I have a nice sound system and a subwoofer in the rear which an installer never put in because he was waiting for like 3 months for the cabinet that fits into the middle compartment of the hatchback coupe and the sub-woofer. I called him for several months and nothing. Yes he is a real shop with a physical location and a real business. So I got the cabinet myself and a good subwoofer. I mounted the subwoofer in the cabinet and connected the wires as described in the subwoofer instructions outlined for a single (mono) subwoofer. Lucky for me the wires for the subwoofer were there from the installer and only needed to be connected. I have an amplifier which is also mounted in the rear of the car on the very back wall (tail). After connecting and playing with all of the controls on my Kenwood stereo, the subwoofer does not seem to be working. It is brand new so I think the way the installer who jerked me around connected or maybe did not connect the subwoofer wires properly may be the problem. Anyone with any audio background who can give me basic troubleshooting on how to determine would be much appreciated. I don't need to know how to pull out console or dash and get to head unit etc. I just don't know how the wires should run from the head to the amplifier and to the subwoofer. If anyone helps, I would be so appreciative.

 

is the amp turning on? what head unit is it connected to?

post pics of your amp terminals & wiring so we can help troubleshoot

 

Sounds like a connection problem. Post pics of the amp turned on. Then of rcas to amp and the speaker wires from amp to sub.

 

If you dint know much about wiring, this may be difficult to troubleshoot. Your stereo should have a line of to the Amp and then speaker wire from the Amp to the sub. the line out on the stereo might need to be enabled from the stereo menu somewhere. As the others mentioned, check to see that the all is on first. If it is, and the wires are hooked up to it, then look for a sub or line out feature on the stereo settings.

 

Yes the amp I believe is working but how can I check? I have a Kenwood head unit. I will get the model numbers of the head, amp as well as the pictures you recommended. Thank you so much. I will post back later today. I appreciate all help. Such a great community of good people!

 

Will do

 

How can I check if the amp is on?

 

Will do but how do I know if the amp is turning on?

 

It should have a thin "remote" wire going to the amp to signal it to turn on.

Send pics of the wiring plz

 

Your amp should have a tiny LED, somewhere around the power wire coming in or where the speakers are wired, some have them on top. I have one amp I have that lights up the entire top when it comes on. Turn on the car and the Head unit, then look at the amp and you should see the LED lit up, if the amp is on.
But as everyone has said, we need pics of the amp connections to debug this one. If it is a 4 channel amp the rear speakers outputs on it the should be bridged, meaning your the left or right wire is connected to the positive and the opposite speaker is on the negative post and leads back to the subwoofer, if he set it up correctly. Not a fan of rear speakers they just make a mess out of the sound. If it is a 5 channel amp you will have separate connections for the subwoofer.
But give us the model of the Head Unit and the amp along with pictures of the wiring going into each side of the amp and we can get you fixed.

 

Moving this to the Audio/Electronics section for additional assistance.

 

Get a voltmeter and start checking voltages. Maybe your installer pre-wired it, but to be safe, left the fuses out.

Main power to amp should be +12Vdc
Blue wire to amp should be +12Vdc when car is on or when radio is on.

Pics would help folks troubleshoot with you.