I'm running two amps in my truck. I have a JL 400/4 xd for my door speakers and I have a sundown saz 1200d powering 2 sundown sd-2 10" subs. the subs are dual 4 ohm subs hooked in a series to 2 ohms. when I'm play my music loud the amp gain remote shows that I'm clipping and my lights start to dim. Is this a voltage drop problem and would putting in a bigger alternator solve this problem?

 

You definitely need a bigger alt, a better battery or two, do the big 3 using 1/0 gauge or bigger, etc.

Cut the gain back on the amp, it isn't there to be a volume ****.

Sure you didn't mean wired to 1 ohm? Or are you running the amp as 2-channel?

Either way, all those things listed above will help fix your clipping problem.

 

how big of an alternator do I need?

I don't have the gain up that high.

Im running the amp as a two channel.

Im running 4 gauge right now but was planning on 2 gauge unless you think I should run 1/0 gauge.

and my battery is actually pretty new.

 

I would go with an alt that at least does 200amps.

I'd go to at least 1/0 on the big 3, or bigger. No point in undersizing the wire when 1/0 isn't that much more. If you meant your running 4 gauge to the sundown amp, you really need to up that to 1/0, they're pretty power hungry.


Also, set the gain properly, or keep it low. That's one of the main causes of clipping issues.

http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/...TID~85479~PN~1

One of the easiest ways to do without an o-scope.

 

find some one with a oscope or a dd1 near you. if you were close to me i would set it with my stuff. but atleast do the big 3 or 4. some of the clipping lights on the remotes are just garbage to and will light up over any thing. also 2 dual 4 ohm will wire down to 1 ohm or stay at 4 ohms depending on how you wire each one

 

^this you can only run them at 1 ohm or 4ohm. Now if you have them in series/parallel your at 4 ohm. The spec on your subs is 500rms each, 1000rms total. Now your amp at 4ohms only puts out 350w rms which would deeply under power the subs which would cause clipping. Now if you have your subs wired parallel/parallel which puts the subs down to 1ohm your amp puts out 1200rms which is where you need to be.

Heres a wiring diagram taken from the12volt.com

Option 1 (parallel/parallel) = 1 ohm load
Voice coils wired in parallel, speakers wired in parallel
Recommended Amplifier: Stable at 1 ohm mono


Option 2 (series/parallel) = 4 ohm load
Voice coils wired in series, speakers wired in parallel
Recommended Amplifier: Stable at 4, 2, or 1 ohm mono

 

You have no mention of a capacitor. You should have one of those in their on your sub amp. Helps relieve the stress on your charging system. Also if you are getting clipping you don't have your system adjusted properly or you have it way to loud.
http://www.car-fi.com/techcenter/cap.htm

 

That is not what cap's are meant to be used for. Using it for that is like trying to fix a gun shot wound with a bandaid.

 

Caps are used to take the spike from the subs instead of the battery and charging system taking the constant spikes. Releves the strain put on the charging system. Take a volt meter and run it across your battery without one then put a cap on the same system and see the diffrence.

 

so what happens when you have your volume turned down low?

 

Your correct in that they smooth out the spike, wrong in the purpose of using them. They aren't meant to fix lack of electrical backing the system (that would be the bandaid reason to use them), they're meant to smooth the spike for sq purposes. Lack of having the electrical to back something up still exists even if you throw a cap on it, and that cap will still discharge faster than it can recharge if they electrical isn't there.

 

1/0 to a distribution block close to the amp, then no less than 2 gauge from the block to the amp. The clipping is because it's starving for power. I run a Memphis MCD-2500 and a Memphis PR-600 on stock alternator, no extra batteries, no caps. Your amp calls for a 125 amp fuse, I suggest the ANL fuse holder, with a blade style fuse.

Also, you can buy the 1/0 welding lead from a welding supply store for a lot cheaper then you can buy 1/0 wire from a stereo shop.