Sound System Issues

[chelms2206]

I had the sound system redone in my G23 and having issues with the volume and the tower speakers and subs cutting out.
I had 6 XS-650 speakers installed inside the boat ran by and SYN 4 amp.
I have 2 Rockford fosgate 10" subs run by and SD2 amp.
I have 4 Rev 10's on the tower run by a SD2 amp.
I also have the WS-420 installed (the older model).
I have 3 XS 3000 batteries and one XS 2000 battery.
The issue im having is when the volume is turned up on the equalizer past a quarter for the tower speakers and the sub and you turn the volume up using the volume controls on the dash the speakers cut out at about volume 28. If they are turned up to half on the equalizer you cant get past volume 20 without them cutting out. Ive been told that you have to find a happy medium between the two but it just seems like they should be louder than that. I had the REV 10's on my last boat and were powered by the HT series amps (not sure which ones) and the speakers never cut out and seemed to be louder than these.

[EarmarkMarine]

You can waste more time speculating. Measuring will usually reveal a cause and quickly.
The first thing you need to do is measure voltage using a multimeter....
When you begin the day at the batteries when you splash the boat.
When (just before) the amplifiers are shutting down at the batteries.
When (just before) the amplifiers are shutting down at the primary supply terminals of the amplifiers in question.
At the end of the day when you place the boat back on the trailer at the batteries.
Hopefully you have and use a Smart AC shore charger in the 40 amp range.

David

[nyryan2001]

Chelms- is this all the time? both with engine on and off? or when using the NSS?

Right now there is def 1 recall related to RCAs grounded out there in your driver's glove box... and potentially another here soon related to when using the NSS.

[MLA]

Nyryan,

Are those the AUX RCA jacks in the helm cubby by chance? With a WS-420 installed, wouldnt that have eliminated all the factory installed RCA cables?

Also, IIRC, CHelms' boat has a stand-alone stereo bank, so as David suggested, get a DVOM on those batteries and at the amp lugs. I am also interested in a little more detail as to what you mean by cutting out? Does is seem like the amp or head-unit is cycling off/on or are the speakers distorting, ect?

[EarmarkMarine]

nyryan,
Now that is some great information to have, especially given the fact that every above-ground RCA shield in the signal path is common and common to the above-ground speaker grounds. A short anywhere in the audio path could cause amplifiers to prematurely go into protect. Good find. So in that case, use an ipod to EQ direct thereby circumventing any factory RCA issue and try again to see if you get a different result.
In any case, I always start with a premise that in order to have meaningful diagnosis you must first verify your voltage foundation. It can save days of hunting and pecking and trial and error.

David

[scottb7]

what is voltage range one should see? i am chasing an issue too and may relocate power/ground.

[MLA]

Scott,

At rest, a good battery should be 12.5 or higher, depending on its age. With the engine running, an alternator should put out 13+ depending on engine speed, electrical load, etc. With good cabling and connection, there should not be a difference in voltage between the battery/switch and amp lugs. A couple of tenths is ok.

[EarmarkMarine]

Scott,
Something else to consider is that a heavy current draw can modulate the voltage supply to electronics with a smaller draw. So it's a good idea to also measure the supply at various component points while the system is actually under load. Oftentimes you need a heavier gauge dedicated wire to the same common point for all audio components rather than tapping the voltage at the end of a long harness where multiple electronic components are also pulling.
You will find that music is AC and a large bass transient or prolonged bass note can really cause a short term voltage sag. A meter is weighted so it will not be fast enough to capture some of the true momentary voltage dips.

David

[MLA]

A higher end meter like a Fluke 87 or 88 has a min-max setting that samples at a faster rate and records the highest and lowest reading. The beep each time a new high or low is recorded. This way you dont have to see it real time on the meter.

[TN_Rider]

David, I just had my system redone as well. I have two deep cycle interstate batteries along with two power cells. The interstate batteries are wired to setting two on the perko switch with the kinetics on one. The interstates ran the system before which was a smaller syst. I have a onboard charger on the kinetics. The two interstate batteries are wired to each other. I try to charge them overnight with a regular charger and get nothing. I turn the perko switch to two to try and start but get clicking like they are flat out dead, Could they have just gone bad that fast? I haven't had had a chance to stick a meter on them yet due to a wedding. It's just hard to believe they would have gone bad that quick and won't take a charge. Thanks!

[nyryan2001]

We need Chelm to reply an answer as to specifically when it's happening: engine on, off or when using NSS?

the small glove box on the drivers side has an Aux station metal plate with RCA red, white and yellow video, USB. Those RCAs aren't properly shielded and they are grounded out into that metal plate they are mounted in. Sends popping noises thru the system.

MLA- unless you completely disconnected those 3 RCAs, they are still grounded out and will cause noise if they are connected to the system. By adding the 420, there was no need for you to disconnect that, it's in a terrific place and its handy. The recall will shield those RcAs correctly with special shoulder washers.. In the meantime remove the plate and pull the RCAs thru so they dont touchiest ground out on the plate or tape them off.

i have another issue in mine where my NSS is somehow grounded somewhere causing my stereo to cut out in protect mode.... My bet its getting to an RCA somewhere like in the drivers glove box. Only happens when NSS retracts back in. Need to find where the RCA is touching or ground.... Or run dedicated and fused isolated + and - wires for NSS.

[Laketexoma]

are you using the factory power and ground? If so that's the problem. I know it is a 4awg wire to the amp but under the bash it is a 10awg wire from the power buss to the fuse, and a 4 from the fuse out. My amps were doing the same thing and after I ran 1/0 from the battery it has not happened again.

[chelms2206]

I appreciate yall getting back on this but this stereo stuff is way over my head im trying to digest it all. It seems to be happening both while the engine is on and off. I havnt really noticed it with the NSS but thats not to say it doesnt do it. I haven't really messed with it to much. I have only had the boat since last thursday. By cutting out i mean the REV 10s just stop playing for a seconds then will hit again for a beat or two then cut back out and same with the subs. It is only happening on the speakers that have the Sinister 2 amps hooked up to.

[nyryan2001]

That was one of my reccomendations.... the entire stereo needs its own dedicated run of heavy guage straight off the batteries vs the bus/perko

[EarmarkMarine]

David, I just had my system redone as well. I have two deep cycle interstate batteries along with two power cells. The interstate batteries are wired to setting two on the perko switch with the kinetics on one. The interstates ran the system before which was a smaller syst. I have a onboard charger on the kinetics. The two interstate batteries are wired to each other. I try to charge them overnight with a regular charger and get nothing. I turn the perko switch to two to try and start but get clicking like they are flat out dead, Could they have just gone bad that fast? I haven't had had a chance to stick a meter on them yet due to a wedding. It's just hard to believe they would have gone bad that quick and won't take a charge. Thanks!

TN_,
That meter is going to come in handy.
First, I would try separating the two paralleled dead batteries. Then, one at a time, jumper each with one of the fully charged batteries in an attempt to force a partial charge. Then try the charger individually from that point. Unless it is a decent capacity charger it can go into 'protect' immediately when presented with a dead battery, especially two simultaniously.
I assume the two Interstates are deep cycle. If you have repeatedly run these batteries down below 12.0 volts you are deeply cutting into the battery's lifespan.
If (big IF) you get the batteries to take a charge, once fully charged, let them sit for several days unattached and in isolation to see if they self-discharge or hold most of their charge. Batteries may self-discharge several percent per month but the decline should be almost zero over a couple of days. If the decline is significant then they're gone. A load test would be a formality.
Never turn your back on an emergency garage (2/10/boost type) battery charger. Those will kill batteries if used regularly.
Btw, did you give your meter away as a wedding gift?

David