my ssa zcon is done

[blowthemup 10+ year member]

To start off I would like to say I have had a love hate relationship with my 12" zcon from day one and also noticed from day one that the surround had a soft spot in it but never questioned it cause it seemed to play just fine. It sounds fantastic on a handful of songs but lacks to play a variety of music very well which they claim this woofer to not be a "one note wonder". I know your enclosure has a lot to do with things so I thought maybe the zcon needed a better home so I moved it from 3 cubes @ 30hz to 2.5 cubes @ 32hz. The new box made a big difference but after having it in its new home for a while I still had a love hate relationship and found it lacking on a lot of music.

I have recently pulled the system out of my car cause I just wasn't happy with it and decided I needed a change. Threw my amp up for sale and the box and woofer have just been sitting here in my room collecting dust the past few weeks. I then decided I was gonna keep my amp and closed the sale down on it literally today. I got tired of looking at my equipment collecting dust so I pulled the zcon from the box today to check everything out.

Lets say I was not happy with what I found...

Soft spot in surround is actually a crack on the underside of it and I found many other small cracks that you couldn't feel or notice from the top side. It looks as if some kind of glue was smeared on the underside of the surround which I assume once dried became stiff. Imagine what would happen if you smeared super glue on some cloth and tried flexing it, its probably not gonna work too well. The coil looks black all around, particularly like it had an internal short from the pictures I googled. I don't recall what it was looking like when I first bought it new but I know it should be shiny copper and not black.

Both coils measure out at 2 ohms like they always have, I don't abuse my equipment and everything was setup right as far as i'm concerned. I'm not trying to bash SSA but I feel like this thing wasn't right from day one or my amp isn't putting out clean power and this thing got toasted before she even got broken in. I'm not gonna blame anyone or hold anyone responsible but I am gonna have my amp checked out for safe measures.

Ill most likely send the zcon back to SSA for a recone but i'm unsure if ill run the zcon afterwards do to what I have seen and experienced. I have heard nothing but good about them and I feel like either I got a bunk woofer or my SAZ-2500D that I bought second hand that was suppose to be new which it sure as hell was flawless when I got it is putting out some dirty power. Maybe I got ripped on the amp but that still doesn't explain the surround being the way it is. Hopefully the amp will check out fine and I can find a new woofer or maybe give the zcon another try.

This is not a bash thread, i'm just shearing my experience with everyone and looking to see what others have to say or think. Sorry for the long post, just wanted to be detailed about my situation and seek advice from the fellow bass heads.

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[CoolHandMark]

I ran an 18'' ZCON in my Blazer for 2 years on an OS Memphis 4k.Singer 320 amp alt (iirc) and 5 nice sized C&D agm's.4 runs of 1/0 welding cable.Box was 7 or 8 cf (slips my mind) and tuned at 36.Sub not only held up but did alot of damage to the Chevy.lol.No complaints here but everyone's opinion and listening/tuning is different.Def in my top 5 of subs i've ever used.Windshield hated life.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/naughty.gif.94359f346c0f1259df8038d60b41863e.gif

Good luck on whatever you decide to do op.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Id take a look at a PSI platform 3.. just a suggestion. A guy I know has ran one for 2-1/2 years(12) on an American Bass 120.1 vfl and sounds fantastic

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

My zcon 12 was in a 3.25 cube enclosure tuned to 33hz lots of port area, played everything you throw at it and more, metal to decaf to blues, it was on even dirtier power than an saz2500 as in hifonics brx 2400.1 clipped it a bit during a few "i must impress this person!" demos and coils were shiny.

Id go back to them in an instant but thats my personal preference. One of the best subs ive used SQ and SPL wise in my setup. Got response from 25hz to 65hz in a trunk non walled.

 

[tc300 10+ year member]

so i guess we will see this zcon 12 in classifieds first of the week..??!! lol first dibs called.....

 

[blowthemup 10+ year member]

Im for sure gonna recone it and probably gonna run it again that is if she looks legit after I get it back. Hard to spend $280 to send it of to SSA and then turn around and sell it, would be taking a major hit doing that. I know there a great woofer and company. Maybe she wasn't right from day one but then again maybe the amp wasn't right. I'm sure with a fresh start and a good amp I might be in for a surprise if you know what I mean.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Im for sure gonna recone it and probably gonna run it again that is if she looks legit after I get it back. Hard to spend $280 to send it of to SSA and then turn around and sell it, would be taking a major hit doing that. I know there a great woofer and company. Maybe she wasn't right from day one but then again maybe the amp wasn't right. I'm sure with a fresh start and a good amp I might be in for a surprise if you know what I mean.

not that hard to recone yourself even without proper tools. I cleaned my sub out with a flathead... The assembly is extremely easy in comparison. No sense in shipping a big woofer like that out doing something ridiculously easy. It looks and sounds menacing but once you actually start doing it, its even easier than building boxes and running wire in your car. With the extra money, you can ask them to do aluminium flatwounds and less spider packs. on your recone.

 

[shizzzon 10+ year member]

The coil looks black all around, particularly like it had an internal short from the pictures I googled.

So you assume your sub's coil must be pretty damaged comparing it to pictures of a coil that IS shorted vs one that reads fine on a multimeter?

I don't recall what it was looking like when I first bought it new but I know it should be shiny copper and not black.

You somehow know this how? Odd, i've seen plenty of black layered coils.

I don't abuse my equipment and everything was setup right as far as i'm concerned.

I strongly do not agree with your coil assessment but if you were right.. then you do abuse your equipment so this is a paradoxial statement.

I feel like either I got a bunk woofer or my SAZ-2500D that I bought second hand that was suppose to be new which it sure as hell was flawless when I got it is putting out some dirty power.

There isn't a single thing you have stated yet which would indicate you have gotten a flawed woofer that would imply it was destined to fail prematurely.

It is pointless to have your amplifier checked out to see if it's putting out dirty power. That doesn't make sense. Every amplifier can put out dirty power.

If you mean DC output, then you would have had 0 acoustical output and the coil would just sit there and burn.

Most people in car audio output dirty power from their amplifiers. It's how they control it when it happens is what counts. Not if it just does..

i'm just shearing my experience with everyone...

We are to assume that's a metaphor for you are reconing it yourself? Shearing your experience? I personally see nothing wrong minus something about glue and your subjective opinion about it's passband in your vehicle. Nobody can comment on that as it's your opinion but from protecting it from failing, nothing mentioned above indicates to me it came in damaged or flawed which would lead to failure. If your coil really is darker now than when it was new, that's user error.

 

[trust fund baby]

so you noticed a flaw right away, but ran it anyway, now months later youre mad that theres a flaw? gotcha.

 

[blowthemup 10+ year member]

So you assume your sub's coil must be pretty damaged comparing it to pictures of a coil that IS shorted vs one that reads fine on a multimeter?


You somehow know this how? Odd, i've seen plenty of black layered coils.

I strongly do not agree with your coil assessment but if you were right.. then you do abuse your equipment so this is a paradoxial statement.

There isn't a single thing you have stated yet which would indicate you have gotten a flawed woofer that would imply it was destined to fail prematurely.

It is pointless to have your amplifier checked out to see if it's putting out dirty power. That doesn't make sense. Every amplifier can put out dirty power.

If you mean DC output, then you would have had 0 acoustical output and the coil would just sit there and burn.

Most people in car audio output dirty power from their amplifiers. It's how they control it when it happens is what counts. Not if it just does..

We are to assume that's a metaphor for you are reconing it yourself? Shearing your experience? I personally see nothing wrong minus something about glue and your subjective opinion about it's passband in your vehicle. Nobody can comment on that as it's your opinion but from protecting it from failing, nothing mentioned above indicates to me it came in damaged or flawed which would lead to failure. If your coil really is darker now than when it was new, that's user error.

Assumptions arnt always right, I bought this new and I have never reconed it. Well if my amp that I bought off here that I assumed was new as the seller described then my assumption of him would be wrong if the amp doesn't check out. Also arnt the majority of people's systems a passband? the end everyone is gonna find a way to blame me I feel like.

Thanks for being a troll, I'm sure I'll see much more of it on here, keep em coming. I said all comments and advice are welcome //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[blowthemup 10+ year member]

so you noticed a flaw right away, but ran it anyway, now months later youre mad that theres a flaw? gotcha.

Took me a while to realize it but at the point it had already been installed and playing as I described a love hate relationship. At the time it was not worth pulling it and figuring things out. Since I had problems from day one I like to believe it wasn't potentially right from SSA.

 

[blowthemup 10+ year member]

not that hard to recone yourself even without proper tools. I cleaned my sub out with a flathead... The assembly is extremely easy in comparison. No sense in shipping a big woofer like that out doing something ridiculously easy. It looks and sounds menacing but once you actually start doing it, its even easier than building boxes and running wire in your car. With the extra money, you can ask them to do aluminium flatwounds and less spider packs. on your recone.

Thanks for the only positive comment so far. Maybe I'll consider doing it myself if it isn't that bad.

 

[Papermaker85 5,000+ posts]

What was your frequency response. If you didn't atleast plot it you can't really know where or why it's lacking.

I don't see anything in the design that would cause it to be flawed in bandwidth response.

The coil is black but the coils read fine? sounds like the extra glue got hot and discolored. Not really a sign of failure.

I'd try 2 cubes tuned to 34 with 35 in^2 of port area.. the zcon doesn't need anywhere near 3 cubed.

 

[shizzzon 10+ year member]

Still waiting to see where there is a problem?

I can see by how you phrase questions and make statements that you really haven't a clue what is going on.

"Also arnt the majority of people's systems a passband?"

You are assuming too many things and now you are ready to recone the sub.

I like to save people money. You are ready to solve a suspicion with money. If time is more important than money to you, go ahead. Can't talk your way out of that, but spending money should be the last option, not the first.

 

[blowthemup 10+ year member]

Still waiting to see where there is a problem? I can see by how you phrase questions and make statements that you really haven't a clue what is going on.

"Also arnt the majority of people's systems a passband?"

You are assuming too many things and now you are ready to recone the sub.

I like to save people money. You are ready to solve a suspicion with money. If time is more important than money to you, go ahead. Can't talk your way out of that, but spending money should be the last option, not the first.

I get what your saying, I just really don't feel like my coil should be black for any reason but maybe it is adhesive. From the reading I've done I know a bigger box helps make up for lack of power and I know the zcon can take way more clean power than my 2500. Im sure if fighting ohm rise so I doubt I'm giving her enough to make her sing if ya know what I mean. A lot of people have told me the zcon likes bigger boxes and tuned higher. I should have atleast done some clamp testing with test tones befor pulling everything out and got a better idea of things. I came down on my gain with the smaller box and gained output. I'm running a 80prs so I'm taking advantage of that and running active using the 80prs filters. Some stuff in the high 30hz area did decent but she kills the 40s and gets peaky on the upper end.

I'm still kind ok skeptical about the surround being cracked underneath and it always have that soft spot in it. Any knowledge on how this happens would be great. I'm also sorry if I seem bitchy, just don't want to be trolled around. Thanks for trying to help //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif