Buying used sub... what to ask, what to look at

[wevie 10+ year member]

I'm going to look at a used DC LVL4 tonight.

What can I do to make sure I'm not buying junk?

Problem #1 - the sub is being powerd by Power Acoustik

Problem #2 - the amp is wired through a capacitor

Those two things put up warning flags.

Good thing is - there is no DC supplier even remotely close to my area. Therefore, this sub had to purchased online. I'd think anyone who buys a DC sub must have SOME knowledge of wtf they are buying.

Problem #3 - it is in a box and the owner doesn't know the volume. This leads me to believe he doesn't have a clue about car audio.

Click to read more...

 

[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

explain the through the capacitor problem was the amp on a cap or was the sub inline with the cap.

and best way to find out if it's good its to test the coils with a dmm, or a 9 volt battery, and push the cone slightly and listen for coil rub

 

[CHEMMINS 10+ year member]

^^ what he said ^^

 

[wevie 10+ year member]

What I meant about the cap was that if an individual really knows about car audio, they wouldn't run a cap. If they just buy what their friends or a salesman tells them to, they run a capactor.

 

[1rockford1 5,000+ posts]

u wana here the sub first to make sure it works. its a good idea to check the sub,push down on the cone and its not a bad idea to smell the sub. check the coils to make sure there is no burnt marks etc. u wana bring a dmm with you and check the coils to see where they rest at. when u check the coils do it on a flat surface and if its gona b tonight its best to not test the coils when the sub is just siting on the cold ground.

 

[CHEMMINS 10+ year member]

Well we could also go as far as to say "anyone who doesn't know the difference between a blown woofer and a normal one doesn't know anything about car audio".

But that would be making an assumption. Maybe the guy had limited funds. Maybe all he could afford was a cap, instead of a batt. Maybe he didn't have room for a batt. We don't know. Maybe he bought a prefab box, cause he doesn't have the tools to make one.

 

[CHEMMINS 10+ year member]

Fawking double postin site!!!!

 

[blazeplacid 10+ year member]

take a DMM and make sure the coils read close to 2ohm/4ohm

push down on the sub and see if it makes noise

smell it a bit

test it with an amp

 

[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

caps arent really bad they are just unnecessary, many people swear by them, tough i do not, but then again if i had one id prolly use it for a distribution block

 

[wevie 10+ year member]

take a DMM and make sure the coils read close to 2ohm/4ohm
push down on the sub and see if it makes noise

smell it a bit

test it with an amp

Being a LVL4 it should be close to 1 or 2 ohm depending on the VC, right?

Smelling, huh... can't believe I didn't think of that. Talking over the phone, it doesn't sound like it is still wired up. Guess I can be prepared to wire it to my system to verify that it works.