altoncustomtech

Three things to check. First verify your tuning is accurate by using your tone generator again and watch to see at what frequency the sub moves the absolute least amount. That will be your tuning frequency and in most cases should be relatively close but just be sure. Have you tried moving the sub around yet? Generally gaps like that in the frequency response are due to acoustic anomalies that cause cancellations and such. The last thing to check is all the settings on your HU and amp to make sure you don't have a low pass filter that's turned down in that neighborhood somewhere. Checking and verifying the tuning of the enclosure can help ensure there's nothing goofy with the frequency response from being tuned abnormally low or something. Very uncommon issue, but it could happen. In all likelihood the issue is an acoustic one. You'd be floored by how a few inches or a few degrees of rotation can affect the response of any speaker or sub in a car. They're a horrible environment from an acoustics standpoint. I'm sure you've checked your settings, but hey, shit happens sometimes. There's been plenty of threads over the years where someone has had an issue like this, fought it for a week or two and then discovered something they thought they had previously checked but missed. Verify all that stuff and lets see what you have after that. I'm sure others will have other ideas as well, those are just the first few places I would check. Another possibility is that the sub simply doesn't respond well into that range, but I would tend to doubt that train of thought for several reasons.

Well, so much for the best of intentions. Pulling the oil pan just far enough to clean the surfaces that were leaking and seal them with RTV should only have taken most of a day, two days tops. This afternoon I was able to get the pan loose and drop it down the better part of an inch to clean the front up and seal it but of course, with my luck it can't just be that simple. When the oil pan dropped down the rear part of the gasket stuck to the engine block. Even though I was successfully able to get it loose without breaking it I can't get it back into the groove in the back of the pan so that the pan can go back into place. So now I'm going to have to tear apart half of the underside of the front of the truck to get the front axle out of the way so I can drop the entire pan down and out. Then if there's any luck left at all in my life I can get the gasket back in the groove where it belongs, clean all the surfaces that need RTV on them so it will stick and seal, get the pan back into place without screwing up anything else and then work to get the front end put back together. What should have taken some hours is now going to take another week or two to complete. Yay me.

We threw an awful lot at this thing for a week straight. My wife goes to the store, runs errands, etc. everyday so if it had any real shortcomings compared to the Q's I know she would have told me. She doesn't like it when things don't work like she wants them to, lol. The only thing she ever mentioned the first day we had it hooked up was that it seemed a little funny up on the mid bass type frequencies (not her exact words obviously but it didn't take much to figure out what she was talking about). I readjusted the time alignment because the sub was just in the back row of seats instead of behind them like the Q's and I never heard another word about it. Are there improvements that could be made on it? Well, possibly, but at what cost? It's already capable of producing fantastic output from a single sub. It's doing so with enough clarity and quality as to contend with my Q's, and all that at a price point that puts it in league with the three I mentioned in the review. The owner worked this out to be a well rounded sub that stood up well in the lanes as well as being at home in a daily driver setup. I think it would have been very difficult to have gotten much closer to that goal without compromising some of it's best features. If I had the money to spare I'd have picked one up quite some time ago. With all the stuff I do for myself and others around here I need one badly, that's for sure. Maybe next spring.

Thank you for the opportunity to do the testing and review. I've been meaning to build a test enclosure again for awhile now, this gives me a really good reason to do so. I built a test enclosure years ago with interchangeable sub baffles for different size subs. I used wood blocks to adjust the internal volume and had multiple round ports cut for adjusting tuning along with a cover that sealed the enclosure. It was great for goofing with subs before I understood more about enclosure alignments, size and tuning relationships and things like that. It would be nice to have another one, even though it's a lot of work. I'm also working out getting in to get some SPL measurements as well and if it all pans out like I'm hoping I'll have some numbers to post up as well. So here's the pics of the sub. A couple that Shane originally sent and a couple that I took of the sub.

Unloading in an enclosure happens when the sub plays below tuning. However, what can happen in some cases is that one sub will unload prematurely, or before the other sub. Typically it is due to the orientation and placement of the port to the subs. What is typically found is that the sub nearest the internal port opening can prematurely unload. It all depends on the size of the enclosure and the port itself, how close they are, etc. and is therefore very difficult to account for or model from what I understand. Because it varies with every enclosure design it can sometimes not happen at all, not be detectable under normal listening levels, or can be so severe as to shred the sub long before reaching maximum output in the worst cases.

Thanks man. It feels good to finally be basking in the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you, and I agree the SSA subs are great looking drivers. Even better than that is how they perform. Thank you. That is a Speakon connector. I like to use them because they're so much easier to connect and disconnect, even when powered, and you don't have to worry about shorts once they're unplugged. The box will be coming out any time I have to haul something so it's pretty much a necessity. Thanks bro. Your build is looking great too!

OK, GREAT NEWS!!!! Got the engine completely back into the truck yesterday, everything on it, timing set and the engine test ran. Things went very well with it, it started and ran without much of a problem through the initial start up period and it drove around just fine after that. The only problem with the whole thing is that it appears I didn't get quite enough RTV on the very bottom of the timing set cover where it meets the oil pan and I have a fairly good oil leak right there. It shouldn't be too tough to lower the oil pan back down, clean off the oil and reseal it all while it's in the truck so I'm not too terribly worried about it. Couple that with the fact the enclosure is done and the PR's ready to tune and it's been a good week! Here's a few pics for the fun of it. The engine as everything sits right now. Simply unreal how long this has taken and how much work has been done. This pic turned out nasty, but it gives a great overall view of how it looks. Even came out pretty damn close to what I had envisioned. Here the motor of that XCON can be seen through the plexi, per it's design. It will be so much fun to try to explain to people that there's only one sub in the box and then see the look on their faces when they look through the windows on the top and get this POV. Well, finally some good forward movement!!

Up for sale is my little brothers Sundown Audio SAE-1200D. He bought it used from someone on CA.COM a couple of years ago. We never got around to getting it installed and now he's hurtin' for cash. When he received the amp it was not in the original packaging and did not have the remote bass knob included with it. The amp is rated 300wrms x 1 @ 4ohms, 600wrms x 1 @ 2 ohms and 1200wrms x 1 @ 1 ohm. It's 6/10 cosmetically with scratches on the top and corners and is also missing the little white disk for the left RCA input, but as you'll see in the video it doesn't affect the connection. It's 10/10 mechanically with all the setscrews in it and it worked great. In the video I had it connected to an old 8 ohm Logitech sub from my old Z-580 set that the amp went out of and I also connected it to my XCON at 1 ohm and it drove both with no issue at all. He's asking $150 + shipping, we're in 47557 for those who want to figure shipping on their own. I temporarily hooked it up to the Jimmy for testing since it was NEVER connected to anything after he got it, picks and a vid of that were taken and the vid will be posted up as soon as I can get it sized down, its 27Mb now. This missing white disk. Pics of it connected and working.

I'm not sure why you'd think there wouldn't be. There are cancellations and distortions caused by surface effects, reflections, echoes and so much more in each and every sound we hear in our lives. For the most part they go unnoticed and uncared about because they're not affecting what we are trying to do or listen to at the time. For the average person the only time it becomes an issue is when we are listening to music. If you think you're trying to tackle a tough problem with a cancellation in your bass imagine what it would take to truly tackle those issues in your highs where almost all the frequencies you hear are produced and are much much more affected by those problems. I think you've found your issue. There seems to indeed be a problem with the bass as it's reproduced in your trunk and how it sounds when it gets through to the cabin and your ears. Is sealing the sub and port to the cabin of the car an option? It would eliminate the acoustic affects that the trunk itself is directly having on it. If that's not an option then would you consider spending the time and money to upgrade your front stage to try some dedicated mid bass drivers that could pick up and deliver those frequencies much better authority so the sub doesn't have to do it? Fighting acoustic anomalies is not an easy task. It takes time, trial and error, and many times you still have to make a compromise with more negatives than positives, obviously just not with as many negatives as there were before. On another note this was a very well thought out, well informed, and well posed query. You shouldn't have any problems getting more responses and a solution figured out on this one.

You should never use the bass boost on the amp or on the HU. When you dial the bass boost up you are essentially asking the amp to try to amplify the bass frequencies even more than it already is. There is almost no situation where that's a good thing. The reason why is because it will send the signal into distortion VERY quickly/easily and a clipped signal is a quick way to cause equipment failures. The amp will draw excess current resulting in undue strain on your electrical system and excess heat from the amp. The clipped/distorted output signal going to the sub(s) will heat the voice coils unnecessarily and if it/they are already being driven to the limits of it/their cooling abilities then damage will very likely result. Just trust us, don't use the bass boost. Let your friends destroy their crap with it while you enjoy yours for as long as you own it.

to the forum! Not only is the brand pretty good but the forum itself is a great place to learn about anything audio related.

Awesome, sending PM.

Still have the Dayton midbasses?

I doubt your questions are "stupid", however constantly bombarding someone will end the willingness to help pretty quick. I'm sure most of your questions are like the many we have seen before from someone who's new to the hobby like you. You say you joined the forum so you could talk to Fi, well while they're some of the best and most knowledgable people I've talked to they are very busy AND there are plenty of us on here who can also answer questions. Collectively the members of this forum carry some of the best, most accurate, and well rounded knowledge you'll find anywhere on the Internet. I can guarantee that pretty much any search for information you do on google will have results that include this forum. To that end you can save yourself a lot of trouble sifting through the search engine results and just use the search function that's built into the forum. Please remember that when you do go to ask a question on the forum, be sure to put some thought into what you're asking. Include as much information as possible in your post and you'll get all the help you could ever ask for here. Make sure they're worthwhile and you'll learn more than you could imagine in a shorter period of time than you'll ever believe. There's almost nothing though that's not been pondered, wondered or already asked though so the search should keep you busy for awhile. Be sure to check out the chat room as well, it's amazing what you can ask and learn in real time in there. Welcome to the forum and the hobby.

The Fi X series is just underutilized, and severely so. SSA has the same problem with the DCON and I would suppose even the GCON as well and I'm certain that Incriminator sees the same issues with their two lower powered lines. For some reason everyone thinks they have to have at least 3kw of subs and amps to make a good and loud setup and it's just so far from the truth. My sister's single 12" DCON on ~500watts sounds impressively good, can rattle your teeth just fine, and didn't cost an arm and a leg to pick up. It didn't need $1K in electrical upgrades (none actually) and it gets loud enough, even for me. The Fi X's are targeted toward people who for whatever reason are limited to running in the 500-800 wrms per sub power range. While they can handle more, especially so with the BP option, pushing power levels to them that far over their rating bring the user to the point that the SSD's become the next logical step up and the price difference reflects that, IMO. The X is the more budget oriented line. It's a great sub in it's own right but not quite up on the same level as the SSD. While both are for daily listening setups, both have triple progressive spider packs, both are 3" voice coils, and both have cooling options, the size and configuration of the motors plays to the subtle fact that the SSD will have an edge in output. Neither are going to disappoint though so you/your customer can buy with confidence they're getting a great sub.

They very well could. Back in the good 'ol days, before Class D amps ruled the roost the Class AB amps would get hot enough to fry eggs on, and that's no exaggeration. Back in the mid 90's I traded a US Amps A50HC to a guy who put it on four 15" Rockford subs in an S10 at either 1 ohm, or .5 ohm bridged (amp was .25 ohm stable stereo so .5 bridged was fine). Aside from the fact he had to put 4" C clamps every 6" to keep the fiberglass shell on the bed of his truck that amp ran so hot it melted the carpet on the board it was mounted to. MELTED the carpet mind you and that was perfectly fine for that piece of equipment. So hot you can only hold your hand on it for a few moments is pretty much how it goes for any amp at 1 ohm that's being run fairly good IMO. The amps have thermal protection built into them and I've yet to see that protection fail on anything of any decent build quality so I'd just let it go and start to worry about it when it does go into protect, if ever.

To me, this seems like as good a combination as any. http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_43838_Precision-Power-PPI-BK1800.1D.html

EVERY speaker is rated for a nominal impedance. Impedance is the resistance measurement that is used because a coil with AC voltage applied is reactive. Depending on the frequency that's applied and the inductance of that coil that resistance changes unlike with DC where resistance is simply resistance. The nominal impedance is more like the average impedance seen on a given driver over its specified frequency range. THAT is why you measure it with a DMM and see a lower resistance than its given impedance. Sure, mistakes happen, but as several have mentioned the resistance of the coil is written on the coil when it is wound. Read it and see what it says. The DC resistance you measure with a DMM WILL NOT MATCH THE RATED IMPEDANCE ON ALMOST ANY DRIVER. Like I said, go to Partsexpress for example and look at the thiele/small parameters for any speaker you want to. The Re (DC resistance) rating will be lower than the given impedance for pretty much every one of them.

Im afraid you don't know as much as you think you do, at least not in this instance. A DMM measures DC resistance only. The 4 ohm or 2 ohm rated "impedance" of any speaker is an AC resistance. Look at the "Re" spec on any sub on the market which is the DC resistance of the coil and it will almost never match the rated impedance and most times isn't even close and can even be about half the stated impedance. You were sent a D4 to start with, and got the D2 you ordered the second time. The fault is yours, not theirs. I'm sorry, but that's the truth of it.

I'm trying to help a guy design an enclosure for an X series 15. What is the mounting depth on the sub? Do you have that information posted elsewhere? EDIT: Nevermind, reading is obviously outside my abilities today. Another scan through the topics in the section found the thread I was after.

Finally! It feels as though it's taken a year to get this far. I'm so damn glad it's sitting in the truck. All I gotta do it get it put back together and I'm done, I hope. You've never seen craziness like this thing. It's an American built Chinese puzzle box! Everything has to come apart/go together in a very specific order and you need hands like a child to reach quite a few things in it. For example the upper bell housing bolts on the sides are SO close to the firewall that I had to stick a pry bar up in there and push the firewall away from it to even be able to get a socket on the bolt. That was even after taking the rear transmission mount out and lowering the transmission down until it was resting on the cross member. Damn do I wish I had a body lift on it, LOL. So do I. I need all the help I can get! Though I would imagine if you've never worked on one of these before, it would be the last. The co-worker and friend that's been helping me is a great mechanic that has completely rebuilt his own '67 & '68 Mustangs, a '55 Chevy truck, a 1940 something Willy's Jeep and is working on a '62 Plymouth just in the six years I've known him said he will NEVER work on one of these trucks again! LOL

Put my order in!!

Well, with all the necessary parts in hand finally, the last of the reusable parts cleaned up and installed on the engine, and the vacuum lines finally replaced in the truck, the process of installing the new engine can actually begin. And has. I don't know how anyone could possibly replace the vacuum lines with the engine and transmission bolted into place. I had a tough enough time doing it with the engine out and the front of the transmission lowered down. I managed to get it done, every rubber vacuum and vent line under that hood has been replaced with a brand new one. My 4WD and heater/AC controls should work wonderfully well now that the vacuum can actually reach the locations it was supposed to. I could see them collapsing under the vacuum before, shouldn't be a problem now. I also tested the 4WD actuator under the battery tray as well with a vacuum pump here at work to verify it was in good shape. On to a few pictures for the fun of it. Here's the reman engine on my dad's old engine stand he built himself when he was doing all his engine/transmission work. It's pretty damn sturdy, though this V6 wasn't any sort of load for it really. Here's that engine dropped down into the truck. At this point it has 6 of the 9 bolts that connect the trans to the engine on the bell housing along with the motor mount bolts in it. There's still a lot to do but I think I can call this making some progress!!!!

SMH & facepalm.... That is actually par for the course around here. You wouldn't believe how many kids are running around here with their vehicles in much the same shape. It's an absolute miracle vehicles don't burn to the ground everyday.

The last of the parts it needs (ancillary equipment wise) should be in today. Got the impossible to find bolts I needed to get the harmonic balancer installed today, and the last of the hose I needed to replace all the vacuum lines. The new engine isn't in yet, it's been waiting on these other things to be done, bought, etc. before I could drop it in, but as long as the last parts get here today as they're reported to be I could have it in this weekend barring any more unforeseen issues.