Breaking in a sub

Big C · October 14th, 2009, 04:19 PM

Is it necessary because i just blew my last one. it was a polk db 12" 360 watts rms. i was pushing about 300 rms and one day it just died. should i have broken it in or do you think it was just faulty?

Thanks

03SuperchargedGT · October 14th, 2009, 05:35 PM

you were running the proper rms, som im going to guess it was either faulty or old. When i boughtmy subs i used them very carefully for about the first week or so then turned it up, its been about 2 years now and still good to go. 2 alpine 10" type R's. They are 500watt RMS each and ive been running 1000Watt RMS to both for 2 years

Big C · October 14th, 2009, 06:02 PM

i bought it new a month ago, im returning it. thanks for the info

vita · October 14th, 2009, 06:06 PM

make sure your wiring it correctly for the ohm load.

wraitherx · October 14th, 2009, 06:20 PM

and yes you should break it in. you should play it at about moderate level for at the very least 30 hours (not continuous), about 2 weeks worth. This is what I was taught by several company representitives. breaking in allows the spider, which is a part of the speaker that helps maintain linear movement of the voice coil, to maintain control over the entire cone movement.

Big C · October 14th, 2009, 07:26 PM

^^^will do

Molitor · October 15th, 2009, 07:19 AM

+1 on the two weeks, if you have ever smelt a funny smell with a new sub, that is the voice coil breaking in, my 2 12'' W3's stunk up my car like a mofo, which is normal, you can set your bass levels down a bit just to be safe too

spoulson · October 15th, 2009, 09:46 AM

Hmm, never heard of breaking in a sub, but I'm no industry expert. What can blow a sub is distortion, not overpowering. Speakers don't like clipped sound waves and can cause overheating of the coils. Make sure the ohm rating is what the amp can handle so you're not overworking the amp.

Are the 2 subs in series or parallel? Are they 4ohm rated?

03SonicBoom · October 15th, 2009, 10:07 AM

Originally Posted by wraitherlx

and yes you should break it in. you should play it at about moderate level for at the very least 30 hours (not continuous), about 2 weeks worth. This is what I was taught by several company representitives. breaking in allows the spider, which is a part of the speaker that helps maintain linear movement of the voice coil, to maintain control over the entire cone movement.

I used to design speakers and they should always be broken in first. They have T/S parameters for each speaker but those aren't the T/S parameters when it's sent. Those are the T/S parameters once the surround, voice coil, and spider have been broken in.

From the factory, the spider and surround are very stiff. I'm not talking a little stiff....VERY stiff. If you blast them immediately, you stand a good chance of lifting one of the two (spider is most likely).

The glue that holds the VC wires in place is cured by heat. From the factory, it's not 100% cured. As you play the speaker, the wires heat up. This causes the glue to continue to cure and smells.

If you don't break in your speakers (especiallly subs b/c of the travel), you can easily break them (even if you're under the recommened power). If they don't break, the T/S parameters won't be what they're expected to be.

04stang123456789 · October 15th, 2009, 10:52 PM

Originally Posted by Molitor

+1 on the two weeks, if you have ever smelt a funny smell with a new sub, that is the voice coil breaking in, my 2 12'' W3's stunk up my car like a mofo, which is normal, you can set your bass levels down a bit just to be safe too

I always thought that if you could smell the sub, it was getting burnt and the power should be turned down so it does not blow the coil?

wraitherx · October 16th, 2009, 01:27 AM

there is a big difference between a "burning" and a "breaking in" smell

mxnate116 · October 16th, 2009, 02:30 AM

Originally Posted by wraitherlx

there is a big difference between a "burning" and a "breaking in" smell

+1 you should be able to tell the difference

Molitor · October 16th, 2009, 02:44 AM

Originally Posted by mxnate116

+1 you should be able to tell the difference

yup, very differnt, Ive smelt both and I think you'll know when/if you sell one burning up

Big C · October 16th, 2009, 02:19 PM

yeah i think i burned mine. i dropped it in and ran the hell out of it from day one. 2 weeks later right before a 6 hour trip it dies completely. the fumes from the trunk were strong too.

wraitherx · October 16th, 2009, 03:25 PM

that is "burning"

Big C · October 17th, 2009, 03:34 PM

all right i just bought a sony xplod 12 inch 380 rms 1300 max. i got the amp set to half power. i wish the two weeks would go by sooner lol

October 14th, 2009, 04:19 PM	#1
Big C Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 526 iTrader: 0 reviews	Breaking in a sub Is it necessary because i just blew my last one. it was a polk db 12" 360 watts rms. i was pushing about 300 rms and one day it just died. should i have broken it in or do you think it was just faulty? Thanks

October 14th, 2009, 05:35 PM	#2
03SuperchargedGT Enthusiast 2008 Cadillac CTS4 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Vancouver,BC Posts: 720 iTrader: 0 reviews	you were running the proper rms, som im going to guess it was either faulty or old. When i boughtmy subs i used them very carefully for about the first week or so then turned it up, its been about 2 years now and still good to go. 2 alpine 10" type R's. They are 500watt RMS each and ive been running 1000Watt RMS to both for 2 years __________________ 2003 Mustang GT See Garage for mod list....360RWHP,360RWTQ....SOLD 2008 Cadillac CTS4

October 14th, 2009, 06:20 PM	#5
wraitherx Moderator '99 SVT Cobra Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 9,567 iTrader: 11 reviews	and yes you should break it in. you should play it at about moderate level for at the very least 30 hours (not continuous), about 2 weeks worth. This is what I was taught by several company representitives. breaking in allows the spider, which is a part of the speaker that helps maintain linear movement of the voice coil, to maintain control over the entire cone movement. __________________ BUILD 2 IN PROGRESS

October 15th, 2009, 07:19 AM	#7
Molitor Enthusiast 2004 Mustang Mach 1 1994 Dodge Ram 5.9L 4WD 1976 Monte Carlo Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Winona, Minnesota Posts: 805 Blog Entries: 1 iTrader: 0 reviews	+1 on the two weeks, if you have ever smelt a funny smell with a new sub, that is the voice coil breaking in, my 2 12'' W3's stunk up my car like a mofo, which is normal, you can set your bass levels down a bit just to be safe too __________________ Military Crew MM Sapper Squad Zombie Killing Club Member #4 Black Stang Crew Member #5

October 15th, 2009, 09:46 AM	#8
spoulson Newbie 1990 Mustang LX 5.0 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Middletown, DE Posts: 48 iTrader: 0 reviews	Hmm, never heard of breaking in a sub, but I'm no industry expert. What can blow a sub is distortion, not overpowering. Speakers don't like clipped sound waves and can cause overheating of the coils. Make sure the ohm rating is what the amp can handle so you're not overworking the amp. Are the 2 subs in series or parallel? Are they 4ohm rated? __________________ 1990 Mustang LX 5.0, Edelbrock heads w/ rr, TF intake, AFM power pipe, AFM N-4, 30# inj, MAC headers/catback, AL driveshaft, 3.55 gears

October 14th, 2009, 06:02 PM	#3
Big C Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 526 iTrader: 0 reviews	i bought it new a month ago, im returning it. thanks for the info

October 14th, 2009, 07:26 PM	#6
Big C Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 526 iTrader: 0 reviews	^^^will do

October 16th, 2009, 01:27 AM	#11
wraitherx Moderator '99 SVT Cobra Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 9,567 iTrader: 11 reviews	there is a big difference between a "burning" and a "breaking in" smell __________________ BUILD 2 IN PROGRESS

October 16th, 2009, 02:19 PM	#14
Big C Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 526 iTrader: 0 reviews	yeah i think i burned mine. i dropped it in and ran the hell out of it from day one. 2 weeks later right before a 6 hour trip it dies completely. the fumes from the trunk were strong too.

October 16th, 2009, 03:25 PM	#15
wraitherx Moderator '99 SVT Cobra Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 9,567 iTrader: 11 reviews	that is "burning" __________________ BUILD 2 IN PROGRESS

October 17th, 2009, 03:34 PM	#16
Big C Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 526 iTrader: 0 reviews	all right i just bought a sony xplod 12 inch 380 rms 1300 max. i got the amp set to half power. i wish the two weeks would go by sooner lol

Remove Advertisements Sponsored Links
Forums at Modded Mustangs Advertisement Advertisement

Threads Similar to: Breaking in a sub
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
belt breaking	crappy_head	99-04	12	November 29th, 2008 04:30 AM
Breaking Benjamin.	Dansby	The Clubhouse	9	May 29th, 2008 04:28 PM
Breaking Out!	Dansby	The Clubhouse	5	March 2nd, 2008 04:53 AM
Breaking Up	07gtmustang	The Clubhouse	41	December 9th, 2007 11:34 AM
Under Breaking...	jessy_is_rad	V6 Mustangs	4	October 10th, 2006 12:31 AM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:05 AM.
Contact Us - Modded Mustangs - Privacy Statement - Top
Modded Mustangs is ©2005-2008, All Rights Reserved, And is Not Affiliated with Ford Motor Company. Forum is powered by vBulletin ©2000 - 2012, Jelsoft Ent. Ltd. & SEO by vBSEO 3.3.2 ©2009, Crawlability, Inc.