Stereo glitch???

[ssmith]

I just replaced the stock Kenwoods with new Polk Audio db's all around. Simple...popped the old ones out and the new ones in. However, now when the volume is turned up to 23 and above, the stereo briefly loses power (3 seconds) and then comes back on again. It keeps repeating this cycle until the volume is reduced to around 19. I have no idea what is happening.

The only problems I encountered during the install was the with the tower speakers. The 2 left speakers would not work when first installed...there appeared to be a short in the speaker wire. They would work for a second and then go off while all the others continued to work. I finally replaced all of the wire and connectors for those 2 and reattached and now they work like the others. But now back to the problem at hand.

Any ideas....:confused:

[zalamander]

Are you running an amplifier for these speakers? for any speakers? if so how many amps, and what zones (i.e. tower sperakers one amp, hull speakers another amp, etc.). also do you have a frequency cross-over? I am wondering if your new speakers are drawing too much power for what the head unit can provide at that volume (although I'll admit I have not run across this before). I've heard of stereo's turning on & off again because of dead battery/alternator. Hmmm

[ssmith]

Zalamander,

I have a total of 6 cabin speakers (all 6.5 inch), 1-10 inch sub and 4-6.5 inch towers. All of which are the new db's. I do have the factory installed kenwood amp (not sure of specifics though). The stock system worked fine so I'm a bit confused. I really haven't had a lot of time to investigate it. If one of the speaker wires had popped off when reinstalling the new speakers, could it cause a short in the system while its on?

[WadsworthSunsport22V]

jonyb can probally answer this one, but are your amps getting enough current? i.e. what size wire does supra use for power wire to the battery?

[SZEH]

ssmith...

I've run into the same problem with my boat. I still have the stock Kenwood hu and the Kenwood speakers. I do have an amp that run my tower speakers and sub, but I'm using the outs to go to that amp. The cabin speakers are run just the way they were wired at the factory to the head unit.

My stereo would shut down in the 27 volume range and then after about 3 seconds start again. I though at first that it was low volts going to the amp without the engine running and the amp going into the protect mode, but found out that it was actually the hu shutting down.

I'm running all my settings on the head unit flat, that's why my volume may be higher. If you pump up the settings such as bass and loudness and then crank it up you can hear distortion start in the speakers and the hu will cut out.

I don't have an amp, factory or aftermarket running my interior speakers. It just seems that if these Kenwood hu are really pushed they go in to a protect mode. It could be because the front bow speakers are running at 4 ohms and the four interior speakers are running at 2 ohms which could be making the hu internal hu amp run too hard and forcing it into a protect mode.

I would think that an aftermarket amp for the interior speakers is going to be the only way to go to get the volume you want without pushing the hu beyond it's limits.

I've just installed a Clarion equalizer (there's a thread in this forum somewhere). Haven't had time to put it to the test with my tower speakers and sub yet, but preliminary volume seems to be better. I actually got a multimeter and set my gains on my amp, so I know I've got all my settings correct on my amp.

I know I didn't solve anything, but at least you know you're not alone with this problem.

Scott

[ssmith]

Szeh,

Thanks for the info. I agree with your analysis. I'm guessing I need another amp but I wold like to know for sure before dropping the $$$ for it. Sorry to hear you are having the same issues. If you figure anything else out, please let me know. I'll do the same.

[jonyb]

What's the impedance of the new speakers? Some of these are 2 ohms, so that's gonna be too low for the amps.

[SZEH]

What's the impedance of the new speakers? Some of these are 2 ohms, so that's gonna be too low for the amps.

jonyb,

I can't find the specs on these Kenwood speakers since they've been discontinued, but the way the 4 are wired (2 left and 2 right) in the main sitting area they are drawing 2 ohms from the hu which is probably why it's going into a protect mode. I went to a local stereo install shop and he said that his multimeter showed that there the main cabin was at 2 ohms I imagine are wired off the "Rears" and the 2 speakers in the bow playpen area are wired to I imagine the "Fronts" and is drawing only 4 ohms.

I think this has something to do with wiring in "Series" and "Parallel". Could they be wiring the speakers incorrect at the factory? I haven't pulled out a speaker yet to determine how they're wired.

Scottt

[jonyb]

jonyb,

I can't find the specs on these Kenwood speakers since they've been discontinued, but the way the 4 are wired (2 left and 2 right) in the main sitting area they are drawing 2 ohms from the hu which is probably why it's going into a protect mode. I went to a local stereo install shop and he said that his multimeter showed that there the main cabin was at 2 ohms I imagine are wired off the "Rears" and the 2 speakers in the bow playpen area are wired to I imagine the "Fronts" and is drawing only 4 ohms.

I think this has something to do with wiring in "Series" and "Parallel". Could they be wiring the speakers incorrect at the factory? I haven't pulled out a speaker yet to determine how they're wired.

Scottt

The Kenwood speakers are 4 ohms. A head unit will not play at 2 ohms. I've already said they need to quit installing stereo's at SC. They make you think you're really getting something good and it's honestly all just junk. Paper cone speakers on the tower, come on..... For 6 speakers, you need an amp. Head units will not play that load so go ahead and disconnect 2 or add an amp.

[ssmith]

jonyb,

Here on the specs on my new db's...

Design 2-way
Tweeter Design 3/4" Dome
Tweeter Composition Silk/Polymer composite
Woofer Composition Polymer/Mica composite
Woofer Surround Butyl rubber
Parts Warranty 1 Year
Labor Warranty 1 Year
Specifications
Sensitivity 92 dB at 1 watt
Frequency Response 35 - 22k Hz
RMS Power Range (Watts) 6-60
Peak Power Handling (Watts) 180
Impedance (Ohms) 4
Top-mount Depth (Inches) 1 11/16
Bottom-mount Depth (Inches) N/A
Cutout Diameter or Length (inches) 5

Looks like they are at 4 ohms.
Did talk to the dealership and they said this is common. The HU shutting down and then powering back up when at higher volumes is because when not running the boat...all of the power is being pulled from the battery and the powering down is a safety mechanism to keep the battery from being drained. In order to overcome this, add a second battery just for the stereo.

I don't know but that's what I was told.

[SZEH]

jonyb,

Did talk to the dealership and they said this is common. The HU shutting down and then powering back up when at higher volumes is because when not running the boat...all of the power is being pulled from the battery and the powering down is a safety mechanism to keep the battery from being drained. In order to overcome this, add a second battery just for the stereo.

I don't know but that's what I was told.

I do have the 2 battery option that came with the boat. I have the hu running off the main starting battery and the amp running off the second battery. I still have a sneaking suspicion that it has to do with the way the speakers are wired and that it's a 2 ohm issue shutting down the head unit since the hu will shut down almost immediately after the engine is shut off at higher volumes and there hasn't been much battery drain to speak of.

When you say db speakers I assume they're Polks? If so, those are the ones I'm think of upgrading to once I get an amp to power my interior speakers.

[jonyb]

Looks like they are at 4 ohms.
Did talk to the dealership and they said this is common. The HU shutting down and then powering back up when at higher volumes is because when not running the boat...all of the power is being pulled from the battery and the powering down is a safety mechanism to keep the battery from being drained. In order to overcome this, add a second battery just for the stereo.

I don't know but that's what I was told.

That's BS.

So is the head unit playing 6 speakers, or is there an external amp?

Are any of the speakers blown or damaged? A blown speaker shows a dead short to the amplifier that's playing it.

[SZEH]

That's BS.

So is the head unit playing 6 speakers, or is there an external amp?

Are any of the speakers blown or damaged? A blown speaker shows a dead short to the amplifier that's playing it.

jonyb....

Mines the factory setup for the interior and the Kenwood hu is playing 6 speakers without an amp.

I haven't played with the fade yet, but I will this weekend. The best way I can figure out how they might have it wired is the are using the Front "L" and "R" for the two speakers in the bow. Then they're using the Rear "L" to power the two left speakers and the Rear "R" to power the two right speakers. Basically power 4 speakers with the the "L" and "R" rears. I imagine this is producing the 2 ohm load which is shutting down the hu. I'm guessing a good 4 channel amp would fix this issue. Would have been nice for a little R&D into the sound system before they decided to put this in.

Would rewiring the way the speakers are wired at the speakers get the hu back to 4 ohms. Like I said earlier...they may have them wired in series vs parallel???. Can you even do that? Might be easier just to get an 4 channel amp that's 2 ohm stable which is just about anything. Thought's?

Scott

[jonyb]

If you've got 6 speakers playing on the head unit, and it's shutting off, then they're wired in parrallel on the rear channels. That's what I've been trying to tell you.

Disconnect 1 left rear, and 1 right rear, and it should resolve the problem.

As I said, SC doesn't have any business installing stereo's. It's not rocket science, but you need to have a general idea of what you're doing and don't just start hooking stuff up with no clue about what you're doing. 6 speakers on a head unit is a BIG no-no.

[ssmith]

That's BS.

So is the head unit playing 6 speakers, or is there an external amp?

Are any of the speakers blown or damaged? A blown speaker shows a dead short to the amplifier that's playing it.

Maybe I could work for SC (LOL) b/c I'm clueless about this stuff. I'm good with home theaters but I've simply never messed with any of this before. I'm sure its fairly basic but I haven't had the time to dive into it head first just yet but soon, very soon.

I have the factory setup up....6 cabin speakers, 4 towers, and the 10" sub. There is a kenwood amp mounted but thats all I know at the present.

You mention a short. Could a loose speaker wire that occured during the install of the new speakers have any similar effect?

Thanks

[jonyb]

You mention a short. Could a loose speaker wire that occured during the install of the new speakers have any similar effect?

Thanks

It's possible.

There's an amp in there... What is it? 2 or 4-channel? I know it's not a 5 or 6, because Kenwood doesn't make them. Kenwood stuff is weak. My boat came with 2 Excelon 4-channels. 1 amp powered the 6 in-boat coax's, while the other amp powered the 4 tower speakers from 2 channels, and the 10" sub on the other 2 channels. You couldn't even hear the sub, even with the seat open. The tower speakers weren't loud enough to hear at 50', much less outside the boat. And if you could hear them, turn'em down because they're about to explode!

The only Kenwood piece left in the boat now is the crappy head unit with even crappier ipod control and remotes. If I ever figure out or find the material to rebuild the fake fiber part where the remote is, I'll put an Alpine in there.