My woofer which is a JL-W7 has stopped working. I have an Alpine CDA-7893 head unit, which is going into a Rockford Fosgate Power bd1500 amp powering the JL-W7. I have checked all connections, with the exception of the RCA outputs on the back of the head unit (no rear access, must remove head unit to check), and all seems good and tight.
My problem is trying to find where the problem lies, the amp or speaker. Is there a way to meter the outputs off the amp, or do I need to get another speaker to hook up to find out where my problem is. And yes, before someone asks, the amp has power, and the power light is on. Also, the head unit is adjusted to power the sub.
Thanks
You could put a voltmeter on the speaker sub wires (make sure it's on "AC"). Or, you could put a little 5.25" coaxle and see what happens...
If the amp is crossed over to the sub, you could put any signal into it to test it (just switch RCA's).
Does the sub pop or hum (even slightly) when switched on?
The sub does absolutely nothing. It went from working to not, with no unusual sounds or anything. I need to check the connections on the back of the head unit, I suspect something is loose. Batteries are fully charged, and I had them load tested just recently, so I don't think it is a powere issue.
Now, I just have to figure out how to unlock the head unit so I can slide it out.
Although it's not the healthiest thing for the sub, if you pull the RCA's on the amp (while the stereo is on), it should make a pop (turn the gains down if you can). If it doesn't, it's probably in the amp or sub.
Unless your RCA's are disconnected from your headunit, there's no reason to back it out. The amps are turning on, so the remote turn-on is operational....
Yes, amp nis turning on, so remote is good, but what about the pair of RCA jacks that run from the head unit to the amp. If they are loose or not connected would it cause the no output problem?
I just figured the first thing to do to trouble shoot was to check all connections.
Since you obviously have more than one amp, you can test signal output from the headunit by switching the rca's between your rear channels and yor sub output. You can do it at the amps if you have enought rca length, or at the headunit if you have access there... I suggest turning the headunit's volume all the way down and thru the monoamp's crossover up to around 120-150hz so you can easily hear the amp's output through your rear channel speakers without blowing them... Making the switch at both the amp and headunit rca's will help rule out a bad RCA cable...
Actually the easiest thing to do is what HH suggested to do with a Voltmeter at the speaker output terminals on the amp if you have one.. Do what I suggested if you don't have one at your disposal...
I'm in Havasu where I keep my boat, and my meter is back in Ca. I am going in the morning to buy another, i need one here to. If I meter the outputs, and get nothing, can I meter the RCA jacks where they come to the amp to see if they are delivering power? I assume I can, I just don't know what to set the meter to, and what values I should expect. That will let me know whether to pull the head unit and check the connections there.
Bummer... Instead of making th epurchase, just swap the RCA conections at the amps if they hapen to be close in location. Heck, Take it to CarToyz and ask for Mr. Naudio to do a basic troubleshoot...
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