Amp Shuts Off When Volume Turned Up...

[Nik1128]

Yes, I know this question was asked a few months back by Jiffy, but it didn't help me.

I have a power accoustik 1920 watt amp that shuts off when I turn the stereo up. It just started this like two weeks ago, it's not the gain and it's not the ground. I've checked all my connections like three times. The amp has three 35 amp blade fuses on the side. Hardware stores, and automotive stores around here only carry up to 30 amp of the same kind of fuse, so I bought a packet of those and plugged them into my amp. It continued to do the same thing, shut off when the volume is turned up. And the volume doesn't have to be turned up loud for it to shut off.

Is it the fuses on the amp? Is it a short circuit? Those are the only two things I have not eliminated.

My other specs on my system are: Blaupunkt Mantreal Deck. The amp powers a Power Accoustik Fx-12 12" subwoofer rated at 900 watts RMS.

[wy3134]

its an auto protection feature in the amp....whenever it gets to a certain point it turns off to protect from blowing or catching fire....has to due with the voltage and power that the amp is seeing when ur turning the volume up, as well as the power rating of the the amp and subs....upgrades to your alternator, battery can help this problem, but its not the fuses themselves, fuses are meant to be there for two main reasons....power surges (really just protection against too much power for the amp to handle) and the power of the amp themselves. maybe someone who can word this better can help my explanation here.

[sound_xtreme]

check ohms of the sub.

[Nik1128]

But it has happened all of a sudden... It was running w/o any problems for a month. And now this.

[wy3134]

it can easily be any of those things that i talked about....or it can be a short circuit in the amp....could be a bad connection in the amp....possibilities can be endless unfortunately.....

on a side note: this is something that I have heard about that is common with most power acoustic amps....although I have a goth series, been running it strong for about 3 months with no problems.....all about the series of the power acoustik amp, as ive heard the goth and single channel amps are the only decent ones they put out.

[Nik1128]

Hmm... Well, thanks, man.

[sound_xtreme]

assuming your sub is at 2 ohms and not 8(dual 4 ohm VC). that amp is only 4 ohm stable bridged. obviously when it was brand new it could handle it. now it cant.

[mikegett]

I agree, there are alot of things that can be causing the problem. It sounds as though for one reason or another the amp is going into protection mode. The most common reason is your ohm load on the amp. Post your amp ohm ratings and your sub ohm rating. Be sure to put if it is a dual voice coil or not. It may sound wierd that it is just now going into protection, but if you were powering under a rated ohm something may be going out. You may want to ensure the amp is in protection. There should be a red light on (or some indicator) when this happens. Check your manual and see what it says. If the green power light just goes out then your remote turn on may be the problem. If this appears to be the case, place a meter on it and ensure there is a 12 volt constant at the time it shuts down. You didn't state if you chaged the fuses because they blew or not. If they are blowing then you have a short in the amp or a ground or power wire issue. If the amp is going into protection then most likely the ground or power wire are not the problem. A poor ground or power wire will cause your amp to pull excess amperage and eventualy blow the fuse, not go into protection. Try to give us a more descriptive account of the problem and include the amp and sub specs.

[Nik1128]

The amp is 2 channel rated at 900 RMS watts and 1920 Max in bridged mode. The subwoofer is a power acoustik Fx12 DVC at 4 OHM. rated at 900 RMS watts and 1800 Max.

The red trouble light goes on when the volume is turned up, like it is overheating or overpowered. And it remains on till I turn off the amp. Just like it would when overheated, or overpowered. The amp has a 2 guage power supply. (it is only reccomended to have at least 4 guage) And it's not just when I turn the volume up. it also it how much bass is applied. I have a "bass boost" knob in the center console. when I turn that up, the amp will also shut off. Or if I turn the "loudness" on in my deck the amp turns off as well. The power light never just turns off.. (as it would when the amp shut down complete) it always turns to red like the amp is being overheated or overpowered. I'll mess with the gain and crap tonight and see what I come up with.

Thanks for the help guys. Much appreciated.

[Travis99Alero]

Originally posted by sound_xtreme@Nov 14 2005, 07:07 PM
assuming your sub is at 2 ohms and not 8(dual 4 ohm VC). that amp is only 4 ohm stable bridged. obviously when it was brand new it could handle it. now it cant.
Quoted post

here is your answer again in case you missed it the first time.