I remember my first time seeing a bass boost knob....it seemed like a good idea at the time:crap:Anyway turn the bass boost off, (basic way to set a gain) turn stereo to 3/4 volume increase gain on amp untill you notice clipping(harsh noise) back it off a little bit so there is no clipping at 3/4 volume, now try not to go much above 3/4 volume for long periods of time. The burning smell is more than likely the coils on your subs, this is a bad sign, but not a horrible sign I'm guessing turning the bass boost off will solve this. You don't want to run them hard to where they make that smell for very long. They do that a little bit when they're breaking in but keep it to a minimum. If you are still haveing problems we need to look into the LOC and the wiring in general. (your system might not be very loud in and of itself) but it should sound decent.