amp going into protect mode

Setting the Gain too high will cause the protection circuit to turn on.



The best way to set is as follows:



If your amp has a Clip indicator LED, you should set the gain so that the LED barely flickers when you are playing at loud volumes. If you dont have a Clip Indicator, adjust the gain to just below the point you start the hear some distortion in the output signal.



If that still does not fix the problem, try the following:



Double check all your power and ground wiring. Make sure you have good, solid connections on your power feed wires from your battery and a good, solid ground connection close the amp. If the connections arent good it can cause power loss through the wires which can contibute to Clipping and Protection problems.



Excessively long (20ft or more) power wires will cause these problems too, and you may have to try using a larger gauge wire (4 or bigger on long runs!). Most Amps will draw almost 10-15A of current under heavy load and this can result in a loss of about 3-5v at the amp end of the wire so your amp only sees 7-9v of the actual 12 you want to give it. This can be alleviated by using a capacitor (1F or so), if you have the money, but it may not solve the problem. If you can, shorten your power supply wires and try a different ground.



Also you can check your speakers to make sure their impedance or 'Ohms' are within the specs for the amp. Check your owners manual for your speakers and amp to get this information, or look it up on line. Most amps like about 4 ohms or more to work properly. It may also be printed or typed on the bottom and back or your speakers and amp.