Hey guys, I'm a noob to this forum (big in car audio 10-12 years ago, just getting back into it), so be gentle :-)
Looking for assistance... I just came across (3) JL 10W6 (not V2) in a custom sealed box, powered by a Hifonics Brutus BX 1205D, running the subs at 1 ohm. It is pretty loud, but lacks the "punch" I was expecting, and overall sounds very sloppy. The box is 3-chambered, but when I push on one of the subs, the other 2 move out slightly... so I definitely have some leakage issues.
Could that be the cause of the sloppy bass and lack of hard hitting? Sube are in great shape, so it's not them, and the amp is brand new.
If that's not the problem, I was thinking of doing something different. First resort is to build the box myself to JL's specs. After that, I guess moving onto another sub/amp combo.
Considering Audiobahn AW1208T's (I know, I said the "A" word), or possible Alpine R or S-series, Atlas, Avalanche, or who knows... looking at $600-700 for the sub/amp combo, or $400-500 if I keep the Brutus. Going into a Bravada, so space is available.
Any recommendations on which direction to go? Thanks in advance for all your help! Oh yeah, and if someone is interested in the JL's, let me know :-)
Hard to put it to words really... I used to have a single 10W6 in a sealed box powered by a Phoenix Gold M50... when it hit a hard bass note, like bass drum, it would make my chest thump, like a huge pressure change... these are not doing that. KWIM?
check the impedence of your subs and make sure that you have them wired properly. also, if you have leakage issues, you could over exert your sub and damage it. i had 3w3 w/800x1 at 1ohm sealed. pounded. absolutely pounded. no one in atlanta could touch me. so, i would check those two issues and hope that the subs have not been damaged yet.
You do know that if you push in on one sub, and the others move out, that's a good sign? If it were leaky, all the air would push out of the box, and the other two subs wouldn't move at all. Since their is sealed pressure in the box, when you push in on one sub, the other two move out because there is no where for the air to go. Your box is fine.
What I understood from doing searches is that if the chamber is completely sealed correctly, then when you pushed on the sub it would not want to move at all... am I wrong in this assumption?
In my experience, prefab boxes usually leave a lot to be desired. Especially when dealing with a 3 chambered design. Sounds like the subs are sharing their airspace- 3 subs in 1 box as opposed to 3 subs in 3 chambers. Are the subs all firing the same way? Is one moving in while the others are moving out? Are they wired right? Have you taken them out of the (sealed?) box and tried them in a different box? If subs are sharing airspace and 1 blows it could lead to damaging the other subs. If the box is bandpass, you may not necessarily hear the blown sub until it's much too late.
"What I understood from doing searches is that if the chamber is completely sealed correctly, then when you pushed on the sub it would not want to move at all... am I wrong in this assumption?"
The suspension of the sub will have some give regardless of the box it is in. You should be able to push it in a little bit, anyway.
The box is not prefab, it was made by an audio shop, but I'm not sure how long ago. And yes, there are 3 separate chambers that are supposed to be sealed from each other, but are not, which is where I assumed the problems stemmed from.
They are all firing the same way, and all move in the same direction. They are wired corretly, parallel-parallel. I have not tried them in a different box though as I do not have access to one. I am thinking more and more though that I'll just build one myself to JL's specs... so I know it's right.
Do you think I would be just as well selling the JL's and buying something new?
Thanks for all of the suggestions so far... keep em coming! :-)
i'm selling mine just because i desired greater power handling. i went w/the 2soundstream vgw12. still not enough. selling those too. so now i'm w/my brahmas and i think this will just about do it. i have had numerous subs prior to the jls though. so, check the box, make sure it is to specs. if so, take one sub (listen and see which one sounds healthy) and test it in each chamber. if the sound varies, you know its a box issue. just recaulk the interior. if it sounds good in each chamber, repeat the drill with each sub until you find the blown one. if it still sux, consider your options then. i know jl no longer repairs the w3, and i'm not certain that they repair the 6 or not.
Try the enclosure, it's cheaper than buying new subs and will give you some peace of mind. Make sure the airspace is right, they're designed to be fairly small sealed box subwoofers, leakage will definately cause some problems, especially if it's that bad.
I have run 3-jl 10w6's before I still have them and they are very very loud! I have them in JL's stealth box are you sure its not the box from JL? They should not be sloppy at all those subs are very loud and have great SQ as well.
It is definitely not JL's box... it looks fairly well made though, like from a decent audio shop, not a cheap prefab.
I'll prob just make my own box... I'm thinking of 3 separate small sealed boxes to JL's specs, arranged like an inverted "Y" and the amp mounted at the vertex of the arrangement :-) We'll see...