got a new sub yesterday. had a few ???

[btmorris972 10+ year member]

whats up guys

i replaced an old infinity perfect that i had owned for about 5 years. the sub was in storage for the last 2 years.

when i hooked it up recently i think i blew it by having the gains to high.

anyway i ordered a replacement perfect 10.1 it got here yesterday.

the sub is in a .6 cubic foot q-logic sealed box from crutchfield.

my amp is a mtx thunder 2150x 300w rms bridged.

i emailed mtx and they sent me a copy of the manual. I also asked them what they would set the frequency to and they suggested 75-80 hz.

i set the frequency to 75-80hz using the manual they supplied (pretty sure ive got it right but the manual was a little vauge)

then i set the gains by ear. to me it doesent sound half as good as my old perfect before it got blown.

is the freq mtx suggested sound right to you guys??

now this new sub is in my newer car (2000 camry) my old settup was in a blazer.

is this why it sounds so quiet now??

i think mainly im just scared to turn the gains up to high.

what would be a good definition of the distortion im listening for when setting the gains???

oh and btw i read the 17 page thread on setting gains but i dont have a multimeter

when setting my gains i had the hu at the max i would listen normally, bass and trebb the same, sub level on 4 out of 5.

also could someone tell me how to attach the manual to my amp to this tread???

sorry about the long post

thanks in advance

brian

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[60ndown 10+ year member]

dont sweat it,your doing fine,play with your new sub,the amp settings and try moveing the sub so it faces different directions,side back front,they will all sound different. distortion is ANYTHING that sounds IMPERFECT .if you hear anything that doesnt sound sweet,turn it down a bit.it ight be a shelf rattleing or a window buzzing...check.if its not somthing rattling on your car then it the sub and it needs to be played a bit lower than you were when you heard the ...distortion.

 

[theCybe 5,000+ posts]

Don't be afraid of it. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[btmorris972 10+ year member]

yes in noticed that one of the polk 4x6s i put in the rear deck is blown. i dont understand how this could happen cause i always keep the bass at -3db on my panasonic hu.

so i faded all the way to the front then set the gains but it still sounds whimpy compared to what it use to do.

i think my definition of distortion is not right mainly cause im scarred that ill blow this new sub like i did the old one. when setting my gains i put my ear about 4 inces away from the sub and listened for anything that i didnt think sounded good. but that resulted in very weak bass.

im gonna keep messing with it.

whats a good break in period for a sub??

how much of a difference in loudness would you expect when moving a sub from a suv to a 4 door car?

also my amp has a bass boost knob where should this be set when setting the gain?

should i set the bass boost before i set the gains?

 

[60ndown 10+ year member]

just be gentle with your volume/bass dials untill you know whats going on.....

 

[Beat_Dominator 5,000+ posts]

whats a good break in period for a sub??

how much of a difference in loudness would you expect when moving a sub from a suv to a 4 door car?

also my amp has a bass boost knob where should this be set when setting the gain?

should i set the bass boost before i set the gains?

1) Usually there is no real break in period, but I'd say the spiders losen up after 5-10hr. of normal listening.

2) Big difference. A single ten in a trunk is a bummer (I have the same dilemma). If you want more output, I would recommend you build yourself a ported enclosure. It really isn't that hard to do yourself and it can be fun!

3) We tend to be anti bass-boost around here. I personally think it's ok to use a LITTLE, but you can blow a sub pretty quickly if you use it carelessly.

 

[pwnt by pat 10+ year member]

Go to radioshack and get a 10 dollar multimeter. Then follow the gain setting tutorial and make sure your gains are set right. Just becuse it doesn't sound distorted doesn't mean the amp isn't clipping. If your previous sub/amp was set by ear and it blew it was most likeley clipping.

 

[btmorris972 10+ year member]

well my father who has been very into car and home audio for about 25 years set my amp and sub up in 2000 when it was brand new. my father also did custom car installs for a number of years and knows what he is doing.

the sub played great for about 4 years. then i lost my liscense so it sat in the back of my blazer for about a year.

for some reason my father thinks that using a $10.00 multimeter to set your gains is a little stupid.

im gonna pick one up tomorrow though for the hell of it.

ok so if i have 300 w rms on a 4ohm load what voltage would i be looking for on the multimeter??

oh yea i was talking to my dad last night and he said to be careful using the test tone cds that its easy to blow a speaker doing that.

if im playing a 50 hz test tone is that gonna affect my door and rear speakers?

thanks to everone who responded

 

[cjjackson85 5,000+ posts]

Breakins are useless I floor it from the getgo and never look back...

 

[zachzchw 5,000+ posts]

if im playing a 50 hz test tone is that gonna affect my door and rear speakers?

d

Disconnect them.

 

[pwnt by pat 10+ year member]

For setting gains, just unplug the remote wire from the internal speaker amp. Then play a 50hz tone.

Has your father been setting gains by ear or using an o-scope? If by ear and he's a pro, that's a big no no. As for voltage, anything equal to or less than 34.6410162 will do fine.

 

[btmorris972 10+ year member]

so if i set the gains with a meter i have to use the test tone?? its 50 hz right??

my interior speakers are powered by the hu at the moment is there an easier way of unhooking the speakers? cause its a ***** to get to them.

yesterday when i got off work i messed with the gains a little more and laid my back seat down. its starting to sound a little better. im off today so im gonaa mess with it.

once again thanks for the replies

 

[btmorris972 10+ year member]

ok i just got back from the church across the street (empty parking lot). i turned the bass boost all the way down. i got that sub moving let me tell you. i unplugged the polk 4x6 that was blown in my rear deck. i also set the sub on my bumper (out of the car) and had a listen i didnt hear any distortion.

but now ive got to figure out a cheap way to deaden my trunk cause its rattling pretty bad.

any suggestions on how to find the rattling parts in my trunk?? cause with the trunk popped the rattling prettymuch dissapears.