Aggravated, can't get L7 15 hitting the mid bass type frequencies..

[love car audio 10+ year member]

Okay, so maybe that is a little drastic but here is a question from a person whom loves audio, has heard my fair share of systems and now just had mine installed...

System:

1 Z120 bt

1 Kicker L7 15 in a 3.5 cube sealed box

2 sets of kicker mids/highs

1 Interfire D3000.1 (22oo watts rms) not 3000

1 JL Audio 450/4 on mids/highs

The bass hits very low, and is consistent at that level. However at the higher notes they are pretty much non-existent. Just wondering if lack of power, tuning, or box issue. Buddy has a sound stream 15 in his truck, same amp, and the **** thing drops unbelievably hard. Hard to sit in his truck...

I have not yet gone back to get the system tuned, nor have I checked the gains. (Hard as the amp is on amp rack).. but just wondering what I maybe missing.

Thanks for any advice.

Now I have had 12's and 15's.. all of which have been able to hit the 30 hz up to the mid-range.. for some reason just can't get this one to. I have been told to port the box (though I hate ported) to gain the mid range back, or to make the box smaller... Any other idea's?

Click to read more...

 

[dumple 5,000+ posts]

i wonder why? what specific frequency are you thinking you want your l7 to play, im going to venture a guess and say you need dedicated midbass to handle them, or better mids in the front, or a better subwoofer

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

Do you know the frequency range you are missing?

 

[Phoenix Risen 10+ year member]

if your talking the 30-80hz range then its likely a box issue, or just bad sub choice.

if your talking about actual midbass 80-~400hz then its your mids that are the issue.

 

[rbtrucking 10+ year member]

Ya that subs freq range is 18-100 so if like the other poster said if your trying to get higher than that out of the sub it isn't going to work too well. I'd look into better mids. Thats why I stuck with 12's because my mids are small and can't do much below 125 so I got subs with a response of 20-200.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

Play some test tones and tell us PRECISELY what frequency range you feel is lacking. Otherwise not enough info

 

[dumple 5,000+ posts]

i have a feeling the l7 starts slacking at like 70hz

 

[neonblack 10+ year member]

You should cut your mids and subs off around 70 Hz. Play with some test tones so that the roll off between the two sounds smooth and tweak it by listening to some music. Low E on a guitar is 80 Hz so you want that coming out of your mids (and sub LP slope will hit it just a little, too.) Here's good step-by-step instructions on how to set the Mid HP and Sub LP correctly with test tones.

Techniques for Tuning - Guides - Car Audio and Electronics

 

[Ryan shaw 10+ year member]

Subs are never meant to play above 60hz or so. You have an l7 in a far too large sealed box...that itself is a recipe for disaster

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

I agree. Mid bass (separate speakers/mids) should cover the 60+ region, not your subs. The problem that I've found is a lot of mids lack in the mid bass area. So the cheapest way to play that area is to make your sub do it. In my case, I'm just completely missing that area.

 

[Papermaker85 5,000+ posts]

I think midbass starts closer to 80hz but I cross my sub around 60 and mids around 80 it blends better..

Xover points also have to do with output as well..

 

[budahbuddy803 10+ year member]

hahaha I have a hard time getting my tweeters to play sub frequencies also....are these correlated???

 

[akheathen Premium Member]

lol, um, i wouldn't say subs are not meant to hit over 60.... -10 for sq that way..... between 80-100hz is just about appropriate. i like to set it somewhere in there, and then play a commercial where you get a mans deep voice, and just tone that down below annoying. seems to always be a good spot, though music can usually sound a tad better above that. the l7's are naturally low oriented, but i would say if it is not having a band-pass effect between the trunk/bead and cab, then the box is not to blame. that is the only time i have seen them do that. most likely you have the amp, or head crossed too low, also bass boost will usually give you a peaky effect, which will make other frequencies real quiet, so turn it off, if on...... now, you don't want ported, but that sub is pointless without a large (6.0cu ideally) vented enclosure, and tuned a little higher than you would want from a round sub... about 38hz, and up to 42hz is a good range that will kill in the lows still

 

[FtheNutHuggers]

Ugh.

OP: What is the year, make and model of the vehicle? What are the maximum dimensions you can make your enclosure and still take it in and out of the vehicle?

 

[Pioneer~Saturn 5,000+ posts]

Subs are never meant to play above 60hz or so. You have an l7 in a far too large sealed box...that itself is a recipe for disaster

Thank you...and why, in the first place, are you wanting mid-freq's from a 15" subwoofer? There are TONS of drivers more suited to this task than these...they simply aren't meant to reproduce mid-bass freq's....