Sub sound problem

[cgrier 10+ year member]

Ok i recently upgraded from a alpine head unit to a pioneer avic-d2 system. I've never had a problem with my sub but lately the subwoofer seems to go in and out and sometimes when the bass hits it makes a weak rattling sound instead of normal sounding bass. It seems to only happen when the volume is low and goes away as soon as i turn it up. It also seems to happen more when i just turn the car on and its not warmed up. As far as i can see the wiring is not loose or anything and i cant figure it out. I messed with all the settings on the HU and nothing seems to work. Anyone have a clue? Here is what i have...

Pioneer Avic-d2

Alpine MRD-M1005

Alpine Type R 15. It runs at 4ohms at 500 watts rms.

Wiring is 4 gauge.

Click to read more...

 

[Twistid 5,000+ posts]

sometimes when the bass hits it makes a weak rattling sound instead of normal sounding bass

sounds like blown sub to me

 

[TreyE 10+ year member]

sounds like blown sub to me

might be...but also its just because its a shitty head unit i guess cause i had a shitty head unit that did the same thing...im not sure what the pioneer avic is but i had like a temporary one and it would cut out n shit...then i replaced it with my premier and it doesnt do it anymore..

 

[cgrier 10+ year member]

sounds like blown sub to me

Id be happy if it was b/c it was give me an excuse to actually use that amp and get a more powerful sub.

But 90% of the time the sub i have sounds fine and sounds normal when i crank it. It seems to only act weird when i first turn the car on and when the volume is low. Is that typical of a blown sub?

Ive only had the pioneer for a few weeks and never had a problem with the alpine. BTW for the other post... the avic-d2 is a double din navigation head unit.

 

[TreyE 10+ year member]

no sounds like you might be having engine noise like me so search for how to ground your head unit to stop engine noise in the forum

 

[luvinthebass 5,000+ posts]

you prolly clipped the signal and blew the hell out of the voice coil and always warm up your subs and speakers if your car interior is cold

 

[cgrier 10+ year member]

Ok... if i blew the voice coil then why does it play fine most of the time? Is that something that doesnt effect sound all the time?

 

[Hintzyboy 5,000+ posts]

I don't think it's as serious as a blown sub. Some of the Pioneer units have grounding issues. I would ground the HU to the frame or direct to the battery and see if that solves the issue.

 

[Team Hammer 10+ year member]

Get a cordless battery and hook it to the speaker wires. If it acts up its toast.

 

[cgrier 10+ year member]

Seems like the problem is getting worse... the sub is DVC so maybe i blew one of the VC's?? I have no idea if that's possible but its seems to sound fine 50% of the time and the other 50% it sounds blown or there is no sound from the sub at all.

What do u guys think?

 

[cgrier 10+ year member]

Ok another update... i took the sub out of the box to inspect it and everything seems normal. All the wiring is fine and there is no visible damage to the sub. If it was blown would there be visible evidence? When i push the sub in there is no sound it there is no burnt smell. I'd really hate to go out and get a new sub and this to not be a sub problem.

 

[Hintzyboy 5,000+ posts]

Just go to your local dealer, and have them test it for you. Most people won't charge you more than $5 if anything.

 

[cgrier 10+ year member]

So im guessing even though there is no visible damage that it still could be blown? or a VC blown?

 

[Hintzyboy 5,000+ posts]

Chances are if it's blown, there are going to be burn marks on the vc, but if you think there is a problem with the sub, I'd get it tested anyway just to be safe. I would just go through your system and start eliminating possibilities. Eventually, you'll diagnose the problem and you can fix it.

 

[TreyE 10+ year member]

Get a cordless battery and hook it to the speaker wires. If it acts up its toast.

wtf are you talking about??//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eyebrow.gif.fe2c18d8720fe8c7eaed347b21ea05a5.gif