One of my subs stopped working completely, and the other one still works. There is nothing coming from the sub at all. I checked the fuses on the sub box, they are OK. I made sure everything was plugged in. Recently I have changed front speakers and unplugged my cd player, but my cd player is plugged in fine now. I don't know when it stopped working. It might have stopped before I did any of that. What should I check next? I don't know much about how they are hooked up. thanks

 

sorry I figured out it is blown

 

what kind of subs are your running?

 

they were lightning audio.. they suck, they both got blown. That one completely went.

 

So why did they blow?

What model Lightning sub?

What is the make and model of the amp that was driving them?

What kind of box were they in, sealed or vented, [if vented what kind?] custom/generic, [if custom who made it?] what is the gross box volume?

What kind of wiring is run to the amp, [gauge] how long is the amps ground and where is it grounded?

What type and size of fuse is on the amps power lead?

What kind of music do you listen to, and how loud do you like to listen to it?

If any one of the above is "wrong" or a combination of the above is "wrong" it could have caused the subs to blow, much more likely then, [they suck, they both got blown].
Lightning Audio makes "entry level" equipment, closer to "OK" then "crap".

In a well constructed proper box, driven by the right amp, that is wired properly and both installed properly, and used properly, they should have lasted for years, how long have you had them? 94

 

Oh, I am new to all this. Thanks for the help. The subs are lightning audio and they say the fast and the furious on them lol. They say 500 watts on them and are 10" .I think that is peak? The amp is lightning audio too; it is model b2.250.1. It is 250 watts peak power. I had them for two years, but one blew after like a year. I had them installed by a car audio shop. They told me that is the amp I needed for them, but I think the amp was too little watts? The box is sealed. I'm not sure where it is grounded, I'll check. Where is it usually grounded? I think the wire is 8 gauge. There are two 32 fuses on the amp. Are there other fuses somewhere else I should look for? I listened to music real loud at first, so maybe that is why the first one blew, but after that, I was a lot more careful, so I don't know why the other one got blown. I bought them for cheap, and only have heard negative things about them.
Thanks for the input, I would really appreciate any help because I plan on buying new subs, and I don't want this to happen again.
I am looking into buying rockford subs. Would you recommend them? I found a website where they aren't too expensive. Specifically, I am considering Rockford Fosgate Punch P2D210 or Rockford Fosgate Punch P212S4. I listen to a lot of rap/hip hop. I am looking for a good thump, but I don't want something extremely loud. Do 12s give alot more thump? I would like to hear the subs at a comfortable level. I want to get something with more thump at a lower volume than the lightning subs. What kind of amp would you recommend? I think that the watt of the amp should be close to the sub(?), but is that the watt at 2 ohm, 4 ohm or bridged? At what power level do I need to change the wiring?
Thanks!

 

there are so many options that you have when it comes to car audio. how much are you looking to spend? Also, join caraudio.com and look me up. my sn is also MSW Danny. I'll help you out more there and I know a lot of people in the car industry so I can get you good prices on equipment.

 

Need a model number of the subs, your amp is 1x750W max, or 150W RMS into 4 ohms and 1x250W into 2 ohms, if your subs are 500W peak they will be around 250W continuous, [RMS] even if wired for a 2 ohm load the amp only has about 50% of the power needed to drive the subs properly, but without a model number, [subs] I can't be sure.
It is very important that system components "match", under-powering speakers is a sure way to burn up the VCs, it's not the under-powering, it's driving an underpowered amp into constant clipping that damages the speaker, this is true for any speaker. 94

 

the sub is ff.10.4
I would like to spend around $350. I don't know if that's a reasonable price range. I want to get a good thump without having to turn up the stereo real loud, but I don't want so much bass that I can't hear the music. Do you have any suggestions about what sub size, wattage, and number of subs would be good for that?
Would two of these subs Rockford Fosgate P2D410 10" work with this amp
Rockford Fosgate P5002 Punch 2-Channel Amplifier ?
Thanks

 

Actually that sub, [two of them] and that amp is a good combination, the subs, R/F P2D410 are a DVC 4 ohm 250W continuous speaker, the amp, R/F P5002 is a, [when bridged into mono] 1x500W RMS into 4 ohms.
You would have 500W RMS to drive subs that can handle 500W continuously.

You would wire the VCs of each sub in series for an 8 ohm load, then wire the subs in parallel to bring it back to a 4 ohm load, the amp makes 500W RMS into a 4 ohm load.

Keep in mind, for good sub bass SQ the subs need to be installed in a well constructed proper sized box.

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com...tatus=


Recommended enclosures are here... http://www.rockfordfosgate.com...06356 94

 

It recommends an 8 gauge wiring kit, do you think that is the right one for the wattage?

 

If you mount the amp under the pass. seat 8ga should be fine, if it's going in the rear of car run a 4ga, either way use an ANL fuse and holder, not the POS glass fuse, [AGU], solder all ring terminals to the power and ground cables, use same gauge, [or bigger] ground cable, keep the ground as short as possible, and ground to floor pan of car.

Also, at the very least, add a batt. to chassis ground the same gauge as your power cable. 94

 

Is this an Ok wiring kit http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...&rd=1, if I buy the ANL fuse and holder?
I don't know if brand matters? Some kits are really expensive.
Thanks so much for your help!

 

For $40 you could probably do better at a local shop buying just what you need, brand does not matter, if you have a welding supply shop in town go buy 4ga welding cable, it comes in black, but is probably better then anything you can find for "car audio" cable, what you need is OFC, [oxygen free copper] wire, and the more thin strands the of wire used in the cable the better.

For a fuse holder, again brand really makes no diff. stay away from any "fancy" ANL fuse holders, anything with set screws, all you need is one like this... http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Rockfo...sting, it's 2 bolts through a piece of acrylic, us anything that has bolts and/or nut that hold both the fuse and the power cable terminal. [ring] to each other.

Get the fuse holder and fuse first then find 4ga ring terminals the fits the bolt, [stud size] also find a 4ga ring terminal that fits the batt. terminal bolt, and a 4ga ring terminal that fits your ground point, seat or seat belt bolts work well or any bolt/stud that goes into the floor pan of the car, you need the ring terminals to be just big enough to fit the bolt or stud, you will also need terminals , [if used] that fit the amps power and ground.

Forget about the "gold" terminals, find a PICO dealer and buy brazed seam terminals... http://www.picocanada.com/catalogue/4005-4713.asp then solder them to the cable.
I would be willing to bet you do not need a 25' RCA cable, you don't need any split loom to protect the welding cable, unlike "car audio" cable, the welding cable jacket is almost indestructible, if you want some, go to your pimp my ride shop and get some red split loom for the power lead in the engine bay. 94

 

I finally hooked everything up today. Now I am not sure how to set the gain and frequency controls on the amp. Do you know around where they should be? I have an eclipse cd4000 head unit.

 

Start by setting the LP crossover someplace between 80 and 100 Hz, if your HU has a sub "volume" turn it up all the way, turn off any loudness and EQ controls and set bass and treble control to "flat", [in the center] now play your favorite tune(s) turn HU volume up, [no more the 75%] and adjust amp gain until the subs output is the loudest you would be happy with.

You may have to play with the x-over point until you get the sound you want, and if the HU has sub phase control try it both in and out of phase, you can do the same by switching the wires to the sub box. 94

 

Thanks again for your help! I set up everything to what you said, and was listening to the subs, and I found out one is blown. I contacted Rockford, and they said they would replace it. I don't know what I could have done wrong for that to happen, or whether it could have been a bad sub(or one that someone returned and was sent to me). All of the connections were good, and I didn't turn up the bass boost. I didn't turn up the volume that loud, and I didn't play them for that long until I noticed. I used 4 gauge wire for grounds and power, and 12 gauge speaker wire. Is there anything else I should check, or do you have any ideas? I don't want this to happen when I get the replacement. Also, I thought I heard a faint sound coming from my cd deck, like an electrical noise. Could that be related?

 

Because only one of the subs is not working, it is more then likely that you have a defective sub, as opposed to you having done anything wrong. 94