Crown K1 amp with B4+ Subwoofer problem (1 Viewer)

[Simon Brown]

After owning the SVS B4+ I can say that I'm very happy with it's performance over the last 3 months. Just recently I've been having problems with the Crown K1 amp. When playing any source the K1 ones power light comes on(thats normal) as well as the signal light(not normal) but nothing is being played from the dvd player. Normally both green channel lights illumminate together when a low frequency is detected. I'm finding that when the signal light is on by itself and I play a source the amp shuts down then restarts??. I believe it could be the cable that runs from the K1 to my Rotel 1098 which is the brand Better Cable 3/4 phono to RCA which you get with the amp. When I fiddled with it while the amp was on the power light would fluctuate and then the amp would shut down then start again. Another possible cause is that the K1 is overheating as it gets very hot to touch even after 45mins of playing a source. I have the K1 placed at the bottom of my rack with metal spiked feet to lift it off the ground to help with ventilation. After reading about these amps this is not normal operation as they are capable of heavy loads without overheating. When the amp has these problems the clipping light does not come on nor does the IOC input/output indicators. I do not run my sub hot and it's set to 75db like the rest of my speakers. I will be getting a new cable but this time I will go for a XLR to RCA instead to eliminate that possibilty next week. Unfortunalty it's very random which is why it's hard to pinpoint the cause as it's not consistant. I had it playing for over 2 hours no problem and the amp was not gettin hot, very strange. I'm at a loss as to the problem but any feedback would be much appreciated.

 

[Mike_Skeway]

That is not normal for the amp. Do you have a line level shifter from the receiver to the amp? The line level voltage of consumer gear is less than pro gear. So it is not getting what it needs. I run all pro gear amps, and from consumer outs, I run a line level shifter to gain proper line level voltage. I would have doubts that it is the cable causing this.

Edit: Also do you have anything stacked on top of the amp?

 

[Simon Brown]

Hi mike no I dont have anything stacked on top as that would cause it to overheat. I don't have a line level shifter either and I'm not sure what one is. The problem has only just started happening the last 2 weeks and I have never had a problem with power before. You would think that would happen from the start if it wasn't getting enough power. The touching of the cable which is a phono input into the K1 to RCA to the Rotel 1098 causes the amp to shut off so I'm thinking it's that but again the amp runs very very hot, too hot to touch at times. I'm at a loss to what it is. I will be getting a new cable next week at least that will eliminate that possibilty. If it continues then power could be an issue or the amp is faulty. Thanks for your prompt reply and suggestions

 

[Mike_Skeway]

Could very well be a faulty amp, it really should not run like that. A line level shifter can be found at any pro-audio shop. All it does is convert consumer gear line level to pro gear line level. With out one, you could run into problems with having to turn things up to the point of causing clipping, which could also be pushing your amp to hard.

I am currently running a Peavey GPS 3500 (bridged) to push my B4+.

 

[Simon Brown]

Thanks for the input Mike. I've ordered a new cable that runs form the Crown amp to my Rotel 1098 pre-amp. The one I have currently is RCA to 1/4 phono jack that end (phono) goes into the Crown K1 but it doesn't fit in tighly. I'm getting one that has an XLR to RCA instead. I believe and I hope it's just the cable as SVS have informed me that the Crown K1 series do run very hot even at idle. If it is the amp SVS have no problem in replacing it and for me to send mine back. Got to hand it to SVS they know how to treat their customers.

 

[Mike_Skeway]

I hope that it all gets worked out for you. SVS does have great support.

I have not had any problems with 1/4" phono jacks into my pro gear. I have not had a cable do that to me yet. Hopefully it is just a faulty cable shorting out.

 

[Mark Seaton]

Cables & connections are the most common source of problems in systems on average. It could also be the amplifier's input connector, not the cable itself. Trying the XLR intput would be a good idea. So far as heat, the K series amplifiers actually run their hottest at idle, when most of the power has to be dissipated inside the amplifier as heat. At higher power levels, most of the power goes to the speaker, and thus less it turned into heat.

 

[Doug_M_Fraser]

On the heat issue.....

I have a Crown K2 driving a Stryke 15.2

It is housed in a enclosed wood cabinet with very, very, minimal venting. I use Rane Balance Buddies (BB2) to get from consumer audio levels to pro audio levels. Yes the amp gets quite warm but it has never shut down. As Mark points out in the above post, the amp is quite warm when it is at idle.

Doug

 

[Michael R Price]

Is there an intermittent short on the output?

 

[Simon Brown]

Well I've finally nailed it as to the problem. It was power related all along. After much testing and changing cables it came down to power. I had the Crown amps ac power connector changed to our standard (Australian) instead of using an adapter and now have an XLR to RCA cable from Crown to my Rotel pre-amp. Not that having those changes done made any difference but after using a seperate power outlet for the Crown only I'm not having any problems now. Thanks for all who offered advice and I appreciated your input.

 

[Mike_Skeway]

Glad to hear you have things all working properly again.

 

[TommyL]

Hey Simon, glad your back in business man! tom

 

[steve nn]

All's good down under then.

Lets all go to Simons tonight for the movie. I like my corn buttered (hint).

 

[Simon Brown]

Umm guys I need to tell you something and it's going to sound stupid and you will all say "Why didn't you check that first". In all the testing I've been doing theres been one constant when I've had the problem and thats the Powerbox 6 outlet board(Made by Ear Science). I've had the Crown plugged into it and after trying Titan AE the Crowns amp lights started to flicker then the amp shuts off resets itself and comes on again. Well I started to get pissed off as I thought I fixed the problem but nooo. After sitting down and thinking it all through it occured to me that the Powerbox was present in all testing situations.My brother having heard me cry out N000 not again he proceeded to look at the Powerbox and written on the thing it says 1200W MAXIMUM. Ahhh. When I bought the unit the guy told me it had no limit so I didn't think of it

So clearly I'm feeding it 1500W from the Crown and during certain bass heavy moments it's shutting off reseting which in turn cuts power to the Crown and it shuts off as well. I believe thats whats been happening all along and I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier. I'm sure more testing will clarify my theory and I'll keep you posted.

Sorry to Tom/Ron at SVS for the countless e-mails I've sent thinking it was the Crown amp.
:rolleyes

 

[Mike_Skeway]

Well it is good that you are back in business. Enjoy the bass!