Anyone with an amp mounted directly to seat having a problem?

[sip]

Does anyone have a mono amp mounted directly to the back seat without a piece wood in between? Any problems such as noise, shorting, fire, amp shutting down etc? I hear metal to metal mounting is prone to noise because of the ground loop effect.

I mounted a mono amp to a chip board (to prevent amp touching the seat metal) and gave it to the installer but he had removed the board and mounted it directly to the back seat. Should I get the amp remounted with a wood board or just leave it alone? I hate to go back and tell him to do it again.

This is not the first time an installer didn't follow my instructions. When I got my aftermarket HU installed, another installer agreed to mount the stock LCD but ended up not doing so. The installer who did the amp, to his credit, mounted the LCD to HU. Now, the stock LCD ahows both the clock and temperature. Having the stock LCD makes a big difference in appearance.

[Booter22]

ive had my amp mounted to my seat for two years. no problem. dont know what it is mono or not. ( not much of a sound system guy) just put my sub from my old car in this one and when they did the install they told me that amp that was replaced shortly after as it died was installed on the back of the rear seat

[genericmoniker]

No problems here.

[Tozer]

Nope mono on one seat and 4 channel on the other going on 2 years and the other 1.5 .. no problems

[Default User]

I think the whole "mounting on a piece of wood first" was an excuse made up because people with cheap Lanzar, Pyramid and Xplod amps would overheat or short out.

I've been mounting amps behind the seats for almost 20 years - and never once had an issue. But then again - I never owned a Pyramid Amp

[Cab0oze]

I hear metal to metal mounting is prone to noise because of the ground loop effect.
Really? Never heard of that (but then i'm not a huge audio guy either)
Seems to me like that would only happen if it was a poor quality/crappy constructed amp

[sip]

Really? Never heard of that (but then i'm not a huge audio guy either)
Seems to me like that would only happen if it was a poor quality/crappy constructed amp

As all of you do not have problems, I will leave the amp alone. It is a MB Quart entry level amp. I could always get it remounted if I run in to a problem later.

This site (http://www.teamrocs.com/technical/pages/ampinstall.htm) states " Mounting to an amp board reduces the amps contact with metal, and that helps to prevent "ground loops"." Wikipedia: "Ground loops created by improperly installed equipment are a major cause of noise and interference in audio and video systems."

[Cab0oze]

If you're worried (or if you DO have problems), put some rubber spacers/sleeves or something in there

[sip]

I am thinking of running a 2 channel amp to power the front two speakers. Do I have to :
1) Pull the head unit out again
2) Run a another set of Amp wires for the 2 channel amp. ( The sub already has 4 gauge amp wiring but I don't like to split it because I don't know one wire can handle 2 amps)

[CH0SiiN1]

I think the whole "mounting on a piece of wood first" was an excuse made up because people with cheap Lanzar, Pyramid and Xplod amps would overheat or short out.

I've been mounting amps behind the seats for almost 20 years - and never once had an issue. But then again - I never owned a Pyramid Amp

+1
Best answer

[Lockdown]

I am thinking of running a 2 channel amp to power the front two speakers. Do I have to :
1) Pull the head unit out again
2) Run a another set of Amp wires for the 2 channel amp. ( The sub already has 4 gauge amp wiring but I don't like to split it because I don't know one wire can handle 2 amps)

If you're unsure of this, get someone to help you.
That's something you should know before hooking stuff up, no fires please.
Good luck

[peterm15]

I am thinking of running a 2 channel amp to power the front two speakers. Do I have to :
1) Pull the head unit out again
2) Run a another set of Amp wires for the 2 channel amp. ( The sub already has 4 gauge amp wiring but I don't like to split it because I don't know one wire can handle 2 amps)

Wether your wire can handle it I'm unsure. But you'll need a distribution block to split the power.
If your wire can't handle it I suggest upgrading your wire.

As for mounting, I still just stand by the fact that better safe then sorry. Although I'm sure it's more then fine to mount directly to the seat. For the 5 min it took for me to set a piece of wood in and screw in the amp, it was worth it. I didn't need to scrounge for self tappers and there is no holes in my metal.

[sip]

According to Amp manufacture, MB Quart: "It is highly recommended that the amplifier be mounted to a board of MDF or other solid structure using the 4 mounting screws provided. Avoid mounting the amplifier to metal as this can introduce noise and other unwanted issues." I just saw this in the manual with a diagram of a wood board.

I too mounted the Amp on a wood board but the installer threw it away and mounted the amp directly on the metal seat back. I specifically went to this installer because the owner agreed to mount the amp on a wood board. I guess installers in general do not have a good knowledge of electricity theory. They just have the on the job training. Other reputable installers I spoke to such as Ultra Auto Sound and Radioactive in Burlington would install directly to metal. Of course, they would mount on wood if the customer insists.