Sundown e8v3 disappointed? Or something wrong?

[Synastr]

Ok, so I recently purchased two sundown e8v3s dual 2ohm. I'm building a box for four subs under my silverado but until everything is done. I wanted to try them. So one box is a slot ported box .9cft before sub. So it's roughly a .85 box. The port seams to be tuned about 35hz.

With this box, the sub hits the punch good but low notes just sound like air. The subs distorts really easily before it has much power. My amp is a ampere audio 1000.1 clamped at 1200watts at 1ohm. The amp is not to blame. I've got it set to push 400watts at volume 35, but the sub won't take it at 22, it sounds blah.

Box 2:

Box 2 is .83cft before sub and port. It's a 3" port 18" long. The sub had to be inverted to clear the port. This box hits lower but you still can't give the sub maybe 200watts tops. This box while turning up sounds better than box 1. But then starts to distort.

So can any body enlighten me on these subs? Do they need "broke in"? Is it just my boxes? The box for 4 is going to be 2.73 after subs but not port. I plan on a 4" port tuned to about 29-31

Click to read more...

 

[bbeljefe]

Where is the gain on the amplifier set?

 

[Elusiv3Sloth]

Turn the subsonic filter on.

 

[Wingman0121 10+ year member]

Ok, so I recently purchased two sundown e8v3s dual 2ohm. I'm building a box for four subs under my silverado but until everything is done. I wanted to try them. So one box is a slot ported box .9cft before sub. So it's roughly a .85 box. The port seams to be tuned about 35hz.

Isn't two 8 inch e8s in a .8 ported box too small? I know a pair of SD-2 8s can work in a .8 sealed box but that's a different sub.

 

[thevic24 5,000+ posts]

...to 400 watts at volume 35....

OP, please tell us how you actually set your amp to reach the 400 watts....

 

[thevic24 5,000+ posts]

99% of the "air" you are hearing is due to the port......

 

[T3mpest 10+ year member]

Are you talking slot or areo port? A 3inch aero would be ok for a single 8, but it that's a slot of any real height that's huge..

 

[Synastr]

Sorry guys. I've set the gain with a DMM using a 40hz test tone. Volume 35 on HU with 0bass boost. Subsonic is at about 22hz. And each box has only one sub. Yes the box 2 is round port. Box 1 is slot ported prefab box. Both subs were wired at 1ohm each.

 

[FamousMassacre 10+ year member]

So you're using 2 completely different boxes and wiring both to 1 ohm...then at the amp you're going to 0.5 ohm?

 

[Synastr]

No no, I tried each sub separately. One sub wired up to the amp. Then unhooked and the other wired. Never had both wired at the same time otherwise I'd have to rewire to get 2ohm load. So I took the better sounding box today and turned all things to zero. Zero bass boost on radio. All gain knobs down. Set the subsonic at 25hz. Set the bass boost to about 1/4 up. Set crossover to about 60hz. Turned the radio up to a good level and went to adjusting to gain, right as it started to be loud but not distort or be up to far. (Which didn't get far) I unhooked the sub and read my DMM at 40hz and ended up reading almost 15volts which equates to a little over 200 watts roughly. I believe all is lead to the box, because if you play a punchy song, you can increase the gain and it doesn't distort. I read the voltage then and it's about 20, which means roughly 380-400 watts according to a 1ohm formula. Which is voltage = the square root of watts x ohms.

 

[T3mpest 10+ year member]

No no, I tried each sub separately. One sub wired up to the amp. Then unhooked and the other wired. Never had both wired at the same time otherwise I'd have to rewire to get 2ohm load. So I took the better sounding box today and turned all things to zero. Zero bass boost on radio. All gain knobs down. Set the subsonic at 25hz. Set the bass boost to about 1/4 up. Set crossover to about 60hz. Turned the radio up to a good level and went to adjusting to gain, right as it started to be loud but not distort or be up to far. (Which didn't get far) I unhooked the sub and read my DMM at 40hz and ended up reading almost 15volts which equates to a little over 200 watts roughly. I believe all is lead to the box, because if you play a punchy song, you can increase the gain and it doesn't distort. I read the voltage then and it's about 20, which means roughly 380-400 watts according to a 1ohm formula. Which is voltage = the square root of watts x ohms.

Try it with no bass boost anywhere and turn up the gain and see where that gets you. Also is your tone a 0db tone, -3, -6? Your kind of doing it backwards anyways, your not going to be getting as much voltage on music as you will on the tone your running, so reading 15 volts on the tone means nothing for musical content. Also a single 8 is not going to play the lower notes very loudly at all, there just isn't enough cone area there, ported or not.

Find a -3db tone and set your gains with that for around the 300 watt mark. Then play your music and see how close you can get the volume knob to that value before it sounds funny. Your box is a hair big,but shouldn't be effecting performance too much.

 

[Synastr]

Thank you. I'm doing four anyway just expected a tad more out of one, anyways the test tone is from a db drags cd that's 0db tone. I'll try the no bass boost later. I'm not complaining too much but the subs seems to peak really high. If I use my digital designs app and use the tone generator. The sound peaks at like 45hz which seems way to high. Anything below that it drops sound fast.

 

[Synastr]

Ok I tried that and it sounds better, still not the best but once I get four in the proper box they will sound better.