Problems with new AQ 1200 amp
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Gold Member Username: JoebruceTC Sounds/DLS Post Number: 3278 Registered: May-04 | So I just bought an AQ 1200 off a guy on CA,guy has perfect feedback,many many refs,etc. He had 2 AQ 1200 said one was perfect and the other was in protect. I got the perfect one. I go to hook it up today and something isnt right. Im not getting hardly anything from the amp. I had to turn the gain all the way up,bass boost all the way up just to get my sub barely moving. Now I know my wiring and RCAs,HU are good b/c I just had my JBL amp in there and it was fine. I dont have the bass knob/remote for the AQ amp,do you think thats why its not working right? I had an MB Quart amp that had to have the remote hooked up for it to work right and the Epicenter is the same way. Or do you think something is wrong with the amp itself? I dont know what it could be. |
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Platinum Member Username: Nd4spd18Philadelphia, PA Post Number: 11731 Registered: Jul-06 | Make sure its not something stupid like the LPF turned all the way down, or RCAs not making a good connection. Did he verify this amp as properly working or just that it turns on? |
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Gold Member Username: JoebruceTC Sounds/DLS Post Number: 3279 Registered: May-04 | LPF is good,RCAs are fine,JBL amp was literally working fine 2 seconds before I installed this. He said it worked 100%. |
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Gold Member Username: JbpittPittsburgh, Pa. Usa Post Number: 1111 Registered: Jul-09 | Make sure the switch on the one side is set to 'output master' and not input slave. Thats what happened to me when i first hooked mine up... |
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Gold Member Username: Stateprop486Phnom Penh Cambodia Post Number: 1884 Registered: Jan-08 | sounds like what happened to me, i bought a aq1200d awhile new from AQ and i went to install it and seem like it wasn't even 1200 watts, and nothing was barely moving. I contacted DJ at AQ and did everything he said, and he kept saying nothing was wrong with the amp. So i got tired of messing around with it and sold it and got a saz1500d still going strong |
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Platinum Member Username: Nd4spd18Philadelphia, PA Post Number: 11732 Registered: Jul-06 | Haha good point... that switch must get flipped easily... now that I think about it, when I got my AQ 1200 is was set to slave also. |
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Gold Member Username: JoebruceTC Sounds/DLS Post Number: 3280 Registered: May-04 | Come on guys I know better than that stuff! Everything is good! Wiring,RCAs,LPF,SSF,input switch,etc. I took the AQ out and put the JBL back in and it sounds like the AQ is the 600wrms amp and the JBL is the 1200wrms amp. I dont know maybe thats all the AQ has? I dont know guys. im about to just sell it. Im very disappointed. |
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Gold Member Username: JoebruceTC Sounds/DLS Post Number: 3281 Registered: May-04 | State,Im really starting to think thats what it is. But so many people say how great the AQ amps are so I dont know. It just sounds like cheap power,it reminds me of my first Power Acoustic amp I bought lol. |
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Silver Member Username: Chevyfan502AQ HDC315AQ 2200 Post Number: 221 Registered: May-06 | I forget what happens if you have the gain nob turned down all the way and unplug it, because with the gain nob plugged in and turned all the way down the amp will barely put out any power at all. its either that or something else. lol think about it, everybody that runs great equipment wouldn't recommend AQ....i have the 2200 and my buddy has the 1200 and both are great amps. I used to have a ED Nine.1 which puts out a decent amount over 1200rms and the AQ 1200 seems just as strong (obviously a 100rms difference is barely noticeable if noticeable at all) |
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Platinum Member Username: Nd4spd18Philadelphia, PA Post Number: 11733 Registered: Jul-06 | I wonder if that amp is in fact not in good condition like you were told... I have that exact amp and it works great... |
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Gold Member Username: JbpittPittsburgh, Pa. Usa Post Number: 1113 Registered: Jul-09 | Yea it was just a thought. I know when i hooked my aq1200 up i accidently hit that switch an thats what happened to me. Really though that amp has been really great for me. No problems what so ever,and ive ran it at .5ohms several times too. Never gets hot,and it gets my 15'' Q moving preety dam good. Hopefully its just something stupid that was overlooked or that like ms said the guy maybe sent you the wrong one. |
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Gold Member Username: DeadrabitMarionville, MO Post Number: 2617 Registered: Jun-07 | clamp that thing and see ... idk what to tell ya |
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Gold Member Username: Livin_loudMW2 Addict Post Number: 3393 Registered: Jan-06 | im going with there's something wrong that he knew about. you should probably contact this guy. |
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Gold Member Username: Stateprop486Phnom Penh Cambodia Post Number: 1885 Registered: Jan-08 | yeah man i don't know i bought mine new from AQ and it was the same way as your describing, So i got tired of playing with the settings and talking to DJ so i just sold it on CA.com and bought the saz1500d offthere. Ha i did the same thing i put my kicker zx1000.1 back in and was relieved and just use that until i got the sundown. also i had the knob that came with it, made no diferrence. |
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Silver Member Username: Chevyfan502AQ HDC315AQ 2200 Post Number: 224 Registered: May-06 | with a keeker amp, the gain nob isn't even a gain nob, its a bass boost nob which is not the same as the AQ which controls gain and has a clipping light. does the sundown have a clip light? |
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Gold Member Username: SomedonniedudeIllinois Braaap MX Post Number: 3136 Registered: May-07 | can you make the amps remote "clip light" blink? |
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Gold Member Username: JoebruceTC Sounds/DLS Post Number: 3282 Registered: May-04 | Donnie-Amp didnt come with the remote. Eric-I have contacted the guy and he said he is willing to do whatever it takes to help me out. I will probably end up sending it back to him and getting a refund. |
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Platinum Member Username: InsearchofbassPost Number: 16633 Registered: Jun-04 | makes me want to pass up one of these amps and i was considering one |
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Silver Member Username: Chevyfan502AQ HDC315AQ 2200 Post Number: 225 Registered: May-06 | lol, I've had my 2200 for almost 2 years no problems at all as the same with my buddy that has the 1200 for over a year now. I watched one kid that was dumb as hell clip the living piss out of the 1200 frequently and it kept holding up and still is the last I've heard. Don't let one person's screwed up amp mislead you. Also, how many refurb sundowns do you see in comparison to AQ? maybe I'm wrong but it seems there is a lot more sundowns. |
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Gold Member Username: DeadrabitMarionville, MO Post Number: 2619 Registered: Jun-07 | ya... i know a lot of guys with aq2200s and aq1200 it seems weird rare any one has problems with them. if ur talking about the aq3500... then thats a different story |
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Platinum Member Username: Nd4spd18Philadelphia, PA Post Number: 11739 Registered: Jul-06 | A properly working AQ 1200 is a great amp. I know that b/c I have one. And will probably get another one for my new car. |
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Gold Member Username: SomedonniedudeIllinois Braaap MX Post Number: 3137 Registered: May-07 | maybe try a sine wave with the gain wide open and measure the voltage with a dmm. btw what load are you running at? |
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Gold Member Username: SomedonniedudeIllinois Braaap MX Post Number: 3138 Registered: May-07 | my 1200 and 2200 both needed alot of input volage. I think I had my gain past 3/4 on both my amps. I remember when I swapped my aq1200 for my x1.1000d i had used not even half my gain on the amplifier and the aq was ever so slightly louder (woofers ran just a bit warmer on the x1), but thats just input sensitivity for ya there. every amps different. |
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Gold Member Username: JoebrucePost Number: 3353 Registered: May-04 | I know this thread is old but AQ has had my amp this whole time,actually they still have it. But I just got an email from them today and they said they put it on the bench and it was fine,they said they played it on a sub for around 2 hours and it was fine,then they gave it to their amp tech and he went through it with a fine tooth comb and he also said it was fine. So the final charge is $45 but the guy I originally bought it from is going to cover the costs. I just cant beleive nothing is wrong with the amp. I thought for sure something happen to it during shipping. When I had the amp it just did not sound like it was a 1200watt amp,I had to turn the gain and bass boost all the way up to get my sub moving at all. And even then it sounded like azz! Now why would hundreds of people swear that the AQ amps are the best for your money and are great,etc and I am just super unhappy with mine? Now Ill say it again,I double checked all my wiring,settings,rcas,etc,etc and its all fine. I had my JBL amp thats rated for 700wrms in right before I switched to the AQ and my JBL was amazing but was only putting out 700wrms so thats why I wanted the AQ b/c it would put out roughly double the power the JBL put out. I just dont understand it,is the JBL just THAT much greater than the AQ? The only thing I could think of is I dont have the remote gain knob for the AQ so maybe thats why the AQ doesnt sound right? I highly doubt thats the problem but when I had my MB Quart RAA1000 amp it had a remote gain and at first I didnt use it but one day I decided to hook it up for the hell of it and it sounded like the amp doubled in power. So maybe the AQ just needs the remote gain to work properly? Or one other thing I thought about is I only have the cheap KNU 4ga amp kit with an 80amp fuse,could that be stopping the AQ from getting the current it needs to function properly? Im just stumped. Sorry for the long post but I hope someone takes the time to read it and maybe give me some suggestions. |
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Gold Member Username: Van_manBoston South, MA Post Number: 5453 Registered: Mar-06 | the 4awg should be fine for 1200 watts. the remote should not effect it. ive run my 2200 for 2 years np with out one. the only things i can suggest is settings on the hu, or amp. use a meter to confirm the same voltage at bat as amp input. check phase of subs and amp..try running it off the bat directly w/rem jumped out with an ipod or some other source and see if it changes anything.. Acually, last week i had a problem...my subs stopped working...So i checked wiring and found that the speaker terminal on the box had melted along with 2" of speaker wire insulation. I bypassed the terminal and all is good. Just shows that the 2200 puts out some decent power to melt plastic.. |
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Gold Member Username: Stateprop486Phnom Penh Cambodia Post Number: 1887 Registered: Jan-08 | like i said before your not the only one with that problem, kind of strange i had the same exact problem you had. lol me and my friend was like wth? the sub was barely moving, so i got rid of it asap on ca.com |
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Gold Member Username: Livin_loudMW2 Addict Post Number: 3426 Registered: Jan-06 | you should have it benched somewhere you can view the readings or get a hold of a clamp ammeter and see what she pulls. if you keep it long enough, that is. |
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Silver Member Username: Lord_huggingtonOntario Canada Post Number: 323 Registered: Oct-10 | You obviously hooked it up wrong lol. |
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Gold Member Username: JoebrucePost Number: 3355 Registered: May-04 | Marc-Ive checked everything at least 3 times. Everything is fine so its got to be the amp. I guess its just not what I expected. Eric-AQ said they benched it and it was fine so I doubt they would lie and say its ok. If anything they could have lied and said it was messed up just to charge me extra money. State-Why are we the only ones that have this problem though? Maybe we were just used to way better amps? Lord- STFU! I know what Im doing. |
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Gold Member Username: Stateprop486Phnom Penh Cambodia Post Number: 1888 Registered: Jan-08 | yeah idk bro, i bought it brand new from them too....my friend even said what the hell? i had everything hooked up correctly and called aq about it, i got tired of playing with it so just sold it and still have my saz1500d going strong |
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Gold Member Username: JoebrucePost Number: 3357 Registered: May-04 | When I get it back from AQ Im going to try some better power wire with a bigger current rating,since the 4 gauge I have now is only rated for 80amps,and then if that doesnt change anything Im just going to sell it. Im very dissappointed in the quality of the AQ amp,now their subs are great but for some reason,at least to me,the amps seem way below average. |
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Gold Member Username: Van_manBoston South, MA Post Number: 5455 Registered: Mar-06 | Can you post a pic of the amps settings? Also by wiring it up outside the car will eliminate any hu/wiring. just a simple test.. Ipod to amp to subs wired off the battery..that will tell you in about 5 minutes where to look for problems. .Also make sure master/slave is at 0 |
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Gold Member Username: JoebrucePost Number: 3358 Registered: May-04 | I dont have the amp right now. AQ still has it. It should be here sometime this week though. |
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Gold Member Username: Van_manBoston South, MA Post Number: 5457 Registered: Mar-06 | idk, some amps are just fucked up no matter what. I had a memphis ST1500d and it sounded like crap..actually a memphis st1000 i had also didnt perform well. Direct replacement for a kenwood excelon x811..I stayed with the kenwood for a while after..Both amps were known to be 100% good. proper settings, plenty of power, ect...Maybe we expect too much from hyped brands... But that aq1200 has benched at over 1400....at 14v 5%thd. What HU are you running? rca output voltage? have you tested that? If its a 2 volt output, you should achive decent output at a relativle low gain, Match gain to hu rca output.. the ssf, unless your running sealed...somewhere around 30ish...and hpf around 80-100  |
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Gold Member Username: JoebrucePost Number: 3359 Registered: May-04 | My HU is an Alpine cda-9813,all rca outs are fine. I had a JBL amp on my sub and it was fine and I did a direct swap with the AQ and it just didnt sound right. The JBL sounded way better and it was only rated for 700wrms. Everything is fine,wiring,settings,rcas,HU,etc etc. I think the AQ amp is just very overrated. Thats the only thing I can think of. Im still going to get the remote gain for the amp and see if that has anything to do with it. If the remote gain and new power wire doesnt help then Im just going to sell it. I wish I never would have sold my JBL amp now. Oh well,thanks for the help everyone. |
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Platinum Member Username: Nd4spd18Philadelphia, PA Post Number: 11793 Registered: Jul-06 | I wonder if that amp has one defective RCA jack and one good one. That would essentially make it get half the input signal and thus seem to have half the output it should. Try this, unplug one RCA connector and listen for a drop in volume, then plug it back in and try the other one. If unplugging one of them makes no change... it's got a problem. And those amps are not overrated. If anything the opposite. I got one in my truck, it pushes a pair of eclipse's nicely. I don't have a remote gain either. |
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Gold Member Username: JoebrucePost Number: 3361 Registered: May-04 | I will have to try that when I get the amp back from AQ. But if that was the case wouldnt AQ have found that problem? |
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Bronze Member Username: MlstrassIllinois Post Number: 30 Registered: Jun-07 | Interested in the 3500 issues someone mentioned as this would be the first I've heard of any problems with those amps. We have around 20+ 3500's on my team and nobody has ever had an issue and these are all daily drivers that get played a LOT. I switched out from a sundown 1500D to an AQ1200 in the wife's car since she runs a single Q and I wanted more juice for my daily set up. Didn't notice any loss in output as both amps have more then enough power for the Q. OP mentioned an alipne HU is the sub level on 15/15 as that's what most alpines need to get full pre out voltage. |
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Platinum Member Username: Nd4spd18Philadelphia, PA Post Number: 11794 Registered: Jul-06 | I would think they should have found it |
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Silver Member Username: MmaudioconceptsKY USA Post Number: 764 Registered: Jan-07 | put one of these on there. http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=audiopipe+line+driver&um=1&ie=UTF -8&cid=4239749445701087655&sa=X&ei=bY6YTeStC8Gjtge_ubH8Cw&ved=0CCUQ8wIwAg# or one of these http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136CLRLC/JL-Audio-CL-RLC.html |
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Gold Member Username: JoebrucePost Number: 3365 Registered: May-04 | "OP mentioned an alipne HU is the sub level on 15/15 as that's what most alpines need to get full pre out voltage." Now why would that be true? Ive never had my sub level on more than 2. I had it on 2 when I had my JBL amp in and it was fine. I really doubt I would need a line driver. The Alpine already has 4 volt. And again when I had my JBL it was fine,I never needed a line driver. It just has to be the amp. AQ amps FTL IMO. |
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Platinum Member Username: Nd4spd18Philadelphia, PA Post Number: 11795 Registered: Jul-06 | Wait, you had the sub level turned down all this time? Well theres your problem... I would have said that sooner but you sounded like you knew wtf you're doing. Bashing on AQ when you're using it wrong FTL. You're not getting 4v to the amp when the level is turned down... probably 1/4 volt lol. |
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Gold Member Username: JoebrucePost Number: 3366 Registered: May-04 | Then why would my JBL amp be fine with the sub level on 2? You shouldnt have to turn the sub level all the way up for the HU to work properly. I have never had to max out the sub level on any HU Ive had in order for it to work properly. Thats just not right,you shouldnt have to turn that up to the max for any HU or amp to work. |
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Platinum Member Username: Nd4spd18Philadelphia, PA Post Number: 11796 Registered: Jul-06 | With sub level controls, all the way up is the "normal" setting, anything less just reduces volume. Which is good if you want less bass. Also, what'd you pay for this amp used? |
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Gold Member Username: JoebrucePost Number: 3368 Registered: May-04 | Well when I get the amp back I guess I will try turning the sub level to the max setting and see if that helps. I paid $165 shipped. |
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Gold Member Username: Van_manBoston South, MA Post Number: 5461 Registered: Mar-06 | maybe the jbl had a line driver built in? but yes..sub level maxxed for full hu rca voltage, then match amps gain, |
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Bronze Member Username: AlonzoubPost Number: 95 Registered: Apr-10 | Im 95% sure that most Alpine head units 15/15 is actually a reference to 0db gain while 14/15 is actually -1db.... all the way down to 0/15 is -15db gain. Like LikeARock said, the level control is not a BOOST, when the sub level is at max, it is putting out full power, anything lower than 15/15 is is under full power. If you play a 60Hz sinewave through your HU and measure the voltage at the RCA's, my bet is with your levels at 2/15 with no boost, you will get no where near the 4V that your headunit can produce. If you set the level to 15/15 you should get ~4V. Their could be several reasons why your JBL amp worked fine on a setting of 2/15 while the AQ does not, that all depends on settings of the JBL, and a difference in input resistance of the amps. Anyway I thought I should mention I currently run an AQ2200 @ 2-ohms on a pair of IDQ10v3's, I have the gain at nearly the lowest setting possible, close to 5V, with no boost and my subs can shake my mirrors. I have a friend who runs DD3512's off his AQ2200 @ 1-ohm, no problem. One of his friends runs DD1512's in his truck off an AQ1200 @ 1-ohm, both these setups actually cause pain in my ears. No offense but I think this is user error. AQ makes excellent amps IMO. |
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Gold Member Username: JoebrucePost Number: 3369 Registered: May-04 | Maybe you all are right. I just didnt think it was good to turn up the sub level to the max. I will have to try that when I get the amp back. Ill read the manual to my HU too and see if it explains it. Maybe it is just a noob mistake on my part. |
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Bronze Member Username: MlstrassIllinois Post Number: 31 Registered: Jun-07 | I have always used Pio & Kenwood HU's, but have read numerous times online that with Alpines to get full pre out voltage the sub level needs to be 15/15. Give that a try as I'm 99% sure that's the issue. The AQ1200 is a solid little amp and will do rated no sweat |
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Gold Member Username: JbpittPittsburgh, Pa. Usa Post Number: 1153 Registered: Jul-09 | I can honestly say i did not know that about the alpine hu's. Is that the same with the kenwood excelon hu's? Ive always just set my sub level at 0. Interesting... |
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Bronze Member Username: MlstrassIllinois Post Number: 32 Registered: Jun-07 | my older eXcelon HU is NOT like that. I've only heard of alpines being like that... |
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Bronze Member Username: AlonzoubPost Number: 96 Registered: Apr-10 | I actually looked in the PDF of the owners manual for that HU just to see if I could find some hard evidence on the subject, but I couldnt find anything that alluded to this. I may have missed it because I only looked for about 5 mins, heres the link to the CDA-9813 manual: http://vault.alpine-usa.com/products/documents/OM%20CDA-9811.pdf Anyway I would put some of the blame on Alpine because this is a very counterintuitive method of quantifying bass level, it should be a -15 to 0 scale rather than a 0 to 15 scale. my .02 |
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Gold Member Username: JoebrucePost Number: 3370 Registered: May-04 | I have the actual manual for my HU so Ill look in to it tonight. Its just strange that I have never had to turn up my sub level on this HU for any amp to work. And I have never had to turn up the sub level on any other HU for the amp to work properly. But Ill read the manual tonight and see what I can find. Thanks for the suggestion,I hope that is my problem cuz I know tons of people swear by the AQ amps so it doesnt make sense as to why it wouldnt sound right to me. |
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Bronze Member Username: MlstrassIllinois Post Number: 33 Registered: Jun-07 | I know it's been covered on CA many times, maybe do a search on there |
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Gold Member Username: JoebrucePost Number: 3371 Registered: May-04 | Also I just looked at the old JBL I had and the input voltage ranges from 6v-75mv and the AQ is 8v-0.2v so maybe that has something to do with it. I dont know,Im gonna go read the manual for my HU. |
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Bronze Member Username: AlonzoubPost Number: 97 Registered: Apr-10 | yea if you had the gain down to 75mV on the JBL vs 200mV on the AQ, the signal will be amplified by the JBL by a larger factor, also depending on the input resistance. What was the model of that JBL btw? |
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Platinum Member Username: Nd4spd18Philadelphia, PA Post Number: 11797 Registered: Jul-06 | I'll buy that amp for $165 shipped... |
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Silver Member Username: Lord_huggingtonOntario Canada Post Number: 327 Registered: Oct-10 | If you knew what you were doing than you would have tested it with a volt meter not have sent it to AQ. |
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Gold Member Username: JoebrucePost Number: 3375 Registered: May-04 | "What was the model of that JBL btw?" JBL BPX500.1 "I'll buy that amp for $165 shipped... " If you are serious,when I get it back and try the sub level settings on my HU and Im still not happy with it,you can have it for $165 shipped. "If you knew what you were doing than you would have tested it with a volt meter not have sent it to AQ." Trust me I know what Im doing,I did check it with a DMM,several times. Everything checked out ok. And Im still not really sure if I beleive the thing about having to have the sub level maxed out on my HU for the amp to work properly but Ill still try it. I looked through the HUs manual and it didnt say anything about having to do that. |
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Gold Member Username: Van_manBoston South, MA Post Number: 5462 Registered: Mar-06 | its all here... fully explained why it should be set to near 15 http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diyma-sq-forum-technical-advanced/36884-alpi ne-hus-have-very-weak-preamp-sub-outputs.html |
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Gold Member Username: Van_manBoston South, MA Post Number: 5463 Registered: Mar-06 | http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diyma-sq-forum-technical-advanced/36884-alpi ne-hus-have-very-weak-preamp-sub-outputs.html |
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Gold Member Username: JoebrucePost Number: 3376 Registered: May-04 | Thanks Marc. Thats interesting but still some people are saying they never had to do that with their Alpine HUs. So if I go out to my truck right now and stick my DMM on my RCAs coming from my sub out it should read 4volts with my sub level on +15,correct? And then if I lower the sub out it should go down? Ill brb I will go check this right now. |
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Bronze Member Username: AlonzoubPost Number: 99 Registered: Apr-10 | Right, a 0db 60Hz sine-wave tone with no boost and level at 15/15 should give you AROUND 4 volts, you will probably need to turn your volume up pretty high to get that reading. But no matter what if you compare that signal to the signal of bass level @ 2/15, it will be a big difference. |
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Platinum Member Username: Nd4spd18Philadelphia, PA Post Number: 11799 Registered: Jul-06 | I am serious... I got $ ready |
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Gold Member Username: JoebrucePost Number: 3377 Registered: May-04 | Well I just need to come up with the $45 to get it back from AQ. The guy I originally bought it from said he will only give me half since there wasnt anything wrong with the amp but I have not heard back from him so I dont even know if he is going to give me half. I know $45 isnt much but when you are jobless it is a lot lol. Im trying to sell my components so I can get the money for the amp but who knows how long that will be. Plus when I do get it back I still want to mess around with it before I sell it so I will have to get back to you about selling it. But if I do decide to,you have dibs. |
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Platinum Member Username: Nd4spd18Philadelphia, PA Post Number: 11800 Registered: Jul-06 | Ok sounds good. Could also just have AQ send it to me |
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Gold Member Username: SouthernrebelMonroe, Louisiana Team Audible... Post Number: 8484 Registered: Mar-04 | Just wondering, where did you have the SSF and LPF set? I sold a DD M80 to a customer awhile back and he took it to another shop to have it installed (not sure why the hell he did that). I got a call the next day w/ him saying the installer at the other shop said the amp was messed up, I told him to bring it in and I would bench test it. Got the amp in the shop, and it was producing VERY low volume output even w/ the gain up.....checked the SSF and LPF, turned out that the other shop's installer "w/ 15yrs of experience" had the SSF set to ~40hz and the LPF set to 50hz. Well, w/ 24db/oct crossover slopes, no chit the amp wasn't producing much power, the signal was cut down to NOTHING! I set the XO's properly, bingo, amp worked fine. |
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Gold Member Username: JoebrucePost Number: 3380 Registered: May-04 | I dont really remember,I think ssf was around 20-25ish and lpf was 80 or maybe a little higher. |
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Silver Member Username: Bobby3342Post Number: 106 Registered: Mar-10 | what impeadance are you running at?what are you subs ? |
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Gold Member Username: Th3pwn3rI compensate... Post Number: 9784 Registered: Jul-06 | This thread reminds me of the Memphis 4kw amps people said were loud and powerful, not IMO. |
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Gold Member Username: JoebruceCrescendo Audio FTMFW!!!, AA Havoc 15 ... Your Mom FTW!!! Post Number: 3442 Registered: May-04 | "what impeadance are you running at?what are you subs ?" 1ohm and a single 15" Ascendant Audio Havoc "This thread reminds me of the Memphis 4kw amps people said were loud and powerful, not IMO." Yea man Im not real happy with the AQ amp. I finally got it back from AQ and have been running it for a couple months now but it just does not seem like a 1200wrms amp. I did turn my HU sub level to +15 like everyone suggested and that helped a little but I still do not think I should have to turn that up that high. Like I said before,I never had to turn my sub level up at all when I was running my JBL amp and that little amp sounded louder and it was only rated at 700ish watts. I wish I never sold it. JBL Crown amps FTW!! |
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Silver Member Username: AlonzoubPost Number: 176 Registered: Apr-10 | Think of the bass level on the HU like the bass knob that comes with the amp, same thing. You won't get full power unless you have the level at full. These controls are only meant to CUT signal, it is not boost. I thought you sold the AQ tho? |
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Gold Member Username: JoebruceCrescendo Audio FTMFW!!!, AA Havoc 15 ... Your Mom FTW!!! Post Number: 3443 Registered: May-04 | Any amp that Ive owned with a bass knob I never had to turn it to max to get full power. Hell most of the time I wouldnt even touch the bass knob for the amp. Well I was trying to trade the amp at first but I am not able to do that anymore so now I would just like to sell it. Only problem with that is if someone did buy it I would have to wait til the money from Paypal transfers to my bank so I could use some of that to ship it. Im just broke right now and dont even have the money to pay for shipping unless someone is willing to wait til the money transfers to my bank so I could then withdraw it and pay for shipping. Times are tough for me lol. |
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Gold Member Username: Th3pwn3rI compensate... Post Number: 9789 Registered: Jul-06 | Twiz, did you put a DMM to the amp to see what's happening? |
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Gold Member Username: Th3pwn3rI compensate... Post Number: 9790 Registered: Jul-06 | And I hear you on those tough times. I was laid off a couple weeks ago and I still have projects to finish, my bank account is going to end up getting wiped out, ugh. |
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Silver Member Username: AlonzoubPost Number: 178 Registered: Apr-10 | You can get full power without the bass knob being at max, but i guarantee you the gain will have to be higher. For example setting the gain to 1V with bass knob at 50% will yield close to the same results as gain knob at 2V with bass knob at 100%. The problem with the first case is that if you ever move your bass knob past 50% you risk clipping severely. If you are still willing to sell for $165 shipped i MIGHT know someone who wants it. Ill ask him soon and send you a PM if he wants it. |
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Gold Member Username: JoebruceCrescendo Audio FTMFW!!!, AA Havoc 15 ... Your Mom FTW!!! Post Number: 3447 Registered: May-04 | In case I didnt say,the amp was checked out by Audioque themselves and nothing was found wrong with it. Worst $45 Ive ever spent lol. Anyways the amp is pending trade. Guy on CA is offering me a Diamond Audio D6 1000.1 and he is going to ship first with an extra $20 in the box so I can ship my AQ to him. There really are still good people out there I guess,just a bunch of ašsholes were I live apparently Opinions on the Diamond D6 1000.1? BTW I dont care if my AQ is worth more or not,Ive always wanted to try a Diamond amp. Plus Ive heard its underrated. |
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Silver Member Username: AlonzoubPost Number: 179 Registered: Apr-10 | Well, im just going to point out that the D6 comes with 30A x3 fusing compared to the AQ1200D 40A x3 fusing. Then again maybe the Diamond amp is more efficient than the AQ, very possible. I don't know much about Diamond Audio and their products but a few minutes on google and I saw a post on caraudio.com of someone claiming the D6 does rated power at 12.5 Volts, meaning at 14 it probably does a nice chunk more. Either way good luck with the trade. |
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Bronze Member Username: Dloco486Post Number: 93 Registered: Apr-11 | diamond is tha sh!!!t at least in tha sub dept |
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Gold Member Username: JoebruceCrescendo Audio FTMFW!!!, AA Havoc 15 ... Your Mom FTW!!! Post Number: 3458 Registered: May-04 | Thanks alonzoub,I appreciate all your opinions suggestions. I dont know if the Diamond does rated at 12.5volts or not,I hope it does but looking at the manual online it just says the operating range is 11-14.5volts so what I get from that is that it does rated at 14.4. But who knows. So with it only having 3 30amp fuses what kinda wattage should I excpect? I forget that formula,amps x volts or whatever? My JBL amp only had 3 30amp fuses and it sounded better IMO so Ill see how the Diamond compares. Thats if this trade really happens,I havent heard from the guy in a day but he did say he would have to wait and ship it next week. |
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Gold Member Username: Wolf_houndPhoenix, AZ Post Number: 1376 Registered: Sep-05 | I have the diamond d3 1000.1 and love it.Ive owned a few diamond amps and subs and always loved their products. Never had a problem with it.... Mine has 4 30amp fuses though. |
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Silver Member Username: AlonzoubPost Number: 181 Registered: Apr-10 | Well what I usually go by is this: (Total Fusing) * (Sustainable Voltage) * (Efficiency) = (Maximum output power before fuse blows) In the case of 90A of fusing, assuming 14V Sustained, and around 75% efficiency at a 1-ohm load... Output Power = (90)*(14)*(.75) Output Power = 945 watts This is really only a ballpark estimate though, due to how crazy AC Power actually works I would by no means call this accurate. I usually only use this to explain to people why their Audiobahn/Boss/Power Akoustic/etc amp with 20A of fusing can not put out 2000 watts. EDIT: I tryd to look up the D6 1000.1 manual to make sure the fuse rating was 30A x3, but it looks the manual from the 2005 model of the D6 1000.1 (http://www.diamondaudio.com/manuals/d6_amplifier_manual-2005.pdf) says fuse rating 120A, which would be 40A x3... The first place I looked to find the fuse rating in my initial post was Sonic Electronix, where they state 30A x3 in text AND in the pictures... From what I can see on Diamonds website they only made ONE model D6 1000.1 and that was in 2005... so idk why their would be a discrepancy... but the manual says 120A of fusing so I would stick to that... In that case.. Output Power = (120)*(14)*(.75) Output Power = 1260 watts Also keep in mind I pulled that efficiency out of my _ _ _. So the realistic efficiency of a class D amp at 1-ohm can range anywhere from high 60's for a poor design to low 80's for an amazing design. At 4-ohms class D can even get over 90% efficient (fun fact). |
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Silver Member Username: Bobby3342Post Number: 107 Registered: Mar-10 | have ya kepp your subs wired up with a dmm cuz some times wire goes bad even my jl hyperflex went badnso my 2 subs were on reading 2 something unstead of one ohm until i broke out my dmm who far do you live away from Ct if you live close i can give ya 2 bills for it i have one and want to strapp great amps and im am very surpised that you dont enjoy i have owned the jbl 500 crown and the aq blew it off but i liked my jbl 1400 1 way better than my aq and the bpx 2200 oh my god that is prolly one the the most favorite 2k amps ive owned |
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Gold Member Username: JoebruceCrescendo Audio FTMFW!!!, AA Havoc 15 ... Your Mom FTW!!! Post Number: 3489 Registered: May-04 | alon.-I seen that in the manual too,it says 120amp but to make sure I asked the guy Im doing the trade with he he said it has 3 30amp fuses for sure. I guess they made a typo in the manual. bobby-My sub was wired correctly. Trust me I checked and triple checked everything! The wiring,rcas,settings,etc,etc. The AQ was just not what I expected and I almost cant beleive it. AQ makes very solid subwoofers so I figured their amps would be on the same level. I was just not happy at all with the AQ amp,it just was not that great IMO. With all the great reviews from people on all these forums,Im really suprised it did not impress me. My JBL bpx was by far a better amplifier than the AQ. I dont care if it was rated at almost half of what the AQ is rated,it still sounded louder and way cleaner. AQ should just stick to building subs IMO. Well the Diamond amp should be at my house today or tomorrow. The guy said he shipped it 2 days ago. I dont have a tracking number yet but its not a big deal since he shipped first and is also throwing in a 20 dollar bill to cover shipping for the AQ amp. Im glad the dude is trusting me enough to do the trade this way otherwise this trade would have never happened. I love the look of the D6,its very simple but yet stands out at the same time. I cant wait to get it in so I can test it out! Im pretty sure Ill like it a lot more than the AQ but we'll see! If I like the D6 1000.1 like I think I will,then here in about a month I will be getting the matching D6 450.2 for my Crescendo comps. Or if I could find a D6 600.4 or even a 300.4 that would be even better so that I could run my comps active and have matching amplifiers! |
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Platinum Member Username: Nd4spd18Philadelphia, PA Post Number: 11906 Registered: Jul-06 | " This thread reminds me of the Memphis 4kw amps people said were loud and powerful, not IMO. " Find that thread and you won't see me saying that.... lol Those amps have always sucked. But AQ is NOT in that boat. And I say that from personal expierence (my trucks system has one) I don't listen to it every day anymore, but still sounds great every time I get in it. |
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Gold Member Username: JbpittPittsburgh, Pa. Usa Post Number: 1244 Registered: Jul-09 | You may be on to something here twiztid..... I recently just purchased a merlin md3d. (1200wrms @ 2ohm) I took out my aq1200 and installed the merlin. HUGE difference! Way louder and way cleaner sounding. Now i know you cant make a direct comparison between the two because of obvious factors but...man i was really suprised at the huge difference in sound. Now i wouldnt say that the aq is garbage by any means,i still think its a decent amp. I was just suprised at how big of a difference there was between the amps. Anyway.....Just my recent experience and thought i would share |
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Platinum Member Username: GlasswolfColumbia, South Carolina Post Number: 14322 Registered: Dec-03 | take the amp to a radio repair shop or a car audio shop and have it checked out. also put a DMM on the output side set to true RMS or AC voltage.. see what your output is looking like on a meter, assuming you don't actually have an oscilloscope handy. |
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Gold Member Username: JoebruceCrescendo Audio FTMFW!!!, AA Havoc 15 ... Your Mom FTW!!! Post Number: 3558 Registered: May-04 | "You may be on to something here twiztid..... " I knew I wasnt Fing crazy! Watch you guys,in a couple/few years everyone will be talking shiit about AQ amps and Im just gonna sit back and laugh. |
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Platinum Member Username: GlasswolfColumbia, South Carolina Post Number: 14333 Registered: Dec-03 | If you want a better amp, buy Sundown Audio. People recommend AQ because it's cheap, and typically, it works. If you weren't all so poor, we'd recommend better gear! haha |
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Gold Member Username: JoebruceCrescendo Audio FTMFW!!!, AA Havoc 15 ... Your Mom FTW!!! Post Number: 3565 Registered: May-04 | Glass Im assuming you didnt read this thread lol. I did send my AQ amp to AQ for repair,they said there was nothing wrong with it. So I traded it for a Diamond Audio D6 1000.1 and I couldnt be happier! |
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Bronze Member Username: MlstrassIllinois Post Number: 37 Registered: Jun-07 | Should have taken the time to figure out what you were doing wrong and/or clamped the amp to verify power output. Sundown is no better, just costs more and jacob underrates them, so some perceive them as being better. I own SD and AQ amps, both perform just fine, but AQ offers more watts per dollar... |
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Platinum Member Username: GlasswolfColumbia, South Carolina Post Number: 14339 Registered: Dec-03 | Sundown's SAZ amplifiers use all milspec components internally. While some may think they "sound" the same (which any decent amplifier should, since transparency is the goal) and may only be concerned with watts per dollar, I'm concerned with durability and longevity and pay more attention to circuit design, board layout, and component quality than I do with the output ratings. AQ amplifiers are fine, but they aren't the best thing out there. They are an excellent solution for their price range, much the way the older JBL BPxxxx.x series amplifiers were some years back. |
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Bronze Member Username: MlstrassIllinois Post Number: 38 Registered: Jun-07 | Went from an SD1500 to an AQ1200 in the wife's car powering her 15" Q and noticed NO difference in SQ at all. Or overall volume as either amp makes more then enough power to push that sub. My AQ3500's are going on 3+ years and they get pounded on for demo's and burped at .25ohm, so durability/longevity seems to be there. I've also run them at .5ohm daily with no issues. I see no added value in SD amps, and only buy them used now as new prices are too high for what you get. If the AQ amp performs the same and lasts as long then the "fancy" internals make no diff to me... |
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Gold Member Username: SomedonniedudeIllinois Braaap MX Post Number: 3187 Registered: May-07 | "I recently just purchased a merlin md3d. (1200wrms @ 2ohm) I took out my aq1200 and installed the merlin. HUGE difference! Way louder and way cleaner sounding. Now i know you cant make a direct comparison between the two because of obvious factors but...man i was really suprised at the huge difference in sound. Now i wouldnt say that the aq is garbage by any means,i still think its a decent amp. I was just suprised at how big of a difference there was between the amps." How can you even compare the md3d to an aq1200d? Unless you meant the AQ2200D then your comparison would make a little more sense. |
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Bronze Member Username: MlstrassIllinois Post Number: 39 Registered: Jun-07 | He doubled power and it's louder, that's a surprise |
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Gold Member Username: JbpittPittsburgh, Pa. Usa Post Number: 1247 Registered: Jul-09 | No i didnt double the power jacka$$! .....I ran the aq1200d @ 1ohm which is 1200wrms right? I then hooked up the merlin @ 2ohms which is 1200wrms right? I know what im talking about,read what i posted. I also said that you cant make a direct comparison between the two for obvious reasons,but i didnt think that there would have been that big of a difference between the two. |
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Gold Member Username: JoebruceCrescendo Audio FTMFW!!!, AA Havoc 15 ... Your Mom FTW!!! Post Number: 3567 Registered: May-04 | Everyone can flame me if they want I dont care. All I know is I didnt like what I heard from the AQ with my ears. And thats all that really matters is what YOU think. I dont care what everyone else says,I wasnt happy with the AQ amp at all. So I got rid of it |
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Gold Member Username: JoebruceCrescendo Audio FTMFW!!!, AA Havoc 15 ... Your Mom FTW!!! Post Number: 3568 Registered: May-04 | And actually the guy I traded the AQ to said the same thing I said about it. He thought there would be a lot more output from the AQ. I traded him the AQ for his Diamond Audio D6 1000.1 and the Diamond sounds louder and cleaner to me and to him. The Diamond is only rated at 1000wrms @ 1 too. I was actually really suprised on how bad the AQ was that I thought something was wrong with it. But like I said I sent it to AQ for repairs and they thought I was dumb for even sending it in. They said they went thru it and their amp repair guy went thru it with a fine tooth comb and nothing was wrong with it at all. All I could say was WOW! I told them I wasnt happy with it at all and excpected better from a good company like AQ. |
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Gold Member Username: Wolf_houndPhoenix, AZ Post Number: 1398 Registered: Sep-05 | Maybe the aq amps are overrated lol i would never buy aq amps, maybe their subs but thats it. |
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Gold Member Username: SomedonniedudeIllinois Braaap MX Post Number: 3188 Registered: May-07 | I don't think they are over rated. There just may be a few out there that dont quite meet rated power that may slip through inspection? 1 thing I noticed on both my aq amps were that you had to use ALOT of the gain control, seemed like the amps needed a strong signal to reproduce output. My cousin had an old pioneer deck with low volt pre-outs which he had running with an aq220d, he got a new deck with much higher pre out voltage and the amp came to life. and no he wasnt clipping it. |
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Gold Member Username: JoebruceCrescendo Audio FTMFW!!!, AA Havoc 15 ... Your Mom FTW!!! Post Number: 3571 Registered: May-04 | "1 thing I noticed on both my aq amps were that you had to use ALOT of the gain control" Yea but it just doesnt seem right to have to max out the gain to get the output from the amp. Not to mention I had to turn up the bass boost more than half way and my sub out on my HU all the way up to get any noticable output from the amp. |
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Platinum Member Username: GlasswolfColumbia, South Carolina Post Number: 14349 Registered: Dec-03 | mistrass, when I said longevity I wasn't talking about 3 years. The amplifiers I'm presently using were built in 1991, and still work like new. They are all milspec components inside as well, and while rated to be 2 ohm stable, I have run them bridged at 2 ohms, and they've never failed to perform. Quality is when the amp lasts for 20 or more years. Think Orion, RF, PPI, McIntosh, Pass Labs, etc.. Built to last. As I also said, if the amp is any good, it should be transparent, meaning if the power outputs are about the same, switching amps shouldn't make any audible difference. If the amp changes the sound of the system, then your amp is the problem. doubling the amplifier power is only a 3dB increase in output anyway, so when you're talking about a thousand watt amplifier, a couple hundred watts difference is hardly audible. You'd need an amplifier six to ten times the output power to double the audible volume, within the mechanical limits of the speaker in question, and excluding environmental variables. |
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Bronze Member Username: MlstrassIllinois Post Number: 40 Registered: Jun-07 | AQ amps haven't been out 20 years, either have Sundown, but I have faith that both brands will last quite a long time. I compete in SPL so watts per dollar is important as I'm only willing to spend so much on this hobby. I run 20kw+ to my subs and 7kw+ to my mids/highs, so obviously ultimate SQ isn't a concern. But I get the power I need and at a good price with AQ amps. With that said I just installed a big ZED 4ch in a team mates car, so I'm interested to see what that extra $$$ does for him.... |
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Platinum Member Username: GlasswolfColumbia, South Carolina Post Number: 14359 Registered: Dec-03 | There is one other factor with an amplifier that directly affects it's end price, and this one actually is important to you as an SPL guy, just as it is to me as an IASCA SQ competitor. The one big thing on an amp that affects the price is the size of the toroidal transformer(s) and design of the power supply in the amplifier. If the amp's power supply isn't rated for a minimum of three times the output of the amplifier itself, then you're not going to have the reserve power there to handle sudden peak demands. Those toroids get very expensive, even when you're buying them to build your own amplifier projects. Just something to keep in mind. I tend to pay more attention to taht stuff though because I'm an EE, and I do build amps, and spent years servicing amplifiers as well. I've been in the AV industry for over 20 years now, working on, servicing, and designing car audio systems from highschool kids with ciovics to world class competitors. I got out of competition myself years ago though. I spent most of my competition years in the early 1990s. |
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Bronze Member Username: MlstrassIllinois Post Number: 41 Registered: Jun-07 | Well I would "assume" that AQ has it figured out as we have around 20 AQ amps on the team and several of us burp at .25ohm and they have never let us down. They also do rated or a little more when clamped. OP may have gotten a bad amp as obviously those things happen, but if AQ bench tested it then I would believe it was fine. So it had to be user error and unfortunatley he didn't take the time to figure it out so we could learn from his experience. I have an AQ4x90 that the pass thru RCA's didn't seem to work, so I sent it in and it checked out ok. Tried it again and it wouldn't work, finally talked to the AQ amp tech guy and found out the pass thru was active, meaning the amp had to be powered on for them to work properly. I wasn't using it that way, so that's why the "problem" occured. |
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