Wet sounds subwoofer not working, where to start?

[lalh20]

I purchased a Tige z1 last winter that I knew would need a few small fixes here and there before summer. Today, I put up some tower speakers and tested out the system to notice that the sub is not working.

Everything in the boat seems like a factory WS system - Syn 6 and Syn 2 installed, set up for two tower speakers, a WS sub (think a WS 10FA?).

It doesn't seem like the sub is working at all but there's a chance it's very very low.

Where do I start the search to find the problem and get this thing going?

...Also, I remember a thread a while back where someone went through the WS amp settings but cannot find it. If someone knows where it is, I'd like to check the switches/buttons on on the syn6 amp to see if it's set up correctly.

[chpthril]

So, its never worked for you, right? Could be something as simple as an incorrect setting on the Syn6 or head-unit.

Let me pull out a Syn6 manual and double check what position the buttons need to be in. This will determine where the sub gets its source signal from. From their, we need to double check the gain and cross-over frequency. Depending how its configured from the factory, it could be that the head-units "non-fade" output has defaulted to low if the battery was run dead or disconnected.

[lalh20]

your knowledge amazes me! no, It's never worked for me but I had to buy new batteries when I got the boat so if something "resets" when the HU loses power, that could be it.

I would still like to know how I'm supposed to have my amp(s) settings. What manual is it that you're looking @ to find this?

[chpthril]

your knowledge amazes me! no, It's never worked for me but I had to buy new batteries when I got the boat so if something "resets" when the HU loses power, that could be it.

I would still like to know how I'm supposed to have my amp(s) settings. What manual is it that you're looking @ to find this?

The Wet Sounds Syn6 manual can be down loaded right from their web site. it will show the setting for using the amp for powering 4-6 in-boats on chnls 1-4 and a sun on 5 and 6.

For the head-unit, look though the Clarion CMD5 manual. The Purple non-fade RCA outputs may be what Tige used for the sun signal and its adjustable. If it reset to "low" the sun would be kinda quite.

[carcrz]

The settings on my amps were ALL wrong. Every one of them. We went through & adjusted them last night according to the manual & it sounds completely different now.

[wetsounds1]

did you check to see if there is a bass knob on it? if it is all the way down?

Our bass knobs are remote level controls. not a bass booster. so if used, it is remoting the actual gain. so if you turn it down, it is like turning the gain down. One really cool feature is when it is turned all the way up, it will not go past the max level the gain on the amp is set at. so someone cannot crank it past where it is set and blow something.

so that would be one thing to check. next would be to check the woofer and make sure it is not blown. put a meter on it and see what impedance it reads.

if the woofer is OK, check the input selection switch on the SYN-6. The factory system should have an rca into 1-2 with the switch for 3-4 getting the signal from 1-2 and the siwtch on 5-6 on direct with an rca going into that.

All the boats that leave the factory are set to the spec I write. So all the boats should be tuned the exact same way. However, once they get to the dealer or if it is a used boat. No telling what can happen!

Tim
Wet Sounds

[kerlee]

My subwoofer also not working?

I took my boat out of storage last week and was playing with the stereo and noticed my sub was also not working. I called Chpthrl and he helped me work through a couple of things during which time it started right back up and worked. However this weekend I was back out there re-organizing the boat and turned on the stereo, again no sound. Since we had checked everything (including re-tuning the WS 420, and all amsp Syn 6 and Syn 2) a day or two before and re-tuned it, I am suspecting this is some type of short either in the syn 6 or the sub itself, per my discussion with chpthrll. when we worked on it, I did one error message of an internal short not a speaker or wiring short? We turned everything off and back on it worked. So this time, no error message but I pushed the x-over switch and the sub came on, i pushed it again, to where it is supposed to be and the sub stayed on. It would work a little and then cut-off, I could do the above and it would come back on. Off to the dealer we go today to see what they think. Tim what do you think.

[wetsounds1]

usually a intermittent problem like that means a damaged voice coil. overtime from it heating up, it will shut off or send the amp into protection. sometimes you push the woofer and un freeze the coil and it plays again.

I would take a look at the woofer and see what it is doing. But to me sounds like the woofer and not the amp.

Tim
Wet Sounds

[kerlee]

Thanks Tim, To make a long story short, I got in touch with Justin over at WS in Houston. I got hold of a multimeter, went out to the boat and sub was working fine. However I noticed that channel 4 speakers not working. Checking the current on all speaker outs and they were all good except CH4, which was zero. Then I plugged Ch 4 speakers wires into CH 3 outputs along with CH3 speakers and all speakers work. I sent the amp back to WS today and they are going to put it on the bench and hook it up to see what is the problem?
Thanks

[lalh20]

Gentlement, my problem is solved as well. thanks for the help! the frequency setting was off on the amp, as well as the head unit setting turned way down.

[kerlee]

Quick update, Sent my syn6 off to WS, John Giver took a look at it on their bench. In the mean time, I took my boat out for a quick spin and had a dead starting battery, even though I had the guest on board charger hooked up for the last 2 weeks and the lights were green. I guess the battery would not hold a charge. I did not have the charger hooked up for the previous 4 months while in storage, big mistake. I was able to jump start the engine off of the other battery, however after running the engine for about an hour, it would still not turn over the engine. I replaced both batteries and that made me wonder whether the batteries were not supplying enough power to completely run the stereo and causing "brown outs". Back to WS, John checked out my syn6 and found nothing wrong, ran my idea past him and he agreed that electronics can do odd things if they are not getting full power. He got the amp back to me quikcly. I hooked it all up and voila, it works fine now. As an aside, when I first got my boat a few years ago, the computer was running oddly, took it to the dealer and both batteries were replaced, then it ran fine? Note to self, if I went to the trouble of installing an on-board charger, then don't be lazy and plug it in when you get home and when the boat is in storage. The guys at the battery store told me that batteries don't like to be drained all the way down, shortens their life. Thanks to Chpthrill and the guys at Wet Sounds.