Hi everyone. I recently upgraded the sound system in my car and it sounds great! However, there's a weird thing going on where the radio enters a "protection mode" and stops sending signal to the amp. Basically, I intended to have the front channel from the radio going directly to the amp with the amp then sending signal to my front speakers and a sub. The rear channel from the radio goes directly to the rear speakers. However, the radio refuses to send a signal out if there are no speakers directly attached to a channel. So, in my intended set up, only the rear speakers work. If I connect the amp to the rear channel (with the rear speakers also), everything works. If connect the rear speakers and amp to the front channel output, everything works. Has anyone encountered this problem. It's as if the radio is not happy sending a signal out because it doesn't see the 4 ohm resistance from a set of speakers
No problem with my system connected as you describe. I have on occasion had no sound output, but I'm pretty sure its a bug to do with the traffic warning (TMC) muting the output incorrectly. This is on r-link with tomtom. Do you have a message on screen telling you it's in protection mode? What is the amp - are you sure its configured correctly for a high level speaker input?
Thanks. No errors at all. It weirdly does start producing sound but then switches off. We're using hi-lo converters and RCA inputs but the amp has both inputs. There's also no R-link on my car. I don't understand how it works as long as speakers are connected directly to the channel. As soon as the speakers are disconnected, it switches off.
So the stereo turns off? That is odd. Audio gear tends to only do that when the load is very low/dead shorted to protect itself. Some of the hi-lo converters can be quite cheap and nasty, but I wouldn't have thought there would be a problem connecting directly to the relevant input on the amp. A quick and dirty work around would be to simulate a speaker load with a couple of 100w 4ohm resistors connected in the same way as the speakers were connected. This isn't ideal because it doesn't explain whats going on, but if you're right about the characteristics of the "fault" it will work.
No the radio stays on but it switches off the front channels so my front speakers and sub switch off. I think the hi-lo converter is pretty awful. Do you think it would be better to use the high level output instead? The amp can take it but the installer was reluctant to use it for some reason about volume control not being perfect and that low level inputs are preferred. The installer actually suggested using 4 ohm resistors to con the radio but like you said it still doesn't explain what's going on.
The hi-lo converter is a variable you can do without and the passive ones can be pretty shonky. I would connect directly to the amp high level inputs to see if it solves your problem and if it does and you're happy with the way it sounds, I wouldn't concern yourself with the theoretical advantages a line level RCA has.
