sorry to be such a noob



but i need some help D=
got 2 12" subs
1200 watts max
400 rms each>>
i got a 760 pioneer ampp pushing them......



yeah idk if im using the right kind of ampage...

bc i know these subs can hit waaayy harder... yet when i turn it up to 28 (goes all the way to 34) its cuts off

 

depends on how you have it wired and if you have the proper size wires feeding power to the amp.

 

What kind wire are you runing?

This thread would do much better in the audio forum

 

the these two about wiring.
from my experience sound like the amp voltage is dropping and its goes into protection to prevent damage to the amp

 

im guessing he has like some thin 8gauge wire running to it. personally i wont run smaller then 4 gauge and i prefer 0 or 0/1....i ran straight 0/1 in my own cars along with 4 caps right next to the amp with a hc800 battery....overkill maybe...but the dampening factor and transient response of my amp isnt effected by voltage drop i can guarentee.

 

I would reccomend runing 4 guage wireing.

I also run 4 gauge, from my battery to my a dis. block with 4 guage to 2 channle and 8 guage to my 4 channle.

Overkill or not, I like to run 4 guage the first time because you never know what you will do down the road. Meaning larger Amps, more amps, etc.

 

4 caps.. wow
I hope you had a h/o alternators with all those little leeches attached to you electrical system.

 

exactly. Your going to want a high output alternator if you want to really get all those watts and also upgrade the 3 main wires.

This man knows whats up
This is what im talking about

 

you guys are going overkill fast, he probably has a 600 watt amp, you don't need a bigger alt for that and caps are bad for a system, just add another battery.

 

I deffinitly agree with doing the big 3 upgrade.
get 0 gauge wire, replace battery to chassis ground, battery to engine ground, and battery to alternator charge wire.
I did just the grounds and my headlights got brighter and my voltage stayed higher when my subs pounded.

 

yup...had the oem alt rewound...and they arent leeches...i measured a consistent db increase with the caps.


your probably right...but more often then not the stereo systems around town i fix the idiot has installed power wire way to thin for the application and it causes the power regulation section of the amplifier to pull more current under load causing the amp to either to go into protection mode from voltage drop or overheat.

 

Actually they are, they are just another source your alternator has to work to fill.
So not only does your alternator have to work to fill your battery everytime it gets drained, but it also has to fill up the caps everytime the release theyre stored energy.
And yes you would most likely measure a db increase with the caps, i didn't say you wouldnt. But all in all its bad for your alternator.

 

If this is the pioneer amp im thinking of, its the one they sell at walmart and it gives off 380watts rms @4ohms.
I would just make sure your amplifier ground is good (make sure its baremetal no paint)
and upgrade your powerwire.
You can get a good cheap kit off amazon, i bought a 4 gauge DBlink wiring kit off of there for $35 bucks and its very decent quality. I recommend upgrading to one.

 

The alternator alone cant kick out enough current fast enough to keep up with the demand on the caps...caps pull from the battery...battery is recharged by the alt.
if the caps were pulling all their current to recharge from the alternator then i would consistently be blowing the fuse inline with the alt long before i blew the fuses inline with the battery.

 

Man i know how caps work. They still are putting a strain on the alt because it has to work harder. Im not trying to start a argument, if your happy with your caps then then keep on runnin em. Id rather just do the big 3 and upgrade my alternator than run caps, to each has there own.

 

Op what is the model number for the amp? If it is like the 760 my brother had, you should look into a bigger amp.

He ran his with 8 guage wires and it was fine, however I still reccomend you get a 4 guage kit.
Yes, it is overkill however you never know what you will do in a year or two.

 

theres not enough info but im leaning towards this: your problem is, that you either have it wired in stereo (since it is a 2 channel amp) and not giving either sub more than a legitimate 100rms each and clipping the **** out of it, or you have it wired in parallel thus creating a 2 ohm load (which is a no no on this amp) bridged mono and kicking it into protect mode. 8 gauge wire is fine for that amp. it's only rated at 380x1@4ohm@12v or 530x1@4ohm@14.4 volt and it's not making either honestly. i used to have a pair of them.

you guys know some good thing like the big 3 and all but you are overthinking it. that amp isnt that powerful. it should have no problem running off a stock electrical system provided the battery isnt toast.

 

I have a high ouput alt...i added a kinetik hc800 battery...im running lightning audio 0/1 gauge sq wire....i added 4 .5 farad ultra low esr caps....
if my amp draws 120 amps guess what replaces the current used...the alternator
if my amps draw 120 amps with 4 caps the alt still replaces the 120amps used.

your idea that the caps increase load on the alt is very flawed...the caps actually avg out the current draw and keep it from spiking hard which in turn will actually decrease high transient loads to the alt. the caps simply act as a buffer.

 

Caps are a joke, like wartime propaganda. The SPL guys don't use caps. I wonder why (especially considering some have 2-4 alternators, 12 batteries and like 15Kw of power coming from the amps) ...because proper size alternators and batteries accompanied by proper wiring is all you need. If the most power hungry SPL cars don't need them, you don't either.

 

When all you are doing is burping a speaker and basicly clipping the amp caps wont help.
But the SQ guys run them and the differences in frequency response are measurable. I was also able to measure a db increase on sharp peaks such as kick drum or bass guitar notes. caps can increase the headroom on an amplifier.

 

if you have headroom trouble, you need better or bigger amps. a cap wont change that. as long as amperage from the battery/alt is there in the first place, a cap wot change anything.

 

an alt or battery can not flow enough current fast enough to even begin keeping up with a capacitor. the regulator in the alternator has to see an increase in load before it will increase current output....a battery has a chemical process it has to go through in order to create current....a capacitor is instant.

you can argue all you want but ive seen data and done my own testing logging rail voltages inside the amplifier to tell you that your completely incorrect about caps not changing anything.

 

if you were talking old school cheater amps rated at50x2 @4ohm, then bridge to 1000x1 at.25 ohm with absolutely no power supply regulation, i would agree that it might help. 98% of people don't even know what they are. you make valid points for sure. what amps were you testing?

 

uh, no we don't.

 

i didnt buy the amp it was free...
do yall sugest i just buy a better amp? i know these hoes can hit wayyyy harder.