Subwoofer adjustment.

[toyjoha]

I need help setting up an amplifier and subwoofer. I was trying to do it by myself and boom! The sub started smoking and now it is just playing a raspy noise. So I guess, I am in the club now.
I ordered a new subwoofer and I need help on how to set it up. Including how not to blow it up...lol.

My subwoofer is a Rockville MS12LW. wired it in Dual Voice Coil Parallel which should be @2 ohms
which Rockville MS12LW 12" marine subwoofer Free Air Subwoofer
Max Power: 2800 Watts
RMS Program Power: 1400 Watts
RMS Power: 700 Watts
Frequency response: 20Hz-4Khz
Impedance: Dual 4 Ohm
Sensitivity: 90dB

My Amplifier is Audiopipe Mini Class D Amplifier 1500W
RMS: 540W x 1 @ 4 ohms
964W x 1 @ 2 ohms
1414W x 1 @ 1 ohm
Input sensitivity: 200mV - 5V
Frequency Response: 8 - 180 Hz
Signal to Noise Ration: >70dB
Variable low-pass filter: 40 - 180 Hz
Subsonic filter: 5 - 50 Hz
Variable Bass Boost: 0 to +12 dB bass boost at 30 - 80 Hz
I attached a picture of the knobs.
Can someone tell me in what order should I adjust the knobs?
How to adjust the knobs?
What settings?
And most of what not to do to blow up the new one.

Thanks in Advance.

Click to read more...

 

[Dafaseles]

First you adjust your gain. If you don't know the max, undistorded volume of your head unit, usually 3/4's of the way up is a good spot to use. Here's a link on how to set your gain with a digital multimeter

Setting your gain is number 1. Just setting your gain too high could have been the reason you smoked your sub.
Second, you have the LPF (low pass filter). This knob starts to cut the higher frequencies than what is set out from going to your sub. Usually, people set this around 80 hz. I know it doesn't say 80 on the dial. You can try to guess where it is, or download an 80 hz test tone, turn up the head unit, then slowly move the knob from right to left. Once you hear a slight drop off from the test tone being played, turn the knob back to the point where it starts playing full blast again. That should get you in the ballpark.
Then the subsonic filter. This does the opposite of what the LPF does. It will only let frequencies higher than the knob setting pass through to the subwoofer. If you know the tuning of the enclosure you have your sub in, I've always set that knob half an octave below the tuning of the box. So if the box is tuned to 32 hz...32÷2=16. 16 hz is a full octave below tuning. 16÷2=8. So you take that 8, add it to the 16, you get 24 hz. So you can set the subsonic filter at 24 hz. Then you would download a 24 hz test tone, and do the same process as the LPF, except you would start with turning the knob from left to right. If you don't know the box tuning, if you set it to around the low to mid 20's, you should be fine.
Bass boost completely to the left. Off. All that does is heighten the potential of clipping to your subwoofer. I recommend not using it. The knob to the left of the bass boost is just to adjust what frequency is being boosted by the bass boost knob. So if you have the bass boost off, you don't have to worry about that knob

 

[toyjoha]

First you adjust your gain. If you don't know the max, undistorded volume of your head unit, usually 3/4's of the way up is a good spot to use. Here's a link on how to set your gain with a digital multimeter

Setting your gain is number 1. Just setting your gain too high could have been the reason you smoked your sub.
Second, you have the LPF (low pass filter). This knob starts to cut the higher frequencies than what is set out from going to your sub. Usually, people set this around 80 hz. I know it doesn't say 80 on the dial. You can try to guess where it is, or download an 80 hz test tone, turn up the head unit, then slowly move the knob from right to left. Once you hear a slight drop off from the test tone being played, turn the knob back to the point where it starts playing full blast again. That should get you in the ballpark.
Then the subsonic filter. This does the opposite of what the LPF does. It will only let frequencies higher than the knob setting pass through to the subwoofer. If you know the tuning of the enclosure you have your sub in, I've always set that knob half an octave below the tuning of the box. So if the box is tuned to 32 hz...32÷2=16. 16 hz is a full octave below tuning. 16÷2=8. So you take that 8, add it to the 16, you get 24 hz. So you can set the subsonic filter at 24 hz. Then you would download a 24 hz test tone, and do the same process as the LPF, except you would start with turning the knob from left to right. If you don't know the box tuning, if you set it to around the low to mid 20's, you should be fine.
Bass boost completely to the left. Off. All that does is heighten the potential of clipping to your subwoofer. I recommend not using it. The knob to the left of the bass boost is just to adjust what frequency is being boosted by the bass boost knob. So if you have the bass boost off, you don't have to worry about that knob

That is totally what I needed. I have combat hearing so adjusting by songs is almost impossible. Using tones, if I can hear the frequency, will be much better. Plus, not having the two extra knobs to worry about is a big bonus.
Thank you so much for the time that it took you to write this.

Semper Fi

 

[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

Another trick is putting a tweeter on the channel with the low pass set for subs. And use a test tone for low frequency. This way no high frequency is there for the tweeter to play and the low pass protects the tweeter.

Once distortion is there the tweeter will make noise which it shouldn't then you back off a little.

This is not perfect but I've used it a few times and have yet to burn a sub