Need help with my set up... JL 500/1 & 10w3's

[g35chick 10+ year member]

Hey all! FWIW, I'm new to the whole car audio thing, so I desperately need some help! I have two issues I need help with. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

So, I bought some used 10w3v2's on Craigslist... trusted the guy, sounded nice and smooth, no VC rub, and got them for a steal. About a month later, the foam surrounds were suuuuper cracked and I realized the surrounds were literally crusty.. like they'd been sitting in the hot sun or something. So, I refoamed both but came across an issue... my audiophile of a friend told me I can't take the dust caps off of the w3's because it would do more damage than good. So, I did some creative "shimming" by sticking some paper towel rolls between the metal frame and the cone on 4 sides... well... in theory it should have worked, right? I don't think I was careful enough... one sounds perfect but rubs when I press the very top part of the cone. The other... well... lets just say I plan on refoaming it very soon. When I first put it back in my box after fixing it, it sounded great... but then I noticed my subs suddenly weren't hitting as hard. I looked and there was a spot in the surround that had come unglued, and when I glued it back (I didn't take it back out of the box... bad idea) I felt the dreaded rub right smack in the center of it. You can definitely hear the rub too. I have my subs (don't worry, not the amp) turned all the way down so I don't think I've done much damage to the VC yet.

So, my question is... is it even worth trying to refoam? How quickly can rubbing damage a VC? Like, the quality of the bass literally sounds awful... like the cone is just rattling everywhere (I've only turned it up to this point a few times though, just to figure it out). I listened and made sure only the one is rubbing. Also, how can I make sure the cone is completely centered this time?

Second issue - I tuned my amp by ear. It sounds good to me, but I just want to make absolutely sure I'm getting the most out of my system. I called up JL and spoke to some guy who gave me some recommended settings... tweaked those a bit and ended up with what I have now. My box is 1.2 cubic feet and sealed.

Does anyone else have the 10w3/500/1 combo?

Thanks! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Edit: New issue with them sounding like complete shit... help me diagnose the issue? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Click to read more...

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

prolly not worth fixing ,just get some new subs ,if you look around here you may find some w3's for a decent price that are good.

 

[skylineTT 10+ year member]

You're a girl. Prepare for some trolling. Otherwise, welcome to the site and I hope you learn a lot and get a ton of info!

In my opinion, almost any speaker is worth a refoam if the coil/spiders/cone are fine. There are a lot of builders here that could possibly throw you a few tricks of the trade as far as aligning the coil correctly while gluing the surround.

That amp is fine depending on the voice coil configuration. I doubt your coils are damaged badly enough to hinder performance by much but I would definately not continue using the subs in that manner. Go ahead and pull them out and get the correct foams ordered.

The amp settings are easy.. if you could take a picture of your settings and post them, we can tell ya what to do. The general consensus is to keep the bass boost down all the way and only adjust the gain and filters.

 

[THATpurpleKUSH 5,000+ posts]

Wow, you're a female that knows more than half the people on here and you use proper grammar...I see lots of trolling in your future.

 

[g35chick 10+ year member]

Lolol.... I can handle the trolling. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/suave.gif.858fc102f7646e678ee8af7e1fbc41d1.gif What, am I like the only girl on here? Haha... actually I wouldn't be at all surprised.. I love my cars and my music, what can I say.

Sooo... Is there any way to tell if the VC is damaged without taking the dust cap off?

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

not really unless you can see the damage thru the motor

 

[skylineTT 10+ year member]

not really unless you can see the damage thru the motor

What he said.. Other than that, test it with a Digital Multimeter to make sure that you don't have some astronomical impedance on one of the coils..

Also, personal pic for avatar = exponential troll rate.

 

[Mitch86 5,000+ posts]

Depending on the amount of damage to the coil, they could be worth refoaming since it won't cost much. Personally, I wouldn't mess with it..but if you want to keep them it may be worth it.

 

[g35chick 10+ year member]

Well... I have a spare foam surround and some glue sitting around... any ideas on how to center the cone this time?

 

[murph 10+ year member]

Well... I have a spare foam surround and some glue sitting around... any ideas on how to center the cone this time?

If you are using proper glue it shouldn't come undone. I prefer loctite for such repairs, anyways once you get the foam in your desired position carefully glue it and lay something decently heavy onto the cone to let it evenly dry/stick. Centering it will take a steady hand and some skill. Welcome to the site!

 

[Mitch86 5,000+ posts]

Well... I have a spare foam surround and some glue sitting around... any ideas on how to center the cone this time?

I have no experience refoaming a sub, but I would imagine you take the dustcap off and shim the inside of the coil to hold it in place. Apply the foam and let it dry and it should be where it needs to be. I think those JLs have a full duscap though, so I don't know how you could go about it besides being very careful and a lot of luck. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[skylineTT 10+ year member]

I would use e6000 for sub repairs, only because I have experience with it and a lot of diff CA glues and epoxies. e6000 is strong and rubberized and a lot of guys use it to build their subs. If you can't pull the dust cap to shim the coil, I would just pull all of the bad surround off, set the sub on its motor perfectly balanced, and run a bead of glue around the cone and the basket at the same time, then set the surround on as centered as possible, then use clips to hold the surround to the basket. I wouldn't put extra weight on it because it could cause the cone to shift as the pressure pushes the cone and surround down.

 

[2012ScionTC 10+ year member]

Are both subs damaged or just one? I have a 10W3v3-4 ohm in super nice condition, can sell it to you for $80 plus shipping, no marks on it and the foam surround is in perfect condition. Just recently upgraded to a 10W6 single 10 in the car and no longer using it. The sub has not been abused and plays perfectly, I have good pics. If your interested PM me with your e-mail address and I'll send you full size pics of the sub.

Pics are here.

JL 10 W3v3 - 4 ohm Sub

 

[g35chick 10+ year member]

The amp settings are easy.. if you could take a picture of your settings and post them, we can tell ya what to do. The general consensus is to keep the bass boost down all the way and only adjust the gain and filters.

Because of how it's mounted, I can't take a picture.... haha I literally have to adjust the settings with a little mirror compact because my ground wire was too short. I'll try to look at them tomorrow and post what they are.

 

[Flex68 10+ year member]

Holla out @G35WiLL ;

Here's ur dream girl, homie!

(Ur welcome) :santa: