losing bass

[Perry Babin]

Play a 60-100Hz test tone and measure the AC voltage directly across the speaker terminals of the amp. Does the voltage change significantly when the bass drops in output level?

 

[fridgidy]

I checked the ac voltage and it stayed the same. Its range depended on how loud I had the volume but it remained steady when the bass level would go down.I used a 70hz test tone.

 

[Perry Babin]

That means that the problem is not with the amp or the signal source. The problem is somewhere between the speaker terminals on the amp and the speakers.

 

[fridgidy]

What gauge size speaker wire would you recommend? My amp is rated at 1500w rms at 1 ohm if that helps. My subs are 300w rms each.

 

[Perry Babin]

8 or 10 AWG if you're using it at 1500w into 1 ohm.

 

[fridgidy]

Ok I know this is a really old post to bring back but I continue to have the same problem. My bass can be normal most of the time but every now and then the bass really increases and I have to lower the gain on my deck all the way to 0 and then after awhile it goes back to normal. It's been doing it for a year now with no change. I've tried cleaning my battery terminals. I've tried totally new wiring for the subs to amp and the deck wires. Nothing. Could a blown speaker cause this because I do have a blown right front speaker that I still need to replace?

 

[fridgidy]

8 or 10 AWG if you're using it at 1500w into 1 ohm.

I'm using 10 gauge wire btw.

 

[techbiker]

Could it be your head unit? Many head units are poorly built and fail after a while. Mine lost its "right" browse button after 4 years (and it was a $600 head unit). :/

 

[fridgidy]

Not likely my head unit. I've changed units during the time it was doing this from a 6 year old Kenwood to a brand new Alpine and it didn't fix anything.

 

[techbiker]

Have you tried changing your amplifiers and subwoofers? I would replace one at a time until you narrow down the problem more. You could pick up a cheap subwoofer from ebay just for testing.

 

[seankane]

Are you using a factory bass knob?

Sounds like symptoms of a defective bass knob when its in use that is.

If your not using one, maybe consider taking your battery and having it load tested, as well as the alternator too. Maybe one is weak under load, as voltage drops.....bass drops.

 

[fridgidy]

I haven't tried replacing the subs or amp yet it's kinda the last resort because I don't have another amp I can try or other sub. I don't have a bass knob. I find they work like crap most of the time. There actually is a good chance it's my battery I've had it for quite awhile now and I've probably pushed the limit on its useful life. It's a red top optima battery that I've had for over 10 yrs. That's definitely a worthy investment whether it fixes the problem or not.