What is my biggest problem here?

[frenetic1amnesic]

I have a 1996 Explorer with the JBL audio. I replaced the stock sub with a boxed 12" Kicker CompVR w/ dual voice coil @ 2 ohm. 400 watts RMS.

After playing music at a reasonable volume, the sub cuts out after about 10 minutes. It comes back at lower volume after a short while.

So, with the stock JBL amp 80 watts RMS @ 4 ohm [from what I've found out on this site], what is the bigger problem - the impedance not matching, or the amp being severely underpowered?

I'm thinking I could just disconnect one of the voice coils, and that would make it 4 ohm, right? My other, safer option is to just buy a new amp that actually matches the sub. That would make too much sense though..... When I get enough money for that, I'll do it haha.

But for now, does anyone think that just disconnecting a voice coil will be a quick short-term fix for my problem?

 

[fixxxer]

If the amp is cutting out due to a thermal overload (the outputs are getting too warm) cutting 1 VC out of the circuit will help but may not eliminate the issue. It's worth a try. The stock JBL was designed for an 8ohm load, not a 4 or 2 ohm

 

[frenetic1amnesic]

Thanks for the quick response

8 ohm. Quite a big difference from 2...

I'll try disconnecting a voice coil for now.

 

[toypaseo]

How do you have the voice coils wired now?

Could you wire them in series to bring the ohm load up to 4 or 8...?

 

[frenetic1amnesic]

I don't know how it's wired right now. It's a pre-assembled box and I haven't opened it to find out. I'd definitely be open to that option of rewiring it, if you could tell me how to do it. Just tell me what you need to know.

 

[chief_bignut]

DO NOT WIRE JUST ONE COIL !! you WILL blow the sub it will freeze up on you if the sub has two 4ohm voice coils you can rewire it and bring it up to 8

take the negative of coil and run it to the positive of coil 2 and then the positive of coil 1 and the negative of coil 2 to the corisponding location on the terminal cup like this
http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/rftech/woofer_wizard.asp?submitted=true&woofer_qty=1&woofer_imp=4

 

[aznboi3644]

DO NOT WIRE JUST ONE COIL !! you WILL blow the sub it will freeze up on you if the sub has two 4ohm voice coils you can rewire it and bring it up to 8

take the negative of coil and run it to the positive of coil 2 and then the positive of coil 1 and the negative of coil 2 to the corisponding location on the terminal cup like this
http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/rftech/woofer_wizard.asp?submitted=true&woofer_qty=1&woofer_imp=4

WRONG!!!

There is NOTHING wrong with using one coil on a dual or quad coil subwoofer

 

[chief_bignut]

WRONG!!!

There is NOTHING wrong with using one coil on a dual or quad coil subwoofer

explain pls

 

[rumproast789]

explain pls

it just makes sense if you can run every coil with an amp for each... you know?

 

[Josef86]

I know if you run only one coil you loose a little sound.

 

[chief_bignut]

it just makes sense if you can run every coil with an amp for each... you know?

to run one amp on each coil you would need identicle amps and tuned individually almost perfectly or a pair of identicle amps that are strapable i know that youcan wire one coil and leave the other out but you would need a resistor or something to dissapate the heat generated by the other coil but if he has a dual 4ohm sub he can wire it up to 8 ohms i see no use wiring one coil in general for any application maybe its just me but i would never do that dual voicecoil subwoofers werent meant to be used as 2 individual subs (i.e. i blow one coil ehh its ok i have a second coil. ) it was meant so you can have more configuration options i didnt mean it in a way that as soon as he hooks one up it will blow the instant it recieves a signal but the chances of him blowing it will increase greatly by hooking up just one coil if he doesnt know what he doing.

 

[chief_bignut]

the best way I could describe this is if you were to disconnect half of the cylinders of your car, and then slapped a trailer on it. When you only drive one coil on a DVC speaker, you create a load by dragging the other coil of the disconnected speaker. This will creat heat, and you will burn the coil on the one that is hooked up. I know, I learned the hard way................... dvc subs are ment to have both hooked up, doesn't matter if they are in series or parallel.

 

[Josef86]

the best way I could describe this is if you were to disconnect half of the cylinders of your car, and then slapped a trailer on it. When you only drive one coil on a DVC speaker, you create a load by dragging the other coil of the disconnected speaker. This will creat heat, and you will burn the coil on the one that is hooked up. I know, I learned the hard way................... dvc subs are ment to have both hooked up, doesn't matter if they are in series or parallel.

I think thats a pretty good way to put it.

 

[rumproast789]

i kinda get what your saying, I wouldn't only wire one coil either. It's kinda pointless

 

[aznboi3644]

a coil is a coil...the amp does not know how many speakers are wired to it.

Read here for more info on a using one coil on a dvc speaker

http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp~TID~74640~PN~1

Also you do not need identical amps for each coil on a dvc driver. Power input is additive. you can use a 200 watt amp on one coil and a 1000 watt amp on the other there will be nothing wrong.

 

[frenetic1amnesic]

Ok well I wired it for an 8 ohm load for now, until I can get a good amp.

Before, I'd have the bass knob riding around 40% and it was plenty loud. Any higher would distort and sound terrible. Now, around +60% puts out the same volume. This is what should happen going from 2 ohm to 8 ohm, right?

And also another question, I guess. With 2 ohm it was 400 watts, what should it be with 8 ohm?

 

[Infinity08]

The only thing running s single coil will do is change some of the electrical parameters of the driver. You won't harm it. There are some special cases where you can even short the remaining coil to change the parameters to what you may need.