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I am in no way an AV expert, but can set up my tv and surround sound. I have a 2008 SL262 with the Sony head unit and Kicker Amp that came as part of the stereo upgrade system. I have 6 speakers throughout my boat, and my system sounds good...

While anchored, listening to music, and the kids playing for a couple hours with the radio on, the stereo will cut out...no sound, but power to the head unit (it stays illuminated). No ipod, am/fm, cd...nothing...

I thought the amp might be overheating as it is behind a back seat cushion behind a door, but even opening that to allow air to circulate around it, doesn't help. After about 15-20 minutes, it will start playing again. It will work fine for an hour or so, and then shut down again...any ideas?

Thanks!

I think you may have hit it....it sounds like the amp is going into protect mode. Pay attention to what color the LEDs on the amp are and which are on and then check them when it shuts down. This will be a good start.

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

On my past boat, I had the same setup. Six speakers, Sony head, with the Kicker amp. The amp only used 2 out of the six speakers. the other 4 were powered from the head. Which was nice, because if I wanted the other 2 speakers and more power I just flipped a switch to turn the amp on. I am thinking that you have the same setup. With or without the switch to manualy turn the amp on.

My piont is, if yours is wired the same, than it's not the amp. BUT, I would put my hand on it when this happens to see how hot it really is. I would check all of the connections to the back of the head. Maybe the head is over heating and not the amp??

Yep, it's either overheating or your batteries are running low. Either will cause it to cut off like that. Amps draw power, and will draw quite a lot more as you crank up the volume. It may be likely you'd need to add another battery. Or that your current one isn't holding as much of a charge as it used to. Batteries typically last 4-5 years. But our new 348 had a defective one they had to replace in the first month. So don't assume yours are OK just because it's a 2008.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

As many have said, your amplifier is most likely going into thermal protection due to heat. I would be interested to know what kind of amplifier you have (model number) and how the speakers are wired.

The impedance load you are running on the amplifier makes a big difference on how much amperage you're drawing and, in turn, how quickly the amplifier will heat up.

+5

I have the same problem. I boat in Lake Mead where it's over a 100 most days and even with the seat back up I shut off after an hour or two when I'm on the hook. 10-15 minutes of rest and I'm good to go for quite a while again. I have the same kicker 700watt amp that comes with the upgrade. On the plus, it really does sound good! I've thought about adding a fan back in there, but don't know if that would really help as it would be blowing extremely hot air around. All in all, it does really good for the climate it's being used in. One more note, the higher you play it, the hotter it will get and sooner it will shut off....

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2011 Four Winns H260 Frenzy $ea Note
VP 8.1GXi/DP EVC 420HP
2007 Silverado 1500 CrewCab 4x4
Previous:
2002 Four Winns H200
5.0GXI 270HP