I got a MTX Thunerform unit in my Ford Ranger with 2 10" Thunder4500 subs powered by an Infinity 300w mono subwoofer amp.
I've had them for about 2 weeks or so and I just started noticing something unusual. When music is playing at low-mid volume (low enough so conversation can be heard over the music), I've been noticing a strange thumping sound coming from my subs.
The noise is similar to the sound they make when i turn the truck off or i set the volume to 0 (which i attributed to be the subs shutting off). But now, it's making this sound while music is playing. It happens randomly but it's it's becoming more and more frequent. I noticed it would happen when i hit little bumps in the road, made a sharp turn, or hit the brakes. sometimes it would also happen when i'm just sitting there. So now i'm starting to think something got knocked loose and is hitting one of the speakers but i can't be certain and i don't even know how that would have happened.
any ideas as to what my problem might be? i could use all the help i can get. I've only had these subs for 2 weeks and they are MTX as i've said. I don't think i could have blown them out already eh?
u have ground problems... wether is your main power ground or your rcas ground...
find a better ground.... also when grounding take off the paint so the wire and the frame will make solid connection... check the ground wire make sure the cables are big enough...
check yoru rcas like i said... make sure they are not shorting in any way... also dont make anything touch the heatsink of hte amplifier ehatsink since if like a shorting occurs and touches the heatsink all the shorting will go to the mosgets....
if you are using a loc or line output converter make sure is grounded good.
What kind of noise is it exactly?Check the wires coming from your amp to your subs, they may be shorting.It is very possible that you blew them though...that has happened to people in minutes so...
well, when i turn the truck off and power is killed, the subs make this thud noise. I figured it was no big deal, but when i started hearing that noise when music was playing, i began to get concerned The subs are still putting out their usual sound, especially at higher volumes, so i know both subs are still working... (i'm assuming a blown sub would put out no sound at all right?) it's just this annoying thud sound that is NOT part of the music that's been getting on my nerves. mind you this just started happening maybe 2 days ago.
This whoel setup was "professionally" (lol) installed, at bestbuy. I'm not sure where any of the wire are or where the ground is. I guess I should just take it back to the same tech that put it in, tell him exactly what you're telling me, and have him fix it eh? (no i'm not canadian :P)
Oh if it's popping or making a thud sound I'd go over all of my grounds and check the RCAs as well.It's hard to tell what the problem is through text and not actually being there,I thought you might have been talking about alt whine.Do you have your power wire run next to your RCA cables?
Thanks for the info Zpeedy. is this something i can fix on my own? or should i take it back to bestbuy and insist goes over the ground again?
And from what I can tell with my limited knowledge, I would say the power wire IS running next to the RCA cables because he rigged 3 or 4 wires, from the premium rockford wiring kit, together with zip ties before he really got to work on the amp and the subs.
I've dealt with the same guy 3 times already so i'm going to try and visit best buy when he's working so he knows the whole story and he already knows the setup
they wont do nothing... most of best buy installers are beginners with a 1 week course from bestbuy teaching online.....
yes is a thing u can fix by your own...
make sure u got 4 gauge wire the fuse is a 30 amp fuse or 80 is nice next to the batterie... since u got extra fuses protecting the amplifier...
now... go follow yoru ground or - wire from your amp... MAKE sure is as SHORT as possible to the chassis... also make sure is tight... next thing is that if the wire went to the chassis make sure all paint is removed by i dont know a piece of sand sheet so it will be pure metal for better current flow....
like i said if this doesnt fix the problem it might be your headunit ground because ITS the groudn for SURE..
most headunit come with 18 gauge cable or even 16 since thats what all the car manufacturer use for their cd player but that cable can transfer your cd player needs.... from the headunit ground wire run i dont know a 12 gauge or a 10 or even 8 gauge wire to a part of the chassis and make sure is tight and remove dust and pait for better connectivity and juzz add it to the original ground from the cd player
hahaha, I talked to the best buy dood and mentioned the problem being the ground and he says "nah, it can't be the ground, not where i put it." So I'm like "oooooookay, what do YOU think the problem is, big shot?" and he says he needs to look at it. He'll probably just re-do the ground and say it was some other issue.
Anyway, in the meantime, 2 of my friends, both of whom did 4 years of car audio hookups in vo-tech were riding in my truck last night. Both of em were in the back in the little jump seats over the subs. They're both BIG guys and they didn't have any issued fitting in there comfortably with me not having to move the seat up any. So I told them about my problem, they listened for the sound and after informing them of the ongoing conversation here at ecoustics and with the guy at bestbuy, they both agree it's the ground.
The thumping noise occurs more often when the truck is stopped or moving slowly and hits little bumps, which led my friend to say he believes the ground is not secured properly and is not touching where it's supposed to, however when the truck is moving fast and/or the music is loud, there's a lot more resonance and the ground is getting more connection time.
Now I personally know very little about all this stuff. I put in my speakers by myself but that was cakewalk. The headunit/amp/subs were out of my league, thus bestbuy took care of it. So instead of doing it myself and potentially messing something up, my friend is refering me to a professional audio installer friend of his who will probably fix my little problem for free.
thanks once again Zpeedy, your advice has proven to be dead on.
In your previous post, you mention following the ground from the amp to the chassis, can you please explain to me what exactly i'm looking for because they're all just wires to me, :P
We're working with limited electronics knowledge here. Meh, might as well consider it NO electronics knowledge.
I agree 100% its the ground but if you dont know what your doing better to leave it to the professional. Id hate to hear you fried something if you did mess with it.
<--my subs