how vulnerable are subs?

[bismarck]

I have a quick question about damaging subwoofers. I just have it wired straight into the sub port on the back of my reciever. I have the gain set a little below half. The crossover is set at 80Hz and i don't have the bass turned up on the reciever. . With music and some movies the bass gets really loud, i just want to know if i need to worry about turnign it too loud and damaging it. How prone are they to damge, and how do you know if it is too much for the sub to handle.

[DrWho]

You will hear audible distortion long before you will break the sub (assuming you're listening to some bass heavy material and gradually increase the volume).

[bismarck]

I keep my reciever under 0, which i have been adivced to do so i don't cause any clipping. So aslong as I keep it 0 or under, do you think i would ever damage it?

[Speedball]

I doubt it.....like Dr Who said, you would probably hear distortion before damage happens.

Some people say a loud "CLACK" happens but just out of curiosity I've not been able to make mine do that either.

[CAS]

There's absolutely no way to tell by your sttings if you'd ever be able to damage your sub, but if you simply listen for audible distortion then you'll know when to back off.

[Scp53]

IMO, sometimes "backing off" is too late. Many times in movies(and

sometimes music), theres a HUGE dynamic peak in bass that can kill a

sub('small" OR "big" subs that is...) that is set too high. The sub may

be "perfect" for the whole movie/song EXCEPT a TIME or TWO, and then

you could have a problem.

In my case, my 15in is bottomless BUT if it was a "normal" 15in sub, I

know I would have bottomed it by now because of un expected

dynamics,etc.

Now as for clipping the sub, thats not near as serious if its very

brief. I guess clipping is probably a "kinder" way of letting you know

to turn it down. It won't kill a sub outright as much as bottoming can.

So basically, between my spl meter and watching the woofer(and

listening...), I know how far it can go. For

music, I like to keep the sub so it has a good 6dB or more of

head room over the "average" spl of the music. It probably should be

more. For HT, I set it for a LOT more head room depending on the movie.

So leave head room, have your filters(HP) set right on the sub/receiver/etc, be smart, and you shouldnt have a problem.

Just my 2 cents...

scp53

[bismarck]

Is ther anyway of safeguarding. I know you can put inline fuses in the speaker wire, is there anything like that for subs. Then again, maybe iam just paranoid. I just get a little worried when the walls creek all around me durring an explosion. I have never had a HT before so i don't really know what kind of performance to expect from a 650-max watt sub.

[Scp53]

sorry, umm, what model of sub do you have?

[MrMcGoo]

I am running my RSW-15 at +5 db on my preamp with the gain on the sub set at 9:00 AM. My preamp allegedly puts out up to 11 volts on the sub out. I usually run most movies in the -16 to -30 db zone. I have used the sub for several years and have never heard a hint of distress or had any trouble from it.

The RSW series can take quite a bit, but it is always a good idea to stay away from maximum output.

Bill

[bismarck]

I have the synergy sub-12.

[bismarck]

scp You said that you watch the woofer. Having a down firing woofer kinda makes it hard, unless i stick my hand under the subwoofer and feel it or tilt the subwoofer on it side. How much should it move anyway?

[strutter]

biz.....

i have the sub-12 with S-3's set to large, phase is 180, the Denon receiver setting for sub at 0db, gain at 9 o'clock, and normally have the volume at -10 for movies and music.

before adjusting i had the gain at 1 o'clock and phase at 0. i detected no distortion or bottoming even when watching war of the worlds. i think these subs can handle a lot . just get the setup right and i think everything will be OK.