Page 1 of 3

Man, why did this happen?

Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:46 pm
by Laparka22
I just recently got a Alpine Type R 12" the Dual 4 Ohm. I was waiting for my amp to be shipped. Finnally got my Amp today. Amp I got is a Kicker KX 600.1 So I finnally hook it all up. I leave the gain about 1/3, put the bass boost to
+18DB. Turn it up and it sounds great. Maybe a hour after playing it I notice a kinda slight burning smell, kinda worried me but I heard for new subs some of the exess glue burns off at the begging, so I figured well it's just that. Then freaken smoke comes out of the bass port. I think my box is like 2 Cu I belive. And I was like what? So I take the sub out thinking I may only have hooked up one voice coil by accendent, which I know can destroy a DVC sub. Check all the connections, making sure + is with + and - is with -. Both coils are hooked up and everything is fine. So I deside to let it free air to see whats up. Sounds like garbage, you can tell the coil is rubbing against the side of the magnet or something. I crank it up to my normal listing volume, freaking more smoke comes pouring out and the coil lights on fire! So I quickly turn my car off. Why the hell did this happen? I couldn't of been overpowering it with 600W RMS which it was getting at 2 Ohms. I didn't have the gains turned to high so there was no clipping or distortion. I just don't know what the hell happend. Any thoughts of what might of coused this?

Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:49 pm
by smoker
for starters why have the bass boost on +18? thats a bad indicator right there of things to come....such as you pushing it too far, getting the vc to move out too far and get misaligned and start rubbing and smoking......

Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:54 pm
by Laparka22
Having the Bass Boost all the way up can do that? Damn I figured a sub like the Alpine trpe R could take it. I didn't have no bass boost on the HE, just the amp. Well this sucks.....

Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:54 pm
by brtnboarder3241
i would agree...i would have not started out breaking the sub in with bass boost turned all the way up at 18+

Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:56 pm
by Laparka22
Hmm. I heard that breaking a sub in might make the sub sound better.... but not damage it.

Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:58 pm
by Darthness
eh.. you probably clipped the hell out of it by having the bass boost up all the way, where was the gain?

Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:59 pm
by Laparka22
1/3. It sounded great, no distortion, nothing.

Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 6:04 pm
by Darthness
as far as you knew.... it can to notice if its a clipped signal or not... check out the clipped signals on bcae1.com.. you might have been clipping the hell out of it without even knowing.

Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 6:10 pm
by CaptainPioneer
there is always a chance that the sub could have been manufactured incorrectly... But it sounds like you f'd up the sub by overextending it

Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 6:11 pm
by Ryan from Ohio
Describe what distortion sounds like?

Speaker wise, say you did over power it. how does that make it sound?

Been doing this awhile now and I cant answer that. I think it because you can overpower it and not make any audible difference except volume.

Turning the gain to 1/3 and =18dB of bass boost does not constitute breaking a sub in. As pointed out, turning the boost up that much is already a very bad sign.

Also just because its a half decet sub, doesnt mean it can take that abuse?

Lastly, how do you know it wasnt clipping?

Bottom line, as already noted but not summarized. Speaker over traveled, voice coil became unaligned in the gap and rubbed.

Your sub is junk now, which I believe you know. Next time keep that bass boost in aceptable range, maybe +3 dB.

Keep in mind, you like what? multiplied the audio volume in the bass region 3's with that setting...