[kartunez]

Well I burnt up my JL 1000/1 on the way home yesterday. I didn't have it set to max, was around 3/4 gain, and it had been fading in and out over the last few weeks. I am going to call JL today and see what I do about getting a replacement, since the place I bought it from is no longer in business. I was lucky enough to have a back up, since I have two 13W7's in the plans, so I used my other amp. But, the strange thing is, I don't even have this one up to 1/2 gain, and it sounds even louder than my other one. I think it may have had a issue with it from the get go, and I just didn't know it till yesterday! This is the first amp I have ever burned up, so I hope it is my last.
Some info on the amp before I pulled it, because I know you guys will ask. The power light was on, no protection or low voltage light, everything else worked fine, and I even burped the subs before I disconnected the old one and hooked up the new one to make sure it was the amp. I will let you guys know what JL says, L8R!

 

[BlackTib4]

there could be many things wrong with the amp and yes, the problem is with the amp...defective, that's all. depending on your warranty, they should at least be able to fix it, if not, they'll replace it

good luck

 

[kartunez]

Yeah, I have to get out the receipt, go up to a local authorized dealer (CarToys for me) and have them inspect my install since I did it. If they deem it a good install, I have to pay to ship it back to JL and they will repair/replace. If not, I have to pay $180 for it to be fixed. I just hope shipping is not a killer, because CarToys has to do the shipping, so says JL! I hope to take it up there tomorrow or at least soon!

 

[ViolentB]

Well I burnt up my JL 1000/1 on the way home yesterday

since I have two 13W7's in the plans

Sooooooooo where are your trophies ?
and do you need a hearing aid yet ?
lol

 

[kartunez]

Well the reference to the 13W7's is for another car, a guy I work with is buying them and I kept the 1000/1's that were going to push each sub originally. We have sinced moved onto using a Alpine 1500 watt amp for each. I haven't had a chance to measure the DB's with my 2 10W7's, but I am guessing somewhere in the 140's are, maybe less or maybe more, there are not many sound shops around that have the equipment to measure it, and the ones that do, are way to expensive to just check the numbers. I also think that the one I burnt yesterday had some issue's, because I had it at about 3/4 gian, and the one I replaced it with is not even at 1/2 gain, so I think it may of had some internal issues to begin with. I hope to get it back, and it be even better than the one I am using, considering it will have been gone through completely! :3_winkthu

 

[Shift21]

cummon there not that loud lol i got 2 in a sealed set up and they POUND!
what are your plans?

 

[ViperVin]

I didn't have it set to max, was around 3/4 gain, and it had been fading in and out over the last few weeks. [....] But, the strange thing is, I don't even have this one up to 1/2 gain, and it sounds even louder than my other one.

doesnt matter if you have 3/4 gain or 1/2 gain or 1/4 gain.. did you set your gain correctly using a DMM? not setting your gains up properly is the main reason amps burn out.

JL's site has a nice flash tutorial on gain setting:
http://mobile.jlaudio.com/support_pages.php?page_id=143

 

[kartunez]

Yes it was set to exactly what JL says to do, 33.5v if I remember correctly. It is just that with the newer one, it seems louder with out as much gain, and that should mean something. I didn't change anythign else out except the amp, and the setting of the gain has a lot to do with it. If you take two identical amps (which is what I did basically) and set one to 1/4 gain and the other to 1/2 gain. The second one is going ot put out more power, at least it should (as long as they are built correctly). Plus, I sould be able to set the amp at 3/4 gain (if not full), that is what it is made to do. If you can't do that, then I am paying way to much money for an amp then. I ran my Audiobahn 2000 watt at almost wide open for 3 years straight and never missed a beat, never even tried. He!!, I sold it to a guy I am working with, and he is pushing 2 15" L7 subs, and they are pounding like no tomorrow. I think alot of JL problems may be do to the fact they don't have an induction and exhaust fan's, my other amps with them, never get that hot. Plus, I leave my amps open to the cabin, so they can breath a little.

 

[kartunez]

Well just thought I would come back and clear this up with new info. I actually didn't hurt the amp after all, the cap was screwed up. Last Thursday on my way home, the subs started to fade in and out again, and I was like no way a second amp is already going bad this fast. So I have had my 10 farad PG Tantrum powergrid, so I installed this weekend and man what a difference. The subs sound so much harder and stay up now, no lose of sound. I also bench tested the other JL amp and it was working just fine, was the cap all along, I hope. Hopefully this week will be the judge of that! Just wanted to let it be known that the amp was okay, just a bad cap. Only good thing I see from this is the cap had a Blue Voltage display, which is what i wanted to mount in place of the clock on the dash, so I scavanged it off of it and I am tryign to see how hard it is going to be to get it to look right, watch for another thread with pics if I get it done! L8R

 

[Delta976]

What is the input sensitivity for the amps and what is you output voltage? I think the jl is 2 or 8 if you have low output voltage and the rf is set for a lower voltage it may explain the sound.

 

[kartunez]

What is the input sensitivity for the amps and what is you output voltage? I think the jl is 2 or 8 if you have low output voltage and the rf is set for a lower voltage it may explain the sound.

Do what, I am kind of lost to what you mean, the input sensitivity is the same for both amps, since both amps are 1000/1's! I still have an issue with them fading in and out, I can not keep up with the power demands this amp needs. I am trying to find an H/O alternator for my car (V-6), but no luck so far! L8R

 

[kartunez]

Bringing it back from the dead! :3_puhbye:
Okay, well the cap turned out to be okay, what the issue is there is something wrong with the power input block on th amp. When the subs cut out, I can wiggle the wires going into the amp and it comes back! It feels like the power block input is not connected to the board very well. It feels like it is loose or something. The amp still keeps its power light on, and none of the other lights kick on; protection, low voltage, or ohm's! I am just going to have to pull it apart and see if it just melted loose or if it is just a loose bolt! Has anyone else experienced this before?

 

[rallyredracer]

poor connections are terrible for an amp...and do yourself a favor and dump the cap...get a second battery and youll have much less problems...caps are a bandaid and are only there for short bursts of power demand...a battery will help stabilize the system much better...and ive had 100/1 on w7's at my shop and have not had the INPUT gain set above 1/4 -1/2...the amp makes its power regardless of where the gain is set...the gain is set to make up for the lack of input voltage from the deck... higher output voltage from the deck less gain needed..less harmonic distortion.

 

[kartunez]

poor connections are terrible for an amp...and do yourself a favor and dump the cap...get a second battery and youll have much less problems...caps are a bandaid and are only there for short bursts of power demand...a battery will help stabilize the system much better...and ive had 100/1 on w7's at my shop and have not had the INPUT gain set above 1/4 -1/2...the amp makes its power regardless of where the gain is set...the gain is set to make up for the lack of input voltage from the deck... higher output voltage from the deck less gain needed..less harmonic distortion.

Well the gain is almost all the way down and my Alpine kicks out 5volts, checked it at full volume. My problem is that the power light never goes off, just the subs, it acts like there is something loose in there, and I am just going to have to take it apart and look at it. My connections are perfect and tight (no insulation under the screw), I have been doing installs for almost 12 year's, I was doing it before I could drive! :3_loveys: I had my dad, and his brothers that were into car audio when I was young, and I learned from them, and then I had a older stepbrother and friends that could drive before me and I would put their stuff in. I will say that from what I do now to what I did then is a big difference, but I got the job done then. :3_yummie:

I also agree on the cap, but it is being used as a bandaide until I get the time to build my false amp rack floor and redo the entire setup. I already have a yellow top going in the back, I just don't have the time I would like to reconstruct my setup! Having a 60 hour week job and a little girl just about fixes up all my time!

 

[rallyredracer]

sounds like youve got good plans keep at it man

 

[kartunez]

sounds like youve got good plans keep at it man

Thanks, and I hope I do, my plan is to have everything in, and the amp rack lift up on actuators so I can get out the spare tire, jack, and other tools!