The IDMAX makes a buzzing noise at moderate to high volumes. Not on all notes but on specific ones. I hear that a bunch of them do that because of the tight supension it has. The buzzing is inaudible from the cabin and you can only really tell its making that sound when you open the trunk and stand next to it. The buzzing doesnt seem to be affecting the performance of the sub at all, but I dont know what the consequences of having this untreated are. Does anyone know? Im in a mental dilemma here. I wont have a HU for another few weeks so Im thinking this might be the ideal time to take action if it is necessary. At the same time Im worried that if I send it in, it might come back in even worse shape. What do you guys think?!
I suggest pulling the driver out of the box. Look for seperated spiders, surrounds, dustcaps, etc. Look for physically worn spots where contact may be occuring. Check the enclosure for leaks, and in fact, reseal all the joints well while you have this time. If nothing looks amiss, why sweat it? Sending it off when there appears to be nothing wrong, and waiting for an eternity (let's face it, 5 minutes without our tunes is an eternity) is hardly justifiable... Particularly when it comes back "no problem found"
Follow what Seth said. He covered it well. Pay close attention to the spiders. From my understanding the way the run their tinsel lead through it tends to wear it out over time and can leave a hole. I dont know if this was just on earlier drivers or if the problem continues. Just something I have heard from some people that have had some experience with the drivers.
I'd actually pull it out of the driver, set it in your trunk with no box, and run the sub at a good excursion level... being careful because it'll take less power to get there than it does with the sub in an enclosure. That'll take air leaks out of the realm of possibility... It'll also make the sub simply cancel itself out, most of it's bass that it would be trying to make... ...leaving only the odd rattles or taps or whatever you are hearing, if it's making noises on it's own that it shouldn't. If it is simply mechanically silent when you operate it this way, then there's nothing wrong with the sub... time to look at the enclosure.
also to add for any beginners that might read this.... it is very very very very very easy to bottom out a Sub in free air, so if you do this test and here a "Tapping" sound it does not mean something is wrong with the Sub it just means you need to turn down the volume
