subwoofer not as loud

[guyman]

hi guys i did a quick search and couldn't really find anything relevant, anyway i recently removed my headunit amp and sub and gave them to my brother to put into his commodore he also purchased a 4ch amp for his speakers. It's now all installed however the sub doesnt punch nearlly as hard as it used to in my commodore (yes it is on and working), the settings on the headunit are all the same, the same cables were used to wire it up, the only difference was that i didnt run a 4ch amp, he is running two amps. (my original mono one for the sub and his 4ch). Could it be something to do with the amp not receiving enough power from the battery?
thanks heaps guys im so confused

[mr.vandervloet]

it could be not enough power from the amp.. depends on how many watts etc... the sub could be to powerful for his amp..

[fdbag8]

Check the dials on the amp havnt been bumped and changed

[Aussie Revhead]

could be the red and white cables in the back of the headunit (forgot there real name im tired) mine needed to be replace because the headunit crushed them when the previous owner put the headunit back in the car was only giving me half the bass that it Normally Would.

[MAG00]

Gosh, the advice from randoms just gets dodgier and dodgier.

As always, please try to provide as much information as possible, makes our jobs a lot easier. Things such as brands, model numbers, independence, RMS wattage etc. should always be provided for us to be able to point you in the right direction.

My guess is that the gain setting on the monoblock amp for the subwoofer is not set correctly. Follow this guide in order to set the gains, to achieve the most out of your amplifiers: Tutorial - Amplifier Gain & Crossover Adjustment - Forums - Mobile Electronics AU

Just remember that the gains setting is not a form of volume control and should never be used as one, as it may ruin your equipment.

If that's not it, then perhaps you have different model commodores and the boot size is larger, affecting the cabin gain?

[wraith]

I agree with MAG00. Could be something as simple as the gain set incorrectly or different boot dimensions.

[guyman]

thanks for the reply guys...just to clarify its the same amp and sub that was in my vy, all the cables seem to be fine, its a 12" kicker comp sub with a kicker amp at 4ohms not sure about the RMS. Im going to have a go at the adjusting all the gain on the speakers and sub tomorrow ill let u know how i go

[MAG00]

While you're at it you may as well just swap the batteries and see if it changes at all. It shouldn't make a difference, but it should take you all of about 5 minutes to cross it off the list.

[Aussie Revhead]

Gosh, the advice from randoms just gets dodgier and dodgier.

everyone is trying to help you dont have to be such a ass clown


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[StoneX]

everyone is trying to help you dont have to be such a ass clown

You really should know what an RCA is if giving audio advice though.

[torana355]

Change the phase on the sub.

[Zend3r]

Could be a controversial opinion, but try changing the position of the sub forwards or backwards in the boot as it may be phase cancellation. I've definitely noticed it with my new sub (where it didn't seem apparent with the old set).

Maybe it's all in my head after I read about it

[Aussie Revhead]

You really should know what an RCA is if giving audio advice though.

at time of posting that first comment i had been up for around 36 hours i know what its called.

[MAG00]

Change the phase on the sub.

^Also worth a try.

at time of posting that first comment i had been up for around 36 hours i know what its called.

Go to bed then.

Could be a controversial opinion, but try changing the position of the sub forwards or backwards in the boot as it may be phase cancellation. I've definitely noticed it with my new sub (where it didn't seem apparent with the old set).

Maybe it's all in my head after I read about it

OOO here we go, bringing the old out of phase wave cancellation back into contention.
While it is a valid idea and also worth a try, I don't think it would make a huge difference, could be wrong though.

He still hasn't mentioned what car it's going into from his VY. It could come down to different size/shaped boots affecting the cabin gain and the wave cancellation...

I suppose while I'm at it I'll throw something else in. Is it in a sealed box? Is there any chance that the box was treated roughly while changing it into the other car and may no longer be a sealed box?


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[Zend3r]

OOO here we go, bringing the old out of phase wave cancellation back into contention.
While it is a valid idea and also worth a try, I don't think it would make a huge difference, could be wrong though.

I'm perfectly willing to admit that phase cancellation isn't the devil in my case, but I experience a huge difference in the sound level of bass between having the sub directly at the mouth of the boot/interior vs. the very back of the boot (irrespective of whether the centre seat is down or not). Could just be some nuance of sub behaviour that I don't understand and I simply blame it (unfairly!) on cancellation.

[guyman]

^Also worth a try.



Go to bed then.



OOO here we go, bringing the old out of phase wave cancellation back into contention.
While it is a valid idea and also worth a try, I don't think it would make a huge difference, could be wrong though.

He still hasn't mentioned what car it's going into from his VY. It could come down to different size/shaped boots affecting the cabin gain and the wave cancellation...

I suppose while I'm at it I'll throw something else in. Is it in a sealed box? Is there any chance that the box was treated roughly while changing it into the other car and may no longer be a sealed box?


Sent from my Computer using Google Chrome

it went into a VS...i dont think the positioning has anything to do with it...its like the sub isnt working at all (although it is) i can see by just at it that the cone is hardly moving...im pretty sure it wasnt damaged, its in its own kicker box that it came in...still got to get around to adjusting the gains...it could be that the speaker gains are set to high hence he the hu volume is around 15 but the music is really loud...does that make sense i hope so lol

[MAG00]

it went into a VS...i dont think the positioning has anything to do with it...its like the sub isnt working at all (although it is) i can see by just at it that the cone is hardly moving...im pretty sure it wasnt damaged, its in its own kicker box that it came in...still got to get around to adjusting the gains...it could be that the speaker gains are set to high hence he the hu volume is around 15 but the music is really loud...does that make sense i hope so lol

If the sub is barely working that is definitely a signal issue and wouldn't be because of the different boot.

If it is very quiet then your gain is most likely too low.

I'll give a quick explanation of the gain function..

Headunits output the sound as an electrical current through the RCA cables. The VOLTAGE that each headunit outputs the electrical current at varies quite a bit. The idea of a gain control is to adjust how SENSITIVE the amplifier is to the incoming voltage from the headunit. While it should never be used as a volume setting, the gain can be used to adjust the volume of the speakers to the correct volume levels of the headunit ie. full volume on the headunit is almost as loud as the speakers will go before distorting.

If it isn't the gain then you may as well try to swap batteries just to rule that out. Failing that you will need to test your amp with another subwoofer (or even just a speaker) and test your subwoofer with another amplifier. This is so that we can narrow it down to it being the sub or the amp at fault.

If you have a multimeter then hook the up to your sub wires and see what sort of a resistance they are producing. If it is ridiculously high or low then it could be buggered. If it's roughly 3-4ohms then it should be okay.

[wraith]

Could also be the sub out on the head unit it self is set low. It would of reset in the move. See if it has separate sub control.

[MAG00]

You may be right, didn't suggest anything along those lines because he said "the settings on the headunit are all the same".

Once again, wouldn't hurt to look.

[Nic92]

make sure the positive wire on the amp isn't connected to the negative on the sub/terminal
make sure the negative on the amp isn't connected to the positive on the sub/terminal

if you have taking the sub out of the box, check them wires to (sub to terminal)

i have done that once and the sub was moving alot but no sound ^

[wraith]

Might be assuming that nothing has changed. Had the same thing before customer adamant the stereo still had the same settings since they swapped into another car. Looked at it. Nope factory settings.

[AmmoJammo]

make sure the positive wire on the amp isn't connected to the negative on the sub/terminal
make sure the negative on the amp isn't connected to the positive on the sub/terminal

if you have taking the sub out of the box, check them wires to (sub to terminal)

i have done that once and the sub was moving alot but no sound ^

reversing the phase of a single woofer on its own won't result in no output.
but reversing the phase of one woofer out of a pair, either sharing a common chamber, or even in separate boxes, will result in cancellation.