Subs hit, but don’t pound

I have 2 Audiobahn AW1206T Woofers powered by and Audiobahn 1800D  amplifier.   The subs are in a rectangular 5 cu. ft.  ported box ( Audiobahn's recommendation ) in a  ford explorer.  The subs are firing straight up, and the ports are located on hte sides.   

After 2 weeks of initial break-in, I've turned up the gain a bit, and cranked up the bass-boost.  The woofers are obviously hitting, but when in the drivers seat, it doesn't hurt like 1800 RMS watts should hurt.............    Do I need to tinker with my sound settings, or is this something common with ported boxes?   They are pushing lotssssssssssss of air, and if you stand outside, you can watch the door panels actually balloon out with the hits.     Would DYNAMAT help, or anything else???

Let me know, so I can get these suckers ready for work

P.S.--- At this point it's highly unlikely I've got 1800 watts RMS actually making it's way to hte subs.   The amp is only getting a miserable 10-12 volts average, since they suck so much juice.   I will be buying an alternator and a few caps to fix this, but regardless,   where is my eardrum-popping bass????

5cu ft  ported box
4in wide ports,   7 inches deep
2 woofers wired at 1 ohm

AMP IS 1ohm Stable

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~WAYLAND

Whoaa there turbo turn down the bass boost and gain, they arn't volume controls. Set the gain properly and turn that bass boost down! Are your subs wired out of phase (are all the + connections going to the + on the amp and all of the - connections going to the - on the amp). If you have a ford explorer the alternator should be around 100 to 120 amp so the sub amp shouldn't be too bad off right now. By the way don't waste your money on caps just buy a HO alternator.

I would take into consideration the enclosure. I'm not an expert on ported enclosures, but I always thought the ports should be on the same face as the subs. Are the subs in their own seperate chambers? And when you say the ports are on the sides, do you mean each port is firing into the wheel well?

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Jon
Don't like rockford subs? Then don't look at my car =)

Yeah-I've always been under the impression that your ports should be on the same side as your subs.  Did you build the box?  If so, are the insige edges of the ports flared(or sanded smooth?)  If not, you will get the whooshy port noise sound.  How bout' your port length, are they the right size?  You can use the port length calculator on this site to determine port size and tuning.   You are right though, your set-up should make your ears bleed.  I know that sinking feeling when you get a new system and it doesn't meet your expectations-Good luck!

The above comments are right on.  With ports facing different directions from woofers, acoustic cancellation will occur.  Here's an explaination from another thread that may apply in your case.

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k, guys, more details for u....

for 1, the subs are all wired properly, i checked and double checked....
The gains and bass boost are all set properly.......i spent hours taking care of that, once for initial break in, and a second time for a secondary break in period.

The ports are firing toward the wheel wells, while the subs are firing toward the roof.....all ports are cut EXACTLY to audiobahn specs...  

The ports are all smooth as well, no flares or anything like that....

I have yet to read the noise cancellation thread.......cuz i'm afraid i'll have to rebuild!!!

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~WAYLAND

ALSO, yes, the subs are separated (so there's two 2.5 cu ft sections).

I was reading THE CAR STEREO COOKBOOK by Mark Rumreich, and it said that ports can be placed on any side of the enclosure, as long as they're 4-6 inches away from the woofer (for clearance).  The acoustic example you said in that other thread would seem logical, but only if the two subs were in different phases...............maybe i need some more info on that part....

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~WAYLAND

Sounds like you have your woofers and your ports 90 degrees out of phase physically and your loss of SPL is due to phase alignment issues.  They are certainly cancelling each other and you are losing some of the SPL being generated by your fairly extreme setup.  Do you have an SPL meter?  Does your amp have a phase control?  Can you mount a reflection baffle above the woofers that will re-direct the sound rearward to introduce a time delay?  You might be able to correct some of the effect with enough time and manipulation.... but most likely, and most easily, a rebuild is in order if you really want max SPL out of this system.  Sorry!

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hmmm.........i think i'll try just replacing the sides with new MDF, or just covering them with some silicone and a fresh piece of MDF, and cutting new ports next to the woofer........but that'll have to wait for another weekend..................   THANKS!

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~WAYLAND

wayland1985 wrote:

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After 2 weeks of initial break-in, I've turned up the gain a bit, and cranked up the bass-boost. 

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wayland1985 wrote:

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The gains and bass boost are all set properly.......i spent hours taking care of that, once for initial break in, and a second time for a secondary break in period.

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They arn't set properly if they are cranked up (especially the bass boost).

Customsuburb.......

I was just using the term "cranked up" loosely as a figure of speech....   As it sits right now, it's probably no more than half power, if that, BUT I gave them a 5 minute run at about 3/4 to full bass boost, just to see if they crank...........and by looking at them, they're really hitting at that level, just not giving me the sound to prove it.  That's why I started this thread, because you'd think 1800 watts (RMS) of woofer power would really shake things...............and it does rattle the hell out of the truck, just not like I expect them too (I've seen a pair of fosgates in a sealed box with half the power do more damage than my two audiobahns.....and if DYON is right (which he probably is) then my box it the blame).

As for the alternator thing, that's first on my list of things to do (well second now, since i need to rebuild that damn box).  I probably will also go with a pair of caps, just to try and keep my amps with a steady flow of current.   I've seen amps fry because the volts were jumping from 10-14 between hits.  A cap is just an added piece of security for me,  since i knowthat should the amps need that jolt of juice, they'll get it faster than that alternator can supply the battery...

Now, hopefully this reply makes it.......cuz i think i'm going over my post limit within the hour...........

Again, thanks for ur concern custom......it's greatly appreciated..............and sorry for the confusion

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~WAYLAND

Sorry about the confusion wayland.

No problem.....  I just wanted to let you guys know we (the person who's working on this and I)  arent' complete idiots..... 

Now,
Since I MAY be facing a new box redesign, let me make sure I'm getting everything right this time.......  HERE IS WHAT AUDIOBAHN GIVES YOU FOR DIMENSIONS FOR A "EVERYDAY PERFORMER PORTED BOX"

Air Space (Cu. Ft.) -------2.3

Port Size (Inches) -------4 x 7.25

Port Vel. (%) ------------19.6

-3dB (Hz)----------------32.5

Tune Freq. (Hz)-------38

Sub Disp. (Cu. Ft.)---0.25

Port Disp.(Cu. Ft.)---0.046

Total Vol. (Cu. Ft.)--2.5

NOW, WHAT THE HECK DOES PORT VEL. STAND FOR?    AND WILL STRAIGHT UP PVC DO GOOD ENOUGH?

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~WAYLAND