Hifonics Problem
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,024
Likes: 0
From: Long Island New York
Hifonics Problem
Hey guys,
I am currently having a huge problem with a Z1000D Zeus amp in my 88. Keeps burning up a transistor in the amp. first time in 15 minutes. Got it fixed, lasted 30 minutes. Anyone have particular troubles with Hifonics amps In vettes? I have #4 guage to the battery, #4 guage to the frame to the tune of about a foot and a half away. I'm not running a cap, head unit is an alpine CDA 7894, Pushing 2 12" JL Audio Subs. Any other amp doesn't seem to have trouble. My only problem is that it is a nearly $700.00 amp and is barely 2 years old. The repair guy i have used says the second time around he had it continuosly running on his bench for 3 days and it was fine. I just can't figure out if he is BullSh@tting me or if there really is some kind of voltage issue, or SOMETHING in the C4 that is undermining me. The dash, headlights don't even Flicker as they do with just about any other amp either; i was assuming the amp was just very internally efficient. (i.e. Internal capacitors) Anyone else have trouble with Hifonics? (junk) Or am i just destined to fail with this amp....About to get one more fix and sell to someone with a honda....lol
Thanks for any advice....
I am currently having a huge problem with a Z1000D Zeus amp in my 88. Keeps burning up a transistor in the amp. first time in 15 minutes. Got it fixed, lasted 30 minutes. Anyone have particular troubles with Hifonics amps In vettes? I have #4 guage to the battery, #4 guage to the frame to the tune of about a foot and a half away. I'm not running a cap, head unit is an alpine CDA 7894, Pushing 2 12" JL Audio Subs. Any other amp doesn't seem to have trouble. My only problem is that it is a nearly $700.00 amp and is barely 2 years old. The repair guy i have used says the second time around he had it continuosly running on his bench for 3 days and it was fine. I just can't figure out if he is BullSh@tting me or if there really is some kind of voltage issue, or SOMETHING in the C4 that is undermining me. The dash, headlights don't even Flicker as they do with just about any other amp either; i was assuming the amp was just very internally efficient. (i.e. Internal capacitors) Anyone else have trouble with Hifonics? (junk) Or am i just destined to fail with this amp....About to get one more fix and sell to someone with a honda....lol
Thanks for any advice....
Race Director
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 14,137
Likes: 2,985
From: Iowa
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
What model JLs do you have and how are they wired?
To me, it sounds like you are running the amp at a lower impedence than the amp likes. I seriously doubt it has to do with the vette's voltage or you would have a slew of problems with the car. Vettes act up big time when the voltage gets too low.
To me, it sounds like you are running the amp at a lower impedence than the amp likes. I seriously doubt it has to do with the vette's voltage or you would have a slew of problems with the car. Vettes act up big time when the voltage gets too low.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,024
Likes: 0
From: Long Island New York
Originally Posted by knewblewkorvette
What model JLs do you have and how are they wired?
To me, it sounds like you are running the amp at a lower impedence than the amp likes. I seriously doubt it has to do with the vette's voltage or you would have a slew of problems with the car. Vettes act up big time when the voltage gets too low.
To me, it sounds like you are running the amp at a lower impedence than the amp likes. I seriously doubt it has to do with the vette's voltage or you would have a slew of problems with the car. Vettes act up big time when the voltage gets too low.
My JLs are model 12W1-4. Sounds like 4 ohm? I have them wired Stereo (Afraid of 12" discs flying thru the hatch glass otherwise) + - Left / + - Right. The amp is a D-class Mono which is 1 Ohm Stable. I don't really know what that exactly means, but from what I understand, it is good. Do these subs seem like a bottleneck of some sort to you? They are a few years old and i was hoping to replace them soon, Do you think they could be killing the amp? Other amps seem to have no trouble with them. Any more advice would be greatly appreciated!
Race Director
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 14,137
Likes: 2,985
From: Iowa
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
Originally Posted by Jloshotz
KnewBlew,
My JLs are model 12W1-4. Sounds like 4 ohm? I have them wired Stereo (Afraid of 12" discs flying thru the hatch glass otherwise) + - Left / + - Right. The amp is a D-class Mono which is 1 Ohm Stable. I don't really know what that exactly means, but from what I understand, it is good. Do these subs seem like a bottleneck of some sort to you? They are a few years old and i was hoping to replace them soon, Do you think they could be killing the amp? Other amps seem to have no trouble with them. Any more advice would be greatly appreciated!
My JLs are model 12W1-4. Sounds like 4 ohm? I have them wired Stereo (Afraid of 12" discs flying thru the hatch glass otherwise) + - Left / + - Right. The amp is a D-class Mono which is 1 Ohm Stable. I don't really know what that exactly means, but from what I understand, it is good. Do these subs seem like a bottleneck of some sort to you? They are a few years old and i was hoping to replace them soon, Do you think they could be killing the amp? Other amps seem to have no trouble with them. Any more advice would be greatly appreciated!
My next question is: How well is the amp ventilated? Could your amp be overheating??
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,024
Likes: 0
From: Long Island New York
Originally Posted by knewblewkorvette
The amp is mono, therefore you cannot have the subs in stereo. By your discription, you have them parallel which would present a 2 ohm load to the amp. A 2 ohm load should be fine with your amp.
My next question is: How well is the amp ventilated? Could your amp be overheating??
My next question is: How well is the amp ventilated? Could your amp be overheating??
Knew,
I see, so this amp isn't capable of being hooked up stereo...Not that i'd want that; i am just making a reference to the way i hooked it up. The way i did, i'm used to that being stereo, if you follow me. I did however talk to someone who has the exact same amp (Z1000D) and he said he had his outputs hooked up the same as i did and was popping his fuse left and right. He said he hasn't had the problem since bridging, so.....Maybe this amp just wants to be bridged, period. Still in the shop and am trying to decide whether i dare hook it up again....
P.S. After it blew it was kinda hot....but it is just surface mounted in the hatch area; nothing that should make it overheat
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,024
Likes: 0
From: Long Island New York
Originally Posted by Metal Wulf
Ditch the zeus and get a brutus, half the price more power and zero problems.
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Race Director
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 14,137
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From: Iowa
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
Okay...unless this amp is way different you cannot bridge a mono amp.
By definition, mono means one channel.
By definition, bridging means taking two channels and making them one. That is acomplished by taking the negitive of one channel and one positive of the other channel for speaker power.
What you have is a mono amp with two speaker connections. Two are provided to make wiring of speakers easier. Inside the amp, these two speakers connections are wired to the same output transistors. When you have one 4 ohm speaker hooked up the amp sees a 4 ohm load and will give you 350 watts. When you hook up two 4 ohm speakers your amp sees a 2 ohm load and will put out 700 watts. Hifonics say the amp is 1 ohm stable but I would NOT run it at 1 ohm. Reason being is the rating output at 1 ohm is 1000 watts, not 1500 watts like a "true" 1 ohm amp would be.
Since you are at 2 ohms you should be okay and 750 watts is PLENTY for two 12W4s
Now back to the problem.
Ask the repair man just what is going on. Does it burn up on the power suppy, the output stage, or the input stage. Hifonics is a amp that should have many protection circuits such as, overheat, under voltage, overvoltage etc.
keep me posted
By definition, mono means one channel.
By definition, bridging means taking two channels and making them one. That is acomplished by taking the negitive of one channel and one positive of the other channel for speaker power.
What you have is a mono amp with two speaker connections. Two are provided to make wiring of speakers easier. Inside the amp, these two speakers connections are wired to the same output transistors. When you have one 4 ohm speaker hooked up the amp sees a 4 ohm load and will give you 350 watts. When you hook up two 4 ohm speakers your amp sees a 2 ohm load and will put out 700 watts. Hifonics say the amp is 1 ohm stable but I would NOT run it at 1 ohm. Reason being is the rating output at 1 ohm is 1000 watts, not 1500 watts like a "true" 1 ohm amp would be.
Since you are at 2 ohms you should be okay and 750 watts is PLENTY for two 12W4s
Now back to the problem.
Ask the repair man just what is going on. Does it burn up on the power suppy, the output stage, or the input stage. Hifonics is a amp that should have many protection circuits such as, overheat, under voltage, overvoltage etc.
keep me posted
