Blew out a JL 12w7 first day of purchase with a JL 1000/1 amp...how did this happen?

[Maxipads 10+ year member]

jl will NOT warrenty that sub! you smoked the coil go on there website and read burnt coils are NOT covered under warrenty. for about $350 the will recone it for you. the soft parts in a w7 are crapolla to say the least.really you shouldnt have blown that sub with that amp though if set up rite. radio at flat, amp set flat. are you using high or low level input?

**** that.. id buy a brand new BL 18 for 40 bucks more... fully loaded..

 

[john.mulvehill 10+ year member]

They actually did set the gains again after removing the LOC. But, you're right...they didn't do it correctly or precisely. I actually just verified that using a DMM that I borrowed from a friend. I looked up the instructions for setting the gain on the 1000/1 on page 14 of this pdf

I created a cd with 40hz, 45hz, and 50hz 0db sine wave test tones repeating one right after the other and I set the head unit at 3/4 of the max (the max is 60 so I set the head unit at 45).

However, when I hooked the DMM up to the the subwoofer outputs according to the diagram and set the DMM to AC Volts, I get readings between 91 and 98 volts (depending on where I move the gain). I can't get the volts to drop below 91 even when turning the gain all the way down. Why wouldn't the volts be dropping down to zero when I have the gain all the way down? The target voltage for the 12w7 is 54.7 volts since it is 3 ohms. This must be the problem and the reason for why my sub blew out (the amp is putting out 91-98 volts when the head unit is on 3/4 volume and the sub should only be getting 54.7). For some reason, the head unit is putting out too much signal. I have all the settings on the head unit on standard (bass on standard, EQ off, loudness off, etc). I also tried turning the bass boost setting off on the amp and this didn't change anything. Interestingly enough, when the head unit volume is set to 20 (1/3 of the max), the voltage reads around 70 (69.8).

So...looks like the shop is at fault for letting me drive away with the amp putting 92-98 Volts to the sub at 3/4 head unit volume when the sub was expecting 54.7. But, more importantly, how do I get the voltage down to 54.7? Why is the amp still putting out 92 volts when the gain is all the way down at 3/4 head unit volume? I am very confused.

Any help would be appreciated.

Here is a picture of the DMM being read with the gain all the way down:

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/1997/dmmpic.jpg

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Id say the problem is you are using those high level outputs, rather than a low level RCA signal setup. The reason using the speaker outputs on a deck is called 'high level outputs' is because it outputs higher signal voltage than a low level RCA setup (at the expense of fidelity). Your deck is capable of outputting more voltage from the internal amplifier than your amp is designed to input. The only solution is setting the gain at its minimum, and not turning the volume on your deck up past the ~55volt region. If you are running aftermarket speakers and amp for your front stage, you can simply turn the gain up on the amp to accommodate the lower maximum volume setting on the deck. But if you are running the stock speakers/amp, you will have to live with lower volume from them in order to keep your sub safe.

 

[john.mulvehill 10+ year member]

The only solution is setting the gain at its minimum, and not turning the volume on your deck up past the ~55volt region.

Like I said before, with the gain on minimum and the head unit set to 1/3 head unit max (20 out of 60), the volts being put out are still 70 volts which is still too high. And at 20 volume, both the factory speakers and the sub would be way too quiet. However, we were having issues with the LOC before and that is why we removed it. Is it possible for me to use a new LOC? I am getting really frustrated and feeling like I just blew a lot of money here and might be ****ed. Is there any other way to get this working?

 

[Stalin-ohaulic]

They actually did set the gains again after removing the LOC. But, you're right...they didn't do it correctly or precisely. I actually just verified that using a DMM that I borrowed from a friend. I looked up the instructions for setting the gain on the 1000/1 on page 14 of this pdf
I created a cd with 40hz, 45hz, and 50hz 0db sine wave test tones repeating one right after the other and I set the head unit at 3/4 of the max (the max is 60 so I set the head unit at 45).

However, when I hooked the DMM up to the the subwoofer outputs according to the diagram and set the DMM to AC Volts, I get readings between 91 and 98 volts (depending on where I move the gain). I can't get the volts to drop below 91 even when turning the gain all the way down. Why wouldn't the volts be dropping down to zero when I have the gain all the way down? The target voltage for the 12w7 is 54.7 volts since it is 3 ohms. This must be the problem and the reason for why my sub blew out (the amp is putting out 91-98 volts when the head unit is on 3/4 volume and the sub should only be getting 54.7). For some reason, the head unit is putting out too much signal. I have all the settings on the head unit on standard (bass on standard, EQ off, loudness off, etc). I also tried turning the bass boost setting off on the amp and this didn't change anything. Interestingly enough, when the head unit volume is set to 20 (1/3 of the max), the voltage reads around 70 (69.8).

So...looks like the shop is at fault for letting me drive away with the amp putting 92-98 Volts to the sub at 3/4 head unit volume when the sub was expecting 54.7. But, more importantly, how do I get the voltage down to 54.7? Why is the amp still putting out 92 volts when the gain is all the way down at 3/4 head unit volume? I am very confused.

Any help would be appreciated.

Here is a picture of the DMM being read with the gain all the way down:

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/1997/dmmpic.jpg

If you have the bass boost plugged in and turned up unplug it and watch the voltage come down to normal.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

eCrack is probably right, try setting your gains with the bass boost removed.

 

[john.mulvehill 10+ year member]

If you have the bass boost plugged in and turned up unplug it and watch the voltage come down to normal.

I had the Bass EQ switch turned off which should disable the remote bass control. I also had the bass knob turned all the way down. Yet I was still getting a reading of 92 when head unit was at 3/4 volume. I will try actually unplugging the remote bass control from the amp tonight and see if that works. But shouldn't putting bass EQ to "Off" disable the remote bass control? See page 8 here: http://mobile.jlaudio.com/pdfs/557.pdf

 

[timelessr1 10+ year member]

Sorry to hear about your fustrations....I know its probably a little late, but you can absolutely conect the high level outputs from your stock radio into the JL 1000/1 amp. ITsdesigned to accept both high and low level signals. The only issue IS that there is a switch on the INPUT section which should be switched to HIGH...its on page 6 of your manual

Input Voltage Range: A wide range of signal input voltages can be accommodated by the 1000/1v2’s input section (200mV – 8V). This wide range is split up into two sub-ranges, accessible via switches located in the “Amplifier Input Section” of the amplifier. The “Low” position on the “Input Voltage” switch selects an input sensitivity range between 200mV and 2V. This means that the “Input Sens.” rotary control will operate within that voltage window. If you are using an aftermarket source unit, with conventional preamp-level outputs, this is most likely the position that you will use. The “High” position on the “Input Voltage” switch selects an input sensitivity range between 800mV and 8V. This is useful for certain high-output preamp level signals as well as speaker-level output from source units and small amplifiers. To use speaker-level sources, splice the speaker output wires of the source unit or small amplifier

onto a pair of RCA cables or plugs or use the

JL Audio ECS Speaker Wire to RCA adaptor (XB-CLRAIC2-SW).

 

[timelessr1 10+ year member]

duplicate post

 

[sobe3yourself. 10+ year member]

say i want my money back then come here an buy the good stuff, we wont steer u wrong or anything we just dont like seeing people pay high prices for sub par equipment. when i came here i had **** Q-powers now i have digital designs. alot of the stuff i learned was from this site. they are cruel but true an helpful.

true

 

[silenkiller 10+ year member]

Well I kinda cliffed this thread but yeah. Epic fail @ the 10 people all talking **** on his setup instead of actually HELPING HIM DIAGNOSE THE SITUATION. ffs even if he isn't running jl its going to get messed up if he doesn't figure out how to setup his ****. Damn people.

Kudos to audioholic and the others who actually gave some constructive help.

 

[ThatChevyGuy 5,000+ posts]

lol is this the same guy who spent 2k on the shutf that just BLEW!!!!!! if so i kinda wanna say i told you so. but im not lol say i want my money back then come here an buy the good stuff, we wont steer u wrong or anything we just dont like seeing people pay high prices for sub par equipment. when i came here i had **** Q-powers now i have digital designs. alot of the stuff i learned was from this site. they are cruel but true an helpful.

QPowers kick ***

 

[lovephil 10+ year member]

have the original shop fix it. test at the shope for hours and hours.

 

[Side Show 10+ year member]

^^ yep, i'd agree, give them a chance to fix there fuckup first b4 u go elseware

 

[Wingsfreak9 10+ year member]

lol is this the same guy who spent 2k on the shutf that just BLEW!!!!!! if so i kinda wanna say i told you so. but im not lol say i want my money back then come here an buy the good stuff, we wont steer u wrong or anything we just dont like seeing people pay high prices for sub par equipment. when i came here i had **** Q-powers now i have digital designs. alot of the stuff i learned was from this site. they are cruel but true an helpful.

exactly ^^ we got ya next time bro...when u blow the next w7 out come back here and we will hook you up guarenteed.