What am I Doing Wrong?!

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

Ill have to go get a Multi meter and test tone cd

 

[plugitin 5,000+ posts]

Ill have to go get a Multi meter and test tone cd

if you dont have a meter, theyre almost a necessity to have. And the tones, you can get em online...try ROE or DIYMA

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

if you dont have a meter, theyre almost a necessity to have. And the tones, you can get em online...try ROE or DIYMA

Ya I was gunna get a meter anyway... Ill look around thanks for the advice

 

[SmartAsss 10+ year member]

Test tones are not what you want to use, multimeters and oscilloscopes are only what you would want to use for testing with them. your gains will be set too low if you set them with that method mentioned. I've been there tried that. the reason being is that test tones have a much higher amplitude then actual music. unless you listen to test tones or compete by using them then your sub will be much lower then it should be for music.

The tried and true method is to turn your stereo up to maximum listening volume that you will listen to music (not the head units max volume) using a well recorded track that you know by heart. slowly turn the gain knob up from its minimum position until you hear signs of distortion from the sub (distinct change in tonal output) or mechanical noise, then back it down slightly. this will be the optimum setting.

bass boost should be off, crossover setting should be at around 80 to 120hz (where ever it sounds best and blends with your front speakers without sounding muddy), sub sonicfilter should be set at maximum (for your particular setup). phase is set by adjusting it up and down listening for the point at which the sub sounds the loudest in the drivers seat. bass boost (if necessary) is set by turning it up a notch or two, and decreasing the gain slightly. do not over do the bass boost setting as it will cause a nasty peak. the more you turn the boost up the more you have to turn the gain down.

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

Ill have to try that

 

[plugitin 5,000+ posts]

Test tones are not what you want to use, multimeters and oscilloscopes are only what you would want to use for testing with them. your gains will be set too low if you set them with that method mentioned. I've been there tried that. the reason being is that test tones have a much higher amplitude then actual music. unless you listen to test tones or compete by using them then your sub will be much lower then it should be for music.
The tried and true method is to turn your stereo up to maximum listening volume that you will listen to music (not the head units max volume) using a well recorded track that you know by heart. slowly turn the gain knob up from its minimum position until you hear signs of distortion from the sub (distinct change in tonal output) or mechanical noise, then back it down slightly. this will be the optimum setting.

bass boost should be off, crossover setting should be at around 80 to 120hz (where ever it sounds best and blends with your front speakers without sounding muddy), sub sonicfilter should be set at maximum (for your particular setup). phase is set by adjusting it up and down listening for the point at which the sub sounds the loudest in the drivers seat. bass boost (if necessary) is set by turning it up a notch or two, and decreasing the gain slightly. do not over do the bass boost setting as it will cause a nasty peak. the more you turn the boost up the more you have to turn the gain down.

go away...

 

[SmartAsss 10+ year member]

go away...

Typical response to many of my posts. Im not making this up. It is a fact that test tones are of higher amplitude then music.I base all of my information on facts, and testing, I would feel terrible if I ever mislead someone. so I personally learn, test and use my own 10+ years of electrical, electronics, mechanical training and experience to find absolute answers to my tasks.

The whole reason why I joined ca.com is to dispel myths, bad practices, and misinformation. I enjoy helping others. Rarely do people like what I have to say but its only the truth whether you believe it or not...

I work in the aerospace industry, building and quality testing critical components found in every aircraft, If you've ever flew in a airplane or aircraft chances are I've personally built and tested a few of the parts on it. I'm very thorough with my procedures I have to be. If I f*** something up I go to jail people die.

The meter method only applies to test tones. You can use an oscilloscope on music but you have to know what to look for and when. A small amount of clipping is acceptable and inaudible.

 

[plugitin 5,000+ posts]

Typical response to many of my posts. Im not making this up. It is a fact that test tones are of higher amplitude then music.I base all of my information on facts, and testing, I would feel terrible if I ever mislead someone so I personally learn, test and use my own 10+ years of electrical, electronics, mechanical training and experience to find absolute answers to my tasks.

The whole reason why I joined ca.com is to dispel myths, bad practices, and misinformation. I enjoy helping others. Rarely do people like what I have to say but its only the truth whether you believe it or not...

I work in the aerospace industry, building and quality testing critical components found in every aircraft, I'm very thorough with my procedures I have to be. If I f*** something up I go to jail people die.

The meter method only applies to test tones. You can use an oscilloscope on music but you have to know what to look for and when. A small amount of clipping is acceptable and inaudible.

guess what, i work in the aerospace industry too, seriously, lol.

Im sorry, but i dont agree with you on everything. If im using my setup as a daily driver, i will set it up with an o scope with tones, -3 or -6 tones are neat. Now, if im going to a competition i will mess with it on the tl until i get my highest score. Therefore its not that big of a deal with a burp that lasts 5 seconds. i will not toast my expensive babys because i want to push the limits when daily driving.

 

[SmartAsss 10+ year member]

Thats awesome, howdy.

-3 or -6 tones are neat

That would be much better then 0 but that's not the type of tones that are usually available on test tone cd's or the usual the ones that you would find on the internet. That post made no mention of the differences of the amplitude of the tones. It is also only for setting the gain of the amplifier to output the maximum power but does not take into consideration of the speaker's own ability.This is why I mentioned that the music method was best. The speaker will let you know when it has reached its electrical or mechanical limit in the two ways I've mentioned in my previous post, The tonal change will occur when the electrical max has been reached and the mechanical limit will be reached when mechanical noise is produced. the gain setting is never an absolute value due to the various recording levels of music, your ears are the only thing that can tell you if you are putting too much to the speaker.

My post isn't very through but I don't have enough patience to sit here and wright about all of the reasons why your method does not take into consideration of other factors.. If you have a good question I'll answer it but I'm not going to write a novel if your not interested.

 

[plugitin 5,000+ posts]

Thats awesome, howdy.
That would be much better then 0 but that's not the type of tones that are usually available on test tone cd's or the usual the ones that you would find on the internet. That post made no mention of the differences of the amplitude of the tones. It is also only for setting the gain of the amplifier to output the maximum power but does not take into consideration of the speaker's own ability.

This is why I mentioned that the music method was best. The speaker will let you know when it has reached its electrical or mechanical limit in the two ways I've mentioned in my previous post, The tonal change will occur when the electrical max has been reached and the mechanical limit will be reached when mechanical noise is produced. the gain setting is never an absolute value due to the various recording levels of music, your ears are the only thing that can tell you if you are putting too much to the speaker.

My post isn't very through but I don't have enough patience to sit here and wright about all of the reasons why your method does not take into consideration of other factors.. If you have a good question I'll answer it but I'm not going to write a novel if your not interested.

i agree with you, when using a scope, youre setting the gain pretty safely. I agree youre not reaching your limits on the dot by using a scope unless you have access to a few tones that are not common and you know somewhat what youre doing.

 

[Redlineaudio 10+ year member]

I dislike your box, we find that with the port setup like that, you will get noise before you get to really loud.

if noting else fixes the sound then try a side port box. Look at the DD site and their plans for a side port with the sub infront of the port wall.

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

I dislike your box, we find that with the port setup like that, you will get noise before you get to really loud.
if noting else fixes the sound then try a side port box. Look at the DD site and their plans for a side port with the sub infront of the port wall.

Hmmmmm that realy ***** since I had that one built and spent good money on it... but surely that isnt the only problem

 

[dirtye30 10+ year member]

its out of phase. check your wiring.

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

its out of phase. check your wiring.

Meaning make sure its at 2 ohms?

 

[dirtye30 10+ year member]

no sir, your pos and negative terminals are mixed up