Kenwood Basic M2A Shuts Down at Higher Volume

[Glen B]

NO amp can output more power than it consumes. While 440 watts output for 500 watts output is plausible at 88% efficiency, the notion of producing more than 300 per channel into 4 ohms is not.

I agree.

[Glen B]

Are the Cerwin Vega speakers 4 Ohm? I think maybe it's a load issue.

The larger models are usually 4 ohms.

[OnThePike]

Thanks again to all who have responded.

Here are the steps thus far:

1: Disconnected and removed the M2A and C2 from all other components and placed them between the speakers, side-by-side, on a window ledge venting 43-degree outside air directly onto the components.

2: Used 12-guage solid copper romex as speaker wire, less than 12-feet each.

3: Powered up the Amp and Pre-Amp and all was fine until I added bass. At 3:00 (bass) and 3:00 (vol) , the amp shut down.

So... any ideas now? Do you think it's simply a mis-matched system?

Here are some specs in PDF format. Strike that -- my PDF's are too large here. SOme jpeg specs attached:

[OnThePike]

The larger models are usually 4 ohms.

They say "8 ohm compatible".

[E-Stat]

3: Powered up the Amp and Pre-Amp and all was fine until I added bass. At 3:00 (bass) and 3:00 (vol) , the amp shut down.

So... any ideas now?

The problem remains that you have exceeded the output capability of the amp and are severely clipping it. When the sound quality changes abruptly and starts gargling and making tearing sounds, you have run out of power. Do you understand that tone controls like bass and treble are volume controls that only affect one range? Adding bass requires more power. Sometimes, a lot of extra power.

rw

[poppachubby]

The problem remains that you have exceeded the output capability of the amp and are severely clipping it. When the sound quality changes abruptly and starts gargling and making tearing sounds, you have run out of power. Do you understand that tone controls like bass and treble are volume controls that only affect one range? Adding bass requires more power. Sometimes, a lot of extra power.

rw

Agreed, flatten any tone presets or EQ capabilities and see what happens. Essentially, lessen the load as best you can. When starting a car after recharging or while charging a dead battery, you generally shut off everything that the battery will feed ie. radio, lights,etc. Same idea here.

[harley .guy07]

I would say the same. You are overloading the amps output capabilities and causing the protection circuit to kick in. I did see the power ratings and the specs also say the power consumption is 1350 watts max. which would tell me that the rated power is more realistic than once tought. But these speakers are monsters that can handle quite a bit of power and I still stand by my opinion that most likely pro sound amplification is going to be the best and most ecconomical way to get more volume out of these speakers without taking out a second mortgage to do so.

[Glen B]

They say "8 ohm compatible".

That's fine. A search of the C-V website does not list impedance for several speakers. I have owned D-9s, AT380SEs, and AT-15s in the past and they were all 4 ohms nominal.

[E-Stat]

I did see the power ratings and the specs also say the power consumption is 1350 watts max. which would tell me that the rated power is more realistic than once tought.

Then it must be a different Kenwood Basic M2A than this one found here.



rw

[harley .guy07]

It must be because in the owners manual specs it shows the power consumtion max to be around 1350. So that would put the power ratings that I got the first time in to more believable territory.