My first ever system… help please

[Jimi77 5,000+ posts]

How would I determine/fix that?

Disconnect 1 sub and see if output increases.

 

[shredder2]

Too much to quote, I'll guess he wied low... Protected his amp, but before that happened he damaged a sub.
Clipped it gone... Could be a combo of what has been mentioned but that rattle sounds like a slinky happening to me. It still ohms out and all... Ive had coils come loose on the former and still read right but have a death rattle.
Cooked subs suk... It slams till...

 

[Trudeau44]

Returning amp and one sub for new ones. Will update once I receive them.

 

[Trudeau44]

Seat bolts can make for bad grounds.

Where would you recommend grounding?

 

[shredder2]

Where would you recommend grounding?

Big 3 it, do a solid engine/frame/batt ground and make sure your grounds in back are solid and clean.
Weak engine/ frame/ batt grounds are normal. 75-100amps is usually what they support.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Where would you recommend grounding?

Drill a hole through the cab with a grommet, attach to vehicle Frame cleaned off on both sides with a bolt and Double washers with the ground cable sandwiched inbetween for a Solid Ground point/Location. You may also be able to find a bolt that can be removed,clean the area off and utilize that location also

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

I think you can still choose between 3 or more colored kits?

1/0 AWG Big 3 Upgrade Kit GP Merica NO BS OFHC CABLE

GP Car Audio is a manufacturer of many USA Made ðºð¸ car audio products. We are also a distributor for several top Audio brands including Sundown Audio, XS Power, and Deaf Bonce.

gpcaraudio.com

 

[shredder2]

I'm here to discuss audio, help the unsure. Can design... lol.
I had to punk a few trolls in the thunderbowl as they seem to have gotten big britches.
******* and shills they are, but I can help /w/ audio 100% from deck powered speakers to a multiple driver 6th. 20+ yr in audio and I don't lie. I may chime in from time to time but do not enjoy
fighting the 2 trolls on this site.
Something tells me Slo-ride just took a curtain call. SSDD and this is BS.
HMU for audio help.. I will respond.

 

[Jimi77 5,000+ posts]

Dupe post

 

[Jimi77 5,000+ posts]

Where would you recommend grounding?

Floor. Drill a hole and sand it down to shiny metal. Bolt ground to floor with nut, bolt & ring terminal. Use grease or silicon chalk to prevent rust. Use dielectric grease between the ring terminal and floor.

 

[HardofWhoring]

I just installed my first ever system yesterday (along with help from a friend) and I feel something isn’t right. When adjusting the gain knob I can turn it all the way up and the subs will still barely be working. I’ve watched many YouTube videos on how to adjust it and mine just doesn’t seem to work like they show. Additionally, when I plug in the provided bass control knob the subs seem to work on even less power no matter how much I turn the dial, and when I try to set the gain with the bass control knob plugged in the subs will “pop” and the protect light will come on on the amp and then go off. So as of now I’m just controlling the bass through the EQ settings on my radio and the bass is underwhelming. I’m running a harmony HA A800.1 amp with 2 Alpine S-W10D2 subs in an underseat box in my Ram 1500 crew cab. The kit I ordered is called “Fits 02-18 Dodge Ram Quad or Crew Alpine S-W10D2 Dual 10 Sub Box & HA-A800.1 Amp” on eBay. Yes I know I have no clue what I’m talking about, Roast me as much as you want lol. Just trying to learn through YouTube and forums and enjoy some nice bass. Thanks

If there's any chance you can return the amp, you should because it's powering the bare minimum those two speakers can handle.

I can't think of a single vehicle that doesn't benefit from having the BIG 3 when adding an amp, and most of the time, even without one. Do the BIG 3 so your electrical system isn't struggling from the start of the circuit.

That amp has a funky configuration for where the wires go..
On your amp settings:
Input level LOW (I highly doubt that's a higher voltage setting, but you could probably check in your owner's manual).
Verify your RCA are L & R input
Verify the Wires are plugged in to the right connectors on the amp itself.
Take the bass knob off the amp, to set your gain.


Your power and ground need to be the same size. Your ground wire, is supposed to finish the circuit by going to the chassis to finish as the ground. You said it's to your seat bolts, but there's a gray area there on how they go to ground. You want the shortest possible ground with the fewest (ideally no) transfers between metals. If you didn't remove the paint on the connection to metal, that is not a good ground. If the seat bolts/brackets aren't making metal to metal contact that can eventually get to the chassis, then you have no ground.


If you want the easy answer, those are nice subs, in a good box, and the wrong amp. If you want the EASY answer, and you don't care to learn a lot more because this is all you need... Then what I would do is find a local installer, who will charge you next to nothing to install an amp you buy from them, and get a better amp. If you are cheap like me, you have less than a month until labor day, and a few months until Black Friday. Not to be a jerk, but there sounds like a bunch of red flags so far, and your friend might have done just enough to get you in trouble. You could seriously have a really dangerous ground and might cause some serious damage at worst case scenario. Lets be honest you didn't even check the resistance correctly, and then jumped to returning it, when you didn't test it right. Just sayin.


The problem here is we can't see how you have everything. If you want to figure it out yourself, I would suggest making a quick video of everything, with close ups and details of all the wires, or post pictures and diagrams of how you have it wired. If you returned that amp once already, I would return it again before you install it.

If you had bought dual 4 ohm instead of dual 2 ohm you could run them at 1 ohm load which that amplifier is capable of instead of at 2 ohm or 0.5 ohm which that amplifier is not capable of. See what the culprit is first of why it isn't sounding good. You gain about oh 200 watts at 1 ohm rms. Check the wiring and wire it to the 2 ohm option from the link at 12 volt. The box tuning should be on the website you bought it from. Don't use the bass boost on the amplifier either. Adjust it all from the head unit.

I would disagree with that. Any bass boost setting is probably also going to effect all the other speakers. It will just sound like crap overall. He should be getting the amp set right, and then can use the control knob to adjust it's volume. They're subs. Who is setting their subs up to run weak? Setting the bass settings on the head unit, is going to effect everything overall and have more of an impact on making mids and highs sound like garbage then it will to improve subs, unless your head unit has separate controls for a sub, (which this non- factory RCA hookup, probably doesn't).

 

[Firewalker]

No one uses bass boost on the amplifier for the subwoofers these days. Head units can control all of that and specifically for the subwoofer or through the DSP which some do as well.

And who sets the gains with the bass knob removed and turned off? Not anyone I know around here or any shops I have ever been at that has set the gains that way. For the most part we turn them up 100% use a 40hz test tone with the head unit at 75%. Some only turn the bass knob up to 50% and do it that way as well.

 

[HardofWhoring]

No one uses bass boost on the amplifier for the subwoofers these days. Head units can control all of that and specifically for the subwoofer or through the DSP which some do as well.

And who sets the gains with the bass knob removed and turned off? Not anyone I know around here or any shops I have ever been at that has set the gains that way. For the most part we turn them up 100% use a 40hz test tone with the head unit at 75%. Some only turn the bass knob up to 50% and do it that way as well.

I didn't say bass turned off, I said removed. 100% volume and removed is the same thing, it just takes out a variable for someone that is having some trouble getting their setup done right.

This person's head unit has a non-factory add on to add RCAs for this subwoofer. You are making a lot bigger assumption that it some how has separate subwoofer controls then I am by saying you don't need to.

I set my gains with my DD1. That's not where OP is at though. Stop trying to push your experience on to this OP.

I think you're just being sensitive about me saying that THIS OP, shouldn't be setting their subwoofer controls like that, and a reason why others might not want to.

 

[Trudeau44]

UPDATE: Guess it was the amp the whole time, not enough power for two 10” subs at 600w rms each. Bought the CT Sounds 2000w amp and voila, I now have insane bass and am a happy camper.