QuestionI have a 1996 Honda accord, with a new sony explode deck. I am trying to hook up 2 10" MTX subs to a Boss audio amp. There is power to the amp, i have everything wired correctly, and i have even checked the amp over with a digital multimeter, and the wires are brand new. There is still no sound to the subs. nothing seems to be working. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
AnswerHi Carter,
You have to determine where the audio signal is getting cut off. You can test for an audio signal using your multimeter; an audio signal is represented as AC voltage, increasing and decreasing with the music volume. This works best with a digital multimeter equipped with a bar graph display, or even an analog meter with a needle--you can watch it move in time with the music, if an audio signal is present.
Start with the amplifier's speaker output terminals. Set the meter for AC volts, and place one probe on the negative speaker terminal, and another probe on the positive terminal. Turn up the music. If you see an audio signal, but there's no sound from the subs, then you may have defective subs or a wiring problem in the sub box.
If there's no audio signal present, then disconnect the subs from the amp, and test again. Turn the head unit off, then back on, to reset the amplifier. Turn up the music. If there's now an audio signal, then there may be a shorted wire, blown sub, or impedance mis-match with the subwoofers that's causing the amplifier to shut down when the subs are connected.
If there's still no audio signal at the amplifier speaker terminals, test for a signal at the RCA plug. Unplug the RCA from the amp and test for AC voltage, using the center pin for positive and the outside shield for negative. An audio signal here will be represented by AC voltage, but it will be very low. You should still be able to detect it by the change in voltage when the music gets louder or softer. If there's no audio signal present, then there may be a problem with the head unit's RCA outputs, or the head unit settings (you may need to turn on the subwoofer output, or adjust the subwoofer level). Another possibility is a defective RCA cable. If you do find an audio signal on the RCA plug, then it's likely that the amplifier is defective.
Another troubleshooting option would be to use a mini plug to RCA adapter to connect a portable audio player, like an iPod or portable CD player, to the amplifier's RCA input jacks. If the subs work with the portable player as a source, then you know the problem is with the head unit or RCA cables. If they don't work with the portable player, you'll know the problem is with the amp or subs.
Hope this helps!
Brian
