What am I doing wrong?

[handman84 60]

Running a 10" JL (300 RMS) on an Alpine amp at 150 RMS at 4 ohms and I just fried it. Same happened to my last 10" Punch. I thought i had the sub matched perfectly to my amp but obviously I am doing something wrong. Anyone know of any good instructional material I can read to educate myself before I waste any more money? I wanted to upgrade my sub and amp but not if I am going to just ruin another driver. I do listen with the bass boost up and at high volume, I am definitely hard on my subs, but thats why I was careful not to over power this one. What else could I be doing wrong? HELP!

[SLAYER1805 0]

Did you have your gain cranked all the way up? The bass boost could've contributed to it also, most likely your subs could've been getting dirty power

[ricksi30 923]

I do listen with the bass boost up.... am definitely hard on my subs,

^That is part of it. How did you set your gain?

[handman84 60]

I turned the boost and everything off, turned the volume to where my speakers started to distort and backed off a little then turned the gain till my sub started to distort then backed off a little

[ricksi30 923]

I turned the boost and everything off, turned the volume to where my speakers started to distort and backed off a little then turned the gain till my sub started to distort then backed off a little

And then you added bass boost?

[handman84 60]

yes, and now it is starting to make sense...so as the bass boost goes up I my gain should have come down?

[handman84 60]

And as I adjust the EQ at my HU the gain needs to be adjusted?

[handman84 60]

And is there any good instructional material out there so I can educate myself?

[ricksi30 923]

Bass boost should never be used. It introduces clipping which is not good for the amp or the sub. You are on the right track setting your gain by ear, but when you adjust things after you set it that is where you are going wrong. What kind of enclosure?

[djjdnap 78]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=how+to+set+gain+on+amplifer

http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp~TID~85479~PN~1

or

[handman84 60]

A ported box built to jl's specs. Sounded amazing after i built the box (had no idea how much difference a good enclosure makes)...so I shouldnt use the bass boost knob that is next to my gain on the amp?

[jcarter1885 995]

No bass boost at all. Find out what preout voltage your headunit is and match your amplifiers gain to that number or just keep setting it by ear the way you were. It seems like you want more from your subwoofer so your applying the bass boost, not a good idea.

[BigGuy 22]

Thread jacking here. When I added bass boost to my subs they played deeper and sounded better. Without the boost. my subs sounded "hallow", "thin", the bass just didn't hit as hard. What could I have done to have the subs play as deep without having the bass boost on? Should I add more bass from the e.q. or head unit?

[Notorious97200 339]

make another thread

[SS Teacher 177]

When you turn up bass boost or the EQ from your head unit you are asking the amplifier to double, triple, or quadruple or more the power for a very narrow set of frequencies (typically 45 htz or so for bass boost). Unless you have tons of headroom from your amp, and most people don't, it sends a very clipped signal which can cause your subs (or other speakers) to fail. Don't boost, cut.

[handman84 60]

So you dont recomend adjusting the EQ on your head unit either? Keep it flat or what?

[ricksi30 923]

So you dont recomend adjusting the EQ on your head unit either? Keep it flat or what?

As Mike said the best way to use an EQ is to lower the peaks rather than raise the dips.

[handman84 60]

sigh, so much to learn. Need to do serious homework before I drop my savings on new equipment! I guess having nice shit does no good if you have no idea how to set it up properly and get the most out of your equipment