What am I Doing Wrong?!

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

Ok guys I have had my DD 2512 in for a week or so now and so far, not impressed... It sounds good and clean but It doesnt get very loud... My Kicker Comps on 300 rms in a prefab where louder and shook the hell out of my mirrors at 18 volume but I was pushing them pretty hard to get them loud enough and so I wanted something I didnt have to play realy hard to get the bass I wanted... I stepped up to a DD 2512 in a 2.25 box tuned to 38hz powered by a Hifonics BXI 2608D at 2 ohms (1700 rms)... I have done everything I can think of messed with all the settings on my deck and amp, checked wiring, and now I dont know what else to do... I didnt think the gain would hardly have to be on to get this thing to be much louder then my Comps but right now its a little less then half and still isnt that loud (I think my buddies Comp in about a 2 cube prefab is louder)... So what am I doing wrong?! did I just have to high expectations for it?

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[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

4:15 in the morning Bump

 

[Imtjnotu 5,000+ posts]

What about trying a different box?

 

[R34P3R 10+ year member]

Have you been using the same headunit? If its an older headunit you may have to set the gain pretty high so you can match the output voltage. Other than that->"We recommend to allow at least several weeks of playing time to break in DD Woofers, full break in may take many months. DO NOT play subwoofers at max amplifier power in the first couple of days, give the suspensions a chance to loosen up. As the suspension breaks in, the subs will play lower and louder." Straight from DD.

 

[Cruzer 10+ year member]

ya idk about ur amp, but i have a 2 volt pre amp output head unit, my gain is nearly maxed out and i have to go 21/35 volume before its good for listening, 25/35 starts clipping

im upgrading soon, its gay

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Ok guys I have had my DD 2512 in for a week or so now and so far' date=' not impressed... It sounds good and clean but It doesnt get very loud... My Kicker Comps on 300 rms in a prefab where louder and shook the hell out of my mirrors at 18 volume but I was pushing them pretty hard to get them loud enough and so I wanted something I didnt have to play realy hard to get the bass I wanted... I stepped up to a DD 2512 in a 2.25 box tuned to 38hz powered by a Hifonics BXI 2608D at 2 ohms (1700 rms)... I have done everything I can think of messed with all the settings on my deck and amp, checked wiring, and now I dont know what else to do... I didnt think the gain would hardly have to be on to get this thing to be much louder then my Comps but right now its a little less then half and still isnt that loud (I think my buddies Comp in about a 2 cube prefab is louder)... So what am I doing wrong?! did I just have to high expectations for it?[/quote']
From your description of how you have your gain set, my best guess is it isn't set properly. How far you 'need' to turn your gain up is not just a function of the amplifier and subwoofer(s) used, signal strength from the h/u (or sound processor/line driver) plays a significant role as well. Research the proper way to set your gains (I believe we still have a sticky on it) and see if that's the problem.

Another possibility is the sub simply needs to have its polarity reversed, to combat cancellation.

You could have a system voltage problem as well. You increased your amplifier size considerably, but this does not mean your charging system is allowing for full output of your new, larger, amplifier.

Lastly, enclosure location/direction plays a significant role in freq response, and perceived loudness.

 

[Redlineaudio 10+ year member]

lets see a pic of the box. buddy has a 2510 in a ram and it does very well even on a stock deck, think it is on a bmaf 1500 or 2000, can't remember.

 

[MONSONwarrior Premium Member]

I had my DD 2512 on 900 watts from my AP1500 and it was doing 140 on music so I think you're doing something wrong with 1700 on tap (way too much for this sub).

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

lets see a pic of the box. buddy has a 2510 in a ram and it does very well even on a stock deck, think it is on a bmaf 1500 or 2000, can't remember.

Yep. Aftermarket amps and speakers, generally speaking, can work just fine on a weak signaled stock deck.... so long as the gains are set correctly. This is exactly what gain adjusters are for, to compensate for signal strength differences from one setup to another.

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

What about trying a different box?

It took me forever to get this one so I dont wanna do that yet

Have you been using the same headunit? If its an older headunit you may have to set the gain pretty high so you can match the output voltage. Other than that->"We recommend to allow at least several weeks of playing time to break in DD Woofers, full break in may take many months. DO NOT play subwoofers at max amplifier power in the first couple of days, give the suspensions a chance to loosen up. As the suspension breaks in, the subs will play lower and louder." Straight from DD.

I know about the break in period but so far between me and the previous owner it should have about 25 hours on it

From your description of how you have your gain set, my best guess is it isn't set properly. How far you 'need' to turn your gain up is not just a function of the amplifier and subwoofer(s) used, signal strength from the h/u (or sound processor/line driver) plays a significant role as well. Research the proper way to set your gains (I believe we still have a sticky on it) and see if that's the problem.
Another possibility is the sub simply needs to have its polarity reversed, to combat cancellation.

You could have a system voltage problem as well. You increased your amplifier size considerably, but this does not mean your charging system is allowing for full output of your new, larger, amplifier.

Lastly, enclosure location/direction plays a significant role in freq response, and perceived loudness.

I figured my F-150s electrical would hold the power of this amp just fine... and I havent been getting any headlight dimming and the amp is barely warm and hasnt went into protect

I had my DD 2512 on 900 watts from my AP1500 and it was doing 140 on music so I think you're doing something wrong with 1700 on tap (way too much for this sub).

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

I figured my F-150s electrical would hold the power of this amp just fine... and I havent been getting any headlight dimming and the amp is barely warm and hasnt went into protect

A 1700 watt rms amplifier is capable of pulling somewhere between 140 and 160 amps, by itself (not including clipping, which would drive that number higher). This figure does not include the amperage your truck pulls, or the rest of the stereo. Yes its true that figure represents 100% duty cycle, but it still illustrates the difficulty a stock charging system would likely have keeping up. There are other factors to consider, like batt capacity, listener preference (like how often/long you listen at full blast), but its certainly a possible issue to consider.

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

I didnt think it would pull the full 1700 if I left it down?

 

[SmartAsss 10+ year member]

so your going from 2 12's to one 12? thats half of your problem I would think.. your probably displacing less air then you were before. your new sub would have to displace what the two 12's did and then some to sound louder...

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

so your going from 2 12's to one 12? thats half of your problem I would think.. your probably displacing less air then you were before. your new sub would have to displace what the two 12's did and then some to sound louder...

My two 12's where in a prefab that gave them maybe a cube of space and on a third of the wattage... this thing should be much louder then my two Comps and like I said my buddies single Comp in probably about 2 cubes is louder IMO

 

[SmartAsss 10+ year member]

wattage is not the issue. sensitivity and displacement is more of a concern.

my buddies single Comp in probably about 2 cubes is louder IMO

do you guys drive different vehicles? that could be a big factor too due to "cabin gain". cars will have more cabin gain then a truck, hatchbacks have the most cabin gain.