I am getting ready to install my system (all but the HU) tomorrow and have one nagging question. My buddy and I have almost the exact same set-up (his is already installed) and when he turns on his HU the amp turns on and the sub makes a loud "thump" from the power surge. Can't that damage the system (amp, speakers, etc)? I am going to be using MUCH larger gauge of wires all around on my set-up, and I am deathly afraid that I am going to have an even larger power surge. Since I will have the interior of my car pretty much scattered to the four winds of my garage (until my HU arrives) what can I do to avoid/prevent this problem, before I put my car back together. I am going to be using an in-line switch on my remote wire (as mentioned in a previous thread). Is there anything I can do to not have this annoying/scary/potentially detrimental sound at startup? Any and all advice will be much appreciated.
"Shoot'em in the face...and walk away laughing" - X
nick_sq
Unregistered guest
Posted on
This is a ridiculing problem that just seems to pop up outa nowhere...first off get a ground loop isolator, and if you have more than 1 amp, ground them at dfferent locations. Alot of times the ground wire in the dash is not sufficient, so you should probly make a new ground. I had a kenwood deck that no matter what i did it always thumped when i switched tracks...didnt do it in a buddies car (with subs aswell) but it always did it in mine..drove me mad!
If nick's referring to an inline(rca) ground loop isolator I wouldn't recommend it. They and LOC's are basically the same beast(matching transformers) and suffer from the same problems: added distortion and reduced frequency response.
Although I never noticed much distortion when utilizing one I did notice significantly reduced low end extension.
I'm really not sure how a ground loop isolator would help your situation anyways. That popping noise is usally eliminated in higher end amps with the use of a turn-on delay. I figured all of today's amps would have that feature by now.