Just installed (professionally) a Hifonics Zues ZXi8010 Amp powering 2-3way (110 RMS) and 2-2way (55 RMS) Infinity Kappas and a Kicker 12"
(400 RMS) all 4 ohms...

The first one blew, and now this one gets friggin hot! Installer says its hooked up right and the heat during install test was just because the car was not in motion and just sitting in the bay running...

Well after a 20 min ride you could barley touch the amp. Its canted so air gets under it too. The bass is not turned all the way up either, 40-50% Id say.

Any ideas? Is it supposed to run that hot?

Now it has a fail safe but the first amp didnt auto shut off like it should have, Im afraid this one might not either...

 

I just put that exact amp into my '07 this past weekend (pic). I did notice that it got a bit warm, but didn't seem to be excessive. Either way, I think you just convinced me to pony up $20 for the three year extended warranty. Thanks

 

Question (I guess more of a comment), The specs for the 8010 are...

RMS Power Rating:
4 ohms: 55 watts x 4 chan. + 200 watts x 1 chan.
2 ohms: 110 watts x 4 chan. + 300 watts x 1 chan.

How are you getting 110w on the fronts and 400 on the sub if they're all 4 ohm speakers.

 

No, thats just the speaker ratings I was informing of. Its running at 4 ohms: 55 watts x 4 chan. + 200 watts x 1 chan.

So the speakers arent too much for the amp.

Could it just be from the heat in the car? I am in S FL. But its under 15% tint and a cargo cover

 

Thats nice bro. I wouldve put mine closer to the front like yours but didnt want it visible from peeking eyes

 

I've had a 3' long 1/4" steel rod in the seam at the bottom of the flap hanging down from my cargo cover for a while now. If I park the car somewhere that I might be 'concerned' I can very easily pull the flap over the box and the rod holds it in place However, I was thinking about painting the sub grill black to make it just a tad bit less obvious from outside the hatch.

For your overheating, I'd guess that your gains are set too high, causing the amp to work much harder than it was designed to do. But I know a lot more about hooking things up and making them work than I do about actual audio gear, so see if any of the real experts have some thoughts about that.

 

Umm, ok someone else said that too... what does the "gain" control look like? I dont see any adjustment for "gain".
Is it the remote **** that controls the bass db? If so thats set below halfway, that would sux if I have to lower that any further!

 

The ***** you have to adjust with a screwdriver that are labeled 6v-0.2v are the gains. They're supposed to be set to match the voltage your HU is putting out, but you can't really just set them where they're 'supposed' to be by the numbers on the *****.

Try turning all 3 down (towards the 6v side) about 30* (one hours worth on a clock) and see if it runs any cooler.

 

That would be the Preout Voltage on the HU? "Preout Voltage Hi-Volt (4V), 100 ohm "

 

I will typically start with the gains set to thier lowest level I then will have someone else slowly turn them up with the volume on the HU at 3/4 of the way up. Once I notice any distortion I will then back down the gains just a bit.

 

So I should turn the gain just before the 6V if my radio is 4V? (see my previous post)

 

Set the gains counter clokwise to their minimum setting which sounds like it is 6V in your case. Work your way turning the gain ***** clockwise one step at a time using my method above. I would forget what the HU and amp settings say. Your goal is to set them so with the HU volume at 75% there is no distortion. As soon as you reach a gain step that you hear any distortion or breakup of the sound back it down one notch or click and you should be all set. Let us know how you make out.

 

I assume that 200mv = 0.2v? If thats the case the amp was set at about 1 o'clock on the dials (6v all the way to the left and 0.2v to the right) and there was no distortion. And with audio isnt the "lower" number actually the "higher" number (0.2v is more gain than 6v)?
Last night I turned the dials back to 12 oclock (closer to 6v) based on one of the first gain suggestion posts, no problem but didnt have the chance to run it that long.

Tonight Ill try it, thanks

 

The idea is to match the input (gain) pot on the amp to whatever voltage the HU is putting out. If there was an industry standard that mandated all HU's to put out the same voltage there would be no need for gain adjustments. You had the pot set at 1 o'clock with 6v being at roughly 7 and 0.2 at 5. Based on those numbers I'd guess that your amp was looking for a 2.5v input, but it doesn't care what the actual input is, it's going to amplify whatever you give it. If your HU is actually putting out 4v when the amp is expecting 2.5v, the amp is going to be producing more power than it's designed to, which will cause overheating and eventual failure, but you seem to have already discovered that

Does that clear it up?

If you turn the gains down farther than needed the only negative result would be that the music just won't get as loud.

 

I think I got it. So I should start at about 9 o'clock and work my way clockwise until distortion OR just leave it at 9 (4V).

Thanks for your time and help

 

Mark you are mostly right, ideally you want the HU to be using all of its available clean signal output before you amplify it.

So in theory, 75-80% of whatever the maximum volume level of your particular head unit is, will send its max, unclipped signal to the amp.

Alpine for example is about 27/35.

Set your gains on your amp to minimum (all the way to the left) and turn your headunit to 75% of its maximum. From there adjust the gains on your amp to provide you with the maximum volume that you can handle without damaging your speakers. I would advise disconnecting the sub, setting up your front gains, and then adding the sub to blend in with your front stage. I would estimate your crossover points should be in the 90hz and up range for the fronts and rears, and 90hz and down on your sub. If you can get it to 80hz and not have the fronts sounding like a$$ I would give that a go.

Many 'installers" know very little about tuning, so most of the time they plug in standard crossover points and amp gain settings and send you on your way.

My guess is you are getting a lot of distortion, and your amp is working too hard currently. Re-tune things with more HU signal use and less amp gain use and see if that fixes your problem.

You can also use a DMM to set gains, but usually your ear will tell you what is going on. Using the above 75%/minimum gain starting point and working up will usually make things sound a TON better, and probably put less stress on the amp.

G'luck
Fej

 

Thanks. However, never had any distortion everything sounded good. It was just how hot the amp got and how quick.

 

I think Ill take a pic of the amp settings and just show you guys how it looks, this is my first amp and admittingly know nothing, lol.

 

What is the HU you have in the car? At what point were you listening to it when loud and "distortion free"? IE what percentage of max volume?

Generally speaking, use maximum clean signal from your HU, and minimum gain to reach the desired output level. "High voltage" head unit outs are a means of getting to an output level without asking the amp to work as hard. IE 4v outs typically send about 3.5v clean, and ask for roughly 30% of the gain that a 1v would ask for to get to X db.

I suspect that you are using about 40% of your HU signal output, and have your gains about 30% too high.

The other option may be that you are a bass head, and just need more watts than your sub channel can put out

Fej

 

Its a Pioneer AVHP4100DVD. 75% (its 0-40, I run it 20-30
Second paragraph is chinese to me lol
I do like bass but Im only running the remote at about 40-50% max on the dial.
At the HU the bass is set to 0 the high pass filter on and freq at 80Hz EQ on Natural.


Pic not so great...thats what I turned it back to last night and 30 min ago I turned it back even further ( I would guess to 3v) except for the bass which I left at 12 oclock high, and it still got hot, after 20-25 min, within 2-3 seconds of touching it I had to pull my hand off. Radio was at 75% volume. Bass remote at 50%.