Troubleshooting distorted and soft subwoofer

[M3FSQ]

I am trying to reinstall an old system of mine in my current vehicle. Here is the situation....

The deck plays music to the speakers perfectly but like nothing to the subwoofer( I didn't think any sound was emitting for awhile until testing further recently). I faded my deck to only play the subwoofer and music would only play when my cd players volume was turned all the way up (albeit very soft music and somewhat like there is interference). When I attempt to turn my amplifier up, the sub starts to pop and sounds distorted at a still very low volume.

I tried separating my RCA cables from my power wire and it is still distorted. Do I need a better ground? (the amp turns on fine).

By the way, I've tested it with two different amps and have the same problem. I've also played music from an ipod with a stereo jack to RCA converter plugged directly into the amp, bypassing the deck.

Sorry for the lengthy explanation. Hopefully it makes sense.

Thanks for the help.

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[Skittles619 10+ year member]

If you mentioned the ground then you probably already think it isnt grounded properly...make sure it is sanded and clean contact, all that good stuff. Either that or the gain.

 

[oldschoolboomer 10+ year member]

when you tried the ipod, did the sub work properly?

 

[M3FSQ]

If you mentioned the ground then you probably already think it isnt grounded properly...make sure it is sanded and clean contact, all that good stuff. Either that or the gain.

I had it grounded to this light metal bracket that covers the electrical batteries (Honda Insight). i thought that the metal was connected to the frame but I will try to find a new spot to ground to.

 

[M3FSQ]

when you tried the ipod, did the sub work properly?

No. Same symptoms, making me think it wasn't interference between where the power wire and RCA cables were near each other.

 

[Skittles619 10+ year member]

Let me know if the new ground helps, sounds like it is the problem.

 

[M3FSQ]

Subwoofer is still distorting at low volumes even with the new ground.

 

[Slo_Ride 5,000+ posts]

details on sub then

 

[M3FSQ]

Bazooka P-Miller series 12"

RSW1224DVC-PM

 

[M3FSQ]

Ok, so I took it into a shop and the guy instantly said that the sub is blown. The subwoofer doesn't move in when pushed on (said some coil was blown).

My next question is which subwoofer should I get to replace it.

Here are my amp's, I can use either one.

Rockford-Fosgate-Prime-R500-1-Amplifier

-500w @ 2ohms

-350w @ 4ohm

bazooka ela500.1

-500w @ 2ohms

-350w @ 4ohms

Not sure how to match the subwoofer correctly so I will shoot out a couple that I think match and the price I can get it for. Please help to pick the best option. I don't really care as much about the price since they are all relatively similar.

http://www.amazon.com/Rockford-Fosg...car&ie=UTF8&qid=1280201894&sr=1-8

Rockford-Fosgate-Shallow-400-Watt-Subwoofer

-$132 shipped

-Shallow-mount 12-inch, 4-ohm, dual voice coil subwoofer with 600 watts maximum power handling (300 watts RMS)

Rockford-Fosgate-P3D212-500-Watt-Subwoofer

-$150 shipped

-12-inch, 2-ohm dual voice coil subwoofer with 1000 watts maximum power handling (500 watts RMS)

Rockford-Fosgate-P3SD212-Shallow-Subwoofer

-$120 shipped

-Shallow-mount 12-inch, 2-ohm, dual voice coil subwoofer with 800 watts maximum power handling (400 watts RMS)

Rockford-Fosgate-P3D412-500-Watt-Subwoofer

-$150 shipped

-12-inch, 4-ohm dual voice coil subwoofer with 1000 watts maximum power handling (500 watts RMS)

Pioneer-TS-SW3001S4-12-Inch-Shallow-Subwoofer

-$150.50 shipped

-12-inch Shallow Series subwoofer with 1500 Watts maximum (400 nominal) power handling

-4-ohm single voice coil design

Pioneer-TS-W308D2-12-Inch-Regular-Subwoofer

-$94.50 shipped

-Dual 2-ohm voice coil for 1 or 4 ohm operation

-12-inch Champion Series subwoofer with 1400 Watts maximum (400 nominal) power handling

Pioneer-TS-SW3001S2-12-Inch-Shallow-Subwoofer

-$150.50 shipped

-12-inch Shallow Series subwoofer with 1500 Watts maximum (400 nominal) power handling

-2-ohm single voice coil design

Pioneer-TS-W308D4-12-Inch-Regular-Subwoofer

-$94.50 shipped

-12-inch Champion Series subwoofer with 1400 Watts maximum (400 nominal) power handling

-Dual 4-ohm voice coil for 2 or 8 ohm operation