# Subwoofer and Amp install gone wrong



## scottpj50 (Jan 6, 2014)

I installed 2 12" kickers and a 1600watt autotek amp to my chevy cruze 2013. I used the Blue/Orange and blue wires behind the stero which i connected to a line out converter. The kickers are not as loud as they should be they hardly move, did I use the two correct wires?


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

In my opinion no . Looks like you need left and right rear !

We need to know how you wired the sub ?

What are the gains set to on the Amp?


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## scottpj50 (Jan 6, 2014)

I had my friend help but I am pretty sure it was like this, I can double check in the morning they are both 2 ohm and the amp is 2 channel. What do you mean gains set to?


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## iTz SADISTIK (Apr 6, 2014)

Need pics because based on that diagram I think you have it in a 2ohm load when it should be 4ohm I'm guessing 


Sent from iFail Mobile


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

I now realize what you did . those colors are for low level and then you routed through a LOC . 

Given that equation you reduced the signal being transmitted to the amp . Try wiring straight to the amp with those leads directly to the AMP.. Subtract the LOC.


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## scottpj50 (Jan 6, 2014)

You mean using speaker wire and through the High Level inputs on the Amp?

Or how would I wire my RCA cables without the LOC


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## iTz SADISTIK (Apr 6, 2014)

brian v said:


> I now realize what you did . those colors are for low level and then you routed through a LOC .
> 
> Given that equation you reduced the signal being transmitted to the amp . Try wiring straight to the amp with those leads directly to the AMP.. Subtract the LOC.


Brian, shouldn't he keep it simple and rewire the LOC first before running wires? In essence wires do the same thing as RCAs. The LOC shouldn't reduce the signal unless the gain on the LOC is turned down. In fact the LOC should be able to boost the output voltage there by giving the amp more to work with. Of course you'll have to watch distortion when turning up the voltage but you have a little wiggle room. 

As a secondary recommendation... If your LOC is a two channel, but your amp can accept a 4 channel input, I would purchase the PAC-GM LOC which will feed your amp the entire spectrum from the stereo. You can then adjust your amp to filter out any unwanted frequencies.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Look at the schematic ! You have stated you are using low level outputs from the head unit . What does the LOC do to a signal ? 

If your going to use a converter then use the rear left and right outputs . ( wires ) 

You can buy a set of female RCA plugs that can be adapted to the wiring .

Which LOC are you using ?


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## Zach.K (Apr 17, 2014)

Highlighted in yellow I believe is what you need to connect the LOC too. Correct me if I'm wrong.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Line Out Converter ..if those are Low Level then you do not need a Converter .

Trust me scott to save yourself more head aches choose the Rear Left and Right outputs without UOA to your LOC ..piece of cake ..like I posted you simply chose to utilize low level outputs and then those signals were reduced by the LOC . IMHO .


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## scottpj50 (Jan 6, 2014)

brian v said:


> Look at the schematic ! You have stated you are using low level outputs from the head unit . What does the LOC do to a signal ?
> 
> If your going to use a converter then use the rear left and right outputs . ( wires )
> 
> ...



I had a set of female RCA plugs attached to those wires and if I turned the volume up too high the Subs would stop moving even though the AMP was still on


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## scottpj50 (Jan 6, 2014)

Zach.K said:


> Highlighted in yellow I believe is what you need to connect the LOC too. Correct me if I'm wrong.


If I connect the LOC to these wires will I get a better signal?


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

scottpj50 said:


> I had a set of female RCA plugs attached to those wires and if I turned the volume up too high the Subs would stop moving even though the AMP was still on



What are the Gains set at ? What Loc are you utilizing ? Those are the wires you would use with a LOC !


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## scottpj50 (Jan 6, 2014)

brian v said:


> What are the Gains set at ? What Loc are you utilizing ? Those are the wires you would use with a LOC !


I am sorry but I am not very knowledgeable about this topic, what do you mean by gains? I can look at the LOC later today when I take it apart again I got it from a friend after the female RCA's didn't work out. Which wires do you mean? The left & right rear speaker signals like Zach.K suggested or the ones I previously used? 

Thank you for all the help by the way.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Gain is the amplifier's volume control, it's how you set the amount of signal "gain" the amplifier gives to the speakers. They are usually small rotary controls set with a flat blade screwdriver. Check your amp's manual if you're having trouble finding them. Also, your amp manual should explain the basics of hooking it up and setting the gains.

In a nutshell, if the amp's gain is set too low the volume will be too low no matter what signal you give it. That would be the first thing to check.

Brian is right on the money with the line converter. If you are using a low level (ie pre-amp) output from the head unit you shouldn't be using a line converter. Your best bet would be to hook the line converter to the speaker leads, probably for the front speakers. That way your subs won't fade out if you fade the sound forward with the head unit.

I have no advice as to the exact wires to connect to, I've never installed an amp in a Cruze.


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## Zach.K (Apr 17, 2014)

Blue Angel said:


> Gain is the amplifier's volume control, it's how you set the amount of signal "gain" the amplifier gives to the speakers. They are usually small rotary controls set with a flat blade screwdriver. Check your amp's manual if you're having trouble finding them. Also, your amp manual should explain the basics of hooking it up and setting the gains.
> 
> In a nutshell, if the amp's gain is set too low the volume will be too low no matter what signal you give it. That would be the first thing to check.
> 
> ...


Does the cruze even have preamp output? 

My suggestion earlier was best guess by taking Brians statement about not using low level so I picked the two pins on the schematic that are rear speakers and not low level(even though it also shows low level on that pin)

My understanding is that the LOC is used to transform speaker inputs into amp RCA inputs if the amp does not have its own speaker inputs? Is that correct? 

Sent from my Thumbs.


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## iTz SADISTIK (Apr 6, 2014)

scottpj50 said:


> I am sorry but I am not very knowledgeable about this topic, what do you mean by gains? I can look at the LOC later today when I take it apart again I got it from a friend after the female RCA's didn't work out. Which wires do you mean? The left & right rear speaker signals like Zach.K suggested or the ones I previously used?
> 
> Thank you for all the help by the way.


The gains are the dials that look like screws on the side of the majority of Line Output Converters. All a LOC does is take a signal, amplifies it slightly, and then sends the signal over RCA cables. The point is to give you RCAs to work with for amplifiers that can't accept high level inputs. In other words the amp would have a plug that has anywhere from 4-8 wires coming out of it which in turn you would connect to the "+" and "-" on several of the speaker outputs on the radio. The LOC allows you to avoid running 4-8 individual wires to the headunit or to the speakers in the doors and simply run 1 or 2 RCA cable to the amp, which tends to be a cleaner install.

The Cruze has a slightly unique setup, in regards to speakers, because the radio purposely diverts more power to the front speakers and less to the passenger speakers. There is a chance your LOC is wired wrong but I'm going to stick with a hunch your gains (screw looking things on the side of the LOC) are turned all the way to the left or counter clockwise. In order to put more "power" through the RCAs, in other words, a stronger signal to the amplifier so it will be able to power your sub, you have to adjust the gains clockwise or to the right. 

Your LOC may have one screw or more. Each screw should be for a different frequency level. If you have multiple, check your LOC manual, but the gain on the left should be for the lows. Without knowing a whole lot about which LOC you have and not seeing live photos here's my suggestion to start with before you tear it all a part.

Starting with the left most screw turn it up 1/4 clockwise and play a bass heavy song. If you don't notice anything, go another 1/4 of a turn. If by 3/4 you still don't hear anything one of two things are going on. First, your amp has similar screws for gains. Check to make sure they are turned up, maybe start with half way. If they are and the LOC is at 3/4 you probably have it wired to the stereo incorrectly at which point you'll need to take a picture and show us your connections and/or go back through the install directions.

To recap:

1 - Check manual and make sure it's wired correctly

2- Check Amp and make sure the gains are raised at least half way for testing purposes

3 - Make sure the LOC's gains are not turned all the way to the left or counter clockwise

On your amplifier you'll likely have at least three knobs. Low Freq, High Freq and Bass boost. Set Low Freq to 1/4 power or you can leave it all the way to the left (counter clockwise), set High Freq to about 3/4 (as a starting point) and set the bassboost to 1/4 turn. These starting points should be safe and will at the very least allow you to hear if your subs are even functioning. I'm fairly sure I stated the amplifier tuning correctly but as I'm at work and trying to spit out some starting advice I haven't checked. Here is a solid starting point for tuning your amp How to make the bass in your car sound its best use it to back up what I said and to validate. 

I know this is a lot of information but I'm trying to consolidate all that was stated previously so you can trouble shoot. If I have made any major errors, someone please, correct me. I know we all have our opinions but we can help him fine tune his system after he figures out why he's not getting sound. 

BrianV this is your call to smash a cold one and chime in


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## scottpj50 (Jan 6, 2014)

iTz SADISTIK said:


> The gains are the dials that look like screws on the side of the majority of Line Output Converters. All a LOC does is take a signal, amplifies it slightly, and then sends the signal over RCA cables. The point is to give you RCAs to work with for amplifiers that can't accept high level inputs. In other words the amp would have a plug that has anywhere from 4-8 wires coming out of it which in turn you would connect to the "+" and "-" on several of the speaker outputs on the radio. The LOC allows you to avoid running 4-8 individual wires to the headunit or to the speakers in the doors and simply run 1 or 2 RCA cable to the amp, which tends to be a cleaner install.
> 
> The Cruze has a slightly unique setup, in regards to speakers, because the radio purposely diverts more power to the front speakers and less to the passenger speakers. There is a chance your LOC is wired wrong but I'm going to stick with a hunch your gains (screw looking things on the side of the LOC) are turned all the way to the left or counter clockwise. In order to put more "power" through the RCAs, in other words, a stronger signal to the amplifier so it will be able to power your sub, you have to adjust the gains clockwise or to the right.
> 
> ...


Thanks so much it was the gains on the amp after all. After playing with them the subs did there job much nicer, these are the knobs I am able to turn on my AMP can you explain to be briefly what happens when I turn each one so I can adjust them better? My AMP manual is back at home and I am currently at college.








Scratch that I see the link you posted shows me, Thank you all so much


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## iTz SADISTIK (Apr 6, 2014)

Starting left to right:

The Hi Input is the multiple speaker input we were talking about.

The level is the voltage, I would set it to about where 3V is, this is my opinion. You can play with it a bit but the more to the right you turn it the harder your amp will work.

The Bass EQ is a bass boost. Touch this lastly and increase to a point where it's overkill. If 12 DB is overkill then I would leave it at 1/2 way. Bass EQ, if turned to high, can cause distortion and blow your subs eventually but you should be fine at 1/2 - 3/4. Again last knob to adjust.

HPF - I would set this at about the 9 oclock position. This will cut off all frequencies the speakers are meant to play.

LPF - From the look of it I would set this at the 10 oclock position.

X-Over leave this on LPF

Mode - Set to mono

Without actually hearing the amplifier this is my suggestion for the starting point. Use that link in my previous post for a slightly more robust explanation.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Dude I am on the road at 4 o clock and today was a bear for trsaffic .. the only ? Left to ask was how had he wired his subs from the amp . I still want to know what LOC he is using .. I like Audison .. we must be dilligent with these newer head units and the many possible wiring schemes now . To elaborate a little a LOC , basically takes a high power line output and steps it down 4 to 1 for balanced and unbalanced inputs . The advantage is the Automatic remote turn on for the Amp and High noise rejection .

My concern was his choice of output signal strengths to begin with !


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