Where's the bass?!!!!

[cfox10 10+ year member]

I'm working on two installs. One in my ride and one in my girlfriends ride. Right now I'm working on hers and I'm not sure if it's the amp, or the box. I've got all pioneer components in her car and a JVC deck. It's running a Coustic DR 4 ch. amp for the mids and highs, and for the substage it's running a Planet Audio AC5000.1D pushing two Pioneer Champion Pro subs.

Amp specs:

Anarchy Series Class D Monoblock Car Amplifier

RMS Power Rating:

4 ohms: 1800 watts x 1 chan.

2 ohms: 2500 watts x 1 chan.

1 ohms: 3500 watts x 1 chan.

Max power output:

1 ohms: 5000 watts x 1 chan.

The subs are 4ohm DVC each, running at 2ohms. They move a lot but the bass isn't there (as much as we'd like it to be) . Is it the crossover? the box? (3.5 cu ft. ported tuned to 32hz) the subs themselves?

We have a HO alt. in, and the voltage is fine. Maybe I'm expecting too much from this?

The only thing left in my build IS the substage so if anybody has better recommendations that are around the same price range as these Pioneers, please let me know. I'm not going for the best (obviously) but I want it to be nice.

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[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

need check your wiring configuration for a pair of dvc 4ohm subs..if running on one ch,you may be wired in a 4 ohm mono load rather ..with a pair of dvc 4ohm subs,on 1 mono ch,you should be running @4ohms mono in series /parallel,,and/or @1ohms mono in parallel/parallel..you could also be possibly wired in a series/series with 2 dvc 4ohm subs putting you at a 16 ohm load???..check your wiring configuration..there is a sticky in for wiring subs/configurations..print it out take it to the car with you when wiring them up..those champions should be banging theyre a ss es off..fairly decent subs imo

 

[cfox10 10+ year member]

I have it wired into 1ohm on the amp according to crutchfield's diagrams. They just don't seem noticeably louder than my old Kenwood Excelon (from when I had my excelon x911 unit) which I recently hooked up and those only handle 250rms with 89db sensitivity I think, the pioneers have 90+ sensitivity and handle 1000 rms each. My guess is it's the amp? Te subs look like they are moving a ridiculous amount though.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

could very well be your box not built to specs too..a sub is only as good as its enclosure too??????old saying,and is true??

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

you check to see if you got any air leaks other than the port area??????sealed up

 

[cfox10 10+ year member]

I'll check that tomorrow that could actually be it. I might also take a stab at a new box altogether, have a few sheets of mdf laying around so I might as well. These subs don't require much space but would it help if I gave them a bit more?

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

i recommend soundstream rubicon amps for new,if you want new..get one for just undr $200 on ebay shipped that will nperform much better than any of the amps you are claiming here..105 db amps,and will do rated

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

check your specs/size of the subs..you could even do two different boxes ported to put on each side of the trunk rather than one big a ss box..i did with a pair of tens that required 1.4-2.6,and i went with 1.6 cu ft,ported each,and they hit pretty good..one on each side of the trunk,gave me some space to put my duffle bag n things in there ya know..check/google your specs up.building a box right will/does make a big difference

 

[TaylorFade 10+ year member]

I bet you have one of the subs out of phase. As in, you have a negative going to a positive on just one sub.

 

[GAMEOVERCCA 10+ year member]

id bet on it being the amp, pawn shop quality, ditch it and get a quality amp and go from there.. also i agree with taylor, you could be out of phase and the subs arent working in conjunction

 

[cfox10 10+ year member]

I rechecked all the wiring and it's good. The amp isn't out of the question but the subs are moving a lot. Even if the amp isn't doing rated (which is 3500 rms @ 1ohm) shouldn't I at least be getting around half that?

Could it be possible the frequency is too low sometimes?

I found that if I listen to a bass heavy song like King Kong then the bass hits pretty hard... on some notes.

If I play Bass I Love You, the subs move like crazy but you cannot hear it nearly as much at all as on King Kong.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Box tunning. A normal ported box is not going to play the whole sub range the same

 

[cfox10 10+ year member]

So am I better off putting them in a sealed box and giving them a bit more power? OR buying some layouts for a box tuned to what I need? I'm guessing if I want to have a good sound across all my low frequencies I should go sealed?

 

[TaylorFade 10+ year member]

Did you pull a sub to check the phase? Unhook one at the amp and see if it gets louder.

If that's not it; from your description... just sounds like a poorly designed and/or constructed box.

 

[cfox10 10+ year member]

They are wired correctly... I had the local shop build me a box and they seem pretty lazy so it could be a pre-fab box. I'll look into it.