HELP! Bass doesn't sound right

[sungwei 10+ year member]

Well I put in my Kicker L5 10" today. Was ready to hear some serious pounding bass, but really was disappointed. The sub is working as I do hear bass coming out of it, but it's not what I expected. I've heard a pair of these subs in similar sized enclosures and they pounded. I know my single won't be as loud, but it should be at least as tight sounding.

Here's some details:

-It's hooked up in series (2 ohm voice coil so 4 ohm load according to manual)

-I am powering it off the mono output of my Xtant 403a amp (I think 100 watts with 4 ohm load, maybe not enough?)

-I increased gain which helped a little, but I don't think I should need this much gain plus my Sub adjustment on my HU is a +13 out of 15 (shouldn't need to be this high I think)

-Sub was louder with lowpass filter plugged in, when removed sub was hardly noticable

Overall the bass sounds dull and not punchy. Any suggestions as to where I might have gone wrong? I know it can sound better than this. Please help me with some input. Thanks!

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[slick rick 10+ year member]

if i read correctly 100 watts is not nearly enough. and if your getting hardly any bass, make sure the + is with + in the speaker and the box.

 

[Diplexers 10+ year member]

100 watts is drastically underpowering it. That sub needs a good 500-600 before it starts to play well. You will need to upgrade the amp. Once you do you will be pleased with the sound. Remember, trying to push an L5 with a 100 watts is like trying to tow a camper trailer with a Geo Metro. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/banghead.gif.8606515f668c74f6de0281deb475b6fd.gif

 

[AsK 5109 10+ year member]

I own 2 L7's and Ill give you some quick tips.......

1. 100 watts is ridiculous, U need atleast 500 RMS going to it.

2. These subs take about 2 weeks to break in, after that they will pound like a motha, this means playing it low power. It will last longer and sound better longer if your break it in.

3. Keep your low pass at 100 or you'll F it up.

4. Buy a new amp, if your tight on money just get a Clarus or something from Crutchfield.

Peace

 

[LimPerT 10+ year member]

What are those l5's rms rating?

 

[NaztyNate 10+ year member]

The rating Crutchfield gives is 50-450rms.

 

[LimPerT 10+ year member]

so if you have a 750 watt rms sub and feed it 600 watts rms it wont perform? because that is what i planned on getting

 

[AsK 5109 10+ year member]

are u talking to me limpert?

 

[LimPerT 10+ year member]

im talking to anyone... its a question //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[AsK 5109 10+ year member]

alright, might as well answer that then, If your goin for a 12 L7 thats rated at 750 Rms, you should atleast put 600 continuous in it.

 

[sungwei 10+ year member]

Well What if I wire it parallel? That way it's 200 Watts RMS. I know you guys say it needs 400-500 RMS but in the manual it specifically states that the speaker peaks at 450. I would imagine that 200 should be ample. In fact my amp should be putting out more than that because at 2 ohms it's 200 watts. What I'm reading here in the manual for the L5 is that if wired in parrallel it's a 1 ohm load. That's pretty low and I didn't wire it that way to begin with cause I was worried about stability issues. Now I'm considering it. I'll be playing around with it some more today. Thanks for all the input and please add more cause it all helps.

 

[LimPerT 10+ year member]

you want your impedances to match... what is the impedance of your l5?

 

[iamamp3pimp 5,000+ posts]

I Think Its A Dual 2

 

[sungwei 10+ year member]

Wait I'm sorry. Impedance? I'm not familiar with the term. It's a dual 2 ohm voicecoil. Hooked up in parallel it's a 1 ohm load and in series it's a 4 ohm load. Right now it's in series. My amp puts out 100 watts RMS at 4 ohms and 200 RMS at 2 ohms. But it doesn't say anything about one ohm.

 

[TheVanMan 10+ year member]

Don't hook it up at 1ohm, that amp isn't stable at that impedance. I reccomend getting another amp. I know the instruction say it works with 50-450W but low wattage is for SQ. It seems you are looking for a little loudness so power it with 300-450W if you want it wang.

p.s. impedance is basically the resistance of a subwoofer. low impedances allow for more curent to push it.

 

[sungwei 10+ year member]

Hmm, a bit late for that. I went ahead and rewired it to parallel. Well, it definitely sounds better and louder. I didin't want high SPL just some punch to each bass hit. I'm actually more for SQ above anything else. The set up sounds good now. But I am a bit worried if my amp will totally fry. I guess I'm just gonna have to drive around and play music for a while and check on it. If it's super hot then I will consider another amp. I really don't play at levels too loud (but I guess that's all relative) so I don't think I'm gonna overdrive anything. I will let you know. Hey if anything catches fire at least I can post some cool pictures.