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stereo stupid, need some help please

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Old Feb 17, 2004 | 11:54 AM
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Default stereo stupid, need some help please

for you guys really into stereo stuff don't laugh at me k?

I picked up a dual 10 inch box with two Rockford Fosgate 10 inch subs in it and a Pioneer GM-X862 multichannel amp for free. when you are a poor guy, make sure you have rich friends, anyhow... so i got a RF amp wiring kit, and this morning I installed it all, **** looked great..however the amp isn't powering the subs well at all. i mean seriously its sad, i had 1 lightning audio sub with a 150 watt rms lightning audio amp and it hit harder than these.

I checked teh wires, fuses and all connections everything is clean. ALl im looking to get is 125-135 rms out of each and i cannot even get that. The amp light comes on, i used a test light to check everything and its getting its power. Speaker wires are in great shape fit very well and they are huge. If anything the speaker wire from the amp to the subs i had to kind of work with it alot to get it to fit into the clamps to the subs.

i wanna say the ground wire and 12 volt soure are only 10 guage wires. now im stereo stupid but would this have a large effect on the power output of the amp? such as its not getting enough volts?
please help me out, i need some more bump dammit.

Thanks fellas
Travis
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Old Feb 17, 2004 | 12:04 PM
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I would at least use 8 gauge wire.
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Old Feb 17, 2004 | 12:10 PM
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do you suppose that is my major problem? cause i can get my hands on stinger wires for a decent price 8 gauge or 6 gauge, i could possibly get something even bigger if i wanted but i dont think with such minimal power id need it,
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Old Feb 17, 2004 | 12:52 PM
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I would run at least 8 gauge, as stated above. But power wire alone could not explain your problem. There may be a problem with the amp.
Case in point-in my old Supra, I had 4 gauge going to the PPI 1800.2 amp pushing the Cervin-Vega 15" Stroker. Sounded great. I got some more cash and felt like (for peace of mind) I should upgrade the wiring. I then went 1/0 gauge and added a streetwires 1.5 cap. NO difference in sound. It hit 145.5 before, and 144.0 after (different cd's).
So I would look at the amp first.
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Old Feb 17, 2004 | 02:12 PM
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Originally Posted by Zo6Killer
I would run at least 8 gauge, as stated above. But power wire alone could not explain your problem. There may be a problem with the amp.
Case in point-in my old Supra, I had 4 gauge going to the PPI 1800.2 amp pushing the Cervin-Vega 15" Stroker. Sounded great. I got some more cash and felt like (for peace of mind) I should upgrade the wiring. I then went 1/0 gauge and added a streetwires 1.5 cap. NO difference in sound. It hit 145.5 before, and 144.0 after (different cd's).
So I would look at the amp first.
Ok, let me re-phrase. I meant you should use 8 gauge, not 4 or 1/0 unless you have 2 or more beefy amps. I dont think that will solve your problem though. As Zo6killer mentioned, you do should get the amp tested, you may have a defective amp. (It was free, after all)
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Old Feb 17, 2004 | 02:21 PM
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yeah itwas free but it was still in the box as i had just walked out of the store with the guy about 4 hours before he gaev it to me. its not like itw as used stuff.

how do i go about testing this thing? all they had left at the shop was the 4 gauge wiring but it was only like 17 bucks for 15 feet, so thats what i got. but atleast i eliminated that from the equation, it wasn't the power source cause the subs still aren't bumping.

light goes on to the amp, subs are working just its so minimal that it barely fills the car up with bass, enough that i can hear it but not feel it. im not even trying to get it going to where i can hear it outside the car, i jsut want to fill up the car a little bit more with bass. the amp, subs, box everything was brand new, i took it out of the packing, a friend is rich fool so he bought this set up then found a better one at the local shop that was way over priced, and i was able to talk his money tossing *** to give me his set up lol. but it was all brand new stuff. could an amp come from teh facotry busted? doesnt seem right to me. thanks for the info/opinions keep em coming becausei pull my hair out
T
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Old Feb 17, 2004 | 02:43 PM
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Yes, it is possible to come defective, but not likely. You may want to check the settings on the amp. IE: hp/lp filters Gain setting turned up or even the head unit making sure you have adjusted it properly to give the subs full potential. Just some ideas to throw at ya.
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Old Feb 17, 2004 | 02:57 PM
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checked the lpf, its set right, i've fiddled with the gain, nothing, i fiddled with the rca adapter i have nothing. played with the settings up front on the head unit...nothing.

I have large speaker wire going to the sub...and the wire seems to hold well in the sub but to me it looks like im supposed to use a smaller set of speaker wires. could this cause a large enough interuption in the sound to make the subs not get enough sound to them?
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Old Feb 17, 2004 | 03:02 PM
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Originally Posted by slik98z
checked the lpf, its set right, i've fiddled with the gain, nothing, i fiddled with the rca adapter i have nothing. played with the settings up front on the head unit...nothing.

I have large speaker wire going to the sub...and the wire seems to hold well in the sub but to me it looks like im supposed to use a smaller set of speaker wires. could this cause a large enough interuption in the sound to make the subs not get enough sound to them?

Doubtful man. If this Unit is new or close to new, you should have a warranty on it. I would say take it to a local repair shop and have them check it out. If its a Pioneer unit it should have a 1 year warranty, if its Pioneer Premier, it should have a 2 year warranty.
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Old Feb 17, 2004 | 03:13 PM
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ehh **** it ill just go get a RF amp to match them up with the subs, make this **** easier lol. Thanks for the help fellas.
T
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Old Feb 17, 2004 | 03:36 PM
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Originally Posted by slik98z
ehh **** it ill just go get a RF amp to match them up with the subs, make this **** easier lol. Thanks for the help fellas.
T
Or you can just do that.

Sorry couldnt help more.
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Old Feb 17, 2004 | 07:17 PM
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before going out and actually spending money on sound equipment, i checked teh amp, its getting power to it just fine, using one of those test lights, its getting its voltage (stays steady around 12 doesn't fluctuate) the amp is allowable between 10-15 volts. it seems that the amp is working properly. Perhaps Pioneer overrates their stuff that much? i mean if i shoudl be getting 125 watts to each sub i should feel that should i not? i mean even if it only produced 100 watts i should feel it. im not sure what the problem is, perhaps ill keep playing with it. maybe ill stumble onto something before i go out and drop 300 bucks on something i dont need
thanks fellas you'ev been helpful, trouble shooting is a difficult thing especially over teh internet i apprecaite your time
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Old Feb 17, 2004 | 07:32 PM
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ahh ******* ****,the whole knowing my left from my right th ing, the gain needed to be adjusted and i went to the left when i meant to go to the right, i found my sound fellas thanks
T
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Old Feb 17, 2004 | 08:26 PM
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Oh well, **** happens. Its good that you did identify the problem. We all have brain farts.
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