Kicker Subwoofer/amp help??

[JLG]

well said chpthril that was kinda what i have read its just you put it in simpler terms for a non stereo guy like me to understand. I am about to head to the garage and tackle this issue. I will let you know the outcome. I was leaning towards another 2500w amp but just don't want that much amp drawing off my batteries and alternator, so am hoping i can get the issue solved without adding anymore equipment. The amp install kit was a 1/0 gauge with a 125 breaker i believe so it should have ample power it might be a battery issue as i'm just using deep cycle batteries that might be a couple years old. I had them tested shortly after buying the boat as i thought they were bad but they tested out fine just needed charged. I might replace them out with red or yellow tops to reduce strain on system. I have the bass turned way down on my clarion cd player and that seems to reduce the light issue and am not sure if i need the amp high or low input button on as i don't know what the clarion is producing?? maybe you know!! I am wondering also if I have used the wrong RCA cables coming off the clarion and maybe i'm getting the wrong frequency?? I have read that the RCA cable need to be seperated and ran in a different direction with each other as to not produce a buzzing sound so i need to correct this issue also. I have a busy day!!

[chpthril]

I'm back on the road today so posting on my phone. I should be home tonight and back on my internet. I will share some thoughts about battery types and those amp settings.

[JLG]

Got the issue found!! Like an idiot i got in a hurry when installing system and cheated by plugging into or "Y"ing the rca cables that were running the existing under helm sub. Obviously this was giving my amp a crazy ohm feedback i'm guessing so unplugged it issue went away. I still might replace the batteries and have to go through the mess of wires and figure out why i am getting so much feedback or buzzing noise as i'm guessing it's from the rca/wires being bundled together near the stereo or maybe a ground issue somewhere.

[JLG]

Port side pics of 2 Subs DSCF3660.jpgDSCF3661.jpgDSCF3662.jpg
Starboard side not the cleanest look this side but it works for now DSCF3663.jpgDSCF3664.jpg

[chpthril]

The amp install kit was a 1/0 gauge with a 125 breaker i believe so it should have ample power

Automotive amp kits typically have a long run of POS cabling and a short run of GND. This is because car chassis are one giant ground plane, so the GND cable can be connected just about anywhere. On a boat, we dont have a chassis/ground plane, so the amp's ground cable needs to also run back to the battery along with the POS.

In one of your pics, I only see a single blue 1/0 cable running in front of the glove box down to the zx2500.1. Where is the ground cable connecting to and what gauge is it?

by plugging into or "Y"ing the rca cables that were running the existing under helm sub

So the factory 10" sub is still there and functioning? Splitting the signal to it for the zx2500.1 would not be an issue at all for either amp.

Have you pulled the speaker wires off the zx2500.1 and checked the final impedance? That final impedance at the amp is absolutely crucial.

have to go through the mess of wires and figure out why i am getting so much feedback or buzzing noise as i'm guessing it's from the rca/wires being bundled together near the stereo or maybe a ground issue somewhere.

Is this buzzing in only the subs or omitting from all the speakers? Engine running or not? RCAs running along power cables is typically not the cause unless those RCA cables are from 20 years ago. In most boats with dual battery banks, we kind a lot of noise caused by the audio gear not seeing the same battery reference. We can get more into that later, lets cure protect mode on the zx2500.

battery issue as i'm just using deep cycle batteries that might be a couple years old. I had them tested shortly after buying the boat as i thought they were bad but they tested out fine just needed charged.

I would love to know what the static (at rest) voltage level is, after a period of charge and the surface charge has been scrubbed off.

I might replace them out with red or yellow tops to reduce strain on system

try this on for size. A 5 gallon bucket will hold the same amount of water and take the same amount of time, whether its round or square. A depleted traditional wet cell lead acid will be just as much strain on the charging system as an AGM like the colored top batteries. So choose the battery battery type for the right reason.

For a house/stereo battery, we look at their Ah level. Typically, a lead acid marine deep-cycle will have way more Ah's than an Optima. For example, a group-24 marine deep-cycle may have a about 65 Ah and cost under $100, compared to 55 Ah that the Optima 31D has at nearly x the cost. A wet cell group-29 might have about about 100 Ah and is the same physical size as the 31D, yet its still way under the cost of the Optima.

If a sealed type AGM battery is the best for you, look at the Shuriken AGM batteries. Higher Ah then the Optimas for about the same cost. Going with enough Ah's to meet your needs and maintaining the bank is often more important than a particular brand or type. Wet cell and AGM's can both surve you well.

[JLG]

In one of your pics, I only see a single blue 1/0 cable running in front of the glove box down to the zx2500.1. Where is the ground cable connecting to and what gauge is it?I am using a single 4 gauge ground running from battery to a ground distribution box near the amps where i have the other 2 amps grounded also. Each amp has its own power cable running from the batteries. I have put the ground and positives on same battery now to eliminate some static noise.

I would love to know what the static (at rest) voltage level is, after a period of charge and the surface charge has been scrubbed off.at rest voltage is 12.5v at each battery and at amps

Have you pulled the speaker wires off the zx2500.1 and checked the final impedance? That final impedance at the amp is absolutely crucial.
I'm getting 3.2 ohm at the amp without anything hooked up. But where i'm puzzled is that i get a negative ohm reading when testing the pos to pos and neg to neg leads from amp to ohm meter. When i switch my ohm meter to test pos on ohm meter to neg on amp and neg on ohm meter to pos on amp I get a positive ohm reading?? and maybe this is the way it is supposed to be??

[chpthril]

I'm getting 3.2 ohm at the amp without anything hooked up

This is just touching your meter's leads to the speaker wire at the amp, but disconnected to the amp?

3.2 ohm is certainly a safe impedance for that amp, but the math just isnt adding up right. With 4 4 ohm DVC subs, on paper, you should have 2 ohm. If we factor in a little wear on the coils and some resistance in the wire, we should still be close to that 2 ohm. But since it is in the safe range, I doubt low impedance is the cause of the amp shutting down.

3.2 ohm could be one sub disconnected maybe

But where i'm puzzled is that i get a negative ohm reading when testing the pos to pos and neg to neg leads from amp to ohm meter. When i switch my ohm meter to test pos on ohm meter to neg on amp and neg on ohm meter to pos on amp I get a positive ohm reading?? and maybe this is the way it is supposed to be??

Without seeing what you're doing, im not understanding where the readings are taking place. But, 0 ohm is 0 ohm and indicates a perfect circuit. cant really have less then 0 ohms, or negative ohms, so this just might be something weird about your meter.

[JLG]

I know the speaker box terminal nuts aren't the best quality so i might be getting a little resistance from them as they don't hold the wire extremely tight. Yea i'm not sure on the -negative being in front of my ohm meter when I test the circuits one way and change the pos meter lead to the neg amp lead it takes the -neg out of the meter. The system seems to be loud as S*** now and the protection only comes on if i really push the system but at this point it is probably just too loud!! I'm a little hearing impaired so maybe it is just my ear saying its not loud enough. My wife complains it loud in the house so maybe it is!!

Any advice on an amp to power my rev8 speakers? I currently have 4 rev8 and 2 pro60 tower speaker running off a kicker zx550.2 amp running 3 speakers per channel. It does the job but on long hot lake days it will power down late in the day if I've pushed it most of the day. I'm reading the wetsounds amps are better at handling extreme heat etc, so maybe i need to shell the cash for one and if so what amp would be best suited for my setup. I'm getting ready to purchase another set of rev8 towers and will probably be removing the pro60s so will have 3 sets of rev8s

[chpthril]

I know the speaker box terminal nuts aren't the best quality so i might be getting a little resistance from them as they don't hold the wire extremely tight. Yea i'm not sure on the -negative being in front of my ohm meter when I test the circuits one way and change the pos meter lead to the neg amp lead it takes the -neg out of the meter. The system seems to be loud as S*** now and the protection only comes on if i really push the system but at this point it is probably just too loud!! I'm a little hearing impaired so maybe it is just my ear saying its not loud enough. My wife complains it loud in the house so maybe it is!!

If you are ohm'ing the actual amp terminals, then ignore the reading. Theres nothing to obtain from there that will help us.

I would probably disconnect the wiring at each box's terminal cap, and check the impedance of each individual sub box. At the terminal cap, you should read 8 ohm. This will help track down that 1.2 ohm impedance. Next would be getting the gain cross-overs set right.

Any advice on an amp to power my rev8 speakers? I currently have 4 rev8 and 2 pro60 tower speaker running off a kicker zx550.2 amp running 3 speakers per channel. It does the job but on long hot lake days it will power down late in the day if I've pushed it most of the day. I'm reading the wetsounds amps are better at handling extreme heat etc, so maybe i need to shell the cash for one and if so what amp would be best suited for my setup. I'm getting ready to purchase another set of rev8 towers and will probably be removing the pro60s so will have 3 sets of rev8s

Most any amp is susceptible to thermal shut down, regardless of brand. Factors being the loads its driving, cabling gauge feeding it, battery voltage, tuning and how the amp is mounted.

Honestly, I would drop the Pro-60's and only run 2 pair of Rev-8. If wired correctly so the amp can run at a safe impedance, theres only about 250W per chnl (@ 14.5V) thats available for 3 speakers. Thats only 83W to each speaker, but in reality, they are not dividing that 250W evenly due to how they are wired. With a pair wired in parallel, they will evenly split 275W rms. You will not miss those Pro-60's.

If you do decide to add a 3rd pair of Rev-8, you will need a 2nd amp. I would suggest a Syn-2 for 2 pair and run the 3rd on the existing zx550.2. Or, get a single Wet Sounds SD-6 to run all 3 pair.

[wired1236]

Kicker Subwoofer/amp help??

Just a 4awg ground wire feeding all of your amps? Seems way too small. I would suggest running a 1/0 matching your POS. Ground wire size is as important as POS wire size. Im sure Chpthrill could run the calcs for you.

[chpthril]

The zx2500 needs its own 1/0 cabling on both the POS and NEG. The other 2 amps could share a 1/0 through a couple of distribution blocks with 4ga between the amps and blocks.

[wired1236]

The zx2500 needs its own 1/0 cabling on both the POS and NEG. The other 2 amps could share a 1/0 through a couple of distribution blocks with 4ga between the amps and blocks.

I bet this is your problem. Cheap fix. You are choking your amps due to the undersized ground.

Sent from my GT-P5113 using Tapatalk

[JLG]

It never crossed my mind about the ground but yea that would be a cheap fix so I will get it replaced and see if it makes a difference at most i'd be out $50

[chpthril]

Yes, the amp is only stable down to 2 ohm. It looks likes Timmy has your wiring solution that will get those 4 subs to 2 ohm.

I wouldn't worry about having 14.5v at the amp. I would make sure you the cable gauge is ample, probably needs to be 1/0. Next would the condition of the battery(s) and the connections. These can also send an amp into protect mode.

I would also inspect the condition of those enclosures. If they are getting soft the subs will.sound muddy.

It never crossed my mind about the ground but yea that would be a cheap fix so I will get it replaced and see if it makes a difference at most i'd be out $50

I probably should have been more specific in my post back on 12/06 that both the GND and POS need to be ample. Since a boat doesnt have a chassis like a car, to act as a ground plane, the GND cable needs to run all the way to the battery, same as the POS. This means they both need to be ample and the thus the same size.

Once I saw the pic and only saw the single blue 1/0, it was my suspicion that the zx2500 was under-cabled.

[JLG]

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