soo hi all, im new.

just finished my first install today of a PA 400.1 to an old 10" pioneer sub that i know little about. when i first plugged it in it didnt seem very loud... so i fiddled it got a little better but not what i was expecting. the amp at 4 ohms should be able to highly overpower this sub. i dont get where the power loss is. the rear stock speakers will over power the noise of the sub. i tried switching polarity, the headunits sub setting is on full.... the amp gain is up...
help!

deck is a sony cdx f7710 (i know i know).

i plan to get into 2 JL 10" subs later... but if this amp cant even do one, im returning it. with 300w @ 2ohms it supposed to be just enough, which is fine because i dont want volume, just a better sounding car.

how big of a deal is box size? i know mines close but probably on the small side...

any help would be great thanx...

 

If your amp is 300@2 ohms then at 4 ohms your only getting 150. Not that much for sub power. With 300 rms i would run 1 jlsub.

 

according to polk the amp should be putting out 200 W RMS at 4 ohms... but i think the amp is lacking in power due to a bad ground... gonna fiddle with it. is 200 enough ya think for a 12" jl w0v2? 2 subs is looking to expensive and space consuming for me anyway.

 

See if your ground is touching the metal wherever it's connected, and not on paint. That might help. I have a P2 and I'm giving it 300amp RMS @ 2ohms and it's not loud either, but whatever it's sitting on the back seat of my truck, just want bass and that does it.

 

ya i have moved onto a 10" JBL now. pulled that sub apart to find the box not properly sealed, i guess it was was losing a lot of air

 

When you make a box if your very new at it do it like me and use about a whole tube of wood caulking for it. IT might not be pretty but it will be sealed to the max and thats the first step to a good box.

Also if its a little bit on the small side you can throw foam or insulation in it to trick the sub into thinking it has more air then it actually does. I did it for my JBL beside the seat of my truck.

 

Despite what the common rule is, even 50Wrms to a sub can get you some good bump. Usually it's box issue if you have very little output. Also try flipping the speaker wires on your amp, (switch the positive and negatives) the sub may be out of phase with your mids which can cause you to lose a good bit of output.

Is it a sealed box?.. any holes or leaks?. or is it a ported box?..

 

Tried the wire flip. The main issue was an improperly sealed box. But I've since then gone with a premade box and have no issues. This 10" jbl now puts out more bass than a lot of duel 10 s I've heard. Consider me satisfied, now for the speakers...