hi i have a 01 Nissan Altima and i installed 4 new pioneer speakers, head unit, and amplifier.. the amplifier is only 600 WRMS but when i turn the volume half way (30/62)and the lights dim.. also the RPM needle goes up and down a little .. QUESTIONS:
Should this be happening . i only have 600 Watt amp?
If not is there a way to solve this problem without getting a HO alternator?
Please only give solutions that do not involve upgrading the alternator... Thanks
how are your gains set? Also, what kind of amp is it? Had a sony in my gf's car and that made the lights dim too, and it was only 100wrms or something. Switched to a 400wrms RF amp and the lights don't dim at all anymore.....no HO either. I'm running 500wrms on a 80amp stock alt and I don't have no dimming, and I know that your alt is bigger than mine
i have a audiobahn A6004T 4 channel amplifier for my pioneer speakers.. no subs.. i don't know about my gain set.. does that make a difference? What should be my gain set?
You lights are dimming off some mid speakers? Wow, never heard that before.....Your gain should be set to the voltage coming out of your HU. Are you getting around 12v with your car off and close to 14 with your car on? If not, you have a bad battery or alt, or maybe even both
level is the gain.. and remember, the lower the number - the higher it's actually set. This is telling your amp what the peak level from your deck is, so it can amplify the signal properly.
on my amp it says MINIMUT - MAXIMUM (from left to right).. what i did yesterday was put the gain to minimum and had the HU on full volume (62/62). and i turned the headlights on and kept on increasing the gain just befor the lights start dimming.. IS THIS FINE WHAT I DID?
but if i set the gain at 3/4 volume and later put my HU on full volume i'm sure the lights are going to dim again.. Or is there a reason for doing it at 3/4 volume..?
yes.the reason for tuning your amps gain at 3/4 volume is b/c the little Mosfets inside the HU will begin to clip at almost full output onthe HU....which will send a clipped signal to your amp....which will send a clipped signal to your sub.
some of the more expensive HU's.....like really expensive will not clip at full output....but for the most part...all of the mainstrem aftermarket HU's will.
tune your system so you never have to go past 3/4 volume, so you can avoid the HU's internal amp from clipping.
You may want to check your grounds. Make sure you have a good ground and scrape off all the paint completly. This also can be the cause of dimming in some cases.
