Jump to content

I Need To Take Apart A Subwoofer...


Crow47

Recommended Posts

i have seen some subs fail from high temperatures because of a melted/burned voice coil, which would give a bad reading. however in your situation like waco said since it still plays i doubt a bad coil would be the case. when a voice coil breaks down and the resistance is changed, the amplifier itself can actually be hurt if it doesn't have a self-protect mechanism which shuts itself down when something like that happens. this would cause the power to cycle on and off.

 

either way, replace it :)

 

just a fun idea:

 

custom make yourself a box for a larger sub and the internals from the current sub box. find a larger sub (like 10" or 12") with a similar wattage to that of the stock one, and use that in the custom box you made. bigger sub = lower bass response :)

Edited by airman

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

  • Replies 25
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

custom make yourself a box for a larger sub and the internals from the current sub box. find a larger sub (like 10" or 12") with a similar wattage to that of the stock one, and use that in the custom box you made. bigger sub = lower bass response :)

I hesitate to generalize like this...but yes. Bigger sub + bigger box generally = better bass.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

the only way to find out is to look at it...2 wires going to it generally means single voice coil.

 

Yeah, there's only two wires. I remember reading that it is 8 ohm, and I know it's 188 watt rms.

 

Ok, so it looks like I need to buy a sub. Anybody know where I should buy one, and for that matter, what I should get? I'm kinda clueless in this part... :unsure:

 

*edit* I'm not sure but what about this?

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107DB840/Polk...ofer&tp=111

Edited by Crow47

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Awesome, thanks for showing me that. This may be a stupid question, but that's gonna put out a lot of bass right? I want the house-shaking bass back that this system used to have :D I noticed there are only two cables going into the current woofer, so that will work with the one you showed me, Waco? I can take a picture to show you what I mean if you don't know.

 

The price is definitely right on that one, hopefully I can order it soon.

 

Any other woofers I may want to look at before I make my final decision?

Edited by Crow47

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Personally I wouldn't buy from crutchfield, they are overpriced. You can browse around for something that looks OK just buy it elsewhere for cheaper.

 

This one looks nice for the price:

http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseac...Product_ID=3775

 

With a DVC(dual voice coil) sub you are going to have 4 terminals(2 positive and 2 negative), you need to wire it to get the resistance to 8ohms. So you have to add short lengths of wire to jump to the other voice coil. Basically you have the positive wire to the positive on 1 voice coil, then on that voice coil's negative you add a wire that goes to the other voice coil's positive, then you have that voice coil's negative going to you existing ground wire/

 

Look here at the "Series" wiring pic. Just pertent that those 2 subs are 1 sub b/c thats basically what you will have, 2 voice coils in 1 sub:

http://customcaraudio101.com/images/series_wiring.gif

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

if you buy the DVC one that waco posted, i would familiarize yourself with how to wire it up in series so that you achieve an 8 ohm load.

 

 

edit: just like speed posted :P forgot to refresh before posting.

Edited by airman

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

For series...just connect one coils positive to the other's negative. Then connect the remaining terminals to the wires from the amp (there'll be one positive on one coil, and one negative on the other).

 

:)

 

As a tertiary point...resistance != impedance. :P

 

PS @ Waco: Bigger is not always better...which, of course, depends on your definition of better. Yes, more bass extension into lower frequencies. But, you still have to match it to the amplifier, tune the enclosure (by porting or modifying an attached passive subwoofer's weighting). Personally, I'd go for a uniform SPL response. If MOAR BASS is your goal, well, go bigger!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Personally I wouldn't buy from crutchfield, they are overpriced. You can browse around for something that looks OK just buy it elsewhere for cheaper.

 

This one looks nice for the price:

http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseac...Product_ID=3775

 

With a DVC(dual voice coil) sub you are going to have 4 terminals(2 positive and 2 negative), you need to wire it to get the resistance to 8ohms. So you have to add short lengths of wire to jump to the other voice coil. Basically you have the positive wire to the positive on 1 voice coil, then on that voice coil's negative you add a wire that goes to the other voice coil's positive, then you have that voice coil's negative going to you existing ground wire/

 

Look here at the "Series" wiring pic. Just pertent that those 2 subs are 1 sub b/c thats basically what you will have, 2 voice coils in 1 sub:

http://customcaraudio101.com/images/series_wiring.gif

The only thing that worries me about that driver is the mounting lip, it looks pretty large and may not actually fit in his box.

 

Good explanation for series though! :D

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

All I care is that the woofer provides bass that is as good as what it was before. Will either of the woofers that Speed and Waco posted provide pretty decent bass?

 

Also, I noticed that both of those woofers are above 188 watts. Is this going to be a problem? The original woofer was 188 watts. Will the new woofer then just not run at full capacity?

 

I'm willing to spend up to $100 on a new woofer here, so I'd like to get the best I could in that price range.

 

Thanks for the help so far! I'm really excited! :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well what is the watt output from the amp? You normally want to get a little higher rated sub so it doesnt have a chance of blowing when turned all the way up. But you dont want to get too large so that its not effectively stimulating the sub(lol).

 

If your using the same box you can paint the inside of it with high gloss spray paint and put some sort of rope caulk or RTV/sealant around the rim of the sub mounting circle to make it well sealed, all little things help

Edited by SpeedEuphoria

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

PC Mag seems to think that it is a 188 watt amp, though to me it seems like it'd be at least 400 watts (to power the other speakers). From the PC Mag review: "The subwoofer's oversize cabinet, 8-inch driver, and 188-watt amplifier are some of the largest we've ever seen in a computer speaker".

 

The lip is of no concern, because I don't believe I will be able to reuse the grill that was on there before. I don't really care either way.

 

Should I get the RE sub that waco suggested or the one that speed suggested? Any others I should consider?

 

I noticed the one that speed suggested is normally 150 bucks, would it be safe to assume that's pretty good then?

Edited by Crow47

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...