Blown Amp??

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 9:36 am

2 months ago I installed a sony xlpod HU with ipod interface. I have the 6 speaker w/ amp factory system. Today I started my car and got no sound from my front door speakers. I spliced the front left speaker with the back left speaker through the wiring harness and I was getting sound from my HU. So my best guess is that my amp is blown and not sending sound to the front door speaker. To clear things up my tweeters and rear door speakers are working. I then checked the amp under the hood for the amp and checked the fuse on the back of my HU, both were fine.Is there any way to see if the amp is blown?Does the stock amp power the rear speakers?Any ideas and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.Thank You,Jeremy

vibe007 · Post by **vibe007** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 9:52 am

did you check the continuity between the hu and the amp?

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 10:00 am

I havent put my dash back together yet so ill check the wires for the amp from the harness. Do you know if the amp is supposed to power the rear speakers as well as the front? I noticed today my rear speakers were very faint.Thank you,Jeremy

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 12:16 pm

I just ran my test light on the amp wire coming from the wiring harness and it is sending power to the amp. I then took the amp apart and didnt see/smell anything burnt. I put everything back together and started the car up. I noticed very very faint sound coming from the front door speakers. I've come to the conclusion that the speakers are blown. So at this point my biggest question is does the stock amp send power to the rear speakers as well, if they do those are blown as well. Thanks for the help so far.Jeremy

tribalman · Post by **tribalman** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:51 pm

before you replace the speaker, pull it out and look at it. with mine i have an aftermarket HU and speakers. the speakers aren't fully installed because the hole is made for the stock speakers and it's holder, and you can't remove the stock ones from it easily. my front left was giving out, i thought it was the speaker going out too. once i soldered the connection and then wrapped it up, i'm not having that trouble anymore. check that out. see if it might be loose and sometimes not having a good connection.

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 10:13 pm

Quote, originally posted by zt9 Â»2 months ago I installed a sony xlpod HU with ipod interface. I have the 6 speaker w/ amp factory system. Today I started my car and got no sound from my front door speakers. I spliced the front left speaker with the back left speaker through the wiring harness and I was getting sound from my HU. So my best guess is that my amp is blown and not sending sound to the front door speaker. To clear things up my tweeters and rear door speakers are working. I then checked the amp under the hood for the amp and checked the fuse on the back of my HU, both were fine.Is there any way to see if the amp is blown?Does the stock amp power the rear speakers?Any ideas and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.Thank You,JeremyThere could be many things going on... does the HU smell burnt at all? Do you have a DMM? Can you check for a short to one of the front speakers (that would be after the factory amp)? Did you hear anything funny last night before you got out of the car? Welcome BTW...!!

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:16 am

I spoke to a crutchfield technician on the phone. He told me to swap the front left speaker wire for the back left speaker wire to see if it was the HU that wasnt sending the sound. When I did this I was still receiving a very faint sound. I believe I was wrong in saying I was getting no sound at all in the first post, its just so quiet. I heard nothing out of the ordinary the drive before the "blowout".The thing that gets me is that both front door speakers are doing the exact same thing. If its not the speakers the only thing left is the amp and ill just have to bypass that with a new one But I dont feel it is the amp because my tweeters are still loud and clear as anything. I do listen to my music very loud and I was hearing alot of stress from the speakers. I already ordered both sets of door speakers last night, I planned on doing this in the near future anyways, this just made it a bit faster. I am also comfortable in doing the install. Here are the speakers I orderedhttp://www.crutchfield.com/S-0...TO627

vibe007 · Post by **vibe007** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:23 am

nice! those speakers sound really good and loud. So as i see, you will try to change the speakers first, and tha if the trouble is still there you'll change the amp? That's a costly but sure way to find a trouble , and if you were planning to do that anyway, it's a good choice. Post some pics and reviews of the install!Good luck!

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 1:58 am

If I were you, I would bypass the stock amp altogether... I;m sooooo glad to see you went with JBL rather than Infinity like most do, then, they find out how truely bad they sound and get all dissapointed and whatnot...

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:05 am

I spoke with a consultant from crutchfield and after I told him what I had and what I was looking for out of a speaker he said those would be my best option. As to bypassing the stock amp all together, how would I go about doing that? I installed a dvd player, all new interior speakers and 2 12's with a 1200 wat amp a few years ago in my old grand am, so im familiar with installing most things, but ive never had to bypass factory installed equipment.

Gonzo · Post by **Gonzo** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:23 am

Not trying to insult, but have you checked the fader? I just don't see two speakers blowing at once. It could happen, but just not likely. To bypass the factory amp you would have two choices.1) Wire the speakers directly to the amp in your HU.2) Install a new amp. Preferably an aftermarket amp.Option 1 will distort at a lower volume than option 2.

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:25 am

Yes i have checked the fader. I can hear a very small amount of sound out of the speakers when the fade is all the way to the front. Has anyone used the pre-existing wiring harness for the stock amp to wire in an aftermarket or am I going to have to run all new wires?

wyatt89 · Post by **wyatt89** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:33 am

do what sublime said, you will be getting around 20watts rms going to your speakers so they will be fine!

vibe007 · Post by **vibe007** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:57 am

i think that he says that he likes to listen to music loud, and in the specs of the jbl i think that it can take up to 60watt rms, so with an amp it could be very loud but with 20 watt rms, it's true that it's going to sound great to, but not as loud as 60watt rms.

wyatt89 · Post by **wyatt89** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:01 am

well then he needs to go spend some money on a 50x4 amp...rewire, and then he will be set but if he wants sound coming from his speakers then just bypassing is the easiest thing to do right now...

vibe007 · Post by **vibe007** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:17 am

that's sure!

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:34 pm

Quote, originally posted by zt9 Â»I spoke with a consultant from crutchfield and after I told him what I had and what I was looking for out of a speaker he said those would be my best option. As to bypassing the stock amp all together, how would I go about doing that? I installed a dvd player, all new interior speakers and 2 12's with a 1200 wat amp a few years ago in my old grand am, so im familiar with installing most things, but ive never had to bypass factory installed equipment.Well your best bet would be to run new wire... If you are going to use the JVC HU for it, then run new wire from there either all the way out to the speakers, OR, out to each area where the factory wire passes through the doorjam and then just pick up the factory wires there... I would consider what Wyatt said though... ANY aftermarket amp, no matter how small is going to drive your speakers better than a TINY (like 1.25x1") IC chip in any HU... You simply can't beat mutiple output devices in any outboard amp... well, besides the factory amp (ie junk)

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 7:32 am

Well my speakers are on the way. I caved in and also ordered my amp tonight.http://www.crutchfield.com/App...p=115I figure I might as well give it an overhaul once, and not tear my car apart twice. The only question I have left is the tweeters. I im pulling out the factory amp and running all my new speakers off the amp, what do I do with the tweeters. Ive never messed with tweeters befor so im in the dark on this one. Thanks,Jeremy

vibe007 · Post by **vibe007** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 10:04 am

i think you will need a crossover or a passive high pass filter.

wyatt89 · Post by **wyatt89** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 10:31 am

bass blockers are cheap and easy to run, get some of those! wait so you are going to have a pair of coax's with another set of tweets?

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 11:11 pm

Im just sticking with the stock tweeters, for now lol. I noticed that when I unplug the factory amp it shuts down all the speakers. So I was wondering how I should run the tweeters. I would assume that I would run them directly off the HU.

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 1:49 am

Ive done alot of research lately on the tweeter dilemma. Ive come to the conclusion that in order to run the factory tweeters I would have to go out and get cross overs and run the tweeters inline with the door speakers. By doing that I will be loosing the tweeter that my new door speakers features. So in the end I decided to just not use the factory tweeters at all and use the one that my 6 1/2 features, im sure it'll sound better. My only concern was that with the tweeter being so low how the sound would be. The speakers I ordered have a fully adjustable tweeter so as long as I aim them up everything should be good. I'll post pics during the install.

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 10:56 pm

Quote, originally posted by zt9 Â»Ive done alot of research lately on the tweeter dilemma. Ive come to the conclusion that in order to run the factory tweeters I would have to go out and get cross overs and run the tweeters inline with the door speakers. By doing that I will be loosing the tweeter that my new door speakers features. So in the end I decided to just not use the factory tweeters at all and use the one that my 6 1/2 features, im sure it'll sound better. My only concern was that with the tweeter being so low how the sound would be. The speakers I ordered have a fully adjustable tweeter so as long as I aim them up everything should be good. I'll post pics during the install.You'll be fine, I glad you didn't decide to try and use the factory stuff.. it would end in dissapointment.. Heck, I don't have either of the upgraded audio systems in my Vibe and just installing an aftermarket HU with a built in high pass crossover and cleaner power has changed things quite nicely.. I'm sure you'll be impressed with what you have.. Remember, if you have install questions, please feel free.. Pics are a must to BTW

englishjg · Post by **englishjg** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 2:13 am

Hi! I just read this thread, and it is almost an exact duplicate of the problem I am having with my Moon and Tunes setup. I have an 04 Vibe base with the Moon and Tunes audio. I always play my music loud, I like it that way. One day I noticed a crackling sound from the front speakers. It went away. The noise occured once in a while and would always scare the hell out of me cause the sound was fine, then the crackle noise. Well, one day the front speakers quit. The rear speakers and tweeters are still working fine. I need to listen more carefully to see if the front ones are on, just very low like in the above posts. I was assuming it was the amp, and have been looking for a replacement one for it. I can't find one on ebay or craigslist, so I still suffer with poor audio. I don't want to replace the audio system because I thought the current one was really nice (until it blew). If you have any thoughts, please share them?Thanks!Jim

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 8:04 am

Its most likely the speakers. Good thing, those are easy to replace and cheaper.

wyatt89 · Post by **wyatt89** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 10:31 am

sadly they arent that easy to replace, you have to cut the speaker out unlike most where the speaker is bolted into the door...when i removed mine i cut the cone out then clipped the basket then did a bit more work to remove it all...i had to smooth it out some as well but all ended well, if you search speaker install i think there is a nice guide on genvibe on how to do it, make sure and put some sound deadener on while you have the inside of the door off...it will sound a lot better

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:44 pm

All you need to do is get a 1/8th drill bit and remove the rivets.

Gonzo · Post by **Gonzo** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 8:47 pm

Or you can just buy a adapter for the speakers. Look up the install guide at Crutchfields.

englishjg · Post by **englishjg** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:48 am

Why would you think that the speakers are bad? Both speakers went out at the same time. I was under the assumption that the problem was the amp or radio itself. It made a few horrid crackles really really loud before they died. First nice Saturday we have, I am going to have to test the speakers!

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 5:08 am

I say that because i had pretty much the same thing happen to me. From my testing it wasnt my head unit. And if you have the 6 speaker system and your column tweeters are working fine then and amp should be working correctly.

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 12:08 pm

Ok everything is installed and working amazing. In the end it was the speakers that were blown. In the picture below is the front speaker. I belive the voice coil went bad. In the picture im pushing on the cone to show that the speaker does not flex, the cone is seized up and wont budge.

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 12:10 pm

These are what the rear speakers looked like once I removed the door panel. I did not do anything to make them look they way they do in the picture.

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 12:12 pm

Before and after front speaker installAfter

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 12:17 pm

Amp install picsSide view of passenger side Stock amp compared to the new AlpineThis is the bracket I made to hold the amp in place. I used self tapping screws to hold the mount to the seat mount. I pre-drilled holes in the mount so that the amp just bolts right down to the mount.Amp mounted with out side panelsAmp mounted with side panelsBelow are 2 pics of my HU

tribalman · Post by **tribalman** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 5:51 pm

Quote, originally posted by zt9 Â»Afterdid that bracket come with the new speakers, or did you get them extra?btw, cool setup. glad to hear it works for you again!

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 6:41 pm

When I ordered the speakers from crutchfield they include a bracket free with purchase. JBL also included a bracket in the box with the speakers. Thanks, im glad I have music again, I drive 45 minutes each way to work

~MRVIBE2006~ · Post by **~MRVIBE2006~** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:49 am

How do you like those JBL speakers? I was looking at the Infinity 6022 on Crutchfield and am not sure which to go with.

zt9 · Post by **zt9** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:37 am

They sound very clear. And powered by the alpine amp they give enough bass to please me. I spoke with a crutchfield representative and told him I was looking for a good quality 6 1/2 speaker that will deliver clear sound and bass at high levels. He recommended the JBL GTO series over all other speakers it their class. Hope this helps, if not email them with what exactly you want out of a speaker.

wyatt89 · Post by **wyatt89** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 2:53 pm

the infinitys are great, decent price and good clear sound...they arent bass monsters but thats why jesus created subwoofers...dude why are the backs like green lolololthats funny

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 9:18 pm

Quote, originally posted by ~MRVIBE2006~ Â»How do you like those JBL speakers? I was looking at the Infinity 6022 on Crutchfield and am not sure which to go with.MUCH to the contrary of wyatt89s "review" just about EVERY time, I hear of someone getting infinities, they are dissapointed.. Almost no bass output and harsh high end... On the audio forums I frequent they are the MOST denounced speaker out there, which is odd, because outside of the audio community, people can't seem to get enough... I rack it up to marketing and/or un-informed public... My recomendation, look elsewhere.... My real honest recomendation for a really good coaxial speaker would be the Polk Audio Db line... which i've found it a very well loved speaker universally..

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