Switching it up

Discussion in 'Car Subwoofers' started by tommy2tone, Nov 24, 2010.

  1. tommy2tone

    tommy2tone Full Member

    I've been running an older Cerwin Vega 15" sub for awhile now.It's 500wrms and in my enclosure(3.34 cubes tuned to 32.5hz),but I'm only feeding it 440wrms(checked with dmm)because it bottoms out with more power.I'm curious if I were to get a pair of 12's,would I gain anything and if so wha?.My amp is rated 2200@1ohm,1700@2ohm,and 1200@4ohm(rms ratings)so I have plenty of power,I'm just curious.If so then some recommendations would be nice.I don't have very much to spend.I usually buy or trade for used equipment to save money.I've thought about a better 15,but then it gets pretty expensive.All opinions are welcome,thanks.
    1827d1174615736‑2‑12‑cerwin‑veg
    This is what my sub looks like.I'll try and find the specs.
     
  2. tommy2tone

    tommy2tone Full Member

    I see that I have alot of lookers,but no input.Just give me some input,I'll take whatever I can get.I found 2 jvc arsenal 12's on craigslist in my area.
     
  3. TheViking

    TheViking Well-Known Member

    might I suggest a change intuning. raise the port tuning frequency to around 40 Hz or so....
     
  4. tommy2tone

    tommy2tone Full Member

    Thanks for your input.I've had a box in the car tuned to 38,42,and 46hz besides this one,and the lower tuning sounds better to my ears.It sounds very crisp and clean with my sub out at 4/8,but when I put in rap and bump up to 8/8 it's hits hard.I am just wondering how to hit harder.I think my box is too small for 2 12's,but I might be wrong and that's why I'm asking.
     
  5. TheViking

    TheViking Well-Known Member

    every car is different......


    what kind of car is it in and how is it positioned?
     
  6. tommy2tone

    tommy2tone Full Member

    It's a 2 door '99 Pontiac Grand Prix,port and sub facing the tail light panel(back).I've got it as far back as I can get it.All of the rear speakers are removed and I have a pass through in the middle of my back seat.I thought about cutting the whole speaker shelf out and making a frame to get more sound into the cabin.
     
  7. tommy2tone

    tommy2tone Full Member

  8. Ranger SVO

    Ranger SVO Full Member

    I have had really good luck with Planet Speakers, and don't be afraid to drive them hard. They can take it.

    But I'm curious about the bottoming out problem. Is the Bass on your radio set to 0 or is it turned up? How much gain on the amp? Does the amp have a bass boost knob, if so whats it set to?

    But back to the Planet Speaker, the single woofer is being powered by a 1900 Watt RMS Planet amp, and yes, that woofer can handle it

    [​IMG]

    Now the speaker has two 4-ohm coils wired parallel so we have a 2-ohm load. The amp is rated between 900 and 1000 watts RMS at 2-Ohms. But again NO Problem for that woofer
     
    Last edited: Nov 29, 2010
  9. tommy2tone

    tommy2tone Full Member

    The bass is at +1,no bass boost,the gain was set with a dmm.I really don't know how high it is,but my amp is rated 1200 watts rms at 4 ohms and the sub is rated for 500 watts rms.I turned the sub out control on the h/u at 8/8 to set the gain and my friend did the rest(he knows what he's doing).He said that if he turned up the gain a touch it jumped up to 750 watts.Apparently it's very touchy.My volume was 3/4 on the h/u when we did this.
    The only other option I have right now is to send out an old eclipse to get rebuilt.TC Sounds told me that they have 1 aluminum 15 cone left for my sub,it's model # is 8815dvc.It's a dual 4 ohm sub.It's not the titanium one it's just the aluminum one with a 3hp motor.But I'm leaning towards the Planet Audio.
     
  10. Ranger SVO

    Ranger SVO Full Member

    Just for fun, try this. Turn the bass knob down to -1. Turn your loudness off.

    Set the radio volume to 3/4 and lets start making our adjustments. Begin by setting the gain all the way down. Set the Crossover to 100Hz or less. Turn the Bass Boost on the amp up to about half way. Now set the gain.

    Let me know what happens

    Can you let me know the box dimensions and the port dimensions and the port length.
     
  11. tommy2tone

    tommy2tone Full Member

  12. tommy2tone

    tommy2tone Full Member

    I forgot to mention that this box was designed for 3 10" fosgate punch 10's.I wanted it to hit lower and tried a directed sx12 in the box and now the vega.I made a new baffle and overlapped the old one.
     
  13. Ranger SVO

    Ranger SVO Full Member

    The bass knob on the HU is typically centered at 100Hz or more. Not good for subwoofers. The bass boost on the amp is typically set much lower.

    Box looks OK, tuning is a little too low, but its not causing the problem. So lets ignore box.

    Typically, when we turn up the bass on the radio, it means we want more Bass. Thats fine but turning it up at the HU is usually not a good idea. Just for fun, try adjusting it my way. It may help, it my not. This is how I adjust my equipment. The end goal is the Bass on the HU is set to 0 or -1. And no loudness.

    Give it a try next time its warm out
     
  14. TheViking

    TheViking Well-Known Member

    3 HP motor! LOL!!!!! I like it! sorry had to interject here!
     
  15. tommy2tone

    tommy2tone Full Member

    Well Ranger,I'll give it a try maybe this weekend.It'll be a couple months before it's warm outside again.
     
  16. pedro quiroga

    pedro quiroga Well-Known Member

    that about 2100 watts right?
     
  17. jonnyv713

    jonnyv713 The Young Gun of CAT

  18. TheViking

    TheViking Well-Known Member


    Dont recall? But there is a formulae to translate between the two.



    Now, as far as using the bass boost on the amp, nothing wrong with it. I use it on my old 275SX. Its just a button. +12dB@40Hz, -6dB@180Hz, And About +6dB@15kHz. I love it. Not haveing an parametric EQ and only a 300PRQ this little button makes up for the poor acoustics of the truck and my lack of taking the time or cash to get it where it needs to be...


    Try what Ranger says...good advive
     
  19. tommy2tone

    tommy2tone Full Member

    I'm going to try Rangers way tomorrow,but I have a question:What is a good starting point for the lpf?Right now it's set at 50 or 60 hz and I like it,but I might be missing out on some sound.