active and protect the tweeter with an extremely steep crossover slope. I set up my younger cousins vehicle this way since he listens to his music way too loud (36dB slope... 24 dB on the HU and 12dB more on the amps)... all the speakers have lasted a few years so far //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

If the kids are going to clip the signal the only way to protect the speakers is going to be to try to limit the power they see by any means possible. A steep crossover slope is all you can really do if you can't control the volume level they listen at.

 

[Safe-N-Sound215 10+ year member]

The HU amp clips, not the speakers so saying that the HU amp doesn't make enough power to clip makes no sense. All HU amps clip at high volume. Most distort audibly well before that (as much as 10% THD).

Try telling my cousin that.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif And he still thinks it sounds ok.