Author Topic: is this distortion?  (Read 2684 times)

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Offline nxka24de

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is this distortion?
« on: Sep 13, 2006, 02:58PM »
hey guys, just got a quick quiry.

my old sub used to distort like shit cos i unscrewed it too many times and threaded all the screw holes so it leaked air from the side. i've just upgraded to a new one which is only being run at half power off my 4channel for now until i get a monoblock for it.

my question is this: at max gain there is no distortion except if your ear is right next to the sub u can hear what sounds like the cone moving (kind of paper flapping sound). is this normal or is it distorting? i'm not usually paranoid but i just don't want to damage my new sub before i get a monoblock..

thnx heaps boys & girls.

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Re: is this distortion?
« Reply #1 on: Sep 14, 2006, 11:55PM »
is this sub a dual voice coil?
Also you should never run your gain at full unless you know what you are doing. This will strain the amp, which could explain the crackling sound. It can lead to damage to both your sub and amp if you're not careful.
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Offline omad

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Re: is this distortion?
« Reply #2 on: Sep 15, 2006, 03:33AM »
hey guys, just got a quick quiry.

my old sub used to distort like shit cos i unscrewed it too many times and threaded all the screw holes so it leaked air from the side. i've just upgraded to a new one which is only being run at half power off my 4channel for now until i get a monoblock for it.

my question is this: at max gain there is no distortion except if your ear is right next to the sub u can hear what sounds like the cone moving (kind of paper flapping sound). is this normal or is it distorting? i'm not usually paranoid but i just don't want to damage my new sub before i get a monoblock..

thnx heaps boys & girls.

Half power should be OK for the time being. Just don't have it up too loud and bring the low pass down to about 60-70hz. An underpowered sub will sound a bit average, less punchy and not really a 'tight' controlled sound. When it distorts you can notice the bass tone change... I guess it kind of tends to go from a deep boom to more of a 'wahh' kind of noise. Best way to keep it in check is to set up the sound balance the way you like it, fade down or turn off the cabin speakers if you can and turn the volume up till you hear the sub tone changing. Take note of your max volume (try a few different songs) and don't go over it.

If you are using the same box, make sure not to use the same holes, screw it down tight and also check for any other box leaks (unless it's ported of course). You can do this by slowly pushing on the woofer cone & then releasing it. The cone should come out slowly and should also not be easy to press in. If you have any leaks, you should be able to hear them, the most common one is the terminal bracket. I've used silicone to seal mine up, just make sure if you do this let ALL the silicone well and truly dry and set before you put the woofer back in, as the vapours etc. of the silicone can damage the speaker material. If you have a sealed box and it is leaking it will sound flat and not that deep. Also adding a little padding to the inside of the box helps to deepen the bass to a more well rounded 'boom' than a 'bang' sound. You'll know if you put too much in as it will sound dull and muffled. Usually if the box is quite small for your woofer you can use a lot, otherwise just use a small amount and try to strech it out over as much of the wood inside as possible.
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Offline nxka24de

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Re: is this distortion?
« Reply #3 on: Sep 15, 2006, 10:46AM »
is this sub a dual voice coil?
yes it is and after speaking to a few people at JB that had no idea what they are talking about, i finally found someone who told me that the sub is wired at 2ohm total load which means that i am currently running chnl 3&4 of my 4chnl on 1ohm which is BAD. i have rectified the situation by buying a new monoblock. i will install it this weekend. i'll let u guys know how it works out.

thnks 4 the advice guys.


Offline omad

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Re: is this distortion?
« Reply #4 on: Sep 15, 2006, 01:06PM »
If the sub is DVC and a total load of 2ohm, it would more likely be a Dual 4ohm sub. So if you had one coil per channel you would have been running 4ohms per channel which is fine. The total load depens on how you wire the coils. If you put them in parallel (put both of the + wires together in one + terminal and likewise with the - wires) then it will run at 2ohm total. If you wire it in series (put one + wire in the + terminal on the amp, join the - wire of that same coil to the + of the 2nd coil and then put the - wire from the 2nd coil into the - on the amp terminal) you will end up with 8ohms total load.

It is possible that it COULD be a dual 1ohm sub, but I highly doubt it. If you had been running the amp that low it would have been getting insanely hot and likely going into protection mode (cutting out).

If you tell us the model of your sub it will be easier to confirm. Also, what 4 channel are you running at the moment and what monoblock did you buy?
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Offline nxka24de

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Re: is this distortion?
« Reply #5 on: Sep 15, 2006, 04:35PM »

If you tell us the model of your sub it will be easier to confirm. Also, what 4 channel are you running at the moment and what monoblock did you buy?
ok. sub is kicker 12" compVR which i don't know how the coils are wired cos i bought it wired in the box and the amp is cadence fx 4chnl. i did realise (too late) that i could have replaced the terminals so that i could wire each coil sepately and that would be fine but anyway the amp produces too little power so monoblock it is.  Monoblock is the clarion apx1300 which i got at cost price from a mate who has contacts.

if somecould confirm that it is 2ohm total load for me, that would be ace cos i'm not 100% certain still...
« Last Edit: Sep 15, 2006, 04:37PM by nxka24de »

Offline omad

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Re: is this distortion?
« Reply #6 on: Sep 15, 2006, 07:25PM »
Without seeing it & how it's wired up it's hard to tell. They come in a Dual 2ohm or 4ohm. I'm GUESSING you have the dual 4ohm wired in parallel to give you 2ohms which will be just fine for the amp you bought.

If it was wired up to 2ohm and you bridged 2 channels on your 4 channel amp to run it, you'd want to hope you haven't had it too loud or damaged the amp.

Good luck though. Once it's all set up right it should sound a treat!
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Offline nxka24de

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Re: is this distortion?
« Reply #7 on: Sep 15, 2006, 08:54PM »
thnx heaps 4 the help. much appreciated.

will update when its all done hopefully tomorrow.

cheers.

Offline Charger

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Re: is this distortion?
« Reply #8 on: Sep 16, 2006, 12:39PM »
More than likely it would be a dual 4 ohm CVR wired in parallel. Nothing wrong with wiring the coils in series for the time being and running your channels 3&4 bridged @ 8ohms for the time being, until you save for your new amp. :)

Offline omad

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Re: is this distortion?
« Reply #9 on: Sep 18, 2006, 04:05AM »
More than likely it would be a dual 4 ohm CVR wired in parallel. Nothing wrong with wiring the coils in series for the time being and running your channels 3&4 bridged @ 8ohms for the time being, until you save for your new amp. :)

If you had taken time to read the thread, you would have picked up he already has one ;)
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