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spanky1975

Proper "break in" ???

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I ordered 3 SSA dcon 12's that should be here soon. I am putting the subs in a t-line box and I am wondering if there is a particular break in for the subs. With all of my other subs, I have just kept the volume low for about a week and then crank it up. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks :)

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popem in crank it up.. and enjoy is my advice.

the hard spidered subs normaly need a little break in time the dcon should be fine

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Don't need any special time for break in, just play it at normal volume and it would eventually break-in, just don't over power it, and make sure your amp gain is set correctly so you dont clip it.

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ive herd and this is what i do with my subs i usually play a 20 hz tone on LOW volume and let them play for about a min then go to say 25 hz a min turn the volume up gradually but be careful not to go full tilt just to let thing working in a bit let power run through the coil then just wang on em they will break in

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so your advice is to unload the crap out of the sub fresh out of the box?

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so your advice is to unload the crap out of the sub fresh out of the box?

no the most i have ever ran through a sub is around 300-400 watts for a pair of zcons 12s works for me like i said but may not be the proper way of doing things..

i seen a vid of ric @ pluse car audio breaking in a sub let me see if i can dig it up

Edited by lilsoccersully

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so your advice is to unload the crap out of the sub fresh out of the box?

Thats why you do it on low volume. If you watch them while you are doing it it shouldnt be a problem.

Now in the past I've usually just done what bigjon said and pop em in and let them wang. When I got my b2's Jay asked that I play them at lower volume to let the suspension loosen up a little. Of course those things were stiff as fuck so there is a difference.

I played them with a 20 hz tone and I had to almost play them full tilt just to get them to move. So I said eff it and just popped em in the box and kept the bass knob low for a week or so.

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i agree.. like i said.. with stiff spiders. its a good idea to work them up slowly.... its kinda like haring a hard peice of plastic... if you try to bend it right away it will break... but if you bend it back and forth a little bit at a time.... eventualy more and more then it will bend more and more.......with out snapping,

i always run sundown subs.... the nightshade 1s are stiff... while the ZV3s are soft... i prefer soft spiders.... hard spider tend to be stiff at first.. but become softer over time.. chaging the dinamic of your stereo with out you relizing it and adjusting for it..... while a soft combo of spiders is more consistant

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If you truly have a T-line (no enclosure, only line) then be careful not to damage the drivers due to over-excursion...

There is no break-in needed, unless you are trying to verify T/S parameters. Just play them sensibly and you will be OK.

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If you truly have a T-line (no enclosure, only line) then be careful not to damage the drivers due to over-excursion...

There is no break-in needed, unless you are trying to verify T/S parameters. Just play them sensibly and you will be OK.

Thanks. This is the tline box I am building. I am going to start with about 200 watts each and go up from there. I just don't want to over power them by being in the tline.

ssadcon3x12s.jpg

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Well, from the sketch, that is a T-line.

Couple of questions, what is the line length and cross-sectional area? What are you going to stuff it with?

My last question is, why a T-line? Most people don't understand that they are less efficient than a standard 4th order vented and only mildly more efficient than a sealed alignment. They definetly have the ability to be superior in transient response, but not in output. Have you started building it yet?

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Well, from the sketch, that is a T-line.

Couple of questions, what is the line length and cross-sectional area? What are you going to stuff it with?

My last question is, why a T-line? Most people don't understand that they are less efficient than a standard 4th order vented and only mildly more efficient than a sealed alignment. They definetly have the ability to be superior in transient response, but not in output. Have you started building it yet?

The length of the line is 10' to 10.25'. I have the exact length written down somewhere but can't find it right now. Cross sectional area is 223.5 square inches.

I don't plan on using any stuffing for it. It is tuned around 28 hz.

The reason I decided to go with a tline is that I have read alot about them, and they are very efficient and get pretty loud too. They are supposed to be very good for sound quality and they also hit the lows really well also. From What I have researched about them, they are supposed to be the best box you can build for a sub. My goal for my build is to get really loud but be more SQ than anything else.

As of right now, I have not started building the box yet. I do have the materials for the box. It's going to take 3 sheets of Birch plywood.

Thanks very much for your concern. Like you said, most people don't understand tlines. I am still learning myself but I have done extensive research. I am open to any suggestions that you have for me. smile.png

Edited by spanky1975

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OK, just want you to understand a few things. And please, understand that I have been building T-lines since the last 80s, and anyone who says otherwise is full of you-know-what...

#1, T-lines will never be as efficent as a 4th order vented alignment over the average pass-band. In fact, their efficiency is overall low, comparable to a sealed alignment in all but the last octave.

#2, The only advantages of a T-line are flatter impedance, decent low end extension (relative, but at an overall efficiency penalty) and decent transient response but you are giving up a lot in physical size...

#3, You should really look at dampening your line. Undamped lines do not normally work well and you can cut the length down signifigantly when you dampen. Also, undamped lines can get peaky, and kill any SQ advantage you are seeking...

#4, T-lines don't have a "tuning". In fact, quite the opposite. They are non-resonant and have a cut-off, not a tuning. This is also why they are relitively non-efficient.

#5, look at the cross-sectional rations and thier relative differences. Pick a ratio and taper that will meet your goals.

So, as long as long as you understand that you have been mislead about the advantages of a T-line as far as efficiency and output, press on if you want to give it a shot, just be objective in your goals. If your overall goal is loud and low, look elsewhere, a 4th order vented will do both better. If you are looking at low end at an output penalty, than press with a T-line...

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OK, just want you to understand a few things. And please, understand that I have been building T-lines since the last 80s, and anyone who says otherwise is full of you-know-what...

#1, T-lines will never be as efficent as a 4th order vented alignment over the average pass-band. In fact, their efficiency is overall low, comparable to a sealed alignment in all but the last octave.

#2, The only advantages of a T-line are flatter impedance, decent low end extension (relative, but at an overall efficiency penalty) and decent transient response but you are giving up a lot in physical size...

#3, You should really look at dampening your line. Undamped lines do not normally work well and you can cut the length down signifigantly when you dampen. Also, undamped lines can get peaky, and kill any SQ advantage you are seeking...

#4, T-lines don't have a "tuning". In fact, quite the opposite. They are non-resonant and have a cut-off, not a tuning. This is also why they are relitively non-efficient.

#5, look at the cross-sectional rations and thier relative differences. Pick a ratio and taper that will meet your goals.

So, as long as long as you understand that you have been mislead about the advantages of a T-line as far as efficiency and output, press on if you want to give it a shot, just be objective in your goals. If your overall goal is loud and low, look elsewhere, a 4th order vented will do both better. If you are looking at low end at an output penalty, than press with a T-line...

Thanks for the input.

These will be going in my 1999 Chevy Tahoe. The room isn't an issue at all. I am shooting for getting really loud and get good response with higher and lower notes. In your opinion do you think that this will do the trick ? Or, would you recommend a different box alltogether ?

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If your overall goal is loud and low (and "hitting all the notes) a standard 4th order vented will do a better job. You will also have better control of the driver and greater mechanical power handling above system (4th order) resonance.

If you overall goal is transient response and flat impedance (but do not care about maximum ouput) I would go with a T-line. I would also make sure it was stuffed and adjusted for the flatest impedance possible.

I have built maybe 20 or more T-lines, only a few have gone in a car and they were for single smaller driver installs that did not need a lot of overall output. The T-lines I built for the house were all big, heavy and had great low end response and I really liked the way they sounded. I tuned almost all of them with impedance measurements and had to adjust the stuffing on all of them. This isn't easy. I normally left one whole side of the box un-glued so I could take it on and off and adjust stuffing. My big Sono-tubes were easy because I just kept adding more or taking more out from one end. The last set I built for the home used a pair of 8" Focal 8V416Js per cabinet (8") and they were about 5' tall, 5' deep and 1 foot wide ans weighed an ass-ton.

Like I said, just think about your overall goals because you are the one who will live with the enclosure when it is all said and done, and your satisfaction is #1 priority. Not someone else's satisfaction of seeing a neat complex enclosure...

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If your overall goal is loud and low (and "hitting all the notes) a standard 4th order vented will do a better job. You will also have better control of the driver and greater mechanical power handling above system (4th order) resonance.

If you overall goal is transient response and flat impedance (but do not care about maximum ouput) I would go with a T-line. I would also make sure it was stuffed and adjusted for the flatest impedance possible.

I have built maybe 20 or more T-lines, only a few have gone in a car and they were for single smaller driver installs that did not need a lot of overall output. The T-lines I built for the house were all big, heavy and had great low end response and I really liked the way they sounded. I tuned almost all of them with impedance measurements and had to adjust the stuffing on all of them. This isn't easy. I normally left one whole side of the box un-glued so I could take it on and off and adjust stuffing. My big Sono-tubes were easy because I just kept adding more or taking more out from one end. The last set I built for the home used a pair of 8" Focal 8V416Js per cabinet (8") and they were about 5' tall, 5' deep and 1 foot wide ans weighed an ass-ton.

Like I said, just think about your overall goals because you are the one who will live with the enclosure when it is all said and done, and your satisfaction is #1 priority. Not someone else's satisfaction of seeing a neat complex enclosure...

Wondering if you might be interested in designing a box for me to build :).....I can give you max demensions if you need them. Again, I am looking for the loudest but also best sounding design I can get. I can send you a few bucks for the design. I know I only have $5 in my Paypal right now. Let me know if you are interested....thanks :)

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I don't want any money. I will be glad to help you out, just need to give me a few days... Busy as hell... PM me dimensions...

pm sent....thanks very much :)

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