ok guys, i went for a 2hr drive on friday, and after about 50min my amp suddenly cut out, then after that it would cut out every 10min for a few minutes.
once i got to my stop i touched my amp and it was burning hot.

now for my setup.
its a response 4x100WRMS amp,
and its sitting openly in the boot.
its power type s splits up front with the first 2 channels,
and channels 3/4 are bridged to power 1 12" sub.
the gain for the splits are about half and the gains for the subs were full.

now why is my amp overheating? is there anything i can do to fix it.

what sized power wiring are you using?
the amp may have burnt something out inside

I'm pretty sure its 4ga.

what sized power wiring are you using?
the amp may have burnt something out inside

If it burnt something inside, its circuit protection *should* cut in, or, the fuse would blow.

As for why the amp is heating up.

What RMS rating is the sub? the two channels that are bridged, what is the RMS output combined?

You might be asking a bit much from the amp (gains on full aswell).

If its only just started doing this, could be as simple as dust build up.

the sub is TS-W306C i have two, but im only powering one at the moment which is 400wrms max.

the amp puts out 380 bridged at. i don't understand the whole 4ohms 2 ohms thing, could that be causing it to overheat?

I'm gonna be rewiring it all soon, and using a 2 channel amp to power the splits then just power the subs with this amp, so hopefully once i find time to redo my boot i can fix all these problems.

Ohm is resistance to electrical flow.

Higher Ohm's means more heat.

The amp will probably put out 380wrms at 2ohm I gather?

Is your sub a dual 4ohm? If so, to run it at 2ohm run the (+) from each voice coil to the (+) of the terminal cup, and the same for the (-).

I personally (i'll get shot for this lol ) like Class D amps for the subs, as they run cool all day everyday.

If you dont understand something about audio terms/wiring etc visit this site, http://www.bcae1.com/ follow the wiring section like a bible....

If he is running 2 single coil subs, wiring them in parrallel will give him 2ohm across the subs, which is fine for the amp. Im thinking its a heat issue myself, its suprising how hot a boot can get espically in direct sunlight or if the heat shielding has been removed from around the exhaust.

the gain for the splits are about half and the gains for the subs were full.


That is not good dude.

Higher ohms does not always mean more heat. In a practical sense for arguements sake a general Class D sub amp:
400WRMS @ 8ohm 80% efficiency
600WRMS @ 4ohm 70% efficiency
800WRMS @ 2ohm 60% efficiency

I know which of the above is going to make the most heat. When you lower the resistance, amps do make more power but lose efficiency in converting the current that has been drawn into usuable current - generally.

Jaycar amps are not 2ohm stable across bridged channels. One sub is all that he can run with what he has and it 380WRMS bridged at 4ohm. The 306 pioneers are a SVC 4ohm sub, should have no problems because of that.

Maybe you should try tuning your gains not to have so much distortion and install a cooling fan or the likes if your going to pump it that hard. That cutting in a out is telling you that it needs a break.

1. with full gain, on most decks, you start clipping (overpowering) your amp when the deck is at about 1/4 of its volume.

2. sure youve got the sub bridged on the 2 channels properly? if you have it wired wrongly, it could still generate noise but rape the amp in the process.

3. If possible, take a photo of the amp installed so we have a better idea of how you have things wired up.

4. Take it to a car audio store with an oscolliscope and get the amp level set.

I've got phil working down the road, so i Might get him to look at it tomorrow.
atm my whole set up is just an insane mess. i dont think i could get a photo..
I've just turned my sub gain down for now.

ok. I'm gonna re open my thread as now i have redone my boot i am having the same problem.

for my setup I am running two TS-W306C

Composite IMPP cone using interlaced aramid fiber
3-layer, fiber woven radial surround
Single conex damper with damper ring
4-layer, long voice coil (TS-W306C)
Dual 4-layer, long voice coils (DVC)
12-slit, 55-mm (2-3/16") aluminum voice coil bobbin
Dual mass high-power magnet (2.4 kg, 83 oz.)
Extended and vented pole yoke
Silver binding posts
Spoke grille compatible (UD-G306)
400 watts nominal power handling
18-500 Hz, 89 dB, 24.1-49.5 l (0.85-1.75 cu. ft.)

powered by a response 4x100rms amp. not sure on the specs, as i don't know what model it is (the older one, silver)
i think the specs are these ones
Power / channel @ 4ohm 14.4V: 130WRMS x 4
Power / channel @ 2ohm 14.4V: 190WRMS x 4
Power / bridged @ 4ohm 14.4V: 380WRMS x 2
Signal/Noise ratio: >90dB
Input sensitivity: 200mV to 5V
Low pass filter: 50 - 500Hz @ 12dB/octave
High pass filter: 50 - 500Hz @ 12dB/octave
Pass thru RCA: Yes
Dimensions: 400(L) x 258(W) x 50mm(D)

for power i have a 4ga split to two 8ga cables one for each amp. with 4ga cable for earths.

atm i have the subs wired for 1 to channel 1/2 bridged and the other for channel 3/4 bridged.

oh and the power gains are at about 3/4 for each and it is overheating after about 20min.

what is the problem, is it insufficient power? is it wired correctly? or is it just the amp is crap and overheating? which in that case how can i cool it down.

Its none of that. You've got a Resistance and or gain problem. Fix those first.

']Its none of that. You've got a Resistance and or gain problem. Fix those first.

...how?

turn the gains down on the amps, one amp at a time and see if it still overheats
you may be "over working" the amp

where have you got the amp?

its mounted on its side. but i had the same problem when it was mounted flat. how do i test the resistance? maybe to work tomorrow i will test it with both the gains on half. i prob need a new amp. :(

Have you changed the fuse?
Try that first. That was my problem when my amp used to cut out in the old install. it looks fine but once it heats up the fuse "blows" and the amps cut out, about 10 minutes later after it cools down it reconnects and amp will start working again.

I have a mate with one of those mounted on the rear of his seat at a 30deg upside down manner. It gets hot sure but never overheats. When the amp cuts out, prehaps you should check the protection lights to see if they are on or if it's simply not getting power.

Amp will make to much power for that sub alone so it shouldn't be working very hard. I am concerned about 3/4 gains for 380WRMS / channel. What voltage is your preout?

You do have the DVC 4ohm version and not a DVC 2ohm??

Have you changed the fuse?
Try that first. That was my problem when my amp used to cut out in the old install. it looks fine but once it heats up the fuse "blows" and the amps cut out, about 10 minutes later after it cools down it reconnects and amp will start working again.
yeah had that a couple of times with my own cars

I have a mate with one of those mounted on the rear of his seat at a 30deg upside down manner. It gets hot sure but never overheats. When the amp cuts out, prehaps you should check the protection lights to see if they are on or if it's simply not getting power.

Amp will make to much power for that sub alone so it shouldn't be working very hard. I am concerned about 3/4 gains for 380WRMS / channel. What voltage is your preout?

You do have the DVC 4ohm version and not a DVC 2ohm??

i have no idea. the specs i gave is all i know. but they are definately the right specs. I'm still trying to learn this 4ohm, 2ohm stuff.

well there are a few fuses in there, so i will check them all out. i noticed that channel 1/2 was on full not lpf, so i changed that. will prob make a difference.

My concern is this. The 307 model comes in both DVC 4 and DVC 2 ohm versions. I have a feeling the 306 only came in DVC 4ohm which is not ideal.

So if I'm correct you are either running the subs at 2ohm or 8ohm bridged across a 4ohm stable channel. Because the amp is overheating I would say you are running each sub at 2ohm. Have a look at each sub and let me know have you got the -ive hooked up to the -ive and the +ive to the +ive or
the +ive to the -ive and the remainder comming off the amp?

My concern is this. The 307 model comes in both DVC 4 and DVC 2 ohm versions. I have a feeling the 306 only came in DVC 4ohm which is not ideal.

Incorrect.

The TS-W306 came in single 4ohm as well

Incorrect.

The TS-W306 came in single 4ohm as well

No offence dude but that is obvious. Perhaps some reading might be in order. What I was refering to is for Dual Voice subs which is what he has apparently from his post, I think the 306 only came in DVC 4ohm where as the newer 307 series has both 2 and 4 ohm DVC subs.....

Seeing as though he has a 306 series in DVC, I'm sure he has a DVC 4ohm therefore.. correct and unfortunately not ideal. :D

i wired it up so that +ve goes to +ve and -ve to -ve..

Yeah if you have a DVC 4ohm sub, you are running your bridged channels at 2ohm loads. Not a good thing.

From one side hook up the - ive terminal to the amp and on the other side hook up the + ive to the amp. You should have a left over + ive on one side and - ive on the other, run a wire to link them. That will make an 8 ohm load or series connection. Wont be as loud but amp wont overheat.

that sucks. guess i have to look at getting a 2ohm amp in the future.

thanks for your help. will give it a long drive on sat to test it out.

Well no not really. Each sub can be wired to present a single 2ohm load and you have 2 of them. That would mean that you would need either a 1 or 4 ohm stable amp with a single output to run both.

Obvious choice could be the 1000WRMS Jaycar amp to run both woofers off a single amp.

Did you have your stereo cranked for the full 50 minutes?

Edit: 69th post!! Awesome.

ok. heres the news. swapped it so should be running at 8ohm and put new fuses in.

cranked full died in 20min :(

is there a way to test if its running at 8ohm's? i have a multimeter handy, but thats it.

Set your multimeter to Ohm's, then positive on positive, negative on negative.

Now, looking at the specs of the amp, when a channel is bridged jaycar only has a specification at 4ohm, this is how it should be wired, unless the manual says otherwise.

Set your multimeter to Ohm's, then positive on positive, negative on negative.

Now, looking at the specs of the amp, when a channel is bridged jaycar only has a specification at 4ohm, this is how it should be wired, unless the manual says otherwise.

is that while the amp is running. coz when the amp was off and the subs wired into amp i put the multimeter across the bridge and got 4ohm (3.6ohm) for both.

well it sounds like i have tried everything. guess my amp is pretty stuffed.

3.6Ohms sounds about right for the amp (as its quoted as 4ohm from factory)

Put the multimeter across the terminal cup of the sub box.