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(in a c6)
Do you ever have problems with the amplifier overheating?
I put in a 5 channel amplifier to run the whole audio system behind my seat and it works and fits beautifully but I forgot to consider that there is zero airflow back there and during a 4 hour trip the other day it overheated and shut down about halfway through.
I went and bought two small PC fans wired them into a cigarette outlet cord and wedged them at the bottom of my seat to try and push hot air up and out from behind the seat and pull cool air in from underneath the seat but it is a pretty unprofessional fix and I'm not sure it even works until the next time I take a long trip. There is also only about an inch or less of space inbetween the seat and the amplifier because any more would make it uncomfortable to drive.
If you had this problem what would you do?
Class D amplifiers run the coolest, right? So I'm thinking worst case scenario I could buy a different amplifier that isn't A/B if the heat difference between the two is even that drastic. Or I could wire the rear speakers back into the head unit to take some load off the amplifier (again if that would even make enough of a heat difference and undesirable as it requires completely tearing into the interior again)
Are there any other completely hidden areas in a C6 that would provide ample airflow for this big of an amp?
Or any Class D 5 channel amplifiers that are smaller and won't break the bank..? This amp
The amplifier is pretty big too which is another problem.
Dimensions 9-7/16"W x 16"D x 2-1/4"H
Picture attached for reference. Thanks
Upon re-reading the specs on the amp it is ALREADY a class D amplifier.
And for reference the amp is running all rockford fosgate 6.5in 4ohm and 3.5in 4ohm per door wired to 2ohms, stock rear speakers I'm guessing 8 ohms and two 10' 4ohm subwoofers wired to 2 ohms. So I'm not pushing the ohm rating on any channel, except I always figured running 8ohm speakers on an amp rated for 2/4 was fine it just wouldn't get as much power. Does that push the amplifier harder instead?
Onyx Series 5-Channel Class D Car Amplifier
Channel 1-4 Max Power Rating:
4 ohms: 75 watts x 4 chan.
2 ohms: 150 watts x 4 chan.
Subwoofer Channel Max Power Rating:
4 ohms: 350 watts x 1 chan.
2 ohms: 500 watts x 1 chan.
Max power output: 1100 watts total
FLUID-FETS MOSFET Circuit maximizing power efficiency while improving sound quality
1 Ohm stable
LED power (green) and protect (red) indicators
Last edited by corvette-kyle; Mar 26, 2015 at 04:43 PM.
From what I've seen an amp behind the seat in C6 is hit or miss for overheating. Even the ones with internal fans can trip on heat if the seat is too close.
If you want to leave it behind the seat, first thing I'd try is enclosing it in a box and using fans to force air through it. Depending on the fans, that may be too noisy. A 1/4" MDF sheet for the top and 3/8" hobby/craft boards for the sides is fine.
Another option is putting the amp on the shelf behind the seats. Sometimes just having it sit flat is good enough.
I have a Kenwoode Xcelon Reference Fit Four-Chan Digital Power Amplifier XR400-4 small frame amp behind the passenger seat been installed for almost two years with no over heating issues at all, even in the Oklahoma summer.
I initially thought about doing mine behind the seats, but I like them all the way back because I am tall, so here are a few shots of what I did:
Glued this down first:
Mounted everything:
Hid it all:
No overheating issues and I listen to it loud with the top down!
That looks really good. What is that thing in the middle that seems to break the power and ground into two to the separate amplifiers?
I have a spare amp that I would have liked to run but did not like the idea of having to run 2 more power and ground cables around.
How/what did you use as the top layer to cover everything up?
I used a pair of non-fused junction blocks. Forget where I got them, but they were pretty cheap. The top layer is thin carpet I got from a local stereo shop. It is kinda close to our interior color. I also have a piece in black, but the wife liked this color better so that is what I left in there. Since we drive with the top down 100% of the time (unless we get caught in the rain) we don't even get to see that carpet anyway. This system turned-out very well for us, took me a full weekend to do. Ripped the entire interior out to do it. Not hard, just time consuming. Took a lot of pictures along the way.
From what I've seen an amp behind the seat in C6 is hit or miss for overheating. Even the ones with internal fans can trip on heat if the seat is too close.
If you want to leave it behind the seat, first thing I'd try is enclosing it in a box and using fans to force air through it. Depending on the fans, that may be too noisy. A 1/4" MDF sheet for the top and 3/8" hobby/craft boards for the sides is fine.
Another option is putting the amp on the shelf behind the seats. Sometimes just having it sit flat is good enough.
I have an amp behind each seat. Both have fans. The system has been in for a year and a half. No heat problems.
To those with amplifiers behind seats
