Recently I got some CV componants and hooked up a 2nd amp to run them off of. I was told
to run lines from the Power, antenna, and ground to the 2nd amp, and it should work. Well the power light came on, on the 2nd amp, but no sound from the speakers, what am I doing wrong?

 

Antenna??? Did you run another set of patch cables? You didn't mention that so I have to assume that you didn't.

 

If your gonna run 2 amps I suggest you invest in getting some distribution blocks for power and ground. They are generally pretty cheap (under $30 each for middle of the road ones) and add a bit of style and performance to the system.

You'll only need one power wire from the battery....and one ground to the chassis. From there you can hook up as many amps as you have distros on the block.

You still need to run a set of RCA's for each amp though...unless one of your amps has a pass through connector...then you can simple daisy chain them together without too much signal loss. I've got 2 Rockford Fosgate amps installed...and the one I am running in 4 channel mode utilizes the pass through. My 2-channel doesn't.

 

first off I agree with jobryan did you hook up rca cables? if you did make sure your speaker connections have good conections also.

 

damn...i forgot about those hah, do I have to run another RCA from the deck to my new amp?

 

Yep.lol

 

if the amp that you have now has rca outs you can just plug into those puppies and save alot time and work!!

 

yeah tey do, and tahts what i did, but i think the amp im trying to hook em up to is a piece of crap, ir still wont work

 

What kind of amp is it?

 

Double check your RCA's and your Speaker Wires. What color is the light on the amp? Have you tried unhooking the RCA's from the Jenson connecting them to the new amp?

 

yeah i tried that, and they wont work, i think the amp is fried or some ****, the power light come son

 

So you tried swapping the RCA's and it didn't help. You said the power light come on but you didn't say what color the power light was or what amp this is. What amp is it?

 

the light was red and its a "T-sonic" I think its really old. Its says its a 125w+125w, so Im guessing its a bridgible 250w amp?

 

Cool now we're getting somewhere. The light being red means it's in protection mode so your amp maybe ok and there's just some problems in the wiring. Also make sure you are using the proper gauge wire. Like 8 gauge or larger for the Power and Ground.

These are the wires that need to be hooked up on the amp:
+12v - runs to the battery
Remote - it turns the amp on and off VIA the keyed ignition
Ground - This maybe the problem so check this one and make sure the Ground wire is connected to "BARE METAL". If there is paint or etc. between the wire and the metal then you won't get a good ground therefore causing the amp to give the Red light(protect mode). The shorter the length of the ground wire the better.
Input L&R - this is where the RCA's connect
Speaker Outputs L&R - These run to the speakers

Yeh check that ground wire.

 

whoa whoa, i have the smaller amp hooked up to the jenson, there are 3 lines running from the smaller amp to the jensons power, remote and ground? Is that ok....and....haah...Im using speaker wire to connect them...lol i think that is the biggest problem, i didnt ko wu had to use 8 gauge wire lol. Is that it?

 

I think you might have found the problem The problems your having alone can be from just the fact of running the second amp off of the Jenson. But then add the fact of the very small (probably 16gauge) wire would make the problem an even a bigger one. You need to buy a distribusion block and some 8gauge power and ground cables That should hopfully fix your problem. Let me know how it goes. John

Here's you a pic I threw together to show you how to properly run the Power and Ground Cables. The Ground cables that run from the Amps are grounded to the Body by drilling holes and sanding around the holes to remove the paint.

 

ok thanks, how much do distribution blocks cost?

 

You can buy them for around $20.00 up at your local Stereo Shop. You can get them with or without fuse holders. With fuse holders it's gonna cost more.

 

Distribution blocks are pretty cheap. If this is just for personal use (no shows or stuff like that), then you can get by with a cheap distro block. Pick up 2 of em (if you can afford it!)...1 for power....1 for ground.

Makes life VERY easy when you wire (or re-wire) the system. Plus it aids in trouble shooting. I would definately go for a fused distribution block...again if you can afford it!

I've got 1 or 2 old ones kicking around here....so if you have trouble finding them....or they are too much $$$ let me know. I'd send ya these for shipping charges ;-)

I don't really have a need for em....but I would have to dig em up!

 

make sure you didn't blow your fuse too. I blew mine without even knowing it. It took me 10 minutes to figure that out. DUH! :-)

 

It could be your speaker wire too. Try hooking your other speakers up to the amp (move them from the Jensen to the amp that doesn't work, just to see if you can get sound).

- Mike