Style12v

I completely replaced the default Audi audio system, and have been having a very strange problem.

When I put the music up loud enough, all of a sudden all the sound cuts out, except for a very soft whisper which I think is coming from afew of the speakers (not all of them). It happens pretty much above 20, sometimes it will cut in and come back.

Its not that the speakers are being overdriven, because they sound fine, and I think my amp should be able to handle it fine.

Is it a loose connection?

Pioneer HeadUnit - Pioneer Amp - Boston Pro Components - 10" subs

Maybe to much for my amp?

jn

It sounds like your amp may be overdriven. Usually when an amp shuts down temporarily it is trying to protect itself. By shutting down, the amp is letting itself cool down. I am not sure how your speakers are wired to your amp, but if your subs are running of two channels bridged together, remember that the impedence load is actually half of that of the speakers. If you have two 4 ohm speakers wired in parallel, the load is reduced to 2 ohms. If that combo is run off a bridged channel, the load is only 1 ohm, probably way too much load for a Pioneer Amp.

Style12v

Its a 4 x 100 or 2 x 200 Pioneer amp

I have the 4 speakers wired up to two channels and the subs wired up to the other two
and then I bridged the amp

The thing is, this happened even before I put my subs in.

And its not like all music cuts out, I can still hear it very softly.. from the back two speakers

jn

I still think the amp is overloaded, not to critasize pioneer, but I don't think the amp likes having so many speakers run off it. It sounds like the front two channels are running at 2 ohms, if you have 4 speakers run off them. If your subs are 4 ohms wired in parellel and running off the two rear channels bridged, then the amp is seeing 1 ohm. Even though pioneers are 2 ohm stable, I would not do it. One indication is that when you drop the resistance from 4 to 2 ohms, the power output does not double. (stats from crutchfield) This indicates somewhere between 4 and 2 ohms, the amp reached it's limit. Other amps that are truly 2 ohm stable will double the power output from 4 to 2 ohms (i.e. Pheonix Gold, Rockford Fosgate, etc.) I Have a RF 600.5 Which is 50x4 + 100x1 at 4 ohms. I have 2 Infinity Kappa 2-ways running off of each of the 4 channels, plus 2 DVC 10" subs wired in parellel off the mono channel (not the same as bridged). I have never had a problem with overloading, the amp barely gets warm, it has been tested at this load to put out over 760 watts (truly low ohm stable)The fact that you still hear the music softly is probably the line level signal passing through the amp without getting amplified. Just like if you cut your RCA cables from the decks pre-out and wired them directly to a speaker, you would hear the music ever so slightly. I would try to lighten the load on the amplifier a bit (less speakers) for a while and try it. If it still cuts out, I would guess it is an internal prob.

Style12v

would unbridging the amp help? or should I just get an amp for my subs?

jn

Unbridging the amp would help as it would raise the ohm load that the amp sees, thus power output is reduced. I would use the amp for your mids and highs, and get a seperate amp for the subs. You can also get an electronic cross-over before the signal enters the amps. As you said before though this happened before you had the subs which still indicates a problem with the internals of the amp and not necessarily with the resistance load it is seeing. Is it an old amp?? I once fried a Sherwood amp that was a few years old by hooking up a full-range Kicker box with 2-10's and 2 tweeters wired in stereo!!

Style12v

I will try unbriding it, then unplugging the subs, then possibly just the front speakers and see if that helps. I probably will just get a new amp for me subs

Thanks for all the help and responses!

Cheers