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How Much Should A Sub "Move"

2K views 19 replies 10 participants last post by  HighOn20s 
#1 ·
im just wondering how much a sub should move in regards to the amount of bass. i have two 10 inch rockford fosgates with a digital rf amp...a buddy of mine just got a single 10 inch kicker with a polk audio amp and his actually has more bass than mine when turned up, i was wondering what my gain should be at because i have the sub set to 10/15 on my deck and it just does not seem very loud. also i have watched his while it is on and it moves up and down about an inch while mine barely move 1/8th of an inch, could my gain be too low? or could it be something else isnt turned up? what should my gain be at? :dunno:

thanks
-Bubba
 
#2 ·
I'm not stereo tech by any means. So not much help here, but I will say this. I have 2 P3s and 2400watt RF amp. RF subs are power hungry, mine hit hard, but they take some juice. They'll jump out and hit the back of the seat no prob, much more than an 1/8".

I actually leave my amp turned up pretty high. And then adjust the bass thru the head unit depending on what type of music I am listening to.
 
#3 ·
it also depends alot on your bow i tuned mine for really low base so it ear deffining but i got my 1600 wat amp turned all the way up and run my stereo at about 5 for base andyea it hits hard:nod:
 
#4 ·
It may be your headunit and the output that it puts out. A line driver may help your situation.
 
#6 ·
Each sub has a different Xmax which is the maximum it will move in and out. If you were comparing identical subs then it would be easy... yours should move as much as his. The Xmax is dependent on the surround and how far it lets the cone move in and out.
 
#7 ·
A line driver piggybacks onto the rca cables that go from the headunit to the amp. It boosts the signal which makes your amp push more power to the subs. Just be careful because it can overwork your amp and blow your subs.
 
#9 ·
they should probably be moving more than that. you might just have your amp turned down really low. there is generally some settings that you can adjust on one end of the amp. generally when you first get them they are turned all the way down. check that out, and it could make a pretty big difference.
 
#10 ·
ok, so i turned the gain all the way up on my amp tonight and it does hit much harder, definitely moves in and out a lot more, i actually turned it back down because my deck was at 0 and the subs were hitting harder than before when it was at 10 lol, so ill mess with it and see what i like, thanks for all the help!

my deck is an alpine dvd receiver, dont remember the actual part number but it was discontinued.
 
#12 ·
ya, now i just need to dial it in so i can still adjust the sub from the deck, when it is on zero and volume at 10 it has more sub bass than before when it was at 10 and 18, so i think i will tune it down a little so that when it is at 0 there is very little sub but still noticeable, but that just takes time small tune adjustments.

thanks for all of the info and help!
 
#13 ·
Here is a good site that you can use to properly set your gains. Input the required info and follow the instructions. You will need a DMM and a 50hz test tone (there is a link to one on the site).

Gain Adjustment


Also, what MPTonyT said about Xmax is correct...it is the distance that a speaker can move linearly in one direction from rest. Different speakers have different Xmax and should be listed in the enclosed documents of the sub.
 
#14 ·
Whats the RMS of the Subs and whats the max wattage of the amp per channel?

For instants Mine are 400 RMS and I have a 800/1 Amp so I run 400 per sub and run my gain at 3/4 and control the rest from my head unit.
 
#15 ·
^^^^ya mine are the same and i do the same as you, except mine is more up 2/3 because when any higher it gets crazy lol

thanks for the help
 
#16 ·
actually they are 600 each max so i think my amp is 1200 digital
 
#17 ·
If the sub max is 600 then your RMS should be about 400, you don't want to push the subs to there max, easy way to melt your coils.
 
#18 ·
It also depends alot on the type of box the sub is in. It will move alot farther in a sealed box. When a sub is in a ported box it will move alot less while it is playing close to its tuning frequency. It will also be alot louder than the sealed box even though the sub isnt moving much. :thumb:
 
#19 ·
ya a friend of mine has a 10 inch in a single ported box and it can sometimes seem louder than my two 10s in sealed boxes, but he also has his amp turned alllll the way up and has the volume on the stereo all the way up, crazy, of course he has already blown one sub
 
#20 ·
I guess everyone's taste differ... I don't like the sound of a ported box, to me a closed box gives the bass more of a punch feel to it.
 
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