Burning smell with EVERY subwoofer I seem to use? Brand new L7 now.

[rpaulg87 10+ year member]

Ok so I got my system finished, 750.1 kicker (932w rms), Audio Control LC2i line driver, and a 12" Kicker L7, the gain on the amp is about 1\4th the way up, AC is cranked all the way up as it's closest to full signal then, whenever I play my L7 I start to smell a burning smell, some people say this is the glue in enclosures, or the sub woofer burning off excessive glue?

In my last ride, I had a PDX 1000.1 powering 2x TR 75 12" subwoofers, they always smelled like this too for the entire two years I owned them, but considering the L7 was about 300$, I really don't want to kill it, any ideas on why it's getting so hot? It's running at 2ohm on the Kicker, speaker gauge on it currently I think is 16, could that be a cause?

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[CAT MAN 5,000+ posts]

your clipping all your stuff...

 

[Mitch86 5,000+ posts]

Set your gains correctly. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

also change the sub wires to at least 10 gauge

 

[slammedincouch 10+ year member]

Problems:

Clipping

Paying Too Much for Sub

 

[rpaulg87 10+ year member]

Well okay the L7 was loaded in a kicker box which retails for 500$, 300$ ain't bad, how the heck am I clipping it when my gain is only at 1\4th on the amplifier? , the maxamize light on the Audio Control driver I'm not even lighting up which means it's only at 7-8 volts (I can crank it up more to get it to light) but I still don't understand how I'm clipping anything with the gains so low...

Clipping is when you over-volt right? How the heck am I possibly doing that?

 

[bread0710 10+ year member]

Well okay the L7 was loaded in a kicker box which retails for 500$, 300$ ain't bad, how the heck am I clipping it when my gain is only at 1\4th on the amplifier? , the maxamize light on the Audio Control driver I'm not even lighting up which means it's only at 7-8 volts (I can crank it up more to get it to light) but I still don't understand how I'm clipping anything with the gains so low...
Clipping is when you over-volt right? How the heck am I possibly doing that?

1/4th really doesnt mean anything theres a gain setting sticky follow that to set the gain right

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

You paid $300 for a L7? In a prefab? I think we need to work on this problem first

 

[rpaulg87 10+ year member]

That...dosen't make sense to me, I can turn the gain down all the way and it will still do this...therefore I can't see how I am possibly clipping...this is the sub\enclosure http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_31856_Kicker-VS12L72-11VS12L72.html

 

[bread0710 10+ year member]

is there a loose connection some place? if not its clipping

 

[CAT MAN 5,000+ posts]

*facepalm*

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Cause your pre out voltage from your maxed out line driver is to high for that amp. Is bass boost on or the HUs bass up?

 

[rpaulg87 10+ year member]

*facepalm*

Could you stop being a smart-*** about it and explain this to me? I have only heard of "clipping" in terms of damage when a gain is set too high as you are forcing an amp to do something it can't possibly do with the signal, aka over-driving it, the LINE driver you just set until it reaches optimum volt, which right now is at 8 aprox, explain to me WHY a subwoofer would OVER HEAT with the gain ALL the way down? As I have never heard of that.

Also pre-volt is at 8...that's fine for the Kicker, it can take up to 9 I believe...>.> I had a MATRIX on my PDX 1000.1 and the gain was still 1\4th and it was fine...correct me if I'm wrong about any of this lol

And the bass boost is at 2 on the HU, I tuned it for the "maxamize" voltage light to blink just a little when it's all the way at 9 (maxed) on the HU, so it's not much at all right now...as I've dropped it down, but it's safe "voltage" at max. I did not hear distortion either. *Update* Checked with Kicker, my amp can take up to 10 volts, so I'm not over-volting, as it's getting a steady 7-8v

 

[AStovall 10+ year member]

whats your electrical system like. an amp can clip due to under voltage. could just be your hard on your equipment.

 

[CAT MAN 5,000+ posts]

Could you stop being a smart-*** about it and explain this to me? I have only heard of "clipping" in terms of damage when a gain is set too high as you are forcing an amp to do something it can't possibly do with the signal, aka over-driving it, the LINE driver you just set until it reaches optimum volt, which right now is at 8 aprox, explain to me WHY a subwoofer would OVER HEAT with the gain ALL the way down? As I have never heard of that.
Also pre-volt is at 8...that's fine for the Kicker, it can take up to 9 I believe...>.> I had a MATRIX on my PDX 1000.1 and the gain was still 1\4th and it was fine...correct me if I'm wrong about any of this lol

And the bass boost is at 2 on the HU, I tuned it for the "maxamize" voltage light to blink just a little when it's all the way at 9 (maxed) on the HU, so it's not much at all right now...as I've dropped it down, but it's safe "voltage" at max. I did not hear distortion either.

all you're doing with the line driver is intensifying the clipped signal. more than likely coming from your headunit