What's everyone replacing there sub with?

[1sty]

OK well I don't think they are peices of s*** and all I can say is our enclosures were made for that speaker. The size, shape, venting...it all matters. Do what you want but I would be more concerned with getting a driver that will enjoy that space better. Just picking one out of thin air or because someone said they are good is no way to choose. Research, look at the specs THEN choose.

Untrue.
Te box was made to fit a 8" sub and hold an amp upside down. Neither very impressive. A JL 8W3 will be happy in any enclosure from .3-.5 cubic feet. Its hard to screw up with JL subs. Many installers love them because you just can't make them sound bad.

 

[servoeyes]

It's stamped on the back of the Kenwood sub in white letters: 8 Ohm

Stoopid design yes, but if you fab some spacers and a little shelf, you can mount it right side up and prevent overheating running at 4 ohm.

 

[1sty]

Dude...you're on crack, silly old man! j/k The box wasn't made specifically for those speakers...believe me. And if they're not pieces of crap then why are they dying. Honestly, I just pulled apart that enclosure and it's too small for that sub because it's filled to the hilt with polyfill! I don't listen to that sub loud enough to make it distort, and my settings would prevent it from doing so...and it has still blown. The JL is a better match for that size...it will also match the amp's power level better and have better response. Wait until Worcester when I have my new system in...you'll see what I mean about that sub sucking monkey nuts...

Polyfill is not just a sign of a small box. Polyfill is an all but requirement at this point in that it helps remove alot of acoustical issues inside the box. I use it whenever I can as do many installers.

If you want to measure the factory sub box I can tell you how.

 

[1sty]

It's stamped on the back of the Kenwood sub in white letters: 8 Ohm

Stoopid design yes, but if you fab some spacers and a little shelf, you can mount it right side up and prevent overheating running at 4 ohm.

Can you put a Dmm on it and get the true coil impedance.
The problem is being upside down an amp will cook itself. I would move it to the back seat or under the front seat before running a 4 ohm driver, just incase.Although if you ever have a warrenty issue you can just put the factory sub back in.

 

[1sty]

I guess till mine blows I can't share in the feelings you guys have for the sub. I do believe they made the box for the sub. Also are 100's of people blowing subs....or what?

and the box shouldn't have really that much fill in it but some is good.

I have conted about 20 peolples subs blowing.

 

[1sty]

See I'm torn between that one and the 8w0, I wonder how much of a difference between the two and which would be better for our car?

Given the decent output of the kenwood amp, if running a 4 ohm driver I would use the 8W3v2D2. Only if the amp was relocated though. Without doing that I would use the 8W0-8

 

[1sty]

Yeah i was reading that, i noticed that your sub did the same thing mine did. Now i just need to find a place to get one of the w3's, I can't seem to find anyone that has one.

JL has a dealer search on there website at www.jlaudio.com
YOu can not buy a JL sub in warrenty from anyone else but an authorized dealer which include ZERO internet dealers.

 

[1sty]

Yeah thats what i mean the w3v2, that's the one i want. I went to tweeter today and they only said they had the w0 so I don't know. I'm going to go on JL's website and see.

THey can order it for you. It may be a special order and will be a 50% non refundable deposite.

 

[servoeyes]

JL lists the 8W0's recommended power at 75W, but their sweet-spot on the graph is more like 95-100W. I'm pretty sure you can turn the Kenwood's gain down and it'll be fine. Even at the full 120W, it's not into the warranty void zone...hence I will go with the 8w0-4. And it's cheap!

 

[1sty]

ITs in the warrenty void zone the when a mazda tech sees a JL sub in the box and not a kenwood. YOur warrenty is with mazda not kenwood directly.

 

[servoeyes]

No no...I meant the JL sub. I have heard about someone actually going straight to Kenwood with the complaint, though. For me, it doesn't apply since the sub and amp are being mouned in a different box in a different car. However, I guess if a Mazda tech sees that in there, that would be bad. If I was in this situation I would really just change out the sub box...that enclosure really does get in the way. Then you can just slide in the old one if you need to get warranty work. I'll take a pic of my trunk w/o it tonight, if anyone wants to see.

 

[MazdaspeedZOOM]

Given the decent output of the kenwood amp, if running a 4 ohm driver I would use the 8W3v2D2. Only if the amp was relocated though. Without doing that I would use the 8W0-8

So would that make a difference then? Bascially if I am going to get the 8w3v2, if I don't move the amp I'm liable to cook it, why is that? God at that point I might as well pull down the whole enclouse and just get a box made or somthing cause's there's no real point to just use the stock one for a sub only. And thanks for all your replys, it was really great to see all the extremely usefull information.

 

[1sty]

So would that make a difference then? Bascially if I am going to get the 8w3v2, if I don't move the amp I'm liable to cook it, why is that? God at that point I might as well pull down the whole enclouse and just get a box made or somthing cause's there's no real point to just use the stock one for a sub only. And thanks for all your replys, it was really great to see all the extremely usefull information.

Sorry I wasn't around yestureday to give the tread any attention.

I am not a fan of that enclosure at all so i would personaly rip it out, move the amp to under the passanger seat and then put a new sub and box in the trunk.

The stock sub is likely an 8 ohm. This means that if the amp is rated at 120x1 watts rms as 4 ohms then at 8 ohms to the stock sub it only has to produces 60 watts rms. With producing power comes heat and if the amp only needs to produce have the power it will along with that produce MUCH less heat. Now the amp is flipped upside down because someone with mazda is a total retard and needs a square kick in the nuts! Inverting an amp causes it to cook itself with its own heat. The heat sinks of an amp are there for a reason and they disapate heat upward, when the amp is inverted the heat sinks can not disapate any signifacant heat.

 

[MazdaspeedZOOM]

The 8w3v2 says it's a 2,4, or 6 ohm sub. Now bascially me being somewhat of an audio idiot when it comes to the whole ohm thing, if the amp is 4 ohm, how do you wire it to the sub at 4 ohm? I know right now they have it bridged would anything have to be changed on that amp. As far as getting a seperate enclosure, i would probably have to go custom cause I really don't want a big box just sitting there, I do like the fact that I still have all my trunk space with the stock box, so I'll have to consider a custom box then probably later down the road.

 

[1sty]

Subs are resistors measures in ohms. Amps power subs (resitors). The amp is built to hanlde a certain level of resistance. Go lower then that and POOOF no more amp.

The stock MSp amp is capable of being bridged(using both channels as one) to a 4 ohm load.

The 8W3 has three flavors .
1. dual 2 ohms - 8W3v2D2
1. dual 4 ohms - 8W3v2D4
1. dual 5 ohms - 8W3v2D6
These are 3 different subs.

To get a 4 ohm load from a 8W3 you will need to use the W3v2D2
and wire the voice coils in series (lin the + of one coil to the - of the other).

 

[servoeyes]

See...I've been trying to say this the whole time. But I guess unless 1sty says it, no one will listen.

I'll put that sub to the DVM tonight...is there anything else I need to do (put it under load to check resistance?) or do I just drop probe a onto (-) and probe b onto (+) and just go with that?

BTW, I didn't think to relocate the sub underneath the seat, but that's a good idea, though it takes a little more work to install. All those wires are on a harness so you could just put the amp on the back seat, or raise the floor level of the immediate area slightly to accomodate the amp. That way you wouldn't have to rewire stuff. But ya..that enclosure is heavy and really takes up too freakin much space...so if you want to really go all out with this you're best off dropping the whole thing out.

 

[1sty]

Put it on the omega symbol (ohms)

 

[servoeyes]

Sheesh! I did go to engineering school! Gimme some credit! (argh)

And it's spell'd Authoritah...for your reference.

 

[1sty]

I know, Rmiller posted it for me.

 

[II-Savy]

Every speaker has a resonant frequency. Our boxes are tuned for that frequency for our driver. The amount of fill was even put in there on purpose. I would use a driver that was dam close to that number.

Forum Nazis at it again.....