need help quick.

[stay_high 10+ year member]

Ok so heres the deal. I bought a single 12 inch kicker cvr in a vented box and a 1000 watt kenwood amp. ( idk why its 1000 watt my parents bought the amp for me as a birthday gift). I have a black 08 ford focus se. Also i am forced to use a line out converter so i have a stock head unit. Ford focus are wierd and basicly i would have to rewire the ac unit and buy over 150 dollars worth of parts to install a head unit. Since im cheap i just bought the line out converter.

Well my friend installed it for me today since he claims to know a lot about audio systems. I believe him because he has a system of his own and seems to know what hes talking about. So he put it in today and idk it just doesn't sound right. This is my first system so i really dont know how it should sound or too much about it but im pretty sure it should be louder than this.

So here are the problems:

my kenwood amp heats up and gets pretty hot after about 10 mins of music. Is this normal?

The volume of the sub woofer is always the same. For example with the volume turned down to like 3 the sub is just as loud with the volume on max. Dont get me wrong its loud but its just not hard hitting or anything. From like 40 feet away you can barely hear it.

The first times i used it I started to smell kinda like something was burning. But i heard thats just how they smell when your first using them? Is that true?

We had to remove the door panel and after we put it back the door wont freaking open. Iv'e tried everything to get it open. It locks and unlocks and thats all.

Basicly im scared to even play my system because i dont want it to brake or something. I will be showing up at this guys house tomoro and he WILL fix it, or else lol. The wierd thing is this kid did it for me for free. If i took it to the car audio shop down the street called mad marks would they take a look at it for free? Just like tell me if there is anything wrong with it? lol can someone give me some answer? im pretty pissed right now just typing it makes me mad ahaha. Thanks for any replys.

Click to read more...

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

how do you expect us to help you quickly when you write a novel?

in all seriousness, sounds like your gain isn't set correctly. are ALL bass boosts set to 0? did you set the gain on the LOC correctly?

 

[MisterDeadeye 10+ year member]

What is this I don't even

First off, what is the voice coil configuration of your sub? What's the model of the amp so we can see its RMS ratings? What is your gain set to? Where's your ground?

Now, some advice. Don't use the bass knob. Learn when the sub sounds like ish.

 

[stay_high 10+ year member]

how do you expect us to help you quickly when you write a novel?
in all seriousness, sounds like your gain isn't set correctly. are ALL bass boosts set to 0? did you set the gain on the LOC correctly?

Im not sure if the gains are set correctly. I now he turned a little bass boost nob like almost all the way up on the back of the amp. But what is LOC. Im new //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Your gain needs to be set to 400 watts with a Digital multi meter. You shouldnt be smelling electrical burning. Is it a best buy kenwood? What voice coil configure is your sub. That will have a lot to do with the power that amp sends the sub. Line out converters are normally not practical, they dont allow enough control over the sub stage. You could look into the JL clean sweep. it might end up being cheaper then changing to deck.

Here is a link to gain setting, it works on any amp.

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/pdfs/gainSetting.pdf

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

Im not sure if the gains are set correctly. I now he turned a little bass boost nob like almost all the way up on the back of the amp. But what is LOC. Im new //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

your first step is turning down the bass boost all the way. bass boost causing clipping which can kill your sub. search clipping on here, you will get a pretty good idea of what it is..

LOC = line out converter, most LOC's have a gain knob on them. do you own a digital multimeter?

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Im not sure if the gains are set correctly. I now he turned a little bass boost nob like almost all the way up on the back of the amp. But what is LOC. Im new //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Take all bass boost off and set your HU bass to 0. LOC is Line out conv

 

[GAMEOVERCCA 10+ year member]

problem 1 = kicker

problem 2 = kenwood amp

jk, sounds like you might have sub wired wrong and your gain/filters way out of wack.. try watching some videos on youtube on how to tune a amp, its VERY simple to learn quick.

 

[stay_high 10+ year member]

wow thank you for the quick replys guys. This may not seem urgant but i wanted to know if i need to drive to this guys house tomoro or not. Any one got any advice on my door not opening? Or the amp getting all hot? Also when he had the amps bass boost all the way down there was hardly any bass. How do i get the loud hard hitting bass with that turned all the way down? I understand its a single 12 inch sub but iv'e heard systems before and know it should be a little louder. What about the bass always being the same volume? Its almost like i cant hear it as much with my cars volume maxed.

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

bass always being at the same problem may be an RCA issue but more than likely is a problem with your LOC. do you know what kind of LOC it is? (brand, etc.)

 

[stay_high 10+ year member]

I know this may be kinda difficult but can someone like give an example of how loud this setup should be?

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

I wont have him do anything. You can spend some time on here or even youtube and do it yourself. About the door not opening it might need to be reset, my windows dont work right after I take the panels off till the get reset.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

I know this may be kinda difficult but can someone like give an example of how loud this setup should be?

Not without knowing the voice coils of your sub, which amp and what box. Also box placement

 

[stay_high 10+ year member]

bass always being at the same problem may be an RCA issue but more than likely is a problem with your LOC. do you know what kind of LOC it is? (brand, etc.)

Honestly im not sure of the brand. Think it was PAC. I went to a car audio shop and asked for line out converters and went and got one out of the back of the shop. Cost me 19.99.

 

[i2ain2thunder 10+ year member]

I remember my first time seeing a bass boost knob....it seemed like a good idea at the time:crap:

Anyway turn the bass boost off, (basic way to set a gain) turn stereo to 3/4 volume increase gain on amp untill you notice clipping(harsh noise) back it off a little bit so there is no clipping at 3/4 volume, now try not to go much above 3/4 volume for long periods of time. The burning smell is more than likely the coils on your subs, this is a bad sign, but not a horrible sign I'm guessing turning the bass boost off will solve this. You don't want to run them hard to where they make that smell for very long. They do that a little bit when they're breaking in but keep it to a minimum. If you are still haveing problems we need to look into the LOC and the wiring in general. (your system might not be very loud in and of itself) but it should sound decent.