Ive been testing my subs limits (literally trying to blow them) but my amp gets hot as hell and shuts off, I have a KAC-9104d and stock electric system. is there something I can do to keep my amp from overheating but utilise it's power?
I know kenwood amps kinda suck and I'm gettin an AQ in the future
Amplifiers will naturally get warm, but if they are getting to the point where they are turning off to prevent itself from overheating, then I would highly recommend turning down some of your settings on the amplifier and not push it so hard.
It's obvious that the amplifier is not able to handle what you are trying to accomplish. If you are already planning on obtaining an AQ Amplifier sometime soon, then I would hold off on trying to "blow up" your subwoofers then.
A few other things you can consider doing is making sure that the current amplifier has sufficient amount of space on all sides for proper ventilation or even add a small fan to circulate the air in your trunk to help improve air flow.
One problem I had when I made my first install was that I wired my subwoofer incorrectly, it was a dual voice coil and the way I wired it, it was basically draining the amp. The amp would get too hot and go into protect. I then done a bit of research on the good old google and learned all about OHMS, rewired my sub and everything worked perfectly with the amp getting merely luke warm. I'd assume that you have resolved your problem by now, but thought I'd comment anyway if it would help someone else out. cheers
The amplifier is going into thermal protection because it's going into hard clipping. This is caused by your inadequate electrical system for the current draw from the amplifier.
You won't blow the subs if the amp's gain is set ptoperly, you have sufficient current to feed the amplifier, and the enclosure for the sub is designed and built properly. What blows subs is: 1. amplifier clipping (alternator is too small, wiring is too small or poorly grounded) 2. amplifier clipping (overdriving input stage of amp by having gain set too high) 3. speaker unloading (bad box design, or lack of infrasonic filter on a ported box)