awesome thanks for the info guys, i was freaking out thinking i fried my friends subs

 

the insulation cooking is probably what you smell.
I had a pioneer set that smelled bad for the first few days.
I had a JL set that smelled good for the first few days.
Then i learned that subs need to be broken in slowly.
My kickers didn't smell at all.

I have actually burned voice coils, and that was a different smell than just the insulation cooking.