help!! speakers keep cutting out when i put the volume up!

[cihanvtec]

hey guys, i just installed a head unit into my car and am having some trouble..
the previous owner has installed some cadence speakers all round (speaker with built in tweeter kinda thing, sorry dont know what they're called)

what happens is, as soon as i turn my volume up over a certain level the speakers cut out, and for them to work again i have to turn the ignition off and restart the car.
ive checked over all my wiring, and nothing is touching. everything is soldered and heat shrink wrapped.

the head unit is nothing ancient, so i dont think that it is the problem..
im not running an amp, and i dont plan to as ive had a similar setup (just normal speakers though) work fine on my previous car

what could it be? its driving me insane!!!

[CRXDEL501]

Maybe your playing the speakers too loud

[cihanvtec]

nope not possible. the stock speakers on my other car could handle it and its a 1990 model. i cant even put it half way..

no one knows whyy??

[TbM]

If you have checked all the wiring the only thing i can think of besides the headunit being faulty is the speakers might be too low ohms for the headunit, IIrc if they are too low for the headunit they will over drive the amp in the head unit and cause it to over heat or go into over current protection.

[Drifter995]

If you have checked all the wiring the only thing i can think of besides the headunit being faulty is the speakers might be too low ohms for the headunit, IIrc if they are too low for the headunit they will over drive the amp in the head unit and cause it to over heat or go into over current protection.

My thoughts exactly...
Does sound very much like the headunits amp is going into protection...
Also, the word you are looking for is coax speakers.. the ones with the tweeter on them, instead of seperate.

I'd rip a door card off (by rip I mean pull off gently) take out a speaker, and look for a model number... research. if they are 2ohm model... that is probably the reason... else, maybe the headunit isn't getting enough volts?
Does the headunit turn off when it happens? or is it just the speakers turning off?
If the headunit does turn off, if you leave it for a bit, does it come back on by itself? like if you turn it down? or does it stay off?

[cihanvtec]

My thoughts exactly...
Does sound very much like the headunits amp is going into protection...
Also, the word you are looking for is coax speakers.. the ones with the tweeter on them, instead of seperate.

I'd rip a door card off (by rip I mean pull off gently) take out a speaker, and look for a model number... research. if they are 2ohm model... that is probably the reason... else, maybe the headunit isn't getting enough volts?
Does the headunit turn off when it happens? or is it just the speakers turning off?
If the headunit does turn off, if you leave it for a bit, does it come back on by itself? like if you turn it down? or does it stay off?

the head unit stays on, but the speakers dont come back on even after ive turedn the volume down.. if my speakers are 2ohms, how many ohm speakers will i need to change them too?

thank for reply :)

[ericl33]

most car audio gear is rated @ 4ohm.

correct me if I'm wrong.

[Drifter995]

most car audio gear is rated @ 4ohm.

correct me if I'm wrong.

eh... most would be pushing it... there are some 2ohm speakers out there, quite a lot single 2ohm subs, even more dual 2ohm subs (which would be 4ohm wired in.... series? can't remember exactly) and even more dual 4ohm subs (which would be 2ohm in... the same wiring... way... I really should know which way will get that...)

But yes, if they are 2ohms, you should be aiming for 4ohms.
Could they be blown? thoughts?

[ericl33]

the more you know

[TbM]

the head unit stays on, but the speakers dont come back on even after ive turedn the volume down.. if my speakers are 2ohms, how many ohm speakers will i need to change them too?

thank for reply :)
Most head units require a minimum of 4 ohm speakers, if they are 2 ohm you could buy a small 4 ch amp instead of replacing the speakers, would be a much better option imo.


most car audio gear is rated @ 4ohm.

correct me if I'm wrong.
Sort of, most coax and splits will be rated at 4 ohm but, subs and amps will generally have different ratings

eh... most would be pushing it... there are some 2ohm speakers out there, quite a lot single 2ohm subs, even more dual 2ohm subs (which would be 4ohm wired in.... series? can't remember exactly) and even more dual 4ohm subs (which would be 2ohm in... the same wiring... way... I really should know which way will get that...)

But yes, if they are 2ohms, you should be aiming for 4ohms.
Could they be blown? thoughts?
Dual 4 ohm sub would be 8 ohm in series or 2 ohm in paralell

Imo i dont think a speaker is blown, op would probably of noticed if there was output lacking from one speaker, im thinking its a wiring or ohm issue.

[Drifter995]

ah, parallel... Man, I really need to study that more... so I don't forget, and then remember how to wire them up >.>

But yes, if 2ohms, amp is quite a good plan.
and true wiring or ohm issue.

[cihanvtec]

okay, i so had some time on my hands today so i opened up the doors.. the speakers are cadence zx461.. i had a look on the net, and now im even more confused! theyre rated at 4 ohms.. what do i do now? lol.. arghhh

[TbM]

okay, i so had some time on my hands today so i opened up the doors.. the speakers are cadence zx461.. i had a look on the net, and now im even more confused! theyre rated at 4 ohms.. what do i do now? lol.. arghhh

Are the front and rear speakers the same?

If the speakers are 4 ohm then imo unless somethings faulty it has to be your wiring.

Id get the multi-meter out and start testing. If you or a mate has a spare headunit you could quickly hook that up too see if your headunit is the cause.

[christo75]

What headunit are you using and when the sound cuts out what does the headunit display show? Most headunits display protect on the LCD display if the see a short.
What RMS rating are the speaker?

[TbM]

The cadence hes mentioned are 40 rms.

[cihanvtec]

What headunit are you using and when the sound cuts out what does the headunit display show? Most headunits display protect on the LCD display if the see a short.
What RMS rating are the speaker?

the headunit is an alpine.. cant remember the exact model but its about 2 years old.. it doesnt say anything when it cuts out, it just displays as if the song is still playing..

[cihanvtec]

Are the front and rear speakers the same?

If the speakers are 4 ohm then imo unless somethings faulty it has to be your wiring.

Id get the multi-meter out and start testing. If you or a mate has a spare headunit you could quickly hook that up too see if your headunit is the cause.

they were cadence all round but i swappe over the fronts today to sony ones. the sony ones were great when in my mates car. he ran the same headunit as me with them so im guessing they shouldnt be the problem. i might just swap out the rear cadence speakers for something else an see what happens?
but then i feel as though that wont fix it? im using the cars factory wiring, which ive done in all my cars..

[Drifter995]

you could just unplug the rears, see if that fixes it.. for all we know, they could have been wired into two channels, so both sets of speakers running off the front channels of the amp... but yeah, hard to really guess without seeing/ getting more info...

[cihanvtec]

you could just unplug the rears, see if that fixes it.. for all we know, they could have been wired into two channels, so both sets of speakers running off the front channels of the amp... but yeah, hard to really guess without seeing/ getting more info...

hmm i didnt think of trying that.. thanks for your help mate!

[Winno]

It's either;
- You're expecting the head unit to do too much into these Cadence speakers which may not be as efficient as other speakers you've owned (and are therefore harder to drive)
- A short somewhere in the wiring that you're not aware of
- An issue in either the head unit or the speakers.

Experience leads me to believe that it's probably one of the first two.
Just go through a process of elimination to find the issue.

[kristrifo]

most likely youre a) youre feeding too much bass through your speakers (bass distortion), b) youre feeding them too much power, c) power delivery is way too low and youre getting the speakers to pump at 10 volume when its only got the power for 6 volume (figuratively speaking), d) one of your speakers are ripped or fried

my amps have a fail safe on it

if it senses of the problems i mentioned before it shuts down the amp and i have to do the same thing (restart the car etc etc)...mine mainly used to do it when a speaker ripped or when it sensed the bass was distorting on the speakers

[MIKO_OL]

i'd go with the headunit. doesn't sound like a wiring problem might be the loom from the actual headunit not the cars wiring loom. its somethign small so i'd send it to an audio shop shouldn't cost too much if you guys can't fix it. cost me 70 bux to rewire my whole loom in my car. worked like a charm.