Alright, so I purchased a Hifonics 1605D from Sonic Electronix (I don't know if I want to even taint this board with their actual address,) but I got it in perfect phsyical order.. the only problem was with the amp internals... there was a slight high-pitched hiss coming through the sub-woofers.

To describe this sound, I liken it to blowing on your fingernail tips... and about that loud (you can only hear it when the amp is on, and no music is playing... it's about as loud as sliding your finger along the surface of the sub)

Anyhow... I paid shipping and sent it back as an RMA to Sonic Electronix, who then shipped me another... first thing I do is hook up the power and ground like normal, *without* the RCAs plugged in, and just the subs connected up...

guess what?

Well, it makes the SAME EXACT SOUND!

even on a bench power supply... I'd say the sound was roughly 500hz@15db (going from this reference chart here )

Is this just typical of a Hifonics amp, or should I send it off yet again??

Thanks in advance...

 

I've never had a Hifonics amp before... maybe I should ask them to swap it for the 1500D (last year's model)?

 

People have posted about that amp before, but no one has ever mentioned any kind of noise as far as I am aware.

When you hooked the amp to your test bench, did you lave it grounded to the car? You might need to move the ground.

 

yeah.. I'm the only one who has ever had this new model it seems...

I've heard no complaints of the older models... maybe I really should just get them to swap if for the BX-1500D... 100 watts means nothing to me...

and yes, I can hook up this amp to car battery all by itself, with subs/bookshelf speakers hooked up.. and I hear this squealing sound... the sound fluctuates and wobbles and such... if I didn't know better, I'd say it was a grounding problem... but I've tried the same exact ground wires that work flawlessly with my other amps, and it was without success...

this angers me, because if I am sitting in the car with the volume very low, and the engine off, I can hear the noise... very irritating, especially for a brand new amp that is hooked up perfectly...

When I got the amp for the first time, I assumed it was a ground wire... so I ran new grounds, as well as a new 2AWG power wire.

 

I didn't compare model numbers on those two to make sure they were the same. All that registered were the big numbers.

If 100 watts doesn't mean much to you, I see no reason against dropping them.

On the other hand, is Sonic Electronix an authorized Hifonics vendor? The only reason I ask is because I know Ike Sound isn't for 1/2 the stuff they carry. If they are (or even if they aren't), call up Hifonics and see if they will replace/repair it. I have not dealt with them, but most companies will usually stand behind their product.

Regardless, I wouldn’t pay shipping again since you’ve determined that the problem lies in the amp.

 

When I sent the amp back for the first time, I had to pay $15 to ship it to them... they wanted me to pay $15 to have it sent BACK to me.... I refused to pay that...

now will have to pay $15 to send it back AGAIN.... and I will probably get another defective amp... I am seriously thinking of have them trade me with a different brand (PG or PPI)... and just paying the difference...

 

Seriously though, why not try Hifonics? All you have to lose is 5-10 minutes of your time on the phone.

 

ehh who knows. But if its only when theres no volume going through the speakers why not just turn the radio off if your not using it anyway. That would get rid of this noise....wouldnt it

 

Doy uo have any way to tell if it was the same amp?

 

Is it a whine or a hiss?
Does it go away if the amp is on, but the rca's are unplugged from the amp?

It definately sounds like it could be a grounding issue. Possibly the rca's...

 

nope it never goes away, I meant that I cannot hear it when the car is running or if I'm playing music... it's still there and highly aggrevating when I hear it..

I checked the serial numbers, and it's an entirely different amplifier... which amazes me.... I wonder if Hifonics started putting out crap for 2005? as the 1605D is a brand-new 2005 model.

The sound is there WITHOUT the rcas, which is a dead giveaway that it's either the amp ground or internal problems...

so to check for sure, I hooked it up to a stand-alone car battery... spliced the power to the remote turn on, with subs attached... no rcas, no remote bass ****.. nothing... and I get the same exact sound when it's hooked up properly in my car...

it reminds me of the sound a headunit makes when it's not grounded properly... you can hear whining that seems to correspond with internal circuitry changing and doing stuff...

the sound seems to modulate, pulse, and vibrate...


if just angers me that this has taken over a month from the time I ordered this amp, to the time where I yet again have a second faulty amplifier...

Gummie... I think I WILL call hifonics (MaxxSonics) today and see what's up with this... because it's really making them look bad in my eyes, as well as Sonic Electronix...

 

i bought some stuff from sonicelectronix.. i cant remember what right now but i know its in my car... i think its a problem with the amp not the vendor

 

the only beef I have with Sonic Electronix is their 'warranty'... technically speaking, if you read their warranty, after you have OPENED the box, you have voided the warranty...

luckily they aren't pure *******s about it...

but I still think they should pay ALL the shipping involved with THEIR faulty product!

Some interesting info... I hooked up the amp in a friend's truck, running two Kicker VRComp 15's... and there was no sound... I think it's because his woofers cannot produce that high of a sound...

Even if I could somehow filter the output of the amp to get rid of that hissing... I wouldn't, because if I buy something brand new, I want it to WORK!

What about this amp? I'm thinking of having them swap and I'll pay the difference
Phoenix Gold 1200w RMS... 1200RMS at ANY ohm load!!!?? somehow?