Mcintosh sub problem

[Tomei]

Hi guys,
Just wondering if any one has had an issue with the sub not working with the 13 speaker mcintosh setup?
I got the car and the previous owner had a sub and amp installed (running off the factory amp) and one day it just stopped working. I removed the sub and extra amp and tested them and they were all good, re installed the factory sub and with the bass at + 5 I still can't hear the sub at all. I guess from what I can see on the amps wiring diagram that its going to be a problem with the sub channel of the amp as all the speakers are working fine. Also the sub wires where they come back the the amp go through a relay base( has nothing in it) does it need something there? I'm thinking not as it worked before with out anything.
I saw a second hand amp on fleabay and thought I'd try that but I don't want to waste my hard earned on they if its not going to fix the problem.

Any ideas would be much appreciated


Thanks guys

[Bono454]

Heyaz, although this dude didn't get a reply 2yrs ago, thought I'd try

Just bought my MY04 GT Premium and noticed the sub is not working at all. Any ideas what can cause this or where to start checking?

Have done searches here & plenty of info about the common problem of them crackling / splitting, plus some cool aftermarket replacement units, but any thoughts if it's just not firing at all? (All the connections seem solid at speaker & amp end).

Cheers heaps, Deano

[Jup]

I'm going to do my usual trick and ask all the obvious questions....

Have you checked to make sure the music you're playing actually has bass deep enough to be sent to a sub?
A lot of music doesn't actually get past a low-pass filter (if one is in use, which it should).

You've checked the connections at either end, but have you run a multimeter from "+ to +" and "- to -" to check if the wire is broken somewhere in the middle?

Have you played music (assuming the first two questions are resolved) at a reasonable volume, and used a multimeter to check across the "+ to -" terminals for current?

[Surge]

Also if you can, visually check the sub from the boot.

[Bono454]

Thanks for the quick bounceback Jup!

Wow - So this the part where I firmly put on my 'tard cap and go sit in noob corner.

Went out multi-meter in hand to check where I could measure across the terminals, played with connectors, gave the cone a nudge to feel for movement... and bugger me if it wasn't completely split all the way around! Never seen 360 degree split before, so wasn't looking for it.

So doesn't really matter at the moment if anything going to the (completely fisted) sub at the moment. Will see if any on here still in one piece, else look for the cheapest aftermarket solution I can find.

Out of curiosity though, when you said "run a multimeter from "+ to +" and "- to -" to check if the wire is broken", between where did you mean? I was going to try between speaker terminals & plug, but I guess the next point is the plug to the amp?

Cheers again. I'll look better next time before posting...

[Bono454]

Also if you can, visually check the sub from the boot.

Ahem.. sure...


As a side note, this reference thread was excellent: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=31076

Also gave a report that using this $46 sucker is fine with the standard amp: http://www.soundlabsgroup.com.au/p/V-90 ... 00+-+4+Ohm Will find out soon enough!

[Jup]

Mate, I'm glad to see the problem was so easily found - I hope that's all it is!

Check the cable from + to + and - to - by disconnecting the cable at both ends, then checking that there is continuity (IE the cable is not broken) for both of the wires. If they're both the same colour, then one will have a stripe running along the insulation. If the cable ends in a plug of some sort, then check in - in and out - out (or pin - pin and ring - ring).

It might not hurt to do those checks anyway just to be sure. It'd be awful to buy a new sub, drop it in, then have it still not work!

[Bono454]

Just closing this off with positive result: I got the Visatron woofer through soundlabs and it works brilliantly.

The dude explained (quite logically) that the reason the old one was not even trying to work is coz the coil just got flogged out through too much movement as there was no resistance (cone broken all way round long ago). Is why seemed totally dead & I started thinking was connection issue. Anyhoo, all good. Cheers for the help!

http://www.soundlabsgroup.com.au/p/V-90 ... 00+-+4+Ohm

[fedaykin]

That is one flogged out loudspeaker.