I agree. I've never heard of someone blowing a woofer because it was played hard right out of the box. It's a sub, not a virgin. :)

My understanding is that the voice coil will heat up faster due to the suspension being too stiff in a new woofer because of the cooling through the motor(woofer magnet). So most manufacturers tell you to play at low volumes to give time for the suspension to loosen up to prevent voice coil damage or excessive heat build up. I break mine in because of that reason.

I put mine on a 26hz test tone for 20 minutes at almost full xmax, she was nice and loose after that let me tell ya

I put 5000rms on my subs right out the box.. Had it turned up sky high as soon as it was installed and finished.. Subs only got louder over time I love it

Breaking in any new speaker is a wonderful experience. I could audibly hear the second my front JBL home cinema speakers began to loosen up, it was like pulling out ear protection buds out your ears

I WISH there was a YT channel that would test EVERY popular sub in it's appropriately sized enclosure while measuring the decibels using different Hertz sine waves from the same spot inside the same vehicle. For example, which sub provides more bass at 30 Hz, 40 Hz, and 50 Hz, the Kicker L7S vs comparable subs from Sundown vs EMF vs Skar vs JL Audio vs etc. Whoever does this will become known as the KING KZfaq channel or 'go-to' for all of car audio!! I hope Sonic Electronix considers doing this and being unbiased of course. (I know you guys/gals have done something similar by playing music on different subs in a trunk but there were a lot of popular brands not included and you should've included a few different ((SMD)) meters in the video including one that displayed the decibel output.)

I'm getting one installed tomorrow and I was gonna try realllllllly hard not to crank it to quick but I deff want to Bump down the rd smiling!

thanks for that. I'm going with 4 18 inch sundown in 2001 Chevy tahoe

I've separated a few spiders from the triple joint by playing too low too hard without giving the subs time to loosen up. A looser spider will put less stress on the glue joint and distribute the load more evenly across the spider.

I shredded my spider on day 2 because I hit too many low notes without breaking in my subs. The breaking in thing is crucial. If you smell them too much upon first install you need to tone it down for a week or so and gradually increase from there. Patience is a virtue! Not worth buying a whole nother recone because you jist couldn't wait.

ive always pounded mine from day 1, never an issue.

He's right I bought a new kicker subwoofer, and blew it out the next day. I thought it was my amp, which was brand new along with the speaker. When I took it back to the shop, they looked at the amp and woofer, and saw that the woofer was completely blown. I smelled the woofer, and it smelled just like the burnt smell that was in the trunk. Thankfully, the dealer gave me a new speaker, and told me to break it in first.

Here's something I get asked a lot because I make my own cabinets which sound pretty incredible. They do so at a much lower wattage than what the drivers are rated at as their RMS. Could you do a video defining the power needed to run drivers of various sizes accurately and the importance of headroom? I would really appreciate something I could just link people to instead of having to go through the spiel of explaining it every time.

I blasted it with 50% gain and all the bass boost I could muster with high volume. It started to smell weird, not like burnt but something a new sub would smell like. Still works

Thanks Allen. Lots of myths about this topic. I've just put them in and gone down the road playin tunes. There are those that think there is a science to it like you said, car motors. I call BS and glad you did as well. Peace!

Playing normally depends or not if you ever listen over 75 dB. Whenever i am breaking in a speaker I usually play it pretty hard but not like I'm trying to squeeze every last dB. I usually blast some darius syrossian through it or something

I just picked up a set of skar zvx-8D4s dirt cheap. Guy said he purchased a BRAND new one and paired it with the broken in one. " one sub is tighter than the other. REALLLLY tight" and the broken in one sounds better and doesnt distort as much as the stiff one. IMHO break em in grt it done and over with.

A broken-in subwoofer will also have a lower Fs value than a new one.

I thought my new 12"s were wired wrong or broken when I first fired them up. After a few hours of playing they got a lot louder/more accurate. My break in period consisted of throwing the power to 'em haha

I got couple of 12s and maxed them daily from day one. I wouldnt worry about it

I think break in is useful for getting a more even bass response for quieter listeners. E.g. your mother wants a bit of bass to listen to her Sting album as she drives to work (or James May to his Bach), and doesn't get the woofers moving more than a millimetre each way. If she buys brand new woofers, they are going to be factory stiff indefinitely. It might be useful for her teenage son to blare some DJ Billy E as long as he doesn't blow the woofers. Now if it's REALLY cold (in the low minuses) then the surround might be stiffer than the cone, and possibly more brittle, then beating on it might be a bad idea, but a bit of backwards and forwards flex at lower volumes should warm up the surround a bit.

Balls deep strait out the box is the way to go, just make sure your feeding your woofer 4 times its rated power & use a test tone full volume on repeat for atleast a few weeks....... You only live once......& so will your woofers 😂

Dont they break in at post production test?

Great video I waited 2 weeks before I turned my amp up to adjust to my subs. My sec subs were kicker comp

The main thing that you are breaking in is the stiff spider. What ive seen happen on cheaper subs. Is that when played at high volume right out of the box. Theres a risk for the glue around the spider or former to fail, come loose or even crack. But thats pretty rare. Thats why its recommended to buy subwoofers with a bolted down spider instead of just cheaply glued.

I blew my skar subwoofer in less then 24 hours from having it on full blast I did not know about a break in procedure so I bought a new one today and for sure will be breaking it in this time

Lovely video well explained and To the point it funny how s sub works and when brand new it is Stiff and tight but has you play The sub for a while it does sounds better and it is true so Thankyou for a good video Peace out and keep up the good work

But like what happens when it starts to smell? Like burned wires or as if its gonna go on fire

Please do a video showing the settings on an Equalizer (not crossover or the amps EQ)

thanks, even an old video bringing knowledge to new bass heads

Thanks for the video, I've always wondered about this. And since I just bought some new subs from you guys, good timing with this video!!

I believe that even steve meade says he doesnt believe in breaking in subs, he plays it hard out of the box, ive done the same and have had no problems

Blew a 18 by not letting it break in... definitely gonna take my time w the new ones😅

when u spend 500$ on a set of nice beefy subs thts going to be ran on big power I would recommend to free air them on 20hz tone for a good hour or two.. the 4th day I was playing almost at full tilt without worrying about my subs. blowing up since I already loosened them up with clean power.

i didn't know this but good to know my opinion just play it and let loosen up by it self

I once had a sub that sounded horrible, and knew just what to do. Took the axe to it and broke it-in, haven't looked back since then.

It is my opinion that when spending 500 or more on a very very stiff sub then I would break it in under low power. The reason being is that the spider is super stiff and the sub doesn't want to move efficiently so what can happen is you break the glue loose from around the spider and the cone or possibly the top plate. This does not apply to cheap loose subs. 2 Cents for ya.

like always, awesome content in your videos. what's the difference installation or component wise in a system that sounds better inside or outside of the car?? How to achieve either or a little bit of both??

Can my bass turn my car off while i’m driving ? because the other day i hit a stop sign and when i tried to go i felt like my car was dying on me so i pulled over to check what happens i gave it a few minutes then it started to drive normal and of course i lowered the bass

Hey!!! That's me in the garage! That's my old Channel!!!

awesome, this was exactly what i was looking for. thank you

Good video. Would also like to see more videos on full installs. Such as the Jeeps, BMW, Altima, etc. you all have done. Also an amp dyno on the new Soundstream Rubicon Nano.

You forget the surround also, but stiff surround on a woofer is better so clipping (on the sub itself) won't happen so much in the so-called break in time but i make sure it's installed the correct way and just turn it up!!!!!!!

I go ham right outta the box. If your blowing woofers in general it’s always comes down to 2 things, you got a faulty sub or your clipping the shit and sending distorted signal to the sub. 9/10 it’s the latter

So years ago I wanted to surprise my wifey with a system but I get 2blks away & woofers pop "blew out". I go back to the shop they say "why did you go full tilt, you have to keep it at half volume"..which I did never touched any dials. So this happened three times in a row.... I couldn't even make it to the second song. It had nothing to do with the break-in Grace period. These boo-boo the foo's had a 1000w (rms) amp hooked up to 150watts rms (ea. Sub). I find this out by going to a different shop. This audio technician tells me "yes there's a grace period, but they will not blow the subs, they just sound better afterwards." So the initial shop new what they did wrong....which sold me some cheap ass subs knowing they would blow just to try & get me to upgrade & pay for damaged subs..... The new shop called them out there bullshit & got me refunded then hooked up wifey proper for her bday- Valentine's present 💪🏽

Thanks so much for the video, really helpful for subwoofer noobs like me. I definitely will take care of my new fella for the first few weeks or so before blasting it

Long story short, for the average guy like me don't worry about it. 👍🏻

Q&A How do you install a radio harness when installing new speaker wire.

So don't rawdog them in the butt on the way home. Rub some honey on their belly and tell them you love them, then slowly increase gainz until they let you know they're ready for toanz insertion. Ok, I think I'm ready, thanks SE!

Hi I wanted to see if you can do a video on how to connect a preamp and a crossover with a farad capacitor

Why do some speaker manufacturers say that you should Not play your subwoofer Outside(free air) of a box?

Okay my biggest thing is you shouldn't tell people that as a car audio technician you should tell people to really take it easy on their speakers for at least the first week because when you send a customer out of your shop and you know that that Speakers Going To Blow if he goes out there and turns it up and it's not broken in so to save the customer that headache and the time to wait just explain that to them before they leave that way they know and don't think that you just trying to make more money off of them because one of the speaker's blow their first thought automatically is it was working when you first put it in was it used or you could have put another speaker in that box that's just how people think some people just Petty like that I've been doing car audio since I was 10 years old and I've heard some of the strangest stories not I'm not knocking what you're saying but we as leaders that's why they come to us cuz most people really just don't know about car audio at all and got it because one of their friends got it but love what you do bro keep it up

Colsest I've ever come to "breaking in a woofer" was I hooked it to a plate amp on a sine wave generator from like 20 to 35 the big flex frequency's at prob 30 to 50ish watts? off a plate amp freeair the night before the day I was going to install it just so it would sound that much better than it was time to play music. I have kinda thought prob a good idea to get prob hour or so of playing time of good excursion on mild wattage just to keep high stresses of the coil and triple joint from that super stiff spider just to get those fibers stretched and where there gonna somewhat stay. I lost a triple joint and a coil on 2 new subs but don't think it was that tho.

Most importantly - it depends on How Much you Spent on it ... If it's a Cheapy - play the hell out of it. Personally, if I paid a couple hundred bucks or more for my speakers - I give them a little time, at least a day or two, until I start Pounding them. However, I have purchased JLs in the past and started pounding them right away and never had any problems.

100,000! Get in! :)

can you guys please do a video on the full install on a 4 chanel highs amp, I know how to run a amp but I don't understand how to run the speaker wires for the door speakers do you keep them.connected to the head unit ? thanks !!

how long can you keep a sub or just a speaker stored

Appreciate it! I hate that jerk that tells you different

I like your Q&A videos......I have a question maybe you can answer or do a video on. How do you connect two amps up to one remote. Most head units on,y come with one remote connection. I want an amp for subs and an amp for the other speakers, so how do you wire up the remote turns ons...?

I'd kind of imagine it just like any other engine. You don't buy a brand new car with a brand new engine and drive it like theres no tomorrow you break it in and get the kinks out before going full power for the best results. It's not That it's going to damage the speaker it just has better results. Basically after breaking it in you can get the same results using less power compared to a newer speaker which would require a little more power. I myself prefer to break in my speakers. Bass seems to be more solid and smooth afterwards. I guess it's maybe because the cone isn't so eager to get back to its resting position so the coils have more control.

great info. thanks homie!

This helps so much

How would you install a subwoofer with an amp in your home for your home theater system

Have a question witch is better single voice or duel voice coils for sub and why. can yall do a video on the pls. love the videos helping alot

The setup I have in the back of my extended cab Sonoma is a 10 inch Addictive Audio v2 only running 300 Watts, all JL components & tweeters, and what I have running on everything right now is a JL 500x3 channel amp. I set the gain on the amp and I have a gain control knob mounted above the ash tray and it looks super nice and flush so I can crank that as much as I want and not blow my sub (no I don’t run around town windows down with the gain turned up as loud as i can for anyone wondering) and it sounds great, I got the set up around November last year and it was quite a pretty penny, the amp alone was 460... since I’ve had it, it has taken a good long while for it to break in, here recently I’ve noticed that it has sound a lot better and it’s even louder, now I’m not sure about what I’m about to say and I have no idea why it’s like this but some days the system will be louder than others, I can crank it and it just won’t impress me then most days I’ll get in and just go drive and the thing will pierce your ears and rattle your insides loose. Now what makes it louder some days than others I do not know, could someone educate me on that? Lol... even if you read through my super long comment

can do a vd on the right way on doing highs and what would be the best amp for high

I’m a noob to this and just got a Skar 1500 amp and a evl 12” sub. What should I set the gain,sonic, and lpf too for break in?

is't ok to set up the dsp before breaking in the speakers or should i set up the dsp after they break in?

What do it means when you your sub are brand new out the box and day two of playing they have a smell bad or good

These new subs I just bought will be deeper and louder after they are broke in? AP BD2 12

AWESOME (THANK YOU ‼️‼️‼️)

When I got my subs installed two 12s JL the shop said to put the knobs all the way down not to turn it on is that true or should I set the knob bit up?

Hi, i have a 10" sub and i have two boxes that i tested it, but in one of them the sub moves noticeably more than the Xmax and at the same power! the only difference is that that one box is thicker than the other( with thicker wood). why is that?!

does the eq help boost the amp? or is it just for adjusting the sound?

question. i have had a Pioneer 980bt forever and never used the time alignment because i thought it might also increase or decrease the levels at each channel... does it?

I have a primo with one jl audio 12" sub and he's friend blew with in the first few month of pushing it with a jl audio 1k watt amp

If my subwoofer has 1000 rms playing daily with 300rms for couple of weeks is it fine?

These rules applyes to headphones and earphones too?

I have a 200w sub wired up to an loc in my car. How can I get the most bump for my setup?

can you do a review on the Lanzar Vector 6k watt 2 channel amplifier? And the Power Acoustik BAMF subwoofer?

My swans M10 2.1 speakers make a loud bang when I turn them off. Does that spoil it as it is kinda loud and quick?

I have a question Should I add a second battery if I am running 2 1200 rms subs at 1 ohm in an opel corsa

Thank you man

Question: There are people who give their speakers more power than what the manufacturer recommends and claim that the speakers won't break/distort as long as it's "clean power". ex: running 125w rms to a speaker that's rated 80w rms. Can you actually run those speakers past the manufacturers rating without a loss in sound quality, or the speaker breaking?

Would you hurt the sub if you used a small amp?

Can you please make a video on clipping and how to use a Remote Mountable Amplifier Voltage Display I have one from Phoenix gold and I have an adjustable bass knob from Memphis

Wish i woulda seem this video 3 days ago. Lol just got a alpine type r 12

Will under powering subwoofers hurt them ??

is the jbl s3-1224 good for low end bass? and what frequency should the box be tuned to? I currently have a box tuned to fb/43 and f3/31.

It acutaly does damage alot of woofers if you play it out the box full tilt. Got to remember glue & somtimes screws are holding tge spider in place. Now juat imagine all that stress tugging on a spider thats stuff thats like pulling somthing till it finanly breaks off or comes off

My American bass 12 Xr heated up to point that I could smell it burning , it was brand new, is that normal?

Can you tell subwoofer wattage by magnet size? I got 2 12's & nobody can tell me what they are not even crutchfield or even the people who sell the brand(mtx) so I was just wondering if magnet size would give me some info

Reading the comments and thinking to myself "if you guys are seriously answering these simple ass questions, than you have no business trying to install your own car audio system".. Go to Best Buy, they'll hook you up 😂😂😂(totally being sarcastic)

i have a pair of 12 inch woofer 150 watt max input it takes very much of my master volume i have never reached that master volume before on my other speakers need help please

i bought a new rockfosgate dvc p2d2 10 sub and when i test it it sounds good at low volume but if i turn it up on high volume it makes a popping sound any advice ??

Do i have enough power for my subwoofer ?? the sub is earthquake sz-10 2 ohms and mono is DC audio 2.0K...

I have two KFC-xw10 subs, and a Kac-7205 1000 watts amp 500 rms, and my head unit is a kvt-516 old I know but sounds great but it clips when turning it up to vol 20. what is going on

I can’t break in a 1948 speaker as the cone is the spider and magnet aka it doesn’t move

thanks

Can you help me out with a problem I have my 2 10 inch rocks forsgate start playing but after a while the start moving but no bass comes out can you please help me