common flaw in installation and can cause a number of headaches later down the line so be
sure to take care in doing this. Do not use a self tapping screw to secure the earth down, as
it will probably soon come loose and impair performance. Other common disasters include
trying to earth to rear light mounting bolts, boot lock mountings and other ways to “trap”
the cable in the hope you might get a good earth. For every volt the amplifier doesn’t see it
requires twice the power to create the same output which means poor performance and a
possible broken amplifier. Once the work is complete neatly repaint the over the finished
bolted connector and chassis of the car with some primer to prevent corrosion.
We would like to make clear that the current demands of modern high power car audio are
highly significant, and dependant upon the speaker loads, gain levels and supply voltage.
We make every reasonable attempt to publish test results showing the likely current
consumption of each of our amplifiers, and we urge installers - even ones engaged in
modest car installations - to make provision for these current demands. Poor power supply
planning and a failure to provide sufficent energy to run the amplifiers is amongst the
number one reason for premature (or instant!) failure of the unit. It can also destroy
speakers, source units and even cause fire.
On a related matter, we have been made aware of the use of Bassface products in
situations where bench power supplies (or power supplies that are not a conventional car
battery/alternator) are used to power our products. From a purely technical standpoint
there is no good reason why this cannot be accomplished successfully BUT it is absolutely
critical that current provision is made with reference to the appropriate test estimates. We
need to make clear that due to the number of possible technical hurdles we are unable to
extend warranty to any kind of installation where the power source is not a 12v
car/alternator combination that meets necessary requirements.
It is also very important that a power amplifier is not used without an appropriate speaker
load on each channel. The design of each amplifier is different, and so some amplifiers will
tolerate running with open circuit channels, wheras some absolutely will not. It is easy to
quickly damage an amplifier if channels are left open. Always make sure minimum
impedance requirements are met. The most common examples we see are four channel
units where one half of the amp is used to run a pair of speakers or a subwoofer (even
worse) and the other side is left undriven. This will almost certainly destroy components on
circuit board resulting in smoke/fire/certain failure of the amplifier. We have also seen
similar incidents where mono amps have their load removed (subwoofer taken out of the
boot on a quick release) but where the remote cable still powered up meaning the amp is
receiving a full signal! This is also likely to fill your car with expensive smoke. It goes
without saying, but we will say it anyway, that this is yet another warranty void situation.
(And like all the other ones, it is easily avoidable!)
The first step when installing an amplifier is to lubricate the terminals. The reason for this is
that sometimes, the plating applied to the screws can rub off slightly in the threads,
causing binding. This can then result in damaged threads and/or rounded screw heads. We
recommend the use of a medium thickness general purpose oil. In the UK there is a product
known as "3 in 1" oil which we like to use in the workshop, but any reasonably thick,
decently penetrating oil will work. We do not recommend the use of spray lubricants for this
job because they are too thin, wont penetrate the threads and can contaminate the
cosmetic surface of the product. Also, whilst it might sound like a simple and obvious thing
to say, please make sure that you use the correct allen key or screwdriver when operating
