Subwoofer Not Hitting Hard

[iblue]

I was given a new headunit, subwoofer, 4 channel amp and a pair of speakers for my car as a gift. I have everything installed but for some reason I can't figure out why the subwoofer sounds so weak. I've set up car audio successfully before (I'm still amateur). I messed around with the knobs on the amp, but can't seem to get a good thump going. This is my first time using a 4 channel amp and a dual voice coil subwoofer.

Here's all of my components.

Amazon.com : MB Quart OA800.4 800-Watt 4-Channel Onyx Series Car Audio Amplifier : Vehicle Multi Channel Amplifiers : Car Electronics

Amazon.com : Alpine SWS10D4 / SWS-10D4 / SWS-10D4 Type-S 10 Car Subwoofer : Car Electronics

Amazon.com : Alpine SPS-610 6-1/2" 2-Way Type-S Series Coaxial Car Speakers : Component Vehicle Speakers : Car Electronics

Amazon.com : Pioneer DEHX9600BHS CD Receiver with Full-Dot LCD Display, MIXTRAX, Bluetooth, HD Radio Tuner, and SiriusXM Ready : Electronics

My subwoofer is wired in like this (right picture):

And my amp is set up like this:

Could anyone help me out with this?

Click to read more...

 

[yogegoy]

If you did it the same as the left which is 1ohm then it would hit harder compared to a 4ohm setup.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

I was given a new headunit, subwoofer, 4 channel amp and a pair of speakers for my car as a gift. I have everything installed but for some reason I can't figure out why the subwoofer sounds so weak. I've set up car audio successfully before (I'm still amateur). I messed around with the knobs on the amp, but can't seem to get a good thump going. This is my first time using a 4 channel amp and a dual voice coil subwoofer.
My subwoofer is wired in like this (right picture):

Could anyone help me out with this?

amp settings: 3rd and 4th channel X-over should be set at Low pass (LP/BP) turn the low pass knob to halfway. Then start setting the gain knob via DMM method.

Head unit settings: Make sure your subwoofer level is all the way up on the head unit, bass boost off on the head unit, Equalization set to completely flat. Low pass filter 80.

set the gains with a digital multi-meter, google up the DMM method.

To be honest, I just dont see this setup working well at all.

You have a 4 ohm dual voice coil sub that gives you the option to wire it in series (positive to negative jumper) that gives you an 8 ohm load which is horrible for getting any type of power going to it. Other option is to wire in parallel (pos to pos, neg to neg) This gives you a 2 ohm load which is fine for monoblock subwoofer amps. However in your case, your trying to bridge 2 channels of a 4 channel amp. When you bridge them, they are only 4 ohm stable. If you've wired it parallel, your amps will overheat and not make the power it should through loss of heat and efficiency. If you wired it in series, your barely getting 100 ish watts to the sub which is not even enough to tickle it.

If you have your sub in a prebuilt sealed enclosure, you'll need a lot of power to get it slamming. Positioning of the box is important too. You need to face it to the trunk and put it close around 6 inches from the trunk lid.

you have a few options to get some level of bass in your car. SET THE GAINS PROPERLY FOR EVERY OPTION YOU DO.

1: hook that sub wired parallel to only 1 rear channel of the amp so that channel sees a 2 ohm load which its stable at when its not bridged.

2: Get a proper subwoofer amp for your sub and use all 4 channels on your current amp for all your car speakers instead.

3: build an intricate and efficient T-line enclosure that will get you loud and sounding good on very little power(takes up a lot of space though)

4: get another 4 ohm sub and wire each sub parallel to each channel(each channel sees 2 ohms) getting you around 200 rms to each sub.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

If you did it the same as the left which is 1ohm then it would hit harder compared to a 4ohm setup.

he has a single 10" 4 ohm DVC sub and two bridged channels of a 4 channel amp thats only stable at 4 ohms and up. He doesn't have any possible wiring options that would work well(make the sub pound) without blowing up the amp in the long run.

 

[yogegoy]

Then scratch that sub setup and get a dedicated Sub amp and you're are done than forcing something that's not capable of doing anything. Nothing comes out of a box and everything works except Legos.

 

[iblue]

I have a spare amp in the garage. I think it still works.

Kenwood KAC-7202 2-channel car amplifier 150 watts RMS x 2 at Crutchfield.com

Do you think this will work with the subwoofer? Also is running 2 amps in a car going to harm the battery or altenator in anyway?

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

I have a spare amp in the garage. I think it still works.
Kenwood KAC-7202 2-channel car amplifier 150 watts RMS x 2 at Crutchfield.com

Do you think this will work with the subwoofer? Also is running 2 amps in a car going to harm the battery or altenator in anyway?

your going to need to run 4-5 times the power your running before it starts straining your electrical system. 2 seperate amps is fine. However that kenwood amp will still have the same problem as your mbquart amp. When bridged, its only stable at 4 ohms.

Your best shot is to sell it and get a proper sub amp that does power at 2 ohms.

 

[iblue]

Ok, I don't mind spending the money on another amp. Best Buy sells this, I can pick it up tomorrow. Just confirming with you this will work?

Kicker 12CX300.1 Mono subwoofer amplifier — 300 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms at Crutchfield.com

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Ok, I don't mind spending the money on another amp. Best Buy sells this, I can pick it up tomorrow. Just confirming with you this will work?
Kicker 12CX300.1 Mono subwoofer amplifier — 300 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms at Crutchfield.com

Thats a rip off, never go to best buy for car audio stuff. Order online.

With subwoofer amps, you'll always want more power on tap then you need. If you set the gains properly, you'll never blow anything from having too much power. Its a lot worse when you dont have enough power and you want more out of your system and start cranking things up past the point of clipping(read up on clipping and distortion) which equals blown woofers and amps.

Dont worry about power draw, your still waaaaay under the threshold to warrant any electrical upgrades.

Here's 3 choices that will give you a lot more bang for your buck. in the order of the best amp to the worst. PPI amps are proven and solid amps in the car audio community.

Precision Power PPI BK650.1D Black Ice 650W Monoblock Class-D Amplifier

Precision Power i650.1 iON Series 650W Monoblock Class-D Amplifier

Kenwood KAC-5001PS Monoblock 1000W Performance Series Amplifier

Here's the install kit http://www.amazon.com/KnuKonceptz-KCA-Complete-Gauge-Installation/dp/B0050I6KII

 

[iblue]

Ok, I ended up getting the Kenwood you recommended. It came in the mail today. How should I wire it? Do I do the left or right from the picture I posted above?

 

[Umbra]

If I'm following this correctly you've got a 10" Alpine Type S with a dual 4 ohm coil configuration. Meaning it can be wired to 8 ohms or 2 ohms. It can handle 500W RMS.

If you purchased the Kenwood KAC-5001PS recommended earlier, that puts out 500W RMS @ 2 ohms, so it should be a perfect match. Wire it as per the diagram on the right in your first post, or like this (same wiring, cleaner example).

The final load should be 2 ohms (testable with a multimeter).

Set your gains appropriately. If you happen to have an oscilloscope, great! If not, find a guide for using a multimeter. Here's one:

How to Adjust Amplifier Gains Using a Digital Multi-Meter - Knowledge Base

There might be better ones out there, I just did a quick search.

 

[brian84corvette 10+ year member]

maby i missed it - but what type of box or speaker enclosure is your subwoofer in ? where is it located in your car - and facing what direction ?

ive personaly seen some boxes before that had the subs basicly doing nothing at certan frequencys... but same subs in propper box doubled output

 

[iblue]

Thank you UMBRA!

Thank you Jeffdachef!

I bought a custom made enclosure made for my Honda S2000. Not ported. Its a small car with little trunk space, this was the best way to use as little room as possible.

Exact one in this picture:

 

[Umbra]

Thank you UMBRA!Thank you Jeffdachef!

I bought a custom made enclosure made for my Honda S2000. Not ported. Its a small car with little trunk space, this was the best way to use as little room as possible.

Exact one in this picture:

You're welcome.

That's not a Type S, though. Is is still dual voice coil; are there four terminals on the back of the sub?

 

[iblue]

No, thats not my actual set up. Thats just off the website from the person who makes the enclosure.