# Sub cuts out at high volume..?



## Krause248 (Oct 26, 2013)

Hi new to site, I just installed one 12inch sub with 600w amp that I recently pulled out of my old car and put in my cruze, I did this install with a PAC gm44 and system sounds great only up to 18 clicks of volume and anything higher the sub cuts outand bass is gone then soon as I turn volume down a little the sub comes back, I have a big enough power and ground wire and ground is solid with good contact, I don't believe it's a power issue cause it happens weather car is running or shut off, I've also connected another battery with jump cables and still cuts out, Any help would be appreciated.


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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

What gauge is your wire and is it CCA or OFC wire?

Where do you have it grounded to? Is there paint on the ground point?

Who set the gains? On the amp and the PAC?


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## Krause248 (Oct 26, 2013)

I'm not shure what guage wire but kit said 680max, My ground is in the trunk near spare tyre and I sanded the paint, I set the gains on amp and the PAC really confused me cause I wasn't shure what to set the switches at and the gains I have turned all the way in loud, When playing with switches the one makes subs from quiet to loud and other switch turns subs off or on. Dono if wire is cca or ofc.


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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

Please post a high quality pic of what your dials are set to on the amp.

Also set the gains on the PAC to 1/4.

If you max out all the settings then you are most certainly sending a clipped signal to the sub. And you will burn it out soon.

Clipping is when the signal is wanting to go higher but the amp has reached its power limit. So at the top of the sound wave it's completely flat.
So your sub is staying at its peak and lowest point for far too long and heats up the voice coil badly.

Gains are not a volume knob. They are used to match your voltage.


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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

Also are your terminals loose on the wires? 
Are they soldered to the wire?


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## Chase Toole (Feb 4, 2013)

Sounds like you need to get a capacitor

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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

Chase Toole said:


> Sounds like you need to get a capacitor
> 
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No he doesn't.

By the sounds of it he has a 8ga power wire and the gains set too high. But will have to wait for his reply to confirm.

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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

I'm guessing he has something like this.
Which is 8ga and doesn't say anything about OFC so it prob CCA. :/

Also the twisted pair RCA are not the common pairs to use. coaxial is what most amps need.

http://youtu.be/QOagVDZLQnA

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## Krause248 (Oct 26, 2013)

Yes that is the wire kit I have and have used in my last car also with same amp/sub no issues, I've turned down the gains on the PAC but still cuts out at high volume, Is it possible my PAC could be hooked up incorrect cause theirs 4 rca's and wasn't shure what ones to use, all my connections are good and tight.









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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

The RCAs go to the rear channels which should be the two farthest to the right IIRC 

I can't tell which side of the knob the pointer is facing. 
Can you tell me where they are relative to a clock. 
Or tell me if the side with gap is the pointer or the solid side is the pointer.

Thanks


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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

But you def need to turn off the bass boost. 


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## Krause248 (Oct 26, 2013)

The pointer is the side with the radius, I will try turning bass booster off and how should I have them three wires connected, I have all three twisted together with my amp rem wire.


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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

The gain should be around 2 
But that is just a rough estimate and I would have to actually be there to actually dial it in.
I highly recommend looking at a few YouTube vids that actually explain how to set gain correctly. 


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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

Show me a pic of your wires when you get a chance


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## Krause248 (Oct 26, 2013)

I really appreciate the help, I don't think theirs much more I can do cause I've tryed everything, I've tryed setting amp gains high and low with no result, I'm totally confused with this PAC lock cause I've also tryed connecting it all different ways and messed with gains and no result, this setup worked well in my other car so I believe the PAC is cause of my problem.


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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

When you lose power to the sub does the PAC turn off or is it the amp only


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## Chase Toole (Feb 4, 2013)

I'm telling you brother, Ohm's Law... Its cutting out due to voltage drop, upgrade your wiring first, but if its still doing it then you need that additional power supply, and thus a capacitor.

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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

Chase Toole said:


> I'm telling you brother, Ohm's Law... Its cutting out due to voltage drop, upgrade your wiring first, but if its still doing it then you need that additional power supply, and thus a capacitor.
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


You don't need a cap for 600 watts.

If your going to make a recommendation make sure it's a necessary.
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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

We need some pics Krause ! Terry is on the right track with you . you'll get there man .


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Chase Toole said:


> I'm telling you brother, Ohm's Law... Its cutting out due to voltage drop, upgrade your wiring first, but if its still doing it then you need that additional power supply, and thus a capacitor.
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


A capacitor won't do a single thing for a weak electrical signal. The problem here isn't the voltage. I can assure you that the system can handle more than 600W RMS. In fact, I am running 1000W RMS...on a class AB amp, pushing two 18s. 

Caps are a colossal waste of money. If you need more power, get a second battery.

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## Krause248 (Oct 26, 2013)

So I bine buzy lately and finally got some time today to play with system, One thing I never thought of was to try tuning head unit itself, I had bass at +12 from befor I added sub so I put it down to 0 and now I can play system loud up to 30clicks befor it cuts out and actually 25clicks is really bout the most ill ever need.


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