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Powering Amp question...Help!

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Old 04-09-2005
02FordFX4's Avatar
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Need info on what size wire to power new amp...HELP!

hey guys

I got 4 infiniti kappy 572.5 speakers installed in my truck...with the Alpine 9833 HU. I currently have a 4 channel MTX amp running the speakers and I think one of the channels is busted because the front right speaker sounds terrible.

I want to switch out the amp for a new one. Im looking at the Phenix Gold 5 channel amp R9.0:5 Octane R Series because it will put out a lot more power and I'd like to get a 12" JL W3V2 sub and have the one amp the speakers and sub.

Will I need a better amp power cable because the new amp is more powerful or would the one I have now be fine. I have no idea what gauge wire im running now..how do you tell? and how thick would I need to go for a 5 channel running 900 watts? I think my amp now is 400watts max

Thanks
 
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Old 04-09-2005
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it could just be the speaker..try setting a diff speaker to that out on the amp and see if it still does it. if so then its the amp, if not then its the speaker. try that before you go out and buy another amp cause that might not be the problem.
 
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Old 04-09-2005
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I actually tried that..I bought the speaker off ebay so I thought it was the speaker so I bought a new set, replaced the one I thought was blown but the new speaker sounds pretty much the same. It sounds very muffled...some sound comes out but not much, which is why I think its the amp. Its an old amp neways and definitely underpowers the speakers so getting a new one is something I wanted to do neways
 
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Old 04-09-2005
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1. check wiring. That speaker may be wired backwards, or the wiring may have a short/bad connection it in.
2. Test the amplifie channel. Unplug the faulty channel, and wire up another speaker to that channel. That will tell you if it's the speaker & wiring or the amp.
3. Check RCA (or speaker input) cables. Could be that channel is not working right, or may be loose.
4. With the power off, or the volume at zero, flip all the switches you can on the amplifier. Particularly the one that designates how many channels the amp should handle (typically a 3 position switch marked "2", "3", or "4") I've had some junk fall into my 4 channel amp and I had to do that to clear it. Probably a small wire filament fell through the crack and was shorting the switch.
 
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Old 04-10-2005
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Ok ill check that after work but my main question was would all my wiring work with a more powerful amp or would i have to swap some out?
 
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Old 04-10-2005
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Basically larger wiring carry larger wattage further distance with less loss. There are websites out there with all kinds of formulas out there to work out the optimum wire gauge for your power and wiring length. But simply if you are using the stock wiring, it would be a good idea to run your own wiring. You can get a decent spool of wire for 10 or 15 bucks from walmart. Look for the 25 or 50 foot spools they sell of 12 or 14 gauge wire.
 
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