Help with new subs, don't sound too well

[Hartman]

I just got two 12 inch Kicker Comp VRs in the mail today, and I quickly wired them up in my box. I was surprised to find that the subs don't sound too well? How bad do subs sound when they are in the breaking in period?

Granted I have not Dynamatted yet and I have some air leaks. Also, right now I only have about 150watts to each sub. Is this normal?

 

[VairKing]

First of all, I would make sure you have them sealed really good. Thats pretty important. Also double check your wiring, I know that in the excitement of getting my new sub I wired it wrong the first time, but caught the mistake before any damage was done. Let us know how you come...

 

[Diggity UW99]

One thing you may want to consider is more power. I looked up the specs on the Comp VR's and they handle up to 400 watts RMS. You may want to upgrade to an amp that can push a little more power. I am in the same boat. I was running 300 watts to a single 10 inch Pioneer sub but have recently upgraded to the 10 inch Nickel Plated Premier. The Premier can also handle up to 400 watts RMS and I can definetly notice a performance difference between the two speakers....even with the same amp. I am looking in to getting a 450 watt RMS amp to run this speaker. The less your amp has to work the cleaner and better it will sound. Overworking an amp is hard on the amp as well as the speakers and will make it sound like crap.

Dan

 

[Rscotts1]

I've got the same subs Hartman and they slam!! How do you have them wired? Granted 150 Watts is nothing like pushing 300 - 400 Watts into them but they should still sound better than you have described.

 

[zekex2]

after you get them sealed and have checked the wiring. Get a bigger amp. I have done mobil DJ work for over 20 years. There is nothing like having head room (more power than the speakers can use). This allows them to work at their full range. It also avoids clipping and distortion as the amps max out. Distortion eats speakers and/ or fuses.

 

[FrankRizzo]

As above.

Sealing is really important.
The rear wave can cancel the front wave if they leak too much.

Let us know what happens.

 

[Kevex]

Just put mine in last week(Kicker CompVR) and also have 150 watts to each and they sound nice, granted as everyone said a bigger amp would clean them up more at a higher volume but it was all I had right now and will probably stay with it for awhile until I get the bigger amp.
I built my box to Kicker specs(1.25cu ft. each sealed)
I made sure to glue, screw, and Silicone the box so I have no leaks.

 

[Hartman]

The amp I have now is only temporary, when the 3rd Comp VR arrives this Friday, I'm running all three subs off a KX800 in tri-way mode. I will try to fix my leaking problems.

I have them wired according to the manual that came with the subs. The diagram below illistrates how I have them hooked up.

 

[Hartman]

Well, I got them to sound better today. For one, one of the subs was wired wrong due to my hastiness yesterday (doh!). Also, I lined the end of the sub holes with weatherstripping. With the sub secured to the box and if you push in the cone, it pops right back instead of taking time to come back to position. Not airtight, but it's as good as I can get it because I cut the holes too big and the screws are right on the edge of the sub hole.

 

[Rscotts1]

Hartman, looks like you have wired in Series. This will give an 8 Ohm load. I take it your amp will not go down to 2 Ohms?

 

[Hartman]

I know nothing about ohms, I don't know how to change ohms, and I don't know how low my amp can go in terms of ohms. All I did was take my old subs out, put these new VRs in, I did not mess with the wiring on the amp. There is a diagram in the manual that came with the subs that is called Parallel wiring; should I try to wire them up like that?

 

[Rscotts1]

If your amp is capable of a 2 Ohm load, then yes...wire them is parallel. Be sure to check the amps owners manual to be sure.

 

[Hartman]

Manual says, 150x2 at 2 ohm, so I guess that means yes! That could make a HUGE influence on the performace of these subs!

 

[Rscotts1]

Hartman, what kind of amp is it?

 

[Hartman]

Kicker ZR240

 

[taxx]

If it says 150X2 at 2 ohms then you need to wire these in parallel. Two 4 ohm subs will draw a 2 ohm load if wired in parallel. You won't need to change anything on your amp. If these are 4 ohm subs and are wired in series then your pulling 8 ohms wich means you are only getting about 75 watts total. I am not sure on my math but I think that is about right, anyway it is significantly less.

The manual should tell you how to wire them to get specific resistance (Ohms). So just do that. If you have any problems just ask the guys here.

 

[taxx]

Be carefull... If these are a dual (whatever it is called) type setup they may be able to be wired all the way down to 1 ohm, your amp might not like that.

You really need to get a feel for what the rating is on each speaker and what the rating is on your current sub and your new sub. Not trying to scare you, but it can be important. Just put that info here and we can get you straight.

 

[Kevex]

You built the box yourself, Right? All you have to do is double the front baffle where the speakers are and cut the correct size holes, and that will fix your problem with the incorrect hole size. There shoul have been a template for the subholes attached to the box. Did you also silicone the box?

 

[Lifted95X]

I have the same amp. It is stable down to 1 Ohm stereo, and 2 Ohms mono

 

[taxx]

Originally posted by SSIKORA
I have the same amp. It is stable down to 1 Ohm stereo, and 2 Ohms mono

He's probably running mono though for his subs