Lets talk tuning...

Good stuff! I went to install my SI M25s and discovered they are too deep





However after ditching the passive crossovers and using the PRS to set up a time-aligned 3-way active network, I don't mind these tweeters so much anymore. They suck past 10k though so I'm missing most of the last octave, but they stopped being annoying. Must find a way to mount these M25s

 

Ahhh, gotcha. Yea now I see that I was looking at the LP section of the xover. You should be more than good at 5.2k.

I always recommend the "addition by subtraction" method for EQ adjustments. Only boost when all else has failed.

I'm a bit confused about your concern over the sub amp and your highs amp being at a different gains settings. What method did you use to set your gains? If you used reference tracks and measurement tools (e.g., voltage meter), then I would just leave your amp gains alone and adjust level through your DSP (again, reducing the level of whichever output channels are too loud). You want to do everything possible to reduce the possibility of introducing distortion in your signal chain.

 

I think that i had set the door speakers amp to run 100w when the head unit is at vol:45 and the subs amp to be 600w when the head unit is at vol:55. I have decided to leave the door speakers amp alone and i will adjust the gains in the DSP. However i feel like my subs are not performing to their full potential. I just feel like they should be hitting harder than what they are... I may try to find a local audio shop that can assist with tunning. Have them use a SPL, oscilloscope, mics, etc. Really depends on how much they want to charge me...

Here is a recent video i made, I just feel like there should be more bass coming from this system. I mean 2 500w RMS sundown audio SD3-10s running 600w RMS each from a kicker cxa1200.1... I feel like the subs have hit harder with a kicker cx1200.1. Right not i feel like its barely playing louder than these two subs on a kicker cx600.1 amp running 300w RMS each.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VrBq4ZHVjU

 

I'm having a very different experience with the SD3 10. It just showers the truck with gobs of clean, powerful, precise, whole-body moving bass all the way to the bottom. Not only is it the most awesome sub I've ever owned, but the best-sounding sub I've ever heard. And tiny box. Sundown WFT!

 

Yeah i was having the same expeience except now i feel like im not getting the same power. Im not sure what is going on here.

How may SD3s do you have and what do you have powering them?

 

Single SD3 10 ~ .6 cubes sealed with nothing inside. 585W@14.4V from an Alpine MRX M55 potentially.

Maybe you're having power issues?

 

Its possible but i doubt it. Im running 0 gauge wire to a distribution block. Then i have 4 gauge going to my amps. I have plugged the power cable into 3 different amps... maybe i need to get some fresh wire exposed and hook it back up to see what happens.

 

@rob feature Do you have a photo or video that i could view to see the difference??

 

Of what? Sub? Box with nothing inside? Amp?

 

Maybe a video of the vibrations it causes in the truck?? A pic of the box would be nice too, compare designs. Im not real sure on how i can compare yours to mine without actually being there.

Im thinking about upgrading the speaker wire to a larger wire to ensure im getting all the power they deserve! Also want to get high quality RCAs to run from my DSP to my amps but i dont want to pay $30 for a 3ft RCA cable...

Where in Colorado are you located?

 

hey I'm new to TW I'm looking to see if anyone does any tuning around MD or DE

 

I've spent assgobs of time seeking out and trying to squish any vibrations I can find, but I'm not too sure you could glean anything meaningful from that anyway - especially since I have a 1st gen. Getting a hold of a mic is easy enough though. One of these days when I get a little time, I'll do an SPL run just for giggles. I'd kinda like to know anyway.

Nothing special about the enclosure really - right at .5 cubes & sealed up tight; double baffle...no stuffing. Gasket is mounted against wood - not carpet.







Firing to the passenger side



Have you tested your sub amp to make sure it's playing nice? Speaker wire could do it, but it'd have to be pretty small. Have you tested impedance on your power and ground wires?

On the RCAs, if you aren't experiencing any noise issues, you're probably wasting your time. You can always make cables too. I'm going to make a custom set when I rewire. Funny thing is I make XLR, DMX, DB9, etc almost daily at work, but have never had the occasion to make a set of RCAs as we typically use balanced connections.

As for location, I'm in the Denver metro - up north toward Boulder.

 

I set the gains on my amp with a multi-meter, but i have not checked the impedance on my power and ground. My speaker wire i believe is somewhere between 12 -16 gauge.

I have never made a set of RCAs, im sure a youtube video would show me how to pretty easily. The only noise i am hearing is the hissing in the door speakers when no music is playing or the radio is off.

Here is a video where you can hear the noise my subs make..
@manethon @Mr Marv @rob feature or anyone else know how i can get rid of this sound?? Toward the end of the video i am on the passenger side and that woofer seems to be making more noise than the other.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLxJOPV1uss

 

Wire size is fine. Actually, looking at the video, it appears that you're running almost all the way to full excursion. That's the one thing I don't like about these subs - they don't have a bumped backplate (they'll hit hard bottom - this is where your voice coil former slams into the back plate). That's to mean that you probably aren't going to get much more out of them if everything is configured correctly. I'd imagine the seats absorb a good bit, but you could always take them out and compare. Assuming your enclosure is the right size and everything is nice & tight, and since Marv built it it likely is, you may be pushing them to their limits.

Are you certain one of them isn't out of phase? That could weaken things.

On the door speaker hiss with everything turned off, that's definitely not right. That means your amp is staying on. Maybe it has a delay before it shuts off? Some amps employ this to combat turn-of/off pop. Does that happen all the time or just when you shut down?

 

Well when i push them to the max i can hear a difference. But yes they are pushed as hard as they can without maxing out, so they are close! When im in the front and the rear seat backs are locked it i do not hear the noise.

The sound i am talking about is also heard at lower volumes also, i have heard that sometimes the voice coils are too long and can cause a noise, maybe the spider is hitting...??? I dont know, i wish i new more about building speakers so that i can ID speaker problems better...

The enclosures were built buy me but i got some help from Mr Marv, i took time on the enclosures to make sure they were cut straight and sealed properly, using glue and screws, then going back and putting a bead of silicon inside the box. They are mounted to the rear wall and to the floor so its not rattle.

I have tried swapping the wires on one of the subs to test the phase, they seem to be properly in phase.

 

You sort of lost me there - not sure what noise you mean. No, the spider won't be hitting anything unless something is bad wrong. The only weird noise it should make is the former hitting the backplate if overdriven. It sounds like rapid tapping and you might not even hear it if your seats are in place. If you're hearing that, it's not a good thing. If you're hearing it at low volume, you've probably wrecked the coils. Again - the Achilles heel of the SD3. Sound like that kinda noise?

 

In this video the subs are turned down but you can still hear the noise. I barely touch the surround and the noise is amplified, at one point it gets real loud but that is because i accidentally pressed more on one side than the other and it was hitting the core.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPA0OCXLBxI

 

Got off the phone with sundown, he said it sounds like they are separating a bit from the surround, they are going to let me RMA the subs and if they are defective i may step up to some sa 10s, Hopefully they will fit, if not then i may have put my box up for sale to build another one.

 

Oh and also they are going to let me upgrade to the SA 10s for free if they are defective! Hopefully i dont have to build a new box!

SD3 10 = 500w rms .5ft^3 @ 4.75" mount depth

SA 10 = 750w rms .5-.75ft^3 @ 6" mount depth

 

Man, ya gotta love Sundown. Beyond that sweetheart offer, I read a day or 2 ago that they're upgrading their already 2 year warranty to include return shipping! They also just launched a new budget line!

Never heard an SA10, but have heard a pair of 15s sealed and conservatively powered and it was close to violent.