Well tommy, i guess since you know everything about car audio, you should easily be able to answer why his new amp is clipping. So why, why is the amp entering protect briefly? Since you know so much, you should have been able to answer his question alot sooner right? I will say this, i dont know much, probably not as much as alot of people on here, but i know that like you say, he is not going to get the full power out of his amp. Does it sound like hes too concerned about that dude? Last time i checked, this topic was about solving the problem hes having, not getting the last .5 db out of his system. I think the last thing this dude needs is for you trying to slap it in his face that his electrical system sucks, everyone has already told him that he needs to do some upgrading, he is working on that, i am trying to help just as much as everyone else.
Can you prove to me that the amp is clipping?
The amp is entering protect briefly because of low voltage, and i've said it NUMEROUS TIMES that my zx2500 (the same board as a kx2500) does the same thing when I have the car OFF. It goes into protect for a second (which lets the voltage build back up) then turns back on. When I turn the car on (which increases my voltage and current capabilites), guess what, the amp doesn't shut off.
I'm trying to help the thread starter, and you are acting like I'm continuously bashing the kid. It seems as though I'm being somewhat of a help, because the thread starter keeps asking questions and asking for my input.
If he doesn't want to get the full potential out of his amp, thats fine with me. But from what I can tell (and from what he has stated), he wants to get the most out of his purchase, which any smart consumer should want.
You will start losing voltage after around a foot and half. But i mean, since tommy obviously knows it all, why dont you make your ground as long as you need it to be, hell wrap it all the way around your box, why not, because remember, it doesnt need to be shorter, its not like your ground is 5 foot long right now, just make it a good ground, isnt that right thomas. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif
Haha...ha...ha.
My grounds go all the way to the battery in the front of my truck. My grounds are 20 feet long (not exaggerating) and I don't lose ANY voltage from the alternator to my amp. Nearly every car chassis and body has the same conductivity as a piece of 4 gauge wire, and this has been scientifically proven.
Go to any dB drag competitor, who are competitors that rely STRONGLY on current capablities and voltage, and tell them that their direct battery ground connections are much weaker than a chassis ground. I learned the hard way that a bad ground can lead to amp problems. I used to have a crappy 4 gauge ground for my old hifonics bx1500d. It was bolted to a thin piece of metal that wasn't sanded and because of that I had amp protection issues. I moved the ground to some thicker metal, sanded the metal clean, and had no issues from there on.
I was once like you, thinking that a ground needed to be under 3 feet because thats what came in wiring kits, then I came here (and other forums) and learned a lot, something you should consider doing. First step: Quit being so critical of everyone else because their opinion differs from yours.
Sit back, learn a thing or two, and take a chill pill.
Here's a pic of my wiring (both power AND ground wire). And guess what, not .01 volts of loss from the alternator post to the fuseblock in the cab.
Just like i thought, you can talk behind your computer screen. Back to the subject dude, what is the point in argueing with me? You guys probably know way more than me, so answer my question, what is his problem? Why is his amp entering protect?
Did you read the thread at all? Seriously?
It seems as though we answered his query many, MANY times
A small wire can and will cause low voltage protection as it will be dropping voltage due to the restriction. If he is running in the low 11s voltage wise something is not adequate with his electrical system.
aaron7114,
You have the big 3, 2 awg under hood, and 4 awg power wire? With only a 120 amp alt and factory battery? I have melted a fuse holder on 4 awg wire with a single SAZ-1500D running at full tilt for long periods... on an 18 inch *power* wire with a 10 inch ground. Granted, it was a cheap fuse holder... but you get the idea.
You need 1/0 power and ground and at least an additional 1000 CA+ deep cycle battery and preferably a large HO alternator to support that KX2500.1 otherwise you wasted your money on that amp and you will NEVER see anywhere near full output from it.
protect will be low voltage/wrong impedence.
Its your voltage. If your running low 11's with the hifonics amp then your ****ed. The kicker amp will draw way more power than the hifonics and your gonna go into protect everytime it starts to draw any noticable power. Reason you said there wasnt a noise difference is because its probably drawing about the same amount as the hifonics before going into protect due to lack of voltage. Get your shit right its not k4rts fault
I just remembered, you're saying it goes into protect when you turn the volume up but its fine at low volumes?
Same thing happened to me when i tried to run 4 zx2500.1's @ 1 ohm each off of 2 batteries daily. it would be fine but i couldnt turn it up all the way or else 2-3 of the amps would hit protect. Make sure your electrical system is up to par to handle the amp //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif
Crap son, you are running a 2500+ watt amp off 4 gauge (and 8 gauge) wire, a stock alt, and only 1 battery?
What did you expect to happen? The amp is fine. You need to beef up that electrical system BIG TIME.
I can get my zx2500 to kick into protection mode when I'm burping the amp with the car off (2 batteries, 4 runs of 1/0), but when I turn the car on, I have no problems at all. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif
I think its electrical. Kicker has never been known for very efficent amps to begin with. With 2500w a upgrade to the electrical system is a must, otherwise it wont even peform like it should let alone how you want it too.
no, in order to have power, you have to feed it. It's like having a race car and running on 4 cylinders if it's a V8. You need voltage, voltage is king. In order to keep voltage, power wire is a must.If you have a 2500 watt amp, and under feed it, you will never see 2500 watts. Now given all the voltage you need, you can see that, plus some.
well I could handle not being able to get the full potential out of it. Its like that with every amp. Not enough power you dont get all the watts. I would just like to be able to crank it without it going into protect.
^^^^Looks like he wants to get every last tenth out of it after all.....
It is a fact that very low operating voltage will damage an amplifier. You should be glad it goes into protect or you probably would have broken it by now //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif
Your planned upgrade to 1/0 is a start. With an amp the size of the 2500.1 I would suggest a ~200 amp alternator and an extra battery... like a Group 34 Optima or a Deka Intimidator.
So don't come in here acting like we aren't trying to help the kid, because we are. We've all stated what the problem is, but this thread just got out of control. Hopefully he gets his voltage/current issue resolved and posts about how much he loves the amp. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif