jl 500/1 doesn't sound right

I am already pretty sure of the answer, but I will ask anyways. I have the oldschool JL 500/1 mono block and I just wired a 10w6v2 up to it. I have played with all of the settings on the amp, starting at the recommended settings in the JL videos and I know the wiring is right because I verified it myself. The problem is, as I am told, the amp is "clipping." I have no idea what that means, but it isn't working like it used to. It still produces bass, but it isn't pushing the driver like I know it can. It's in an 06 f150, factory headunit, 8g wire running to d-block w/ 8g wires running to JL amp and component amp. I have a 1.2 farad cap that I will be installing and I just ordered a 4g wiring kit. I am doing this because I assume it is "clipping" because it isn't getting the voltage it needs to push the driver. I just want to make sure that the amp isn't trash (because I can never get a hold of a JL specialist) and if it is, can I fix it myself?

Clipping is squaring off of audio sine waves and can be caused by multiple things. How do you have your gain set? If it is too high then you will push your amp into clipping because it is trying to pull more than it can handle. Also, with clipping there is often audible distortion. If it just is not as loud as it use to be you could have your sub in a different wiring configuration than you had before. In series you you get higher resistance and less power and in parallel it would be the opposite. Eight gauge wiring should suffice for about 500 watts, but the bigger the conductor the better. It could be the way you integrated into the factory system. Did you use an LOC? Most of them are adjustable and it could be possible that it is on the lowest setting. Just check those few things and write back if you need additional ideas.MECP Advanced

Make your life easier and buy a DMM.

the fact that you have a singe 8Ga wire trying to run 2 separate amps could be the problem, and ive got a hunch that their grounds are probably not that good either. depending on what the other amp you have is, you could be trying to pull way too much current through that small wire and thats if it is actually a true 8ga. this can cause your amp to clip too because it is trying to keep up with what you want it to do but it just cant get enough when it really needs it. over time this can also cause your amp to fail.

Oh yea! I forgot he was using two amps!!! Eight gauge won't work well at all! That JL would be about all you should run on 8. And like security said it may not be actuall 8 gauge. If you skimped on the wire and went cheap you probably have about 10-12 gauge.MECP Advanced

Make your life easier and buy a DMM.

It is true 8g wire, I bought it from a stand up car audio store (plus it was like $60). I had read some stuff about the wiring and thought that may be one of the problems. I forgot to quote you, but yes I would say that the amp is at least 1/2 as loud. Before it was pushing 2 10w3v2s, but I figure that the 10w6v2 is a much better driver and would be louder than both of those. Yeah I used LOCs. I checked and they don't have gain adjustment. As for gain adjustment on the 500/1, it is set at about 1/4. All of the other settings are now set well below the recommended JL starting point for audio tuning.

A single w6 will probably not outperform 2 w3s with the same power. The w6 is a better speaker, but it requires more power.

hmm, so you switched from two 10's to a single 10 and you are wondering why its not as loud. have you ever though to point your finger at the enclosure you have that W6 sitting in? as far as sound is concerned, you just completely changed your system. the output that you get out of a sub is much less dependent on how much power you give it than on how well it works with its enclosure. you can have the best sub in the world, but if you pair it with a mismatched box then you will still get garbage output. for starters, was the old setup sealed or ported? is the new setup sealed or ported? also, is the low output the only reason that you believe your amp is "clipping"? does your amp cut in and out while playing music? do any of the protection status lights on the amp light up at any time? if so then you should try to describe in detail what that is or isnt doing. just saying that the amp is clipping or the volume is low is not much to go on from a troubleshooting stand point.

soundnsecurity wrote: hmm, so you switched from two 10's to a single 10 and you are wondering why its not as loud. have you ever though to point your finger at the enclosure you have that W6 sitting in? as far as sound is concerned, you just completely changed your system. the output that you get out of a sub is much less dependent on how much power you give it than on how well it works with its enclosure. you can have the best sub in the world, but if you pair it with a mismatched box then you will still get garbage output. for starters, was the old setup sealed or ported? is the new setup sealed or ported? also, is the low output the only reason that you believe your amp is "clipping"? does your amp cut in and out while playing music? do any of the protection status lights on the amp light up at any time? if so then you should try to describe in detail what that is or isnt doing. just saying that the amp is clipping or the volume is low is not much to go on from a troubleshooting stand point.

The old enclosure was a JL High Output box specifically made for the 10w3v2s. It was sealed and the whole setup was installed in my Civic HB. The new setup is a sealed box that replaced my center console in my extended cab F150. It is also sealed and it is a down firing box. So the differences in the setups are quite extreme, but I know something is wrong with the amp because when I had it in my Civic, I literally had to turn down the gain and bass boost because it was TOO loud. I know a portion of that had to do with it being a HB. Now, with the amp in my truck, it doesn't sound right. Plus, it is shutting off when it is hitting if you have the volume at 2/3 and above. It will cut out and come right back on. I tried the 4g wiring kit yesterday and it didn't seem to change anything.

Oh, and I forgot to say that the loudness isn't that important. I want it to cover the bass range that it is capable of doing.