Orion Car Audio & Video - Page 6 - Answered Questions & Fixed Issues

It sounds like your RCAs are pickin up noise somewhere, are your rca cables next to your amp power wire? this could be the problem. Just recheck your signal wires and make sure they aren't close to any significant power cables. Also does the noise only come from your subs or your car speakers to? If it comes from all your speakers you may have a headunit problem... hope this helps

Soild orange is left positive. Solid yellow is right positive

There could be many issues, from fuses in your amp, to power getting to your amps, to "low" impedance on your amp, and the circuit shutting down. Or it could even be your head unit, perhaps there is a setting on the HU that turns ON/OFF the subwoofer. BTW, you are running to low of an impedance on that amp. If my memory serves me correct, the lowest impedance that they JL Audio recommends is 1.5 Ohms.

Hello brianmitchel,

From what I am able to determine, the Orion HCCA250 is a bridgeable 2-channel amp that is stable to 1ohm when bridged and outputs 800 watts RMS into that load.

The JL W6's in both 10" and 12" versions are dual voice coil with 4ohm coils so they can be wired to present either an 8ohm load (series) or a 2ohm load (parallel). They can handle 600 watts RMS.

With this combination, the best configuration would be to wire the sub voice coils in parallel for a 2ohm load and then parallel both subs to the amp bridged terminals for a final impedance of 1ohm. The subs will each be getting 400 watts.

In any event, I would not recommend running subs in series. There is some evidence for distortion being caused by something termed "back EMF".

Hope this helps.

well what kinda of subs are you trying to run and what are the ohms?

If you have one sub dual voice coil, just paralel the sub and conect to brigde amp. Simple...

the specs are as follows
250watts x1 at 4 ohms
400watts x1 at 2 ohms
600watts x1 at 1 ohm
it is bridgeable and has a 50 amp maxi fuse

the rca jacks on the amp may be bad or internal circutry may be fried

Your speaker is a dual 2ohm sub. If you have both voice coils wired Parallel that will drop the ohm load to 1, which the amp can not handle. You need to wire the voice coils in series. Treat each voice coil as a speaker.

are you using the right gauge power wire and are your ohms correct

Usually the voice coil is bad on these subs...if your surround is rotted or torn - EXTENDING YOUR FINGERS PUSH DOWN GENTLY ON THE MIDDLE OF THE SUB AND RELEASE...Is it free? If not, forget the rebuild...If you need a kit for rebuilding the Earthquake...try Googling "Lesco Distibuting" in Orange City, FL and ask them who their closest Earthquake dealer is.
Good Luck

ASSUMING YOU HAVE AN AMP FOR THIS SUB, CONNECT LEFT AND RIGHT JACKS, RED AND WHITE TO BACK OF STEREO RUN TO AMP AND THEN FOR A TWO CHANNEL AMP YOU JUST BRIDGE THE TERMINALS SO LEFT + ON CHANNEL ONE AND RIGHT - CHANNEL TWO

Hello express_raci,

I'm hoping you meant Rockford-Fosgate parts. If so, they are your best source. I'd fill out their webform and see if they will help.

For generic components like resistors, capacitors, potentiometers, semiconductors and the like, you can purchase them from MCM Electronics or Mouser. You'll need a description and value for generic components. It's also possible that some parts are available at your local Radio Shack.

Hope this helps.

your amp is shorting internaly most likely from be handled rough the only thing i recemond is replaceing it cause it will fail completly it just a matter of time & it could be a fire hazared in you car

Hello rivertoyz,

If your F250 has the stock radio, there are no preamp outputs, so you will need to use the speaker outputs. The best solution would be to wire a LOC (line output converter) to the rear channels and run RCA cables to the amp.

Speaker wire color code:

Left rear positive - Gray/Light Blue
Left rear negative - Tan/Yellow
Right rear positive - Orange/Red
Right rear negative - Brown/Pink

You'll need an amp wiring kit with 4gauge power and ground. Both the LOC and wiring kits are available at numerous online stores. The best service is from www.crutchfield.com. Another reputable online seller is www.sonicelectronix.com.

You did not say what subwoofer(s) you intend to use with the amp. If you want to stick with the Maxxsonics product, a pair of 10" Orion HP10D2's would be an excellent match. Wire each of the subs dual voice coils in series for 4ohms, then parallel them to the amp for a final load of 2ohms. Both of the linked retailers above sell the Orion's and many other brands as well. Just make sure that your sub selection has adequate power handling capability. At least 1000 watts RMS if you use a single sub and 500 watts RMS if you go with 2.

Hope this helps.

You have maxed out the amp! if your running one 4ga. pwr wire to all your amps, it's choking. Going to Wendy's buying a frosty and sucking it thru a straw!. Your amp is starving for more Voltage and current. That amps peak output is 1200w @ 1ohm, not too shabby! Now onto the next issue: Grounding!, just as important as power! Your amp MUST be grounded properly. Don't ground it to a seatbolt or side wall of the vehicle, go directly to the floor, hopefully less than 2-3ft tops. using the same gauge wire as power. If your power is longer than 12 feet, and in most cars it is, you loose alot of voltage and current flow to the amp the longer the run, the more you loose. That's just how DC power works. What's happening to your amp is it's working itself to death and creating massive amounts of heat. "enough to cook dinner" Run a 2ga or 1ot power wire to a distribution block at the amps. Wire in your other amps, then use the stiffening cap just for the sub amp. Not a cheap answer but it will solve most of your problem. Next, set the gain on the Sub amp NO HIGHER than 1 o'clock. Beyond this, and there's no help for it, there's no more gas pedal to push!. Enjoy your system but don't kill it! Hope this helps

newer radios have a lock code get the code to unlock it

this might be because the subs might not be able to handle the power that the amp is putting out. this could also be a peak power light. try turning the volume down on the head unit, and see if it still does it.

do you have a power cap, if not your amps not getting the power it
wants what size wire you running should be 2gage

Hello k_davis1004,

The Orion Cobalt 2105 XP is a relatively low-power 2-channel amp. I've seen it on eBay Express for as low as $25. How much it's worth depends not only on the condition but also the intended use. If you are the buyer, and really need a small 2-channel to power a set of normal speakers, I'd say buy it if you can get it for $25-50.

On the other hand, if you're the seller, don't expect a rush of buyers. There's just too many very good little 2-channel amps out there selling new for $100 or so. And with a new purchase, the buyer typically gets a manufacturer warranty, possibly return or exchange, and technical support if needed.

Orion makes good stuff. And their reviews from users is generally very positive.

Hope this helps.