20 Most Recent Jl Audio 500/1 Car Audio Amplifier - Page 9 Questions & Answers

Heat sink is jacked!!! Burned it out. Replace it or send it away to get fixed.... check the pricin on it sometimes cost alot almost as much as new amp....

Sounds like you fried the channel on the amp or your gain might be up to high for the speaker

Hi i wish to help u but i will need more info on the type of subwoofers u want to use -are the DVC-or single ...are they 8ohm or 4ohm speakers?

Running the amplifier at a low level shouldn't cause it to get hot quickly.

Disconnect all speakers and signal cables from the amp and power it up. Do this when the heatsink (black part at the back of the amp) is cool. Power it up and monitor the temperature of the sink. If it gets hot in one relatively small area, that will tell you that there is likely a problem with one channel. If it never gets hot, the problem may be with the input signal or the speaker wiring.

Let me know what you find.

try bringeing it

The amplifier probably has shorted output transistors. If the amp only blows the fuse after remote voltage is applied, the damage may be minor. They generally blow two transistors. Sometimes that's all that needs to be replaced.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Need more info here. did you run power from the 500/1 to the 300/4, or did you run the signal from the 500/1 to the 300/4? Also which amplifier is cutting out for a min...the 500/1, the 300/4, or both? each amp should be wired to a distribution block with 4 awg power wire recommended for each. the amps should also be wired without any capacitor.

The two 2ohm subwoofers can only be wired to a 2ohm or 8ohm load. You are gonna want them wired 2ohms on a monoblock amplifier. the other option is to wire each sub to 4 ohms (series) and then connect each one to a separate channel on a 2 channel (stereo) amplifier. go for an amplifier that produces up to the MB's RMS rating and make sure they are enclosed in a box to their specifications and they should pound.

Disconnect the speaker wires from the amplifier's terminal block. If the low ohm light still comes on with no speaker wires connected, the amplifier will need to be repaired.

If the light no longer comes on, check the speakers and the wiring.

More then rca connection seems to be a problem with speakers

You can connect them in a series/parallel configuration. Put two of them in series and then connect the last one in parallel across the two in series. This would give you an impeadance of around 2.7 ohms. Only do this if your amp is stable at 3 ohms or less. I am not familiar with the specs of your amp. If your amp is only 4 ohm stable you can not do this.
This would also give you half the power on the two subs in series as the power for the one that is parallel. The two in series would be sharing the total output signal, where-as the one in parallel would get the entire output signal from the amp.
if you were to connect a fourth sub woofer in this configuration it could give you a 4 ohm load, by adding the fourth sub in series with the single sub that is in parallel. or in other words, yu have two sets of 2 sub woofers each in series. That gives you two 8 ohm loads (two 4 ohm subs in series is 8 ohms). Then you take the two sets of subs and parallel them (two 8 ohm loads in parallel equals 4 ohms).

If i had a picture to show you it would make sense, two subs in series that are in parallel with two subs in series.

I assume the signal sensing switch you are talking about is the remote turn on for the amp. The amp should turn on when you turn your radio on, not your truck.
First try disconnecting the remote turn on that comes from your radio. After that is removed turn your radio on and them run a jumper wire from the positive voltage terminal of the amp ( the main power input) to the remote turn on terminal of the amp. If the amp turns on and you hear music, you have a problem with the remote turn on from the radio. If the amp turns on but you hear no music you have a problem with the audio input of the amp or the wiring of the speakers. if the amp does not turn on you have a problem with the amp.
I think you may have a problem with the remote turn on output of your radio. if so, you need to get the radio looked at by a service technician.
If the amp is turning on sometimes, you may just have a loose wire or faulty ground. Double check all the wiring.

Check this out: http://www.techlore.com/article/14696/

You may have the amp set to turn on via an audio signal. Set the Signal Sensing switch to OFF.

You need to check the shield ground on the head unit. The following link will guide you through the test procedure.

Shield Ground Testing

You need to measure the DC voltage at the speaker terminals of the amp.

I need to know what's happening at the speaker terminals.

I need the answers to the questions I posted to know the condition of the amplifier.

Generally, the 120v AC to 12v DC power supply costs more than a mains powered amplifier.

Also, many automotive amplifiers have poor speaker protection. If the amplifier fails, the speakers could be damaged. In some instances (older paper cone speakers with paper voice coil formers), the speakers could ignite.

You have to go through an authorized dealer to get service from JL. Most good repair shops can repair most problems with them.

Before you send it off, confirm that you have good DC voltage at the remote and B+ terminals.

With your multimeter set to DC volts, the black meter lead on the ground terminal of the amp and the head unit on (so the amp will have remote voltage applied), touch the red lead alternately to the B+ and remote terminals of the amp. If the voltage is below ~11 volts, you need to check the wiring feeding whichever line is too low.