# cold weather and amps?



## perfecxionx (Sep 4, 2009)

I have an x200.4 that has been giving me some problems recently. Sometimes the left woofer channel will go out, and sometimes produce a harsh distorted static sound at the same time. Because the problem sometimes goes away i haven't really had a chance to fiddle with things to narrow the problem down. However i have noticed that the problem is usually in the morning when its coldest, and usually goes away if i keep the car in the garage over night, or if the car is sitting out in the sun in the afternoon. So i cant help but wonder if cold weather is aggravating some problem in the amp. Is this plausible? I was always under the impression that the cold would be, if anything, good for an amplifier. Was this a wrong thing to assume?


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## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

Moisture is the problem and can cause corrosion or connection issues. Temp swings can cause condensation if the moisture is high. It may have nothing to do with that, could be wiring or a fault that the cold is showing up.


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## perfecxionx (Sep 4, 2009)

Well I'm now certain that its not bad connections anywhere and the occurrence of the problem is increasingly seeming related to cold weather (usually under 20). 

Condensation doesn't really make any sense because it's consistently the left woofer that goes out. I think I've had a problem with the left tweeter as well at least once or twice but its been a while.

Any other ideas? I'm starting to think my only solution is a new amp, but I don't want to drop the money and continue to have this problem.


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## Tedro (Dec 8, 2010)

my x100.2 used to do the same thing in cold weather.


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

it dont get as cold down here, but its been 9 degrees and my amp sits right by a vent that lets cold air in and ive had no problems. but it gets like negative up there lol


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## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

I would probably smack the amp a little with my palm when it did this, to see if it was a connection problem. Cold does cause metal to contract and that could aggravate a connection issue internally. Yeah it was 0F when I got up this AM.


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## perfecxionx (Sep 4, 2009)

lol, thanks 

il give that a try tomorrow morning


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

X200.4? As in Phoenix Gold?


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

For what it's worth, I have a pair of PG Xenons. My 100.4 has hummed like a son of a gun when cold since day one. Took me nearly 6 months to notice it since I installed it in the spring and it didn't get cold enough to act up until fall. It hums hard for a minute, then quieter for another minute or two and then works perfectly until it's powered down and gets cold again. Annoying, but I've dealt with it since it doesn't seem to effect it's performance any...

On to my 600.1... This amp has given me no trouble... until a few days ago. It's been brutal cold here this winter and while this particular amp isn't making any unusual noise, it seems as if it doesn't reach full power until warmed up. Strange. Very little output while cold, but within 5 minutes or so, completely normal. I'm totally stumped on this one... Maybe it's not the amp at all and it's just the surround on my sub being stiff in the cold. I don't know, but it's strange...

Sorry, if this seems a little off topic or doesn't help you at all. I just thought I'd share my cold weather experiences.


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## perfecxionx (Sep 4, 2009)

it is an phoenix gold xenon, and that is interesting
thanks


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## Just_Crazy (Nov 10, 2008)

sqshoestring said:


> Moisture is the problem and can cause corrosion or connection issues. Temp swings can cause condensation if the moisture is high. It may have nothing to do with that, could be wiring or a fault that the cold is showing up.


X2
let us not for get as well the metallic components throughout amplifiers and the constant expansion and contraction of metal object b/c of temp. swings.


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## Sarthos (Oct 29, 2010)

I would say it's more likely that the cold is being hard on your sub than it is on your amp... remember, as a general rule, the resistances of materials gets lower when they get colder, so the amp should put out more power when it's cold. But the sub gets stiff from the cold, and is a more likely culprit.

As for the metal contracting and causing a problem...seriously? Do you people realize just how little metal expands and contracts given the wild, massive temperature shifts in a car?


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## sangellga (Dec 25, 2010)

I have seen this same behavior caused by a hair-line crack in solder on a board. THe crack was so small it was only visible under magnification. When the amp would get warm in the car it would come on and start playing, when cold nothing, nada, zip! That was a Memphis amp, not a PG. This was confirmed by Memphis when repaired.


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## Just_Crazy (Nov 10, 2008)

thank you


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## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

Most amp cases are aluminum though some are steel. Alum expands more. Yes it only takes a hairline crack or cracked leg on a transistor, etc.

The lack of output likely is the sub, electronics like cold long as they don't get wet or disconnected. On the other hand cold mostly helps current capacity, meaning the amp should work the same it will just be harder to blow up when cold.

Lol, I bought a mattress a foam one with the memory foam top in it. I reacted to it and took it outside, not like I have a lot of ventilation when its <30F out. Left it in the garage for a day with a fan on it right, so I check it and the soft 'heat sensitive' memory foam top part was near rock hard and the lower stiffer normal foam was actually softer than the top; the temp did not seem to affect it near as much. I don't know if the lower foam was harder in the cold, but I know subs can be affected and seem to warm up after a few minutes.

The max power an amp can make is determined by the voltage from the power supply. It is switching DC into AC, into a transformer to raise the voltage, then rectifying the positive and negative (in most amps) back to DC. I doubt it will make much more power cold, but I don't really know. The amp section can only give that power to the speakers properly until it has no more then it clips. Most cars charge higher voltage when cold you can see 14.4v+ sometimes, if your amp is unregulated in the power supply, still that is minimal dB increase that may be offset by cold drivers.


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## perfecxionx (Sep 4, 2009)

When i say woofer, i mean the midwoofer in the door. Its a peerless hds nomex. I'm going to switch the left and right midwoofer channels to make sure the problem is the amp channel and not the left speaker.


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## rufast (Aug 7, 2010)

i get a problem with the head unit in very cold weather. volume is stuck to one setting until i shut the car off and on.


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## manifest (Feb 20, 2009)

My JL 500/1 seems to lose ~60hz by around 6+ db when it's cold.

I haven't had proper bass for a month now


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## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

I just went for a drive its 20+ out, the subs seemed weak and after the car got warm they dialed back in to normal. I had to make some noise on the way back its been that kind of week. Working on the other car it broke...meh...at least I have a heated building to work in I guess.


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## Geepeey (Jun 26, 2021)

perfecxionx said:


> I have an x200.4 that has been giving me some problems recently. Sometimes the left woofer channel will go out, and sometimes produce a harsh distorted static sound at the same time. Because the problem sometimes goes away i haven't really had a chance to fiddle with things to narrow the problem down. However i have noticed that the problem is usually in the morning when its coldest, and usually goes away if i keep the car in the garage over night, or if the car is sitting out in the sun in the afternoon. So i cant help but wonder if cold weather is aggravating some problem in the amp. Is this plausible? I was always under the impression that the cold would be, if anything, good for an amplifier. Was this a wrong thing to assume?


I have the same problem even in dead summer if it gets any kind of cold it doesn't work ...I live in Colorado where the nights are cooler and sometimes my amp don't work until been sitting in sun for a little I just need to buy a new one!!


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