95Honda

I think you are missing the point that the XLS1000 already has unbalanced inputs, the cleanbox isn't going to make a huge difference. The cleanbox helps a little when an amplifier only has balanced inputs as it helps with impedance matching. It may work better, but even if you get your 4db, that is hardly audible at all. Bottom line, if you can't already run the amp into clipping with what you got (which you should be able to no problem with anything that has a variable output) the cleanbox isn't going to help much. Does that Onkyo have a main pre-out? Other than the Zone 2?

The cleanbox is passive, does not give you any gain and is really for converting balanced to unbalanced and vice versa. I have used a dozen of them. The Crown already has unbalanced inputs making the cleanbox un-needed. It is a feature they added so you could drive the amp with consumer gear (like a pre-amp or IPOD). If you can't get volume you want even with the IPOD, something is set wrong with the amp. Any consumer device will drive the .7 VRMS that amp needs to be driven to full power. Even the un-adjustable Zone 2 output will be almost a volt under certain conditions. You still have a setting wrong, you need to figure out what you are doing wrong, please don't buy any more equipment you don't need.

Maybe it was "2 Channel Bypass" or "Stereo Bypass" I can't remember, just make sure you didn't change it...

OK listen, if you can't even vary the output of the Zone 2 output you have something completely wrong. Your problems have nothing at all to do with the Crown. The reason the signal lights don't do anything is because you aren't feeding the Crown hardly any input signal. You need to figure out how to vary the output of the Zone 2. The Zone 2 is normally a completely separate output adjustment, and is done so independently of the main output section. Figure out how to use your receiver properly (or isolate a defective Zone 2 output) and you will be golden. Also make sure the Crown is set to 2 Channel direct (I think that is what the default is called), I just installed 10 of these a few months ago, make sure you didn't jack up any of the amp settings if you were goofing around with them.

It takes 1.4V balanced (so probably about .7V unbalanced) to clip that Crown amp. Your reciever can put that out. Are you powering other speakers off the reciever in addition to the ones on the Crown or are you just using the reciever as a pre-amp for the Crown?

Before you do anything else, where did you originally have the gains set on the Crown when you had low output? And how did you hook up the preamp outputs of your reciver to the inputs of the Crown?

You got it. But it is important to understand that it isn't just clipping (in fact clipping in itself doesn't hurt anything at all). It is simply applying power to a driver that is beyond the thermal limitations. There is tons of music, that may not even sound distorted, that will allow an amplifier to produce well over it's sine wave derived power rating.

No sarcasm meant. I am just stating the facts. Here is a good example: An amplifier has voltage rails that will do 10V Peak-Peak. Maximum unclipped sine output into 1 ohm is about 12 watts. It is about 25 watts if it produces a square wave into the same load.

No one else in the room and I literally laughed out loud when I read that. Look, you don't understand why I made that statement so it is only fair that you listen and try and understand what I am talking about. Amplifiers are going to source current into a specified load at a specified voltage, as long as the power supply can keep up. When you take any amplifier that has a reliable rating of producing a sine wave (The standard waveform for power ratings) at a set voltage and then you have it produce a different waveform (like a square wave) it produces drastically more power, sometimes almost double. And you don't have to use just a square wave, it is an example, much music is compressed enough to almost do the same thing. So your 2.5Kw amplifier is capable of producing 5Kw of some type of power (mostly garbage) and your subwoofer will have to find a way of dealing with it if somehow all the power makes it to the voicecoil. This is worst case scenario, but it can happen. It happens on this site all the time, and user want to cry foul about a manufacturer when they simply overpowered and thermally cooked thier drivers. You should do your homework first, it will help you from making costly mistakes.

That amp can produce roughly 5Kw under certain conditions. Your sub is rated at 4Kw... That is how it can damage it...

I wouldn't get all hung up on DCR. You have an overall system impedance (There is no such thing as "box rise", that is a made up term), that comes from many factors, mostly the box. The impedance is always (ALWAYS) higher than the DCR. The OP has no idea what the impedance the amplifiers were actually driving because it was never measured. The amplifier manufacturer will never know what impedance the ampliers were driving, either. There are a ton of factors in this thread that are speculation on both parts. Remember, impedance goes UP and DOWN it does not just rise...

Be carefull, one of those amps has the capability to thermally damage that driver...

They do, but the primary focus is to keep people healthy and getting everyone at least meeting minimum fitness standards. They really aren't there for one-on-one high performance for the most part, but I am sure some of them probably would help. I just never really went that route I guess...

I was working pretty hard on the intervals the last 2 months. Was able to drop my run times considerably. I started doing more leg workouts, seeming to help. I just think I am not 18 anymore...

Oh yeah, if you eat too much you get fat.

Eat healthy, non-processed foods. Don't smoke and try to stay away from too much alcohol. If you can do that, you are going to be 100% better off in the long run. I used to spend an ungodly amount on suppliments for years. Decades. As I get older I realize that clean living eating healthy foods is really best. Obviously you must work out (hard) regularly, but your diet plays such a big role in everything... I am almost 40. I work out 5 days a week, I run a lot. I work 60+ hrs a week. I don't really get sick, ever. I don't get injured too often, I really have to push to get injured. I eat lots of red meat I kill myself (Elk, Bear and Deer) I eat stuff I grow in our garden and try not to eat much junk food. I haven't taken any meds other than a pain killer when I break a bone or am getting stitches... Seems to work for pretty good for me...

Good job. That is loud no matter how you look at it.

Something like these would probably work good for you: http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-rs150p-4-6-reference-paper-woofer-4-ohm--295-373 http://www.parts-express.com/vifa-xt25sc90-04-1-dual-ring-radiator-tweeter--264-1014 Like M5 suggested, you will probably learn a lot by working on this project.

I installed that exact driver with a Cresendo 3500.1 (4Kw roughly) last year. I ended up with 4ft3 and roughly 70in2 of vent area @30Hz, IIRC. Works fantastic. Honestly though, there is no rule of thumb for vent area. You need to model with your alignment and power to see if you will have compression issues.

There is no logical reason to fuse a run anywhere but as close to the current source as possible. No matter how many fuses (in series) you install on one single run of cable, the rating of the lowest fuse will be the overall maximum current capability. You fuse for the wire AWG. Fusing below the maximum wire current rating will ensure faster fuse protection in response to an over-current condition.

If it is a full frame car/truck, the negative runs are not needed if you bond to the frame correctly. In fact, you can easily raise overall series resistance when running a separate ground instead of properly using the frame. In a unibody vehicle there may be gains from running an additional ground.

In all honesty, MDF is probably the best material there is for building subwoofer enclosures. It self demapens well and is fairly strong.

Not if you use 1" thick material and the box isn't too big... Price and assembly becomes prohibitive, though...

As a side note, I have had a copy since 1990. It is a great book. It has really, really helped me...

I agree on buying the book. It does not go beyond Algebra, so if you can handle that, you should be OK. It also makes sense to read the book from the beginning, it sets you up to understand what is going on. A lot of people want instant answers, but you don't really learn anything that way. It will pay off in the long run to learn some of this on your own...