Bradl1982

I have a JL 10w3v3-4 sub, JL XD 600/1 amp and a sealed enclosure made by a forum vendor. I have played with most of the settings and believe I have everything connected and it still just doesn't sound right. I have it connected to the stock nav system using the instructions in the "PAC ADD-GM24 Harness to add an amp (must solder on female RCA's)" thread in the stickies. The subwoofer hits but bass sounds very punchy, not smooth. Not really sure how to describe it. Anyone have any suggestions of something I might have overlooked or not set correctly? I know it's hard to diagnose over the internet but any help is appreciated.

Kale

too much gain.
box big enough?
Crossver setting should be lower.

FBWill

I agree. Check all the settings.
Has the sub gone thru the break-in period yet? Look through the JL doc for the break-in period. My buddies JL had an 80 hour break-in before it hit well.

m R g S r

80 hour? thats crazy!

anyway, the box may be too small giving you that punch instead of a smooth roll

NYC6

Got a pic of your box? I've seen some pics here that are laughable in size. Seems to me that there are "expert" audio companys that dont have a clue how to make sub enclosures properly. Heres a pic of my JL Stealthbox to give you an idea of the approx size of a correct enclosure for the W3. Keep in mind the cubby is also utilized in the boxs volume.

snoopdan

Please never give audio advice again.


..anyways, sounds like the box is too small. Check and see if has any polyfill in it.

Bradl1982

I'll post a pic of my box. I was thinking it could be too small but it seems to be about the same size as the JL one in your picture. I added polyfill to it thinking it might help a bit but it didn't. How much polyfill are you supposed to use? I've adjusted gain from all the way up to damn near all the way down and that didn't help. Also adjusted the high pass filter and that didn't help. What should the filter be set on?

intheclouds1977

A sealed enclosure will always hit hard (punchy). If you want more drawn out, less hard hitting base, you may need a different style box...not just a different sized enclosure.

skyavonee

It's been said several times already but I'll say it again... When I read the thread title I immediately thought to myself, "the enclosure is probably too small". Try completely filling it with polyfill, but not so much that it's tightly packed in there.
~80 Hz is typically a good starting point for the low pass filter.

Kale

Try swapping phase.

fej

I will find the chart I have always gone by with good results, but there is a point of diminishing returns when loading a box with Polyfill. Generally you can plan on adding a max of 15% to the volume that your sub "thinks" it is in. IE if you are in .85, the sub will think it is in .98 give or take when you add poly.

It is not a "more is better" sort of fix, and it will actually work against you when you load too much.

I think it was roughly 1.5lb per cubic foot, but I will try and find the link to the chart that worked it out through trial and error.

G'luck
Fej

PS, I think it has something to do with tuning still as well.

Vette5.5

Welcome to the world of music, as been in home audio for year's, and never been able to integrate a seperate a sub woofer into a music system that didn't alway's some how seem disconnected. Have a smaller family room home theater set up with sub that work's well for the purpose, but no sub's going near the larger living room music system. Good luck on trying, but sound's like you know balanced natural music, and doubt sub's will work for you.

NickJohnson

1 lb. of polyfill per cu. ft. will net a Qtc. equivalent to a 25% increase in airspace. Leave a pocket around the motor assembly.

Is your 30Hz Infrasonic filter set to defeat? Is there enclosure flex on lower frequencies? What direction is the sub facing and is it boundary loaded? Does your amp have a good ground? Is the remote turn-on voltage steady?

If your mids can handle it (go "low" enough to blend well and still retain undistorted high volume output) then lower the crossover point on the sub amp and re-tune to see if it meets your preference.

General troubleshooting:

Check amp settings... still a problem: unplug right rca and listen for a difference (to check for input phase)... nothing still:

Start with voltage (ground, pwr., rem. that is quickly done)
Check sub impedance at the amp (as that is quick too)
Check input: easiest to do by using another input source

The fastest way to troubleshoot your converted factory signal is to grab a buddy with an aftermarket deck and drop (or barrel connect) rca's from his system to your amp input and throw a disc in you know from your car and check for any difference.
GL

0RAAMaudio

Tuning is certainly at issue here, phase, crossover slope, frequency, cabin gain(EQing needed to fixt that sometimes) make sure no bass boost turned on at the amp, etc..........

And, "JL signature sound" has always been a bit to punchy for my taste, why I use different subs and have shipped a few IDs that made the owners happy with their bass, finally.

Rick

Bradl1982

Thanks for the help guys. Turns out I'm just retarded. Put off messing with it for months and looked at it today and all it was was I didn't have the LP filter mode set correctly. I had the slope set at 80Hz which was fine but after getting back there and listening to it there were still vocals coming out the sub. Switched the mode to 12db and it sounds great now. Like a totally different system. Can't believe I put it off for so long.

NYC6

Glad you figured it out.

Homeboy77

Good Job!!