i think i messed something up

[Curtis96olds 1]

I have a pontiac g6, just built a box for 2 sa-12's, wired it down to one ohm running off a AQ1200D. I put the box in, turned it on, turned up my volume to my "max" which is 25 out of 35 on my alpine CDE-123. Now the problem is, i turned to to 25, went back to set my gain, and for now im gonna set it using the clipping indicator on the remote knob (until i can get a DD-1) so i kept turning up the gain, and i had to turn it up all the way to get any "decent" output out of the subs and the clipping light didnt even blink, what i mean by "decent" output is it sounded like 2 8's and the subs barely even moved.

box is 3.3 cubes after all displacements tuned to 32hz with 15sq inches of port per cube. subsonic is off right now for testing, and LPF is set to 80. now this isnt my first system, far from it, but ive never had this problem before.

anyone have any ideas? subwoofers look like there moving in phase (what little they are moving anyway) i tried changing the polarity on my H/U and that didnt change anything, the only thing i can think of is i reversed one of the wires inside the box by accident, but i dont think i did.

also, i am firing forward, but its not sealed off yet, but that still shouldnt change the fact that the subs barely move, and i had to turn the gain all the way up, just doesnt make sense

Edited May 15, 2012 by curt96olds

[Shogen 325]

check to make sure your low pass filter is set correctly... First, lower the gain back to zero... Turn low-pass(LPF) to 80hz range and see what happens... also make sure your SSF is set to around 30hz... most amps do not have exact markings so start at say 50hz and go down a few degrees.

[liljestrand 244]

What is the sub level on the deck set at

[Curtis96olds 1]

i have the LPF filter on the amp turned all the way up (200hz) that way i just set it to 80hz on my H/U and its more accurate, and right now i have my SSF all the way down (20hz) just for testing,

sub level on the deck is set to zero (flat) it can go to -15 or +15 but ive always kept it at zero in all my systems and just left it there forever. this is my second time buying the alpine cde-123 H/U ive used it in my past 3 systems, so i know pretty much what i can do, so im 100% sure i have the H/U settings correct

[bassahaulic 155]

I think don't trust that DD-1 to much............

[jonbearsmt 919]

are the dust caps getting hot very quickly?

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

On my oscilloscope my Alpine CDS-117 didn't clip 35/35 with the sub level at 15, turn that shit up.

[Curtis96olds 1]

dust caps are still cold, the weird thing is, with this same headunit, im my last vehicle, i had the volume set to 25/35, and only had to turn the gain up to about 1/4.

same amp, same headunit, same everything, only thing different is the subs and box.

so your saying i should re-adjust my gains so my "max" volume on my h/u is like 35? that way my gain doesnt have to be up so high? cause right now my gain doesnt go high enough to maximize the signal at 25/35 volume. but i still think there is another problem here somewhere, but i will try that tomorrow and see what that gets me

[CrownVic 15]

Are your RCAs securely plugged in?

[Skullz 8]

Turn the sub output all the way up.

Set the gain as best you can.

ENJOY

[///M5 2,833]

I think don't trust that DD-1 to much............

Hell, don't even use it. Stupidest internet rip off yet.

[shizzzon 461]

one other thing- is ur remote gain controller plugged in? If it is, make sure it's turned ALL the way up so it is equal to the gain setting on the amp.

Also, i always leave my alpine sub out to +15, any lower is just losing preout voltage.

[bassahaulic 155]

I think don't trust that DD-1 to much............

Hell, don't even use it. Stupidest internet rip off yet.

No, I think his new CC-1 is even more stupid.

[shizzzon 461]

the next thing to come out will be a BB-1 where you pay $160 to set your bass boost.

[Briggiboy33 2]

Whats the chance you wired the subs to like 8 ohms i stead of 1?

[Curtis96olds 1]

Whats the chance you wired the subs to like 8 ohms i stead of 1?

very unlikely, i put all the positives together and all the negatives together, and its 2 d4 subs, so thats definatly 1ohm. is there anyway i can check my ohm load without taking the subs out of the box? just put the dmm on the positive and negative of the amp terminals? or will that not work.

[audio-neon 34]

You can use the dmm on the wires, no need to remove the subs.

[Curtis96olds 1]

just checked the ohm load, its reading 1.3 ohms, which means its wired right.

[jonbearsmt 919]

i would pull them anyway.. take my time.. and tripple check everything..... i have had a few people come to me with issues on the SA series subs and they are always wired wrong.... pullem. be safe.

i have had a few people come to me with problems on the SA series.. and they are always wired wrong.... ..... just pullem and tripple check eveything..

[16K 159]

i have the LPF filter on the amp turned all the way up (200hz) that way i just set it to 80hz on my H/U and its more accurate, and right now i have my SSF all the way down (20hz) just for testing,

sub level on the deck is set to zero (flat) it can go to -15 or +15 but ive always kept it at zero in all my systems and just left it there forever. this is my second time buying the alpine cde-123 H/U ive used it in my past 3 systems, so i know pretty much what i can do, so im 100% sure i have the H/U settings correct

try turning the lph filter OFF on the headunit and use the lph filer on the amp and see if that helps...

[Curtis96olds 1]

well i did what was suggested earlier... set my gains to a higher H/U volume... i decided to make 32 out of 35 my "max" and turned up the gain until the clipping light started blinking (not solid) and it is louder, but not what i feel it should be, but atleast the gain isnt maxed out now. i dunno maybe im just used to how loud my BTL 18 was, and i was expecting too much out of these subs. (BTL was run off the same 1200D amp)

Edited May 16, 2012 by curt96olds

[aBrokeNinja91 4]

i installed a cde-121 in my buddies accord and had to turn the sub level up on it to get the subs moving. i also read somewhere else that some alpine headunits need the sub level turned up.

[jonbearsmt 919]

sa 12's are beast subs... by down playing them in your head your making excuses for not being able to find your install error

[Curtis96olds 1]

i know, i wont have time to pull out the subs until the weekend, but until then, im trying everything else i can think of that could be wrong.

[Curtis96olds 1]

i did some research and i guess my H/U doesnt clip until you max the volume out and do +15 on the bass, so i reset my gains for max volume (35) and been riding around for 2 days like this... now the clipping indicator is barely blinking...never solid. yet after about 10 mins of music i start to smell coil and the dustcaps are hot.

i feel these subs have more in them then this... i know im tuned low which would cause the subs to move less listening to lower music.. but these subs BARELY move, even on low notes...i mean it does get moderatly loud...but my old single 15 AQsdc2.5 got way louder then these and that was off half the power and a shitty box.