?s about wiring my system

[ForOffRoadDriving]

well i added some poly fill last night, and all i have to say is B A D A S S ! i didnt think it would make that much of a difference, but i was wrong. i took some pics so you can give me pointers on what i did wrong or what i should have done different. i bought some new 8-32 screws for the subs since i didnt like the slot head screws i had in there (flat blades are sharp and speakers are fragile), i endedup using the rounded ones with the smaller allen head on them.

i also took a pic of my ranger family this morning, just for fun

 

[4x4fun]

Looks good man

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

im thinking about adding 1 more layer around the out side edge to see if i can get more out of it, but maybe i should wait a few more days so i get used to the way it is so that the change, if any, is more noticeable?

 

[4x4fun]

im thinking about adding 1 more layer around the out side edge to see if i can get more out of it, but maybe i should wait a few more days so i get used to the way it is so that the change, if any, is more noticeable?

there is a limit to what you can do. to much and you can over heat the sub.

but wait a day or two to "learn" the sound and add slowly. i wouldnt go over what your thinking. that would be the max

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

im thinking i might need a capacitor for this set up, my dash lights and head lights all dim considerably when at idle if the bass is turned up. how do i calculate what capacity ill need, would i be safe with a 1 farad? something like this or maybe a lower profile one http://www.tti-plus.com/Bluewave-Audio-Platinum-Digital-Capacitor-1-3-Fara-p/bw-cp1d.htm

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

i think ill probably be holding off on that capacitor for now, since a new issue has come to light. i believe i blew my subs last night while i was driving to take back bottles. i heard the bass kind of fall off and then i smelled plastic or paint, so i felt the sub abd it was warm, then i touched the amp and it was HOT! i shut the stereo off until i got to the store, then i turned it back on and turned the gain all the way down on the affected amp (for some reason it was all the way up, maybe my jacket caught it when i was adding the poly fill?). when i came back out from the store the amps were cool to the touch and the sub was cooled also, so i turned the stereo back on and drove to the car wash (i still have 1 sub working at this point). once i pulled into the wash bay i lost my bass all together, so i turned the gain all the way down on the other amp, which was also all the way up (im starting to suspect one of my friends was "tuning" my system to get the sound he thought was best, not understanding that my amps put out 150w rms and my subs can only handle 100w rms). i pushed in on each woofer cone and they both have quite a bit of resistance when going in and then slowly return to their relaxed position. so what do you guys think, do these sound like the symptoms of blown subs or do i have another underlying issue here? (boo hoo, my pyramids blew up....... time to upgrade!)

 

[4x4fun]

yea there pretty toast. a blown sub has it smell. once you smell it youll always know what a blown sub smells like. cranking the gain up like that will do it. you should keep it right in the middle. I know it sounds really good to have it all the way up but its not good for the subs.

as far as needing a cap......you dont you woud need to do a big three up grade before you get a cap. there very over used, and i never see them used correctly. a cap is not the answer. at this point.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

thanks 4x4fun, i guess ill be buying new subs today, i just wanted confirmation from another that my subs were toast. i dont know how the gains got turned up that high (friends?) but as soon as i turned them down and realized how high they were i was pretty sure that was the cause.

just so i know im doing it right, when you adjust the gain you should have the hu volume turned up 3/4 of the way (35 is max on mine, so i put it at 26 when i adjusted) then turn up the gain until distortion is present and then back it off until distortion disappears. i should do the same for the amp powering the door speakers too correct?

 

[4x4fun]

yes that's a good place to start. if you feel so inclined you can use a dmm and match your amps and HU voltage. but the gain is used to help match the "vol" slope on your HU and the slope of your amps. so when your HU is up all the way (3/4 is up all the way never go higher) your amp/sub will put out a good match in sound to match your speakers. and as you turn it down everything tapers off in an even fashion.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

ok, so im torn between 2 subs now. both are in my acheivable price range and im leaning towards the jls, but id like some input from you guys. heres the links
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-fn9Mm1Scngh/p_236T4508/MTX-Thunder4500-T4508-04.html
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_1368W1V24/JL-Audio-8W1v2-4.html?search=8w1v2&ssi=0
the jl is a little deeper than i wanted to go, but the benefits seem to out way the small inconvenience of size.
the mtx is the right size as is, but the power is below the out put of the amp so theres a possibility i could burn these up too. the main reason i like the mtx is because it matches, but it doesnt play as low as the jls (28Hz vs 39Hz) and it doesnt have cover accomodation built in.
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136SGR831/JL-Audio-SGR-8W3v3-W1v2.html?tp=1053

 

[4x4fun]

id go with the JL if it were me. but money talks. i dont see your amp blowing the mtx or the JL any time soon. providing your friends dont stuff lol

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

im doing the jls, it just seems stupid not to for the 15 dollar difference. the frequency is lower, the handling power is appropriately matched to my amp output, the sealed space requirement is still larger than what i have, but the only sub i found that had the same requirements as my boxes were the pioneer shallow mounts and i dont know enough about them or their reputation so i think ill stick to the jls. plus they have those sexy grills that make them look so stealth! now i just have to wait till the cc gets paid down enough to put these bad boys on it (i dont have my own cc anymore, after spending 7k on it to build my truck i cut it up and cancelled it so i wouldnt stay stuck in that rut.)

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

i found a temporary solution for my lack of bass until i can get those jls, its a 8" kenwood KFC W2002 in a Q-logic band pass box it (qlt-108bp.2) and it sounds great!

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

now im considering the pioneer shallow mounts, TSSW841D, http://www.dealercostcaraudio.com/ts-sw841d.aspx?gclid=COKEqJvdvaACFec35wodhHUUUA does any one have any experience with them?

 

[Doug Metheny]

in my opinion i like the pioner ones i im pretty sure thats what my bud had in his car then he got his pulks