JBL powered sub issues

[RGKeller]

Hello all. New here and looking for advice on some issues I've been having with my JBL powered sub. I installed it about 2 years ago in my 2017 Ford Escape with the larger screen but non Sony system and it worked fine for several months but here recently it's been acting funny. I used the speaker level inputs to get signal and tapped into the speaker wires behind the factory head unit. Like I said all was good at first but here recently it's been getting quiet at times then will go back to normal operation. Sometimes it will do this back in forth several times during the same song and other times it will be longer periods before switching. I don't think it's ever shutting completely off or going into a protection mode or anything. It just gets quiet at times then all of a sudden gets louder again. I was told in a Ford Escape forum that the factory head units control module is actually sensing there is another speaker present and is cutting the ohms down to 2 to protect itself. Could this really be happening or is something else going on? Anybody else with a Ford run in to this issue? Any ideas or info would be much appreciated. Thanks all.

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[Jimi77 5,000+ posts]

I doubt the stereo is sensing another speaker since the high level inputs on the subwoofer amp should have a very high impedance.

Do you have some sort of noise canceling on the stereo? Does volume drop on other speakers?

 

[RGKeller]

No noise canceling that I know of. It doesn’t seem like any of the other speakers volume drops at all. I’ve tried fading front to back and left to right when it happens to see if there is a change and there isn’t. I tried unplugging the remote gain knob to see if that made any difference and it doesn’t either. All the wires seem to be connected tightly and nothings loose that I can find.

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

All the wires seem to be connected tightly and nothings loose that I can find.

Try connecting your phone to the sub via 3.5mm to RCA cable. If you cannot replicate the issue, then the powered sub is ok.

 

[RGKeller]

Okay I'll try that nd see what happens. Thanks all.