Homemade Sub Filters

i have 2 10" Black Magic Subs which i run from a Sony 4 Channel amp. the low pass filter on my amp sucks. it pumps bass around the 60hz region. the bass roars and lacks that 'hit you in the chest' kinda punch. i have heard from friends that adding a capacitor on the + lead to the subs will reduce the roar and possibly add more 'punch' to the bass. will it work? and what Farad should the capacitors be? Some advise could really help.

djray_89 wrote: i have 2 10" Black Magic Subs which i run from a Sony 4 Channel amp. the low pass filter on my amp sucks. it pumps bass around the 60hz region. the bass roars and lacks that 'hit you in the chest' kinda punch. i have heard from friends that adding a capacitor on the + lead to the subs will reduce the roar and possibly add more 'punch' to the bass. will it work? and what Farad should the capacitors be? Some advise could really help.

Sounds to me that you either have a bass boost set to on, or your crossover is set too low, or your speakers in whatever enclosure you have is simply not properly designed for the vehicle it is in.  No, capacitors in line with the sub (which would create a high-pass filter) is not going to help your situation.

Post more info, like what model is the amp?  How is it set up?  What kind of enclosure are you using?  What are the enclosure specs?  What vehicle?  Who makes "Black Magic" subs?

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im using a Sony XM-5540F 4/3/2 channel amp.it has a 30 amp fuse rating.i wire the 2 subs in stereo and not mono because the subs will peak in mono(the subs have a peak rating of 300watts). i use the remaining 2 channels on the amp to power my door speakers. the amp has 3 filter settings(off/hp/lp). and there are 2 gain controls for the amp. one is for channel a and b. the other one is for channel c and d. the low pass filter is not adjustable. it has a standard setting. the only way i think i can filter the bass is through the RCA inputs via maybe, a pre-amp. what should i do to bring the bass up to a more "punch" level? the subs are in vented box enclosures. im driving a Ford Laser Lynx (year 2001 model). my subs are manufactured by Black Magic Industries. its an American made sub. i think the company vanished from the streets a couple of years ago. have you heard of it before?

No sorry, I've not heard of "Black Magic" subwoofers.  No worries, I'm assuming part of the reason your tuning seems off is the port tuning of the enclosure.  It may be too high or too low for your taste.  Try facing the enclosure different directions and see if this makes any difference.  You can also try blocking the port to see how it sounds.  As far as your amp, again I am not familiar with that model as it is not available in the US.   What is the impedance rating (ohms) of the subs?  Channels 3 and 4 on that amp should be 4-ohm stable if you can wire your subs for a total 4-ohm load.  This would be best in general.  Activate the LP filter for the sub channels, and set the gain to match your head unit output, and this is probably the best you can do with this gear.  Cheers!Support the12volt.com

I doubt that the amp you are using is ever going to give your subs enough power to give you that punch feeling. Sounds to me like you need to invest in a new amp (mono). I think you will be much happier.