I must be cursed or something...

dako · Post by **dako** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 5:00 pm

I spent half of Saturday relocating my TLD66...ran new wiring, new RCAs, all that good stuff. I drive around Saturday night and everything was sounding SOLID! Best my stereo has sounded so far...Then I get ready to head out this afternoon to grab some beer and bang...Issues. My right tweeter starts to cut in and out. Uggggh. When I get back home, I check the connections on everything and nothing obvious is presenting itself.

I back out of the driveway and it starts up again! Ohhmygoddd. I'm now beginning to wonder if there's something internally loose within a component somewhere. Amp? Line Driver? Everything was working before the line driver was reintroduced into the mix. Does anyone know of the TLD having any inherent issues?

Now I'm also worrying that my 600.4 amp is acting up or may be on its last leg. When I first got it, I was having a similar issue with the rear channel set cutting out, but back then, it was completely cut out. I feel like sometimes, I'm continually chasing the dragon like some addict or something! Gahhh. Get a fix here, but need to fix something else there...It's almost got to the point where I'm seriously considering either giving up or gutting my entire system, getting new amps, and laying everything out from square one.

There's really no point to this thread, but if I don't get this out of my system, chances are, I'll sleep like crap tonight. Anyone else out there had similar frustrations? Everything seems to be going along top speed and then, bang-dash-boom! Issues? This is one of the best systems I've had in my many years of doing this, but also one of the most wonky and unpredictable. I'm wondering if the amp is the source of the issue...Had the same problem in the past, same channel...Sent it in to PG for repair and maybe it's just time to let go and move on to something else? Ha! I don't think I've ever even put this much thought into the relationships I've been in. Sorry ladies!! PG and car stereo forever.

rolandk · Post by **rolandk** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 6:05 pm

The TLD shouldn't effect just one tweeter. Try moving the tweeter to a different channel on the amp. If it still cuts out, its not the amp.

The 600.4 rear channels cutting out I would first suspect an intermittent switch. If it cuts out again try turning the switches back and forth a bunch of times. Also, look through the speaker connector side plexi to the inside of the amp. There should be 8 red LED's lit up. If any are not lit up, there is a problem.

dBincognito · Post by **dBincognito** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 6:12 pm

You may be having a problem with your potentiometers. They may need replacement, it is very common for sound to cut in and out.....check this by slowly turning the input sensitivity....listen for the sound to cut out.....I have had to replace several, very common problem especially with these older amps....time is taking it's toll....don't let it

dako · Post by **dako** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 8:24 pm

Funny you mentioned that. The sensitivity is the last thing I touched on the Tantrum 600.4 before it started going funky. I'll have to check it out when I get a chance and see what's going on.

I know this is only the tantrum line, but man...I've seriously been loving these amps ever since they came out. I just hate the thought of having to try to pick up a new line and work my system around them. Hopefully whatever has happened ends up being a simple fix.

dBincognito · Post by **dBincognito** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 8:27 pm

When you check the input sensitivity....move it ever so slighlty to the left and right and see if the sound cuts out

dako · Post by **dako** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 8:28 pm

rolandk wrote:The TLD shouldn't effect just one tweeter. Try moving the tweeter to a different channel on the amp. If it still cuts out, its not the amp.

The 600.4 rear channels cutting out I would first suspect an intermittent switch. If it cuts out again try turning the switches back and forth a bunch of times. Also, look through the speaker connector side plexi to the inside of the amp. There should be 8 red LED's lit up. If any are not lit up, there is a problem.

Hey Roland, thanks for the pointers. I'll try switching around the RCAs when I get a chance (the part that sucks is I won't get around to this until next weekend) to see if I can narrow down the problem.

I'm also going to run a test RCA from the HU back to the amp to see if that resolves the issue. And then from the TLD66 to the amp. I'm hoping that worst-case scenario, I've got a faulty RCA versus a faulty/failing amp.

dako · Post by **dako** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 10:45 am

I think I'm in the running for doofus of the year 2009...During lunch today, I found the source of my irritation and intermittent tweeter signal. I was randomly tapping around below the glovebox and started getting some crazy cutting in/out of the front channels.

It seems I didn't leave enough space between the line driver and the back of the glovebox *smacks forehead*. When the glovebox was closed, it was pressing down on the RCA cables, and of course the road vibration was making the situation even worse. I temporarily fixed it at work and took the car out during lunch, but when I get home, I should be able to isolate the problem completely and start worrying about other things.

Seems like I answered my own rhetoric! Haaa.

dBincognito · Post by **dBincognito** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 11:00 am

Glad to hear it is only a small, and fixable problem

dako · Post by **dako** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 11:06 am

Same here! I was running through worst-case scenarios last night like nobody's business.

Post by **stipud** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 11:16 am

Haha... maybe you are cursed, but at least it's only irritating small issues.

Glad to hear it's sounding good. I just did some fine tuning to my stereo as well, and it's rekindled my love. Since it worked wonders for me, you might want to try fiddling with your phase.

I started by flipping the phase to the passenger side mid (- to +, + to - at the amp). I had some strange midrange gaps (cancellation) and imaging issues before, that were resolved as soon as I did this. I tried this before, but switched it back, because it made the bass non-existant. This time I flipped the phase on my subs around (so sub and right mid are opposite phase to everything else). Now it's just right! Images very well, considering I am using stock locations.

Post by **ttocs** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 12:40 pm

it is amazing what you can find with some technical taps.........

waynehead · Post by **waynehead** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 2:45 pm

Dude I do that kind of thing to myself all the time. A couple months ago I was using a little amp for my coax's and instead of terminals it had a multi-plug. Well at some point the power and ground had been replaced with heavier wire. Anyway, one day I decided to put my sld22 in and mount all the amps and eq on my sub box to clean stuff up a bit. Afterwards I had this terrible alternator whine. I couldnt figure out what was going on. I rewired the line driver and checked the rca's to make sure they werent around too much power wire. I even went so far as to running power and ground distro blocks. After I did that the wine was worse and then my coax's were distorting. Well after finally getting pissed and thrashing stuff around I pulled the ground out of the amp that must have been barely hanging in there. That ended up to be about 3 days of frustration over a little ground wire. If I had taken the time and thought it out it wouldnt have been hard to figure out but it never happens like that.

dako · Post by **dako** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 3:00 pm

Hahaa! Too true. Logic never seems to rear its obvious head when I'm trying to troubleshoot stuff, no matter how methodically I approach it. The funny thing is, it usually ends up being lame little stuff. I just got everything buttoned up and tuned up, and damn...I am enjoying this stereo all over again.

I remember when I had my Chevy Silverado back in 1999 or so. My JBL bp1200.1 (remember those?!!) was sounding like crap. Cutting in and out, awful noise, etc. The last thing I ever checked was the ground, and I was literally able to gently remove it from the amp block with a gentle tug.

Ahhh. Time for a beer and some relaxation.