i switched my wire to 4 guage kollosus, and now my system sounds terrible, i always put in a new deck. for some reason it just doesnt sound right and it sounds really bad, is there any reason, could i be giving my amp too much power?
The problem very well might be your ground. This was my #1 problem for a long time...it'd sound great, but eventually the ground would end up becoming loose, etc, or not tight at the terminals..
Just make sure you have VERY good connections, everywhere. If your connections are all secure, check your RCA's with a different set (no need to run them under carpet etc obviously, just plug them in and run'm back to your amp). If that dosnt work, and you have extra wire.. Try running a dedicated ground wire back from your battery.
Have you tried using a different deck? You said you put a new one in... Try maybe your old one, and see if it sounds ok?
Other problems could be just a bad amplifier... Have you tested your highs vs lows? See if just one amp in your system is the one sounding bad?
What does 'really bad' sound like exactly? STatic? Not very loud? High-pitched whine? Shallow/faded? Need more info really to diagnose anything.
if you changed from 8 to 4, the amp may be getting more power and therefore putting out more power and need to be retuned. also, if you changed head units, the voltages of the pre amps may be different and cause you to retune the amps. give more details on what "really bad" sounds like and the equiptment your using may be useful too.
Giving the amp a better line to the power source wont cause it to suddenly put out more power, unless you were clipping the amp to begin with, and it wasnt getting the power it wanted.
Also - it very well could be the gain, again you switched HU's... So what you need to do is look in the book your deck came with, or online, and find the pre-amp out voltage. Then set the gain on your amp to this level (Gain is NOT meant to be a volume control). (If you've already done this, disregard that, obviously.)
Also, you might want to make sure none of the speaker wires are grounding out anywhere aside from the terminal on the amp. This can be pretty common, a strand or two of copper wire sticking out, resting against something grounded, etc.
thanks for all the responses, i was looking at other posts and saw you have to have a ground going from your alternator to a metal chassi, is that correct? and ill check the round going from my amp to car chassi
k, i think i fixed the ground wire, but everyhitng still sounds terrible and i dont no why im taking it to a professional tomarrow to get it checked out but before i do, does anyone know what else i could do to fix this
Mike Johnson... Have you tried testing the amp on a different sub? Also, have you made absolutely sure there are no shorts? (I.E. any power wire grounding out before it's terminal etc).
Before taking it to a professional, here is a list of things I would do first, if possible.
1. Check all wiring for shorts/damaged/broken wire. Make sure all grounds are secure, and all terminals are securely crimped (and preferably soldered).
2. Try a different set of RCA's. You'd be amazed at how many times this is the problem with peopels setups. If you dont have a second set of RCA's, even a generic pair of $12 RCA's from Kragen will suffice, just to do some testing.
3. Try using a different subwoofer plugged into your amp. If this sub sounds fine, obviously, it's your subs that are damaged/blown etc, or their impedance may be too low/high for the amp.
4. Try using a different amplifier if you have one, in teh same setup. Use the same power/ground/remote/speaker wires, etc. This way, you can test if it's something in your setup, or if it's something wrong with the amp.
5. Try a different HU. Even your stock one. Easy to just plug your stock HU back in (assuming you left the harness) and see if that solves anything.
You should find your problem with these 5 steps. Dont cut corners when you're trouble shooting. Remember, when you're workin with car audio, there are two ways to do things.