aznkikaz

iTrader: (2)

hey guys,

i'm pretty much a noob at car audio, so I have some questions regarding the install I just had today. I've searched the forums already for my problem, but can't really pinpoint of the exact problem I have.

My setup that was installed today was a JL 12W3V2 sub in a sealed box, and a Kenwood 300RWS 8103D monoblock amplifier. 4AWG wiring was used. Box is facing the rear.



Now on to the problem. Driving home from the install shop, I had volume at 14 and the subwoofer control bass level set at about 1/4. It was very boomy and muddy, for example during a segment of a song where many bass notes are hit, it seemed as if it was one long muddy bass noise coming from the sub.

After I got home, i started fiddling around with the amplifier because I called the shop and they told me to play around with the settings.

I set the LFP(?) to 100HZ, and the sensitivity to 1HZ. I was reading a guide online that said I should set the LFP to whatever the head unit was sending out, but I have no idea what that is. At 100HZ it sounded a little tighter but not as good as I want it to be...

Anyone have any ideas? Sorry for the long rant.

rodneyc77

iTrader: (1)

what's your subsonic filter set at???? try setting it to 30 to 35 Hz... play with it...

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It sounds to me like the installer forgot the "tune" part of the install!

You should ask them how they went about setting the gains, because it doesn't sound like it's set even remotely close. Do a little research on proper gain setting, get yourself a DMM and a 50hz -3db or -6db test tone, and do it right. Proper gain setting will not only provide you with a much better quality sound, but it will also preserve the life of your amp and/or sub. You should be using the amp's remote bass control to turn down bass, not turn it up. Gains are set with the bass control turned to max.

If the amp has a bass boost, turn it off and leave it off.

I've never owned JL products before, but I'd imagine that 100hz would be the highest level that you'd want it. I've heard a lot of subs that have difficulty accurately reproducing anything about 60hz or so.

Good luck.

TSC17

It sounds to me like the installer forgot the "tune" part of the install!

You should ask them how they went about setting the gains, because it doesn't sound like it's set even remotely close. Do a little research on proper gain setting, get yourself a DMM and a 50hz -3db or -6db test tone, and do it right. Proper gain setting will not only provide you with a much better quality sound, but it will also preserve the life of your amp and/or sub. You should be using the amp's remote bass control to turn down bass, not turn it up. Gains are set with the bass control turned to max.

If the amp has a bass boost, turn it off and leave it off.

I've never owned JL products before, but I'd imagine that 100hz would be the highest level that you'd want it. I've heard a lot of subs that have difficulty accurately reproducing anything above 60hz or so.

Good luck.

aznkikaz

iTrader: (2)

the max subsonic filter my amp allows is 25.. so its at 25 HZ right now.

What is the gain setting? Is that the same as sensitivity? I am really confused because there is different terminology for many of the same controls on various amps.

My amp doesn't have a separate bass control, I control it directly from the head unit. So you are saying I should turned it up to max and then test it?

Sorry I'm and a noob at this haha.

pizz419

the last thing you wanna do is set it at its highest. go from the lowest and go up slightly. listen to it when you are doing this. you will figure out it....

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I don't mean the sub level on the HU. When setting gains, this should be flat at 0. From your original post, it sounded like you had a remote bass control knob on your aftermarket amp. If this were the case, you WOULD set your gains with this on max.

Gains/sensitivity setting = same thing.

JL's website has a pretty good tutorial on setting gains/sensitivity. You need to know the power output rating of your amp (at a specific impedance), as well as the impedance of your sub configuration. Those numbers will give you a specific voltage to set your gains/sensitivity to. http://mobile.jlaudio.com/support_pages.php?page_id=143

For instance:

400 watt amp at a 2ohm load.
Sub wired to 2 ohms.

The square root of power times impedance equals voltage
or
sq rt (400 x 2) = v
v = 28.28

Follow the instructions on the tutorial. Use a 50hz test tone, set sensitivity to lowest, turn sub level on HU to 0, and set HU volume to about 30. Play test tone, turn gains/sensitivity up to it reaches desired voltage. Once this is completed, your amp will produce it's max volume output at HU volume of 30.

It may sound complicated at first, but it's actually quite simple.

aznkikaz

iTrader: (2)

thank you! i just slowly increased the gain while listening to the sub and got it to a point where it sounded real good. I also decreased my frequency to 70, which made it very clear and crisp. Thanks for all your help!