million dollar question

Originally posted by joshpoints Anyways we're off track we still have not found the answer to my problem. It's not gain it's not overpowering. COuld it be underpowering the sub with the 8 ohm wiring set-up causing the amp to try and draw more than the possible 75 watts per channel that it can make at 8 ohms and then causing clipping. Please let me know.
That's not the problem.

Turn off the "bass boost" and "Loud" and all that crap on your head unit. It just adds colourization anyway.

 
I finally received a response from JBL. I figured I'd give you guys a heads up, so if you ever run into the same exact problem you know what the solution is. Here's what they told me:

Hi Josh,

I feel that you more than likely are under powering the 2 woofers since they are wired in series creating a 8 ohm load to your amplifier resulting in a 50% loss of power on the average. So you are now supplying 150 watts continuous to the pair or 75 watts per woofer. Because of this your amplifier is clipping very early since it is trying to reproduce a power level it cannot product because of the impedance load and then it delivers DC distortion to the woofers. DC distortion is what actually damages the voice coil of the woofer causing the woofer either to over throw and hold or just over heat the voice coil and the weakest link in the circuit (the tinsel leads) would then fail.

Solution:

A mono block amplifier supplying 300 watts at 2 ohms will be a good solution to your trouble.

 
Originally posted by joshpoints I finally received a response from JBL. I figured I'd give you guys a heads up, so if you ever run into the same exact problem you know what the solution is. Here's what they told me:

 

 

Hi Josh,

 

I feel that you more than likely are under powering the 2 woofers since they are wired in series creating a 8 ohm load to your amplifier resulting in a 50% loss of power on the average. So you are now supplying 150 watts continuous to the pair or 75 watts per woofer. Because of this your amplifier is clipping very early since it is trying to reproduce a power level it cannot product because of the impedance load and then it delivers DC distortion to the woofers. DC distortion is what actually damages the voice coil of the woofer causing the woofer either to over throw and hold or just over heat the voice coil and the weakest link in the circuit (the tinsel leads) would then fail.

 

Solution:

 

A mono block amplifier supplying 300 watts at 2 ohms will be a good solution to your trouble.
HAHAHAHAHA. Don't you find it odd how the solution ends with you buying something? Just because you're underpowering something doesn't mean the amplifier, being sentient of course, realizes this and tries to feed the subwoofers more power, thus sending a clipped signal. This isn't how things work. Since speakers work on AC (otherwise they would only move one way and stay there) I don't know how "DC Distortion" would be delivered.

 
Originally posted by Mark_ab HAHAHAHAHA. Don't you find it odd how the solution ends with you buying something? Just because you're underpowering something doesn't mean the amplifier, being sentient of course, realizes this and tries to feed the subwoofers more power, thus sending a clipped signal. This isn't how things work. Since speakers work on AC (otherwise they would only move one way and stay there) I don't know how "DC Distortion" would be delivered.
I agree. That guy from JBL who responded sounded like an idiot! "DC Distortion"- what is that crap? I haven't participated in this discussion because I think we've never truly heard what your problem is- Are you unhappy with the performance? Are the speakers actually overheating? (how do you know anyway?) Are they clipping and distorting? Are you looking for some philosophical discussion? That guy from JBL didn't give you a solution, just a reason to spend more money. Of course according to JBL the problem is the other guy's amp. Running the subs the way you have them should be fine. What it sounds like to me, and I could easily be wrong, is that you have one of the sub's polarity incorrect. That's why you're getting distorted bass with no gain level at all. Have you verified they are even hooked up correctly? Have you verified your amp can handle the load the way you have it wired, I'm sure it can but have you checked? I suggest just connecting one sub in a 4ohm mono and see how it sounds. If you have more bass consider running a 2-ohm parallel configuration, if your amp can handle it. I don't know what amp you have.

 
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