How much smoke is too much for a Sub? Need recommendations for a new 2000+ watt sub

michaelrj9 · 09-29-2007, 10:34 PM

Well I was trying to figure out why I was not getting the performance that I should have got out of my 15” Orion H2 Sub. I can only get mid 120’s Db @2000-2500 watts. So I went into the SoundBlaster configuration and checked the box for the 12db gain for the Sub and in less than 30-45 Sec smoke was pouring out of the port of the box. I shut everything down and let it cool, it is still working now but I know it is not going to last much longer as I am still getting the pretty strong smell (no more smoke) each time the Sub is up ½ way up. (I never had the smell of burning voice coils before this happened)

So I am looking for some recommendations for a 15” 2000 watt+ continuous Sub preferably a SQ Sub (as much SQ as you can get out of a 15” Sub with that amount of Watts. That is why I went with the Orion H2 because it had a better SQ than most Subs’.

I wanted to ask ever since I had CarPc’s 12+years I never could get the same performance out of it like I did when I first started and I still had the Head unit with the Carpc. Now that I don’t have a head unit anymore I never get the same performance out of it.
Example: My Sub volume is not right. It plays low tones but it seems like the Sub volume does not change after 1/2 way up. It does not hit as hard as it should for a 2500 watt amp only mid 120’s. I do not have a head unit. I have a Shuttle Pc W/ SB Audigy 4 soundcard.
Orion 2500D amp with a 15" Orion H2 Sub
2 Sets Orion 6.5 components With a Orion 8004 Amp
All going to the main battery (optima Yellowtop) with 13.6 volts at the amp. (Look at my specs for exactly what I have right now)

Right now I have to have the gain all the way up and I still don’t get the same performance that I did when I had a head unit.

I read on a car audio forum somewhere that one way to set the gain on an amp is to unplug the rca cables and play a "test tone Cd" and use a multi-meter on the speaker terminals on the Amp and adjust the gain to have the correct voltage required at the terminals. (I forgot the formula to figure out the correct amount of volts that should be at the speaker terminals on an Amp for 2500 watts) I know that might not be the best way to set it but that is what I did. This way the gain has to be all the way up and is still not at the correct voltage but pretty close. If I am correct in understanding this that should technically mean that I am getting close to the full power out of the amp. But it never sounds like it should for 2500 watts.
Any ideas what I can do to figure out what is going on here?

Thanks

Michael

BassBinDevil · 10-01-2007, 04:56 PM

I don't suppose the amp has a clipping indicator on it? That's a very useful feature which you'll find on any pro amp, but not on most home or car amps. Peak-reading level meters for the line levels and power meters on the outputs would be helpful (with a peak level memory to catch fast peaks). Someone must make that kind of thing (Radio Shack?). You could use a laptop with level meter software if you calibrated the levels with a voltmeter.

There's a kit power meter that goes up to 2000 watts at 4 ohms. Google for k4307 audio power meter; it sells for about $40 US. The manual [URL="http://www.vellemanusa.com/downloads/0/manual_k4307.pdf"] has a schematic if you wanted to build one from scratch.

I think the wise thing to do is add more subs: this has several benefits:
1) less power per sub, which would reduce the power compression caused by voice coils heating up.
2) multiple subs are more efficient (+3dB for every doubling of number of subs if total power is constant)

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