Posted September 7, 20178 yr Ok so I am not new to car audio but I am somewhat new to high power car audio and I have a question. Current setup: 147db in an 06 eclipse 3x optima yellow tops 2x 1/0 along with a big three stock 110a alt,(soon to be 240a) Sundown zv.4 rev2 15" 1ohm (2000 rms) ts3.5k (5k uncertified) 5 cubicft box with dual 6" aero ports My question is this, I tuned my system with an oscilloscope, the voltage reached the max of my oscilloscope with ought any clipping that I could see, I do not remember the voltage but when multiplied by my clamp meter results I got around 1200 watts that sounded fine so I left it. The problem is that any time I play one of my slightly louder songs for more than maybe a minute I do get a very small and sudden smell of what I believe to be burning voice coil. when this happens it is not much louder than the song I used to tune the system and my car voltage is only dropped down to about 13.7. Even if I was clipping though, clipping at roughly 1500 watts shouldn't even happen with a system voltage of 13.7 let alone burn a voice coil of a sub that is known to be run on 3000+ right? I heard somebody once say that their sa-15 gets smelly when they play it but it just doesn't seem right. I just feel like I am missing something or maybe just don't have much experience with higher power CA.
September 7, 20178 yr Your nose is better at setting gains than your oscilloscope. Use ALL of your senses.
September 8, 20178 yr Author Box is tuned to 30hz. And yes i could always just eyeball tune, it is just so weird because i see videos of this sub on 3500+ moving 4inches and my voicecoil is getting stinky at just 1200. Does anyone else get smell when running their subs propperly?
September 8, 20178 yr Is it burning coil or just warming glue? You should never have a burning smell but i have seen systems where the build house got glue on a coil and as it got warm it stunk. I am not a fan of sundown so i dont want to speak from a bias standpoint but you may want to scope the sub. I had issues with rust on motors on 2 zv4 18s that a customer had.
September 8, 20178 yr 27 minutes ago, Randal Johnson said: More power makes for better driver control. It isn't 1980 and the law of diminishing returns comes REALLY fast.
September 8, 20178 yr Author I do have rust on my magnet but everything else appears normal. If my 1200watt signal is clipping then will a clipping 1200 watts really be that bad for a sub rated for 2000+?
September 8, 20178 yr 19 hours ago, Randal Johnson said: More power makes for better driver control. Not true... It's not the amount of power that improves control , it's the quality of power that counts and yes you can damage a 2,000 watt driver with a clipped 1200w ....
September 8, 20178 yr 3 hours ago, Eclipse147 said: I do have rust on my magnet but everything else appears normal. If my 1200watt signal is clipping then will a clipping 1200 watts really be that bad for a sub rated for 2000+? We had a squeek like issue with the zv4 18s and a slight smell but never got "hot" according to the lazer gun. Have you put your hand on the dustcap or cone area to check heat. As M5 said earlier your senses are your best weapon. Smell is typically the last warning you get. Listen while you play those songs and check for any stress noises. And place your hand on the cap it can be warm as it will create heat but use your noggin for too hot. Also the music you have may not be a clean signal aswell. Is it modded music?
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.