Mark Levinson SUB replacement DIY
03-20-14, 01:59 PM
#77
He means the speaker, as the bass hits is protruding downward and the speaker cone is hitting the edges of the hole from the old ML speaker. Again I haven't seen it, but if the ML speaker wasn't exactly 8" or was smaller than the cone on the Pioneer one, this could cause the cone to come in contact with the edges of the hole.
03-20-14, 02:04 PM
#78
After rereading OP's post, I wonder if he means by insulating the "rear panel" he means the edge of the package shelf where it butts up against the rear window? Now that I've seen the setup, I could see where the sub might cause the metal of the package tray there to flex/vibrate. I would check that location to see if maybe that is where your rattling sound is coming from. I think we all assumed that OP was just talking about how much louder the system was and he was saying the back glass could blow out from the sound. I think he was just saying that the rear shelf now vibrates at the joint between the rear window and the shelf... The area I circled in yellow is the one of possible concern.
Last edited by A1cntrler; 03-20-14 at 02:07 PM.
03-20-14, 02:20 PM
#79
After rereading OP's post, I wonder if he means by insulating the "rear panel" he means the edge of the package shelf where it butts up against the rear window? Now that I've seen the setup, I could see where the sub might cause the metal of the package tray there to flex/vibrate. I would check that location to see if maybe that is where your rattling sound is coming from. I think we all assumed that OP was just talking about how much louder the system was and he was saying the back glass could blow out from the sound. I think he was just saying that the rear shelf now vibrates at the joint between the rear window and the shelf... The area I circled in yellow is the one of possible concern.
03-20-14, 06:37 PM
#80
So was just helping Jeff with this and we also came to the conclusion that it is the speaker flex touching the metal causing a lot of rattle so he will be putting in a spacer to avoid touching and that should take care of the problem... Will be doing mine soon and with that spacer there is no need for foam or dynamat well still have to clarify that once Jeff is completely done with the setup but should be a clean sound and hopefully much much better bass
03-20-14, 06:48 PM
#81
So was just helping Jeff with this and we also came to the conclusion that it is the speaker flex touching the metal causing a lot of rattle so he will be putting in a spacer to avoid touching and that should take care of the problem... Will be doing mine soon and with that spacer there is no need for foam or dynamat well still have to clarify that once Jeff is completely done with the setup but should be a clean sound and hopefully much much better bass
03-20-14, 07:58 PM
#82
Danny (dannyboy26) and I began installing the pioneer sub and it very quickly became obvious that if you mount the speaker face down directly to the rear deck's sheet metal the speaker cone (x-max) will come into contact with the sheet metal at moderate to high volumes. This could explain some of the rattles that were experienced. Tonight I am going to fabricate a 1/2" spacer for the sub. Depending on my findings I may also fabricate a spacer allowing me to mount the subwoofer face-up and compare the performance of the speaker using both configurations. Theory tells me it should perform the same either-way as long as I have it phased correctly. More to come.
03-20-14, 08:05 PM
#83
Sorry Danny beat me, sorry for the repeat post. I will build the 1/2" spacer out of particle board and not sure but may try 8" schedule 80 pvc for the forward facing spacer. Will run by Ferguson Plumbing and see what they have. 8" could be hard to find.
03-20-14, 08:14 PM
#84
I did not realize that the ML amp was rated at 8 ohms. This speaker is a 4 ohm speaker.. The amp will be pushing out more current and could get rather warm, possibly hitting it's thermal protection and shutting itself off. Most high end amplifiers will do ok for a while pushing out to a 4 ohm speaker, but there really isn't a way to know how "high end" the ML amp is. Is the sub in a ML system driven off of its own amplifier? Are there a few different amps in there? I think I saw the ML amp is fan cooled as well. If you are listening to the music at a reasonable volume then there shouldn't be too much of a problem. If you crank it up because Beyonce is singing "Single Ladies" (and really, who doesn't?
) It probably won't do much harm. If you crank to volume to max and play the entire collection of Tupac, that probably would stress it to the point of thermal shutdown. I've never heard or seen a ML system in person, so my knowledge is limited on what it looks like and is capable of.
) It probably won't do much harm. If you crank to volume to max and play the entire collection of Tupac, that probably would stress it to the point of thermal shutdown. I've never heard or seen a ML system in person, so my knowledge is limited on what it looks like and is capable of.
03-20-14, 08:27 PM
#85
it really depends on the type of amp the sub is being powered by. If it is a class D amp it should do fine. The 8 ohm load helps the dampening factor which would help the subs accuracy in a free air environment. If it a class B or AB amp it will put out approximately twice the power but will put a heavier current load on the amp which equates to Heat. It is a very compact amp so I am leaning towards the subwoofer channel being class D but I cannot confirm this.
03-20-14, 10:17 PM
#88
03-21-14, 12:56 AM
#89
im thinking about putting a rubber tape instead?
something like this but thinner http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-8-Rubber-Foam-Adhesive-Tape-Weather-Proof-Strip-Seal-Window-Door-Shock-Absorb-/271325271848?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f2c3f1728just so it wont hit the metal
03-21-14, 01:56 AM
#90
So the 1/4" spacer did the trick. The cone stays clear of the sheet metal and the deck piece fits but barely. Although I still do not have car put back together I did perform a sound check. I had very few rattles inside the car, but my license plate frame was rattling out of control. The Pioneer sub's output is significantly more then the ML. The type of base it is currently producing is much tighter which in my book has its plus and minuses. At lower levels I feel the ML performed better then the pioneer but at moderate to high volumes the pioneer left the ML in the dust. I am sure the pioneer will take a while to break in and I imagine it will sound more open and a little less tight. I highly recommend this upgrade if you are having issues with the factory sub distorting, if the type of music you listen to, or the volumes you play you ML system does not cause the sub to distort, I would not recommend you perform this mod. Oh one last thing the brownish red wire to the ML sub is + while the green wire is neg. since the Pioneer is being installed upside down the positive speaker wire (brownish red) gets hooked up to the black (-) terminal on the speaker and the green wire gets hooked up to the red (positive) terminal on the sub.