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Sub / Amp wiring question

402 Views 8 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  02celica
Ok, so I just wired up a pair of subs and an amp in my trunk. It was the first time I've ever done anything like this, but since I've done all the other work on my car I thought I'd take a shot at it.

I'll start with the problem: I'm getting feedback from the sub when I turn the radio off, and they also hit whenever I close the door, knock on the car, or from any strong vibration while driving.

Everything went together very smoothly. I'm still using the factory head unit, so I have a small converter wired up to convert over to RCA output. Power cord is wired directly to battery through firewall and tucked away etc. I grounded the amp at first to a screw behind the driver side plastic in the trunk. Everything started right up and had all the amp levels turned to lowest settings. But I noticed when I shut the drivers door, the subs would hit even though there wasn't any audio. So I turn on the radio and things sounded great, but when I turned the head unit off, I got hit with massive feedback until either I turned the car off or turned the head unit back on. I figured it might be interference coming through ground wire, so I relocated it to one of the bolts attached to the trunk floor that have luggage hooks attached to them. This location seemed to do much better, but the problem still mildly persisted.

The factory-to-RCA converter box had level controls on it, so I turned them down to lowest setting and that seemed to solve the problem. Now i'm noticeing the same problem again, but on a much smaller scale. There is a faint hum coming from the subs when the car is ON but the head unit is OFF. And the same goes for shutting the doors: small sub hit.

Now obviously since I'm no audio wiring expert I probably should have let a professional do the job, but I like doing things myself. I think I have things at least 75% correct if not more.

Anyone have any suggestions? If pictures would help, I can snap off a few in a day's time. I'll try anything.
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Here are parts I used:

Factory wiring to RCA converter:
http://www.installedge.com/products/product_details.jsp?productID=1108

Subs (x2):
Sony XS-L123P5 1300W Max (380W RMS)
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-aWNGZ8XNmOK/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=520&I=158XSL123

Amp:
Sony XM-2002GTR 2-Channel Amplifer 1200W Max
http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?I=158XM2002

Rockford Fosgate 8-gauge Amp Wiring kit rated to 550W

To respond to the last question, NO didn't sand down the area.
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SickCelica696 said:
I almost guarantee its the rca converter box. They will pick up any ambient current and amplify it with the system off. Mine was so bad I could tap the side panel and like beat box with the car when it was off. It made a massive bass hit whenever you tapped the car. You need to make sure the connections on the box are really proper and tight and the RCA and power cables are completely separate.
That's exactly the problem I'm having. I've retraced all the wires and they should all be hooked up correctly if I'm reading the Toyota service manual and converter install guide correctly. The only wire not connected from the converter is a ground cable that the instructions said not to use unless no sound was coming out, which doesn't meet my criteria.

Aside from buying a new headunit with pre-amp outs, which I'm waiting for X-mas to get, I'm going to have to deal with this. The overall sound is great, but I am keen on perfection and would like things right. I'm just worried this could damage the speakers/amp.

**Detailed pictures after a night's rest**
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