I am having some subwoofer problems

Mikdiz · 11-06-2006, 09:39 PM

Basically, my sub that I have in my van is making this weird noise. It's kind of like a high-pitched whistle. The noise doesn't affect the music quality, it just worries me that something is wrong. When inspecting the sub, I found a rather small hole in the cone. I don't really know how else to explain it.

I think it's one of the following:
- the hole in the cone
- there aren't any ports to let out air
- my friend suggested that because I have a smaller alternator, it's not getting enough power - which I find hard to believe because I don't think that the alternator has much to do with the amp giving the sub power

Some last info that might be important:
- It kind of helped my other friend understand, so here's an attempt at a diagram:

- I have a 120w 2/1 channel amp

I'm sorry if this is hard to understand, but I'm new to dealing with speakers and this is all very confusing. But I did my best, and if you need any additional information just tell me and I'll try to get it. Thanks in advance!

---

Sorry, but I'm having some errors with uploading my diagram. So please help me the best you can. And I'd be happy to get any additional needed information.

furball69 · 11-07-2006, 01:19 AM

How big is the hole, if it's like the size of a pencil lead (1/16"), then I'd get some super glue and a little piece of cereal box cardboard and patch it. if it's bigger than 1/4" then I'd probably get a new sub.

Quote:

- there aren't any ports to let out air

That's only a problem if you were trying to build a ported box.

Redian · 11-07-2006, 01:34 AM

its not the alternator, if i was... you would be driving and lost all the battery power by now, most likely it its the hole

and like furball said, it isnt the air ventilation

Shadow · 11-07-2006, 07:13 AM

Quote:

its not the alternator, if i was... you would be driving and lost all the battery power by now

That's barely english. Does the noise go up and down with your engine speed?

Mikdiz · 11-07-2006, 07:39 AM

Yeah, the hole is the size of a pencil lead. So super glue and a piece of cereal box? Cool, I'll fix that tonight and see if it makes any difference.

Umm...no. The only time the sound goes away, is when I hit a bump. But then it come right back seconds later.

durwood · 11-07-2006, 08:19 AM

Sounds like a grounding issue on your RCA. Maybe a lose RCA connection? Maybe the whole RCA jack is lose on either end? Also, some amps don't like to be mounted directly on metal. Just check to see if its touching metal anywhere.

Turn your system on and listen as you wiggle the RCA wiring around to see if you can get it to go away.

Mikdiz · 11-07-2006, 08:41 AM

My amp is sitting on the carpet underneath the passenger seat. The amp itself isn't touching any metal at all. Should I check to make sure my ground wire is properly placed? If so, where is a good place to have it connected to?

I think I've said this before, but I'm new to speakers, amps, and all that. I've never done anything like this before so I'm just little slow with this.

blkwrx · 11-07-2006, 09:30 AM

Recheck your ground. Make sure there is no paint in the way. Did you ground the the seat bolt?

Yacob · 11-07-2006, 10:05 AM

In the back of my sub box where I plug in the wires there was a small hole that did just the thing you are talking about. I just used a small bolt to plug it up and it stopped.

Mikdiz · 11-07-2006, 11:49 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Yacob

In the back of my sub box where I plug in the wires there was a small hole that did just the thing you are talking about. I just used a small bolt to plug it up and it stopped.

Can you walk me through the process please?

---

Should I ground it to the seat bolt? Is that a good spot then? Oh and my friend just corrected me, it's not the cone that has a hole in it, it would be the little bubble thing in the center of the speaker. I'm planning on going down to my local pawn shop and looking for a new sub if I can't get this one working properly, any suggestions for what I have? What I have is a 120W 2/1 channel Amp (an older Clarion).

durwood · 11-07-2006, 01:20 PM

I was curious about the sound going away when you hit a bump. That part might be a connection problem or ground problem and your amp turns off. the other problem is that if your speaker is in a sealed box (no venting or ports) then any tiny airleak can cause whistling.

You can still repair the dust cap if that has a hole in it but if its leaking from around the surround or where the sub meats the box then it is not sealed properly. Sealled boxes need to be completely sealed. If you ahve wires coming directly out of the box, then that must be sealed too.

In a properly sealed box, if you carefully push on the speaker cone and let go, then the speaker should slowly return to its resting postion. If there is no "spring" or seal then it will return very quickly resulting in poor performance from your box.

furball69 · 11-07-2006, 02:56 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by durwood

In a properly sealed box, if you carefully push on the speaker cone and let go, then the speaker should slowly return to its resting postion. If there is no "spring" or seal then it will return very quickly resulting in poor performance from your box.

Hmm, I've seen someone else state that as well, but I disagree. First of all, it's contradictory. If there IS a perfect seal, the cone should return to it's resting position very quickly.

Don't believe me? Go find a basket ball, squeeze it, your finger indentations disappear immediately after you stop squeezing, now put a hole in the ball and try again.

durwood · 11-07-2006, 03:23 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by furball69

Hmm, I've seen someone else state that as well, but I disagree. First of all, it's contradictory. If there IS a perfect seal, the cone should return to it's resting position very quickly.

Don't believe me? Go find a basket ball, squeeze it, your finger indentations disappear immediately after you stop squeezing, now put a hole in the ball and try again.

You are correct about a basketball. Let me clarify my statement.
A speaker box is slightly different. There will always be some air leakage from the surround (if its foam), the screws, etc. A speaker compresses air. IF YOU CAN MANGAGE TO PUSH THE CONE IN THEN IT WILL RETURN SLOWLY WITH A GOOD SEAL. IF you can push the speaker in with ease and it returns fast then that is bad...similar to being in free air.

Mikdiz · 11-07-2006, 03:58 PM

Okay then, I will patch up the hole and check out the back of the box - where the positive and negative wires connect. And I will also switch the ground to a new place and see if that helps. Thanks for such quick responses!

furball69 · 11-07-2006, 06:01 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by durwood

You are correct about a basketball. Let me clarify my statement.
A speaker box is slightly different. There will always be some air leakage from the surround (if its foam), the screws, etc.

I disagree; maybe you are used to shoddy workmanship or materials... I am not.

Quote: Originally Posted by durwood

A speaker compresses air. IF YOU CAN MANGAGE TO PUSH THE CONE IN THEN IT WILL RETURN SLOWLY WITH A GOOD SEAL. IF you can push the speaker in with ease and it returns fast then that is bad...similar to being in free air.

YOu are correct about a speaker compressing air. My boxes are sealed, the cone can be pushed in, slightly, and they spring back to position immediately.

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