Audio Systems: car amp, overheating amplifier amp kenwood

Question
i have a kenwood 1000 watt amp powering 2 sealed 12 inch subs. my amp gets to hot to touch in about 15-20 mins of using it, it does have 2 cooling fans built into it and its in the open when its on. i am wondering if it is normal to get that hot in a short time? and if it getting fairly hot is a problem what are the cowmen cause for it. (it is about 4 months old and has always done it)

Answer
Hi Brad. Sorry it took so long to answer but this came in at about 1AM here.

I am not sure which model you have, but 'too hot to touch' is surely not 'normal'.
If the speaker impedance load on the amp is too low it could cause this too, but it will get hotter and hotter till it goes into thermal protection (shutting down).
The input level and crossover/boost modes of the amp may be set incorrectly (too high). This situation is all too common for those that do not fully understand what is going on with those controls. You cannot get one signle additional watt out of the amp by turning the level up too high. What WILL occur is that the amp will simply reach RMS output at a lower volume setting at the deck. At that point, anything above that volume setting will cause the amp signal to clip/distort and the all important output transistors will soon overheat and/or blow.
The idea is to set the levels so that the amp will reach RMS output when the deck volume is at 100% with everything set 'flat' (no bass boost, loudness or other sound processors enabled). Amplifier level control adjustments are needed since the average RCA signals from headunits vary from model to medel and from manufacturer to manufacturer. One deck may have 0.5 volts onthe RCA's, while another may have 8-10 volts. Higher is better since the amp level can be set lower (this will greatly reduce engine and system noise, ect).

What I suggest:
Be certain that the impedance is within specs.
Be sure the levels controls are set below or equal to the RMS wattage ratings of the amp (never above it). This is difficult to do by ear, but you can start by reducing the input levels and see how hot the amp gets.
If these pointers do not help it run MUCH cooler I would then go to the Kenwood website and ask Kenwood Support about this one.
http://www.kenwoodusa.com/Support/

Too hot to touch:
If this is the case be aware that even a single fan failure may kill the amp in its' current configuration.

JM