why doesn't my subwoofers sound louder?

[Bellmeister]

The fact that's its 400 watts instead of 150 is the problem? What

The 4 ohm is doing it?

WHAT

Taken from my original post/question. The problem is low sub volume

Also, even with the Audio Concepts active LOC the volume is LOW bro. It should be way louder. Im sure I shouldn't have to turn everything up so high. Thanks in advance

 

[Bellmeister]

So the skar svr? You have a 80 dollar 8 inch sub. I wouldn't expect it to do anything exciting unless you get about 3 more/ or switch to a larger cone sized sub.
Do you know anyone else with systems you can compare to? "Loud" is subjective.
Also, do you have a d2 sub wired up to 4 ohms?
What amp do you have at 4 ohms.

Ps. You should've started your own thread instead of jacking an old one

Yeha I figured that out sorry original post guy.

 

[Bellmeister]

Yeha I figured that out sorry original post guy.

And to answer your questions..and thanks btw.
Just fyi how I got to that...I had a 12" sub in my home theater system anbd it was a huge space compared to my car and it thumped like a mofo. PLUS the reviews, dudes say its got more boom than 10s and 12s they had.
But I am heeding your advice, may get another.
I bought the Audio Controls LC2i 2 PRO line out converter and the Skar rp 1200 watt amp.
I wired the sub at 4 ohm and its 400 watt RMS and the amp runs at 500 RMS at 4 ohms.

 

[Deon1818]

And to answer your questions..and thanks btw.
Just fyi how I got to that...I had a 12" sub in my home theater system anbd it was a huge space compared to my car and it thumped like a mofo. PLUS the reviews, dudes say its got more boom than 10s and 12s they had.
But I am heeding your advice, may get another.
I bought the Audio Controls LC2i 2 PRO line out converter and the Skar rp 1200 watt amp.
I wired the sub at 4 ohm and its 400 watt RMS and the amp runs at 500 RMS at 4 ohms.

Without more information your probably around expected output for one 400 watt 8.
Don't expect a huge gain from another sub. I would probably advise one 1000 watt 12 inch sub. Wire to one ohm on that amp

 

[Bellmeister]

Without more information your probably around expected output for one 400 watt 8.
Don't expect a huge gain from another sub. I would probably advise one 1000 watt 12 inch sub. Wire to one ohm on that amp

I appreciate it. Its just weird cos so many guys do the 1 ohm deal but Im told that thats not optimal cos its wide open at all times and gets hot.
I can get another one and wire them at 2 ohm. Probably do that.

 

[Deon1818]

I appreciate it. Its just weird cos so many guys do the 1 ohm deal but Im told that thats not optimal cos its wide open at all times and gets hot.
I can get another one and wire them at 2 ohm. Probably do that.

Skar amps get hot at 1 ohm cuz they're built subpar. Meanwhile other companies make amps that can run at .5 ohms and stay cooler than a skar.

 

[Firewalker]

Never believe the reviews on a Skarbage enclosure. And tuned to 40hz? Good grief! Amazon reviews are garbage when it comes to car audio.

 

[metalheadjoe 10+ year member]

@Bellmeister how loud are you trying to get and what are you comparing to? 400w is very low power. Your amp isn't running wide open unless you're pushing it to clipping. Sorry to say but you have a lot of reading/learning to do if you're serious about this hobby.

 

[Bellmeister]

@Bellmeister how loud are you trying to get and what are you comparing to? 400w is very low power. Your amp isn't running wide open unless you're pushing it to clipping. Sorry to say but you have a lot of reading/learning to do if you're serious about this hobby.

Hate to come back at ya bro but you may need to do some reading. lol Im adding a sub to my stock stereo adn theirs limitations to how much power you want.
Gotta take into consideration the wattage of the rest of your system.
Many stock systems would require a sub no more than 200W RMS.
Im running a 1200 watt amp at 4 ohms, 500 RMS and a Skar SVR 8" at 400 RMS with the LC2i 2 Pro LOC.
What you may be able to help me with...is running it at 4 ohms a good bit lower output than 2 ohms?
If so, I could just buy another 8" and run them at 2 ohms...

 

[Deon1818]

Hate to come back at ya bro but you may need to do some reading. lol Im adding a sub to my stock stereo adn theirs limitations to how much power you want.
Gotta take into consideration the wattage of the rest of your system.
Many stock systems would require a sub no more than 200W RMS.
Im running a 1200 watt amp at 4 ohms, 500 RMS and a Skar SVR 8" at 400 RMS with the LC2i 2 Pro LOC.
What you may be able to help me with...is running it at 4 ohms a good bit lower output than 2 ohms?
If so, I could just buy another 8" and run them at 2 ohms...

Don't tell someone they need to read and then ask them a question.
So you think systems might only need 200 watts but you want to add more when you have 500. .
The wattage of the rest of your system . . As in how much power your battery and alternator can provide?
Please read about ohms.
In short the answer to your question is yes.
But you should spend a few hours research ohms, wiring, amp output at different levels, the amount of amperage your system will use etc.
Crutchfield covers the basics and Google is a wonderful thing.
Do you know what ohms are?

 

[metalheadjoe 10+ year member]

Hate to come back at ya bro but you may need to do some reading. lol Im adding a sub to my stock stereo adn theirs limitations to how much power you want.
Gotta take into consideration the wattage of the rest of your system.
Many stock systems would require a sub no more than 200W RMS.
Im running a 1200 watt amp at 4 ohms, 500 RMS and a Skar SVR 8" at 400 RMS with the LC2i 2 Pro LOC.
What you may be able to help me with...is running it at 4 ohms a good bit lower output than 2 ohms?
If so, I could just buy another 8" and run them at 2 ohms...

I'm running over 5000 watts, and a 400w sub is not worth my time to install it. 4 ohms should make half the power of 2 ohms according to ohm's law , though impedance is affected by frequency. I'd rather have one twelve than two eights.

 

[metalheadjoe 10+ year member]

Hate to come back at ya bro but you may need to do some reading. lol Im adding a sub to my stock stereo adn theirs limitations to how much power you want.
Gotta take into consideration the wattage of the rest of your system.
Many stock systems would require a sub no more than 200W RMS.
Im running a 1200 watt amp at 4 ohms, 500 RMS and a Skar SVR 8" at 400 RMS with the LC2i 2 Pro LOC.
What you may be able to help me with...is running it at 4 ohms a good bit lower output than 2 ohms?
If so, I could just buy another 8" and run them at 2 ohms...

I enjoy learning. Will you recommend anything to read?

 

[Greg B]

I agree with the other advice you've received so far. To make the best of your current situation check out some YouTube videos on setting gains and impedance rise. When the sub is moving that 4 ohms becomes 8 or more so you're probably seeing more like 200 watts. I'd take a multimeter and check your ac voltage at the speaker outputs on a test tone with the sub hooked up

 

[Bellmeister]

Don't tell someone they need to read and then ask them a question.
So you think systems might only need 200 watts but you want to add more when you have 500. .
The wattage of the rest of your system . . As in how much power your battery and alternator can provide?
Please read about ohms.
In short the answer to your question is yes.
But you should spend a few hours research ohms, wiring, amp output at different levels, the amount of amperage your system will use etc.
Crutchfield covers the basics and Google is a wonderful thing.
Do you know what ohms are?

Yeah its resistance. and its funny cos everyone runs their sht at 1 ohms it seems and its the worst way to run an amp and doesnt sound as good as 2 or 4 etc.
And Im sorry I wasnt clear. Youre supposed to take the watts of the other speakers and having a 50/50 or 60/4060 being sub power.
And amp INPUT is hard to get info on and its important. Cos the LOCs put out 2V or 8V and that effed me up at first.

 

[metalheadjoe 10+ year member]

Yeah its resistance. and its funny cos everyone runs their sht at 1 ohms it seems and its the worst way to run an amp and doesnt sound as good as 2 or 4 etc.
And Im sorry I wasnt clear. Youre supposed to take the watts of the other speakers and having a 50/50 or 60/4060 being sub power.
And amp INPUT is hard to get info on and its important. Cos the LOCs put out 2V or 8V and that effed me up at first.

Please reword your question if you haven't received a proper answer.