Audio Systems: Car Subwoofer Amplifier, amp fuse, amplifier kit


Question
QUESTION: Ive just recently added a hifonics 750 watt amplifier to my car audio system.  Im using it to power a kicker 12" L5 subwoofer rated at 600watts rms.  before this i had a smaller amplifier and subwoofer and with that had an 8 AWG amplifier kit installed with only a 25amp fuse. i put in this new amp and wired my subwoofer to 4ohm to get 300watts rms out of the amplifier. Noticeing that the speaker was distorting i re-wired the subwoofer for a 1ohm load to take the full 750 watts from the amplifier. there was a huge difference in sound quality and loudness but upon increasing the volume the fuse blew, being only a 25 amp fuse. is there a way for me to increase this fuse so it wont blow without buying a whole new amp kit? or will i just need to throw the money in as to not burn up all the wiring??

ANSWER: If you are certain the amp will handle the full 750 watts, then go ahead.  If, for example, the full power of the amp is being delivered then the input current from your car system will have to become about 60 amps. So, you will need a much bigger fuse.  Try that before changing out the wiring.  Bit. ot may become a hardship to your electrical system. It won't damage the wiring, but it could take out the alternator.

But, let's back up. Are you sure the amp is not bottoming out the speaker?  You must be sure which is going into distortion: the speaker or the amp.  

The audible difference between 300 and 700 watts is just a little over 3 db - which is just an audible difference in hearing level change. So, you aren't going to gain all that much.

You might be better of adding a power cap - which will provide bass kick to the low frequencies and smooth out the drain on the battery system.

Hope these ideas will help. Let me know if you have more thoughts.




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: no the problem before this amp came from teh previous amplifier.  i was clipping the amp all the time and was sick of hearing distortion from my subwoofer that i paid full retail for.  the change to 750 watts completely fixed my distortion problem but it wont play for more than 10 mins or so without blowing the fuse. so a 60 amp fuse will work with the wiring??

Answer
Yes, try a 60 amp fuse and see what happens.  The reason I suggested a power cap is because it can, to some extent, lessen the need for larger wires. Of course if you don't mind running new, stiff wires, that is okey, too.  But with the smaller wires, depending on how far the runs are, you will get some power loss due to their resistance; but it won't cause any damage or harm to the system.

Let me know how it goes.