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Multimeter

You can measure a speakers resistance but not its impendence with a DVOM (Mulitimeter) so it's only good for comparison measurements. As for the signal on an RCA I would use an Oscilloscope a DVM really not suited for measuring an audio signal.
 
Let me pose this to you then.
I have sent my amp (Xtant X603) back to them 3xs because it keeps shutting down on me.
It has a 'over current' light that comes on and it is inoperable. Has to be sent back to them for resetting.
I called them and explained what I was doing and they say that the problem lies in my setup rather than the amp. I don't buy that.
It was working flawlessly for several years. I got moisture in the area where the amp is housed and it damaged the amp. My fault so I paid to have it fixed. Got it back and it didn't sound right so I tinkered with some dials and caused the 'over current' light to come on. Again, my fault and I told them as much. Got it back a third time and plugged in RCA jacks and immediately upon powering up the light came on again. :mad: :mad:
They say that since the OEM head unit doesn't have true RCA and I am going from speaker outputs and coveting to RCAs that the voltage is different and causing the amp to go into safe mode???? :confused:
Also that the speakers are causing the same thing possibly??
I am only running a pair of MB Quart seperates off the two channels of the amp and then a Nackmichi sub off the sub channel.
I just don't know where to turn now.
 
Hi,

If you are only running a set of separates, chances are slim to none that they impedance is too low unless you got a short somewhere. It's worth a check with the multimeter as well as the sub. You should have about 4 ohms on each side of the components speakers and your sub should be within 2 and 4 ohms depending on the sub.

The head unit does not put out speaker level outputs. It's very similar to RCA outputs. It should not cause the amp to shut down unless it's putting out over 8.5V RMS (that's what your amp can take). Did the amp shut down when you were cranking the system?

One thing about that X603 amp, I considered buying that amp for my system. But there was a LOT of refurbished X603s on the market and I thought that was kind of odd. There were tons of them on eBay. I went to an authorized Xtant dealer and he told me that they get a lot of returns on those amps so it wouldn't surprise me if those amps have some kind of bad design that causes them to break often. He said in his own words that the X603 is "a piece of junk." That's all it took me to decide on the Audison 3 channel. I can't say enough great things about this little powerhouse.

It'd be interesting to find out what the triggers are for the overcurrent as the manual does not say. Is it high line voltage or is it an impedance trigger? And why does the amp no longer function after it triggers? Does the amp not work now? What if you disconnect the speaker wires? Does the light turn off?
 
Malibu Rapper said:
Hi,

If you are only running a set of separates, chances are slim to none that they impedance is too low unless you got a short somewhere. It's worth a check with the multimeter as well as the sub. You should have about 4 ohms on each side of the components speakers and your sub should be within 2 and 4 ohms depending on the sub.

The head unit does not put out speaker level outputs. It's very similar to RCA outputs. It should not cause the amp to shut down unless it's putting out over 8.5V RMS (that's what your amp can take). Did the amp shut down when you were cranking the system?

One thing about that X603 amp, I considered buying that amp for my system. But there was a LOT of refurbished X603s on the market and I thought that was kind of odd. There were tons of them on eBay. I went to an authorized Xtant dealer and he told me that they get a lot of returns on those amps so it wouldn't surprise me if those amps have some kind of bad design that causes them to break often. He said in his own words that the X603 is "a piece of junk." That's all it took me to decide on the Audison 3 channel. I can't say enough great things about this little powerhouse.

It'd be interesting to find out what the triggers are for the overcurrent as the manual does not say. Is it high line voltage or is it an impedance trigger? And why does the amp no longer function after it triggers? Does the amp not work now? What if you disconnect the speaker wires? Does the light turn off?

Funny you mention the refurbished comment. When I got mine back the first time, I noticed a sticker on the bottom of it stating the reason I had sent it in to be fixed. HOWEVER, there was another sticker on there also where that board had been sent back once before. Sounds to me like I got sold a refurbished unit from the start. :mad:
I searched there website for a long time trying to find out the same thing with no luck. Very aggravating to me.
Once the light is triggered, the amp still works but the power is cut considerably and there is lots of static in it. So bad that you can't bear to listen to it for a couple of minutes. Also, when that happens, the amp get REALLY hot and then will go into thermal protection mode.
I was told by them (Xtant) verbatum that if the light comes on, simply disconnect the RCA inputs and it will reset itself. Doesn't happen. Once it is on, I can't get it to go off. I tried completely removing it from car overnight and then reinstalling it only to have same problem.
I am expecting it back to me on Monday from them 'fixing' it again for the 3rd time. I am scared to install it for fear of it doing the same thing.
I have been without tunes in the car for about 5 months or so. I have gotten used to it though. Good thing I don't drive it much too. :frown:
The TL and Integra have radio's that work just fine. :smile:
When I first started having problems with the audio system, I did all types of process and elimination tests and determined it was a bad head unit. All the speakers played just fine if I ran cables from a known good radio to the amp. So I finally got a good head unit and now the amp is messing up on me.
 
For a quick test, disconnect your speaker wires & RCA's but leave the power connections; turn on your amp - does it overcurrent?
Yes - amp is bad
No - try re-connecting the speaker wires
Does it over-current?
yes- speakers or connection may be bad
no - try connecting the RCA's one channel at a time (you can do this step "hot")
Does it over-current?
yes - may be a head or wiring problem but could still be the amp
Do you have any other source of audio (like a home piece of equip or camcorder with audio outs)? Try connecting this into the amp RCA inputs & see what happens:
Does it overcurrent?
yes - problem is with amp
no - problem is with head or wiring between head & amp.
 
Acura NsX Pilot said:
Just a question but do you think maybe the amp is not getting enough current ?

I am pretty sure it is. It has got a 4 gauge power and ground wire going to it. Of course the remote turn on wire is about 10 gauge but it doesn't have to be real thick I don't think??? :confused:

D'Ecosse said:
For a quick test, disconnect your speaker wires & RCA's but leave the power connections; turn on your amp - does it overcurrent?
Yes - amp is bad
No - try re-connecting the speaker wires
Does it over-current?
yes- speakers or connection may be bad
no - try connecting the RCA's one channel at a time (you can do this step "hot")
Does it over-current?
yes - may be a head or wiring problem but could still be the amp
Do you have any other source of audio (like a home piece of equip or camcorder with audio outs)? Try connecting this into the amp RCA inputs & see what happens:
Does it overcurrent?
yes - problem is with amp
no - problem is with head or wiring between head & amp.

I have another car that has a a/m audio system in. I ran true RCA outputs directly from it to the amp and was getting the same result. The over current light stayed on. The tech told me that since the voltage could be different since I wasn't running a true RCA output then that could be the culprit. I have already even tried using a jumper set of RCA cable from the NSX to the known good system and had no problems.
Today I will test as much of the system as I can for potential problems.
I would just think that once the amp realizes that the current problem has been addressed that it would turn the light off. That would make my life a lot easier in determining what/if any there is a problem elsewhere.
I'll keep you updated.
Thank you very much for all the suggestions.
 
call 480-813-6200 on monday, ask for Coop. he is our tech guy. tell him marc asked you to speak with him. ask him how much he, or chris (another guy at work) would want to fix the thing or if he knows someone who will.

FWIW i though all xtant amps had input jumpers on the board so you could run from very low signal in to speaker level in. if so this would eliminate your problem which would mean the amp has yet to be repaired.

this does happen alot, more that it should because the factory only has a "standard testing procedure" that it has to pass, if your problem is out of the box......it takes alittle convincing sometimes.

you may also try united radio, they will charge you again also but they have better tech's that what you may have already dealt with.

good luck
 
01blacks4 said:
call 480-813-6200 on monday, ask for Coop. he is our tech guy. tell him marc asked you to speak with him. ask him how much he, or chris (another guy at work) would want to fix the thing or if he knows someone who will.

FWIW i though all xtant amps had input jumpers on the board so you could run from very low signal in to speaker level in. if so this would eliminate your problem which would mean the amp has yet to be repaired.

this does happen alot, more that it should because the factory only has a "standard testing procedure" that it has to pass, if your problem is out of the box......it takes alittle convincing sometimes.

you may also try united radio, they will charge you again also but they have better tech's that what you may have already dealt with.

good luck

When I called Xtant before I sent it back the 3rd time, he told me about a jumper on the circuit board. I tried it both ways at his direction but it didn't help either way.
I tell you what I think really happened. I sent the amp back to the Next Day Air UPS and paid $69 for it. I told them I needed it back by the weekend because I was using the car for an out of town trip and wanted to have some tunes to listen to. I explained that I would pay for express shipping back also. I called them on Friday and asked about the progress of repairs. They claimed to have not gotten it yet. Considering I shipped it out on a Wednesday I was stressed. I checked UPS web site and got confirmation name and time it was delivered. Called them back with that info and they said they get lots of amps for repair so it must still be in the receiving department. I expressed my disdain about the way it was being handled since I paid so much $$ to have it shipped. They explained that it would be taken care of that day. I said fine....HOWEVER. I didn't want them to rush the job and not fix it properly just to push it out. If it wasn't going to be done in time, to just wait and send it back the following week on UPS ground. I was willing to pay for Saturday delivery if it was fixed correctly. Well I got it on Saturday delivery and guess what, it wasn't fixed!!!!!!!!! :mad:
I am at whits end right now.
If it doesn't work this time, I will take you up on your offer.
Thank you very much for that too.
 
If problem is same (i.e. overcurrent light on) with your other RCA source (or no input) then your NSX head input should not be the problem; the BS about speaker level outputs is not an issue and obviously you had this working before.
Also, I would find it hard to believe you'd get an O/C protection from the input side- if anything it would just clip & be horribly distorted. The most likely causes are the amp itself (output stage) is bad or an output speaker wiring problem or blown speaker(s).
Are you confident you have the speaker wires connected properly? (no disrespect intended)

Can you please try the speaker connection test - disconnect them & report back as to overcurrent or not.
If it is OK, (i.e. no overcurrent) you can try reconnecting your speakers one at a time (do NOT do this "HOT") to find which one is the problem.
If it is overcurrent with the speaker wires disconnected, then the amp is still shot.
 
D'Ecosse said:
If problem is same (i.e. overcurrent light on) with your other RCA source (or no input) then your NSX head input should not be the problem; the BS about speaker level outputs is not an issue and obviously you had this working before.
Also, I would find it hard to believe you'd get an O/C protection from the input side- if anything it would just clip & be horribly distorted. The most likely causes are the amp itself (output stage) is bad or an output speaker wiring problem or blown speaker(s).
Are you confident you have the speaker wires connected properly? (no disrespect intended)

Can you please try the speaker connection test - disconnect them & report back as to overcurrent or not.
If it is OK, (i.e. no overcurrent) you can try reconnecting your speakers one at a time (do NOT do this "HOT") to find which one is the problem.
If it is overcurrent with the speaker wires disconnected, then the amp is still shot.

I am 99.9% sure the speakers are connected properly. I am going to confirm this later by running speaker wire from the NSX to another system my Integra.
So let me give the order for which I need to do this.
Connect ground wire
Connect power wire
Connect remote turn on wire
turn on unit to confirm it gets power and over light doesn't illuminate
-----------------------------------
Turn power off
Connect RCA jacks
-----------------------------------
Power up unit to check for 'over' light again
-----------------------------------
turn power off
connect one pair of speakers
-----------------------------------
power up unit and check for light
-----------------------------------
turn power off
connect other pair of speakers
-----------------------------------
power up unit and check for light
-----------------------------------
power off unit
connect subwoofer to sub out
-----------------------------------
power up unit for final time and testing
-----------------------------------

Should I have gains set all the way down? If I connect something and the light comes on, shouldn't it go off if I disconnect the problem?
 
Should I have gains set all the way down?
Should always pretty much start with the gains towards the low end & tune from there, regardless of your current problem

If I connect something and the light comes on, shouldn't it go off if I disconnect the problem?
I would expect so
 
Sorry to hijack this post but I was curious about car amps going into overcurrent protection and being sent in for repair. I have a couple of 4-ch Sony amps that when connected to a sub box went into overcurrent protection. I've just let them set on a shelf for a couple a year. I thought simly removing the load would fix the problem but it didn't. Is it typical to take an amp to a shop to have the overload protection reset?
 
Update !!!!
Good news and a little bad news and a question.
Good news first. I got the amp back today and hooked it up in the order that I stated above. It works just as it used to. No overcurrent issues. It states on the paperwork that they swapped out the whole board.
Now the bad news. I noticed the amp was getting pretty hot on one end of it. I look at the cooling fan and noticed that it wasn't on. It was plugged in but not running. So I pushed the connected onto the terminals and it clicked on. I took my fingers off and it quit!! Great, now the wires got pinched somehow and the fan doesn't come on when it is supposed to. I will have to fix that myself and probably hard wire it. Can't deal with driving around and have the amp get hot and catch something on fire in the trunk. YIKES !!
Now the question. There is a green light that stays on because of the noise gate is engaged and is operating. Do I need to have it enabled, will it hurt for that light to stay on all the time or should I adjust the threshold level until it goes out??
Thanks again for all the help with this delima.
 
Noisegate isn't necessary. But it won't hurt to have that green light on either.

Noisegate was made for that IASCA judgment category, not sure if they still use it, but when you have no music playing, you should not have any speaker hiss. Usually referred to as zero bit mute. Nice to have...

If your fan is dead and you have problems finding a replacement, you can checkout www.mouser.com and they might just have it.

Also to answer Shaun Ray's question, amp protection usually is reset automatically. I wouldn't even bother having those amps fixed as I would just as soon buy a new one instead.

Glad to hear the amp is fixed. If it keeps giving you problems, all this back and forth shipping costs, time, etc. You should consider replacing it next time :)
 
cool - glad it all worked out -
biggthum.gif

Although, yet another demerit against Xtant - fixed one problem & created a new one!
spock.gif


nono.gif
 
D'Ecosse said:
cool - glad it all worked out -
biggthum.gif

Although, yet another demerit against Xtant - fixed one problem & created a new one!
spock.gif


nono.gif
I agree. The first time they sent it back to me, the fan had a blade broken off it. The way they package it was the culprit. I told them and they said either send it back or buy one and they would reimburse me. Well since I couldn't ever get the stupid thing working, I had forgot about it.
I remembered it Sunday. Of course by then it was to late. Much to my surprise though, they did put a new one in. I guess because the whole board was swapped out. To bad the wire got pinched so bad though.
I'm just going to chalk it up and fix it myself. Don't want them touching it again now that it works correctly.
I can't thank you guys enough for all the help you have provided.
 
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