max gain, low output at 2 ohms

do you have a DMM? check what the actual LOAD is on the amp, test the ohms at the speaker terminal to make sure. Also you may try a "live" test to check polarity. Simply play a song with bass at moderate level and unplug one of the woofers and listen closely. The bass should drop if the woofers are in phase. if the bass stays the same or increases then the woofers are out of phase, reverse the positive and negative of the woofer and try again.

icearrow6 wrote: do you have a DMM? check what the actual LOAD is on the amp, test the ohms at the speaker terminal to make sure. Also you may try a "live" test to check polarity. Simply play a song with bass at moderate level and unplug one of the woofers and listen closely. The bass should drop if the woofers are in phase. if the bass stays the same or increases then the woofers are out of phase, reverse the positive and negative of the woofer and try again.

i dont see how that will work. i did the battery test and it was good. but the way you are suggesting wouldnt work. if i unplug one sub it will just stop working. each sub is connected to its own mono block amp/ sony xm-1s per sub. either way the installer tested everything out when i first brought it over complaining about it a while back. i just have to do the dmm check but after researching the preamp output voltage i figured that is what might be holding it back. higher preamp volts would require less gain on amp and give it a cleaner signal. maybe i misread something?

What icearrow is saying is legit as a possibility...possibly meaning-wiring woofers out of "wiring" phase will improve bass sound. just try it, and report back Beyond that, being it is you know some audio, are you not expecting too much from your product? Sony can play some bass, but it wont rock the house down. Expectation level shouldnt be too high... Otherwise put- if you were using a different brand, there could be more question as is to why your not droppin bottom:)...This is what I do for FUN!

ohhh i see now. ok ill try that. i tried the phase from the head unit from normal to reverse and back again. it did sound a bit different, more boomy but not much difference. no one else can tell the difference but i can since ive been listening to it for about a year. ill try reversing the wiring and see how it is. ill also do thicker gauge wire inside the box because its using 10gauge i think, it looks thin. im not sure if thats sufficient for 500 watts rms @ 2 ohms per sub so maybe that can help a tad bit a long with the 120anl inline fuse up from 100amp. we'll see. i spoke to my mechanics audio guy and he suggested a preamp line booster first instead of switching out hu and amps. im just afraid of amplifying the 2v will result in inaudible clipping which will blow my subs. i can see where the booster would help because i need the gain maxed out and the bass boost near halfway to get some decent bass out of it. those puny amps are drawing way too much power at full gain and halfway bass boost so im not sure. with max gain my amps are still cool to the touch so thats another thing thats making me lead to the preamp voltage not sufficient for these amps maybe? i think the best bet as of now, after upping the inline fuse, speaker wire and reversing the polarities would be to just change the amps to more powerful ones unless it is the 2.5v that isnt sufficient for this particular amp model. cant find any information on preamp output level required for specific amps to sound best. so its like an expensive trial and error :( on a side note, i honestly thought that the sony xm1s would be good because i had a rf100a2 in 2 ohms bridged to a 10 inch kicker L5 and it seriously pounded deeper and harder than this set up. that amp wasnt 2 ohm stable so i just lowered the gain to where it wouldnt fry eggs on the heatsink and it was good to go lol. sorry for the long post but thanks to everyone for helping me out here.

I would try an eq or pre-amp I'm using a clarion eq and it's boosted my output from 2v to around 7v so my gain to my bass amp is only 1/4 way up and it knocks goodMastermindz

I use to recommend boosting line voltage all day and night. I do, always have, always probably will. However, I quit making the recommendation because it comes with some discretion. If you know about it, rock it. Some of my installs done for friends using preamps, electronic cross overs, well they had a chance to hear their systems with and without the devices, ALL can not live without now. That's just food for thought.This is what I do for FUN!

Say Manooti, lets say u wanted to line boost. A simple line driver I have found to be odd to use. 1 dinch of a turn on the gain from the min is all thats needed from one of those things. I like control, spending around 100 bux on any preamp(1/2 din module used in the dash) is sufficient. Spend a lil more and get a parametric version and u get all the control. Soundstream makes some killer devices you may find suitable. I use clarion cause its mellow and all the hz levels it controls are right up my alley. Then, I never achieved the sound I really wanted in a vehicle until I added my first electronic x-over. Unfortunately there were times that I had to pop the trunk at a red light and run to the rear of the vehicle to make a adjustment.... which is why I use preamps now....This is what I do for FUN!

"I use to recommend boosting line voltage all day and night. I do, always have, always probably will. However, I quit making the recommendation because it comes with some discretion". Yes, you should quit making the recommendation. Driving the crap out of the input stage isn't the answer. The gain on an amp is to match the HU to the amp. If you correctly adjust the amps www.bcae1.com/gaincon2.htm your HU can drive your amp to full power. If it is still not loud enough you need more power, more speakers or more efficient drivers. Preamps do have their time and place, but have seen them more of a bandaid for bad advise and installation. Line drivers are useful for 20 amps in an SPL setup. You might be boosting the level of both music and noise!

Correctamundo - the concept of driving the input voltage is not what I am trying to sell here... band aid? In my case it's life support! Dare to ask why? Or do you know? Plus, I have led many people to a greater appreciation for it's use by my recommendation! Lets see what manooti thinks if he chooses to try it out! After he asses the device, our opinions wont matter any more.... except you will be wrong and I will be right! This guy is going to appreciate the addition of a external device in his sytem, reason: He is looking for more. Some people are content with the sound level given by using only amplification and it's on board passive filtering options... Now, your confidence in "enough power" only leads me to believe you are unfamiliar with this concept I am trying to point out here. Your statement may hold water if you were being judged by a SQ comp judge who passes judgment at a whopping wha.. 115db max? Ya, ok, play the competition cd and run the RTA....   -OOPS! forgot about that... 30 band EQ, I wonder what that is designed to do? How many Hz levels are analyzed during judgment using a RTA? You're trusting the speaker locations to deliver the whole enchilada on a silver platter?(meaning- "0Hz" on all 30 bands) SO, I can only produce testimony as proof that there is a beneficial way to improve most sound systems with the addition of a external device- which alters the input signal received by the amplifier. To be clear here, I am not promoting the signal boost band wagon. However, I will declare that altering the input signal with a external device is a beneficial method of optimizing the sound of ANY system. I do not think it is rocket science to properly install and utilize these devices. Any unsatisfactory results from use I would relate to user error. This is what I do for FUN!

ianarian, what in the world are you talking about?Support the12volt.com