Couple of sp4 questions...

[swift 501]

I love my SP4's. Not to sound bias but my walled setup had the best mix of quality/spl that I have heard in a large setup. Really miss it now that its gone.

[95Honda 486]

Here is the deal, they weren't using any crazy materials that failed.  The lead material has (had) well known and documented properties.  Unless something was mechanically assembled wrong, which I doubt with FI, it is known what it takes to ruin them.

 

If the rated current carrying capability wasn't exceeded then the problem was caused by a mechanical failure (over-excursion) which lowered the current carrying capability of the leads.  When you get into the realm of drivers with that much stroke and that much force, you can do this.

 

Bottom line, I honestly have not heard of that many subs failing this way.  Think of how many they have delivered and have been abused without any issue.

 

I just think it is silly to slap a % or number of failure rate on these when we know that only FI has the data to back anything like this up... 

[ncc74656 2]

when i reconed the SP4 that i had catch fire (and i swear it was a real fire that spread out of the dust cap, up the cone, ignited the surround and then my box) the coil was BLACK with obvious thermal damage done to it. the leads started the fire when they ignited the spider, the forum did not burn but the cone did. so for me it was the leads that either melted or got so hot they ignited the spider.

my SP4 was fully loaded with out the spaced spiders, it had the cooling and an ice blue dust cap. when i reconed it i ordered the fire dust cap - it seemed fitting.

Edited February 23, 2014 by ncc74656

[95Honda 486]

What amp were you using? The Kicker?

[95Honda 486]

And I believe you about the fire...

[SacredTanakh 67]

Here is the deal, they weren't using any crazy materials that failed.  The lead material has (had) well known and documented properties.  Unless something was mechanically assembled wrong, which I doubt with FI, it is known what it takes to ruin them.

 

If the rated current carrying capability wasn't exceeded then the problem was caused by a mechanical failure (over-excursion) which lowered the current carrying capability of the leads.  When you get into the realm of drivers with that much stroke and that much force, you can do this.

 

Bottom line, I honestly have not heard of that many subs failing this way.  Think of how many they have delivered and have been abused without any issue.

 

I just think it is silly to slap a % or number of failure rate on these when we know that only FI has the data to back anything like this up... 

Completely agree with this, But hopefully the new leads will solve the issue. The simple fact is most people are going to push the subwoofer to its limits and that's why there is all this overbuilding to begin with. I haven't had any issues with my fully loaded Sp4s, and as long as I take care of them I don't think I will.

[95Honda 486]

If they are better than the old leads, then yes, they will...

[ncc74656 2]

it was a ZX2500.1 with about 40% bass boost and gains matched to the deck so id assume the amp was putting out about 180% rated power (ish).

Edited February 23, 2014 by ncc74656

[95Honda 486]

Yes, that will do it...

[ncc74656 2]

that it will...

[jonbearsmt 919]

why change the design is there is nothing wrong with it ?

Edited February 23, 2014 by bigjon

[ncc74656 2]

well im not sure if they changed it due to there being an issue, may simply be that from a manufacturing stand point vs benifit the spaced spiders were a net loss for them? in either case they changed it from spaced to only the standard stacked, wich is what mine had so i dont think its a design flaw.

[jonbearsmt 919]

.. i asked them the same question and they said " due to people insisting on using cheap amps the leads were changed to compensate the damage caused by cheap Koren  amps "

[lithium 358]

.. i asked them the same question and they said " due to people insisting on using cheap amps the leads were changed to compensate the damage caused by cheap Koren  amps "

 

wow that's unfortunate. all for the better i guess 

[ncc74656 2]

huh, i dont think its all due to korean amps... you can take the best amp you can think of and if you turn the bass boost to 80% ill bet you can burn up the leads on nearly any sub. although i will say ive blown quite a few kickers and never set my box on fire. not that id ever buy kicker over Fi that is.

i wounder if my recone shipped with the new leads o.O, i havnt set it on fire yet so maybe i can take that as a yes? lol

[mikey5472 16]

Saying 95% of Fi speakers catching fire is due to user error is a pretty bold statement sir.

I wasn't stating that 95% of the Fi subs that caught fire were user error, only that 95 percent of people with an upgraded audio setup in there vehicle don't really know what they are doing. There was a time I didn't know what I was doing or you and even M5 or Chop or anyone else on this forum. There are more young kids in school that just hook up the shit in their car and turn it up til it is "loud" and bang it til it blows. More of them than there are people like us that buy equipment for a certain reason and hook it up properly and set our amps properly. I am not trying to bash anyone or any company Fi is a great company I have rann several of their subs. This whole deal got blown out of proportion. I got the answers I was looking for. So I am done here...

[SpeakerBoy 64]

when i reconed it i ordered the fire dust cap - it seemed fitting.

Lol

[ncc74656 2]

well my reconed SP4 caught fire today on my way home from work. i dont think the redesigned leads were out when i ordered my recone as i dont know what date they made this change. i emailed FI to see if mine came with the old style or not. This time round it did not burst into flames like the last one but the tensile leads melted and set fire to the spider. i ripped the surround out after seeing smoke and sure enough the spider had flames where the leads are sown in... seeing as there are no fewer than 10 reported cases of this on the forums here and ive had 2 go up it is a design issue with the leads, just no two ways about it.

i was on my way to target and playing pink - raise your glass: at about 5/8-3/4 volume as i was not in the mood to bump it hard. when the sub cut out i felt the dust cap as the sub is directly behind me and it was cool to the touch. the sub had been on for no more than 10 min or so when it went up. it was on a Viper 2500.1D that was voltage tested to not go above 68 Volts on the output at any frequency. bass boost was off all the way round and EQ is flat.

if the recone i have is the old style i will order a new style but if this one is the new style then i have a Fi 18 motor/basket up for sale.

[SacredTanakh 67]

well my reconed SP4 caught fire today on my way home from work. i dont think the redesigned leads were out when i ordered my recone as i dont know what date they made this change. i emailed FI to see if mine came with the old style or not. This time round it did not burst into flames like the last one but the tensile leads melted and set fire to the spider. i ripped the surround out after seeing smoke and sure enough the spider had flames where the leads are sown in... seeing as there are no fewer than 10 reported cases of this on the forums here and ive had 2 go up it is a design issue with the leads, just no two ways about it.

i was on my way to target and playing pink - raise your glass: at about 5/8-3/4 volume as i was not in the mood to bump it hard. when the sub cut out i felt the dust cap as the sub is directly behind me and it was cool to the touch. the sub had been on for no more than 10 min or so when it went up. it was on a Viper 2500.1D that was voltage tested to not go above 68 Volts on the output at any frequency. bass boost was off all the way round and EQ is flat.

if the recone i have is the old style i will order a new style but if this one is the new style then i have a Fi 18 motor/basket up for sale.

The new leads have studs with a nut instead of a push terminal, so it'd be pretty obvious it was different from the old style.

Also I have never had any issues with my sp4s, even running 4k to one for over 6 months. So I still think its user error no matter what people claim.

[ncc74656 2]

regardless of what kinds of user errors the subs encounter the SP4 is the only sub i have ever seen or heard of that CATCHES FIRE. the simple fact they had to redesign the leads to prevent this shows it was an engineering oversight. I loved my Fi BL and truly abused that as i did not know any better. bass boost was way the hell up, gains were set high, it was on a 1500W amp that could easily push more and yet i never had an issue with it. I have seen many kickers blow up but never seen one catch fire, customers routinely buy rockford P1, P2, and P3's from my store and bring them back blown (its at least a weekly occurrence) and never seen one of them catch fire. When i was at Circuit City we would plug the subs we needed to warranty out into a wall outlet (MTX, Kicker, Pioneer) and never did one of them catch fire.

the sub i have has the bolt that threads down into push terminals on the side of the basket, from what you describe this is the old style?

edit: i just found a picture of the new style leads on Fi's face book. i have the old style for sure.

Edited March 26, 2014 by ncc74656

[///M5 2,833]

Not only the old style but all sorts of installation troubles. There is no way this should happen with any sort of educated ear once, so when it happens twice...

Hopefully this will clear up a few things about what you should and shouldn't install as it directly correlates to what you've done.

[J2phat4u 9]

So your original SP4 caught fire and now your re-cone caught fire?? IIRC

[Sencheezy 689]

that sucks. 

[nadcicle 77]

that sucks. 

 

I agree.

 

Sorry to hear bout that. I'm not sure if the recones have been offered with this "FOAD" design? or whatever it's called, but after looking at it it seems like the bolts would require the original terminal holes to be drilled larger to make room for the bolts and nylon washers. 

[Sencheezy 689]

 

that sucks. 

 

I agree.

 

Sorry to hear bout that. I'm not sure if the recones have been offered with this "FOAD" design? or whatever it's called, but after looking at it it seems like the bolts would require the original terminal holes to be drilled larger to make room for the bolts and nylon washers. 

 

 

that's correct.

If you now order a recone, you will be required to assembly the hardware that is given. This also requires for you to drill the appropriate sized holes through the outer basket.