My bad luck with Sundown :(

[duece212 5,000+ posts]

I had to buy a special adapter for my head unit. They ran it from the head unit to the glovebox, where the Ipod stays.
The engine whine (to me) sounds like it's coming from behind me, when I'm driving. Like it's coming more from the back speakers than anything, which is what makes me think there's a chance it really is the amp. But again, I don't know. But if I turn the head unit off, the whine goes away.

Maybe there's a way I can test?

Ipod to rca adapter to your amp see if whine continues. If so double check the ground, if not look upstream to your rca's/headunit.

...or maybe its just the government hacking into your amps and making the noise //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eek.gif.771b7a90cf45cabdc554ff1121c21c4a.gif

 

[duece212 5,000+ posts]

Lol I don't know how to do any of that. Maybe I can ask the installers to check it?
And it's not the government. It's the Jews that control the government //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

The installers should definately be able to feed it another source besides your head unit to check it.

And my bad, forgot the jew part //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 

[sundownz Pro Seller]

I'm wondering if I should just wait til DB-r gets the 100.4 fixed and swap, or if I should try to get the installers to isolate the problem, cause I'm wondering how they'd rape me on something like that...

Try the amp from db-r first - don't waste your money if you don't have to.

I would also suggest the ground-loop isolator on the RCAs if all else fails.

 

[TurdFergueson2 5,000+ posts]

Ok, I just want to start by saying that I actually love Jacob and the company alot. I bought exclusively Sundown just for this reason alone.
But god, I'm having some horrid luck.

I purchased 3 Sundown 1000D's in the last 6 months or so. All of them used from forum members(although 1 or 2 were advertised as new I believe).

Only 1 out of the 3 is without problems. 1 of the 3 won't turn itself off (ie, even when you remove the remote wire, the amp stays on, draining the cars battery). 1 of the 3 has no output what so ever.

So I'm 33% there.

I purchase a 100.4 used from Qbenjamin or something like that. He states that it's brand new and he has a warranty still, etc in the for sale thread. Well it turns out that there is a blown channel on this thing. I contact him to ask him for warranty information and he tells me to talk to Jacob and that he recently purchased it. Jacob tells me that as long as I have the original receipt I can transfer the warranty. I contact Qbenjamin and he says he doesn't have the receipt. Great. Amp sent off to DB-R to get repaired. Will end up costing probably more than 100$ over what it would have cost brand new.

So I'm like "screw this, I'm going to order new and just be done with this crap". I order a 100.4 from soundsolutionsaudio and I'm like great, new amp comes (but with no receipt!). Probably not a problem as I just recently purchased it and they'll have it in their records, I'm hoping not to need a receipt on this one anyways.

So I have it installed, and now my car has a crazy engine whine (that increases in pitch and volume with my RPMS). The installers did nothing but replace 1 identical amp for another. They swear it's the amp. All my research has pointed more toward a ground loop problem or a RCA too close to power problem. But either way, it's hard to argue that (or get the installers to take my **** apart) when they do a simple replace of an identical amp and have a new problem to deal with.

So now I'm stuck at a crossroads. Do I try to contact soundsolutions to get a receipt so that I can replace this amp? Doing that will require that I have my highs amp uninstalled for however many weeks it takes me to get a new amp and reinstalled. That's even if soundsolutionsaudio.com will even do it in the first place, considering that it hasn't even been "proven" that the amp is messed up.

I'm also starting to stock up for a 2nd system I'm going to get when I get a minivan soon, and I was really wanting to buy a Sundown 1500, but with the luck I'm having, I'm really thinking of trying a new brand. It is nothing against Sundown or Jacob, but more to do with the way my brain is wired to see patterns I think.

Also, since the start of bringing Sundown amps into the install shop, the installers kept insinuating that Sundown might be a cheap brand (of course because none of them use the internet and most of them in fact hate the internet now because of lost revenue). I have stuck up for Sundown repeatedly (***** to even have to defend it because it's not a "major" brand). But after the series of bad amps (mostly due to buying used I hope) they're practically convinced that this company is scamming.

I really wish I had some type of "proof" that this is not a shitty brand. The only thing they have to go on are what they know, and what they've seen me bring in, and unfortunately it's not been good. Anyways, just wanted to vent. I seriously hope I've just been unlucky. I mean what do I do. Stop buying used, or stop buying sundown?

You'd think how QBenjamin made a fuss about getting screwed, he would not do someone else like that.

http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=261114

As forum bonerish as Sundown amps are, he just had that monster laying around? He should have shipped you the receipt just in case. But instead he told you to deal with Jacob?

 

[Fiercetimbo17 10+ year member]

i doubt it is the amp, i know they just swapped amps but it is very possible it could be engine noise even tho nothing else changed. I have personally had this happen. You didnt have them do anything else correct?? Even if it doesnt relate to your amp, as in sat radio or even hard wiring something?

 

[Oldbass38 10+ year member]

WOWSERS!! I felt really bad making this thread, as I love Sundown but I must say now that I'm glad I did. Thanks a TON Jacob!! That alone makes up for everything that has gone wrong. You went above and beyond, thank you sir!

It's okay...There is too much positive stuff about Sundown for this 1 single thread to discourage anybody....Jacob is a very cool guy....I haven't every met him personally but from all the threads that I've seen him post on, it's always VERY postive....I'm a very proud owner of the 1500D //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[valter 10+ year member]

Some amps by design are more sensitive and produce alt whine when other don't in exact same system otherwise. Almost all MTX's and RF's punch/power series are very sensitive. In contrast, JL slash series with balanced inputs and all new Alpines are virtually noise free. Anyway with proper working headunit and proper wiring even with most sensitive amp there should be no whine.

 

[profundus-sanus 10+ year member]

all you have to do to see if its the amp is make sure the vehicle and ignition is off, disconnect your rca's going to the amp in question at the amp, make sure there not grounding out.

turn the vehcile on and see if there's noise.

if its not there then you know its before the amp.

 

[somekindofhate 10+ year member]

I look at this situation like this. When I first started riding I bought my first bike off a stunt forum from another stunter who said the bike is working fine and runs and came with all the stunt parts id need. It turned out that there was a lot of chit on its way out the door and now im stuck fixing it. I will never buy a bike off another stunter again, unless I know him personally. Same for car audio, nine times out of ten most of the stuff you see on here has been put through a lot of work, I buy new from now on, at least that way I know what im getting. Not trying to be a dick, that's just how I learned what to expect from buying used equipment.

 

[Colt9699 10+ year member]

Big props to Jacob and Sundown for making a Happy customer.

I am now considering putting a new system in my van and I think it will be run with Sundown Power.

 

[Trepkos 10+ year member]

I bet its your HU, take a Y-Adapter(Look on Radioshack.com) to your amplifier, simply plug the 3.5mm jack into your ipod and the two extending RCA ends into the RCA inputs of your amplifier, if you still have engine whine, its your amplifier, if not than more than likely it is your head unit or RCA's.

If its your HU, replace the factory ground with a newer, preferably closer ground. Or even ground out your RCA's to the casing of your HU. A ground loop isolator may rid the noise or render it inaudible but it wont actually get rid of the engine whine, it more so cushions or hides it.

Also make sure your RCA's are a good distance from your power and ground cable. If all else fails, buy a new HU or switch your RCA's from the front pre-outs to the rear pre-outs.

 

[GMCJimmyslt2000 10+ year member]

u cant switch out amps, u have to have a shop do it?

 

[lilmaniac2 5,000+ posts]

This is why I don't let shops install stuff for me lol. I'm glad jake took care of you on it

 

[Qbenjamin 10+ year member]

You'd think how QBenjamin made a fuss about getting screwed, he would not do someone else like that.
http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=261114

As forum bonerish as Sundown amps are, he just had that monster laying around? He should have shipped you the receipt just in case. But instead he told you to deal with Jacob?

I received that amp straight from Jacob via a trade. I didn't have any paperwork for the amp (Not to say that Jacob didn't send it), at the time that he asked about it. For starters, I thought he didn't know what he was doing install wise, as he contacted me a couple of months later saying that one of the channels were blown. I told him that he needed to get with Jacob, as I didn't see it being much of a big deal for Jacob to provide warranty services for him.

I DID NOT EVEN ONCE RECEIVE a PM from this guy saying that Jacob required a receipt in order to entertain any warranty issues. Had he PM'd me back and said that Jacob was giving him the run-around because he had no proof of receipt, I would have emailed Jacob myself.

Please do not question my selling follow-ups without getting ALL of the information.

 

[GMCJimmyslt2000 10+ year member]

I received that amp straight from Jacob via a trade. I didn't have any paperwork for the amp (Not to say that Jacob didn't send it), at the time that he asked about it. For starters, I thought he didn't know what he was doing install wise, as he contacted me a couple of months later saying that one of the channels were blown. I told him that he needed to get with Jacob, as I didn't see it being much of a big deal for Jacob to provide warranty services for him.
I DID NOT EVEN ONCE RECEIVE a PM from this guy saying that Jacob required a receipt in order to entertain any warranty issues. Had he PM'd me back and said that Jacob was giving him the run-around because he had no proof of receipt, I would have emailed Jacob myself.

Please do not question my selling follow-ups without getting ALL of the information.

u tell them man, dont let ppl put a bad rep on ur name