Lava subs - Page 40

Thanks for the quick response, again I was just wondering, I am very happy with the subwoofer.

Alright I have another question, sorry lol. When I am using the subwoofer and it starts to vibrate I hear the bass and also the cone/woofer vibrating also. This is kind of annoying because I can hear that sometimes more than the bass itself. It does this both during movies and music. Is there something I missed when setting it up? It is connected to the LFE port on the sub and hooked into my receiver (Onkyo 608). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I would recommend giving our #800 number a call and one of our techs can help you double check everything. Just call 877-750-5282 and ask to speak to a tech.

Can a bad driver make your amp run hot? My lava 12 amp started to run very hot and lava replaced the amp for me. hooked up the new amp on tue and everything ran fairly cool. The only problem was im not getting any low end sound out of the sub. Ran some tests that night and was flat from 40hz to 80hz but from 40hz to 30hz i was losing 16db's. So, last night i let the sub run for about 4 hours and the amp was hot again. A lava service tech is suppose to call me this afternoon about the issue. Could this be the driver? i have 2 lava 10's also and hooked up in the same location are not running hot and are almost flat to 30hz.

Decided i better leave this sub off till i know what is causing the amp to get so hot. Will try Lava tech. support tomorrow to see if the have any ideas on whats causing this issue. Want my low end back lol

Didnt hear from Lava yet. I'm thinking about taking out the driver and seeing if anything looks wrong on it. With the amp out everything looks ok inside the enclosure so i'm thinking it has to be the driver. Can a driver just lose all of its db's below 40hz and cause the amp to run hot?

Have you tried calling them directly I found when dealing with company's there is no substitute to talking to a person on a phone. Emails can be ignored or forgotten

Yepp, I've called just waiting for a reply. I think their tech guy was on vacation and is trying to get caught back up.

I've been waiting on lava getting back to me as well. Is Eric the "tech guy" that's on vacation?

Secondly, how hot should this subwoofer amp get? I've never run subs before but right now it's hot to the touch, but I can keep my hand on it without being burned.

No, Kary is the tech i was talking about. He got back last week. My amp they replaced got so hot i had a plastic burning smell. I think they do run warm tho. I left 3 voices messages with their tech about my issue just waiting for a reply. My problem now is i have basically zero output below 40hz which i did have before the old amp got hot.

Ahh, I see... how are you testing your output? The notorious rat shack meter?

Yepp lol. But i only used it to confirm what my ears where hearing. I have two lava 10's also i used to verify. In the same location the 10's are fairly flat to 30hz while the 12 is losing 16db's from 40hz to 30hz.

So. any ideas what would be causing such a drop in sound from 40hz to 30hz? Still am thinking that the driver may be bad. Hopefully i can get some info out of the Lava team soon.

Your using the LFE input? Or the low level inputs? Try both, calibrate your system again? I am a little disappointed in lava's lack of help given the fact you are a big supporter with 2 10's and a 12 from them. Your results sound like the audioholics review with the high drop off

Had to use both the low level inputs to get rid of that dip IRC

I have not tried the low level inputs yet. Will try that next. do you have to adjust the frequency knob when using the low level inputs?

Nope max it out the lfe from the receiver will handle bass management. Just get a single female RCA to double male RCA splitter

Tried the low level inputs but still getting a 16db drop from 40hz to 30hz. Does make a big jump in sound output tho but did not help my low end sound.

They should send you a new sub considering your loyalty to them as a customer. I hope all goes well.

Unlikely the driver is bad. Measure the ohms of it and report your findings here. It may just be the drivers limitations for the drop off.

Something has changed since the amp got hot and even with the replacement amp the sound had just dropped off from the unit. Even the new amp runs very hot no matter where it is hooked up. The 10's run very cool. Could something on the driver cause this?

All is good now. They are sending out a replacement sub today and are paying for the return on the old sub. Ya, still cant beat Lava's return policy.

So i just got back from vacation and called the lava techs, no answer but I left a message. I found that pressing lightly on the side of the sub while it is making the noise makes it go away, and when I unpress it comes back, so while I wait for the tech to get back to me, I just wanted some input to what might be causing this vibrating sound. Sometimes it also sounds like metal is rattling too, that sound being more recent than the cone vibrating.

Wow I almost pulled the trigger on a BIC when I came across this thread. 40 pages of reading later, I'm so getting a 12" Lava once the coupon code rolls in lol

regarding amp heat:
I have both a LSP10 and a LSP12 here and the LSP12 gets considerably hotter than the LSP10, but I think it's just normal because the LSP12 has a higher watt amp. It gets pretty hot to the touch where it starts to hurt after just a second or two of touching. meanwhile the LSP10 gets anywhere from warm to uncomfortably warm. I don't think there's anything wrong with the heat if they're designed to take it. plus with 5yr warranty and top notch customer service I wouldn't worry about it!

10" vs 12":
has anyone else extensively compared the LSP10 to the LSP12? here's my personal observations (after breaking in both subs) without a SPL meter. tried to balance them as best I could by ear.:

• my 12" definitely has a louder thump to it, and the tone is a tad deeper. seems a tiny bit more rumbly but probably because it really gets my room and furniture vibrating with ease.
• It's a tough call to say which one is better for music. the 10" has a more mellow/smooth sound to it, meanwhile the 12" definitely has more pronounced sound. I definitely hear/feel the 12" more, but it can be a little too "in your face". it definitely wins for HT, but I'm unsure which one is more punchy/tight for music though, as they both seem to hit notes with relative ease. I suppose it's personal taste.
• size: 10" is much easier to find a home for because the 12" is pretty big and heavy. also the 10" has that "cuteness" factor. (you really have to see them both in person to see what I mean here)
• woofer cones: 10" seems to have a smoother finish on the woofer cone (12 is rough to the touch) not sure how this effects sound at all though. and my 12 has a sloppy gluing job on the middle plastic dome in the center of the cone, which gives it a slight gap between the cone. (again, not sure how this effects sound either)
• 12" gets hotter than the 10" and thus we can assume it consumes more power. (higher watt amp too)

(note: my comparison was done on a 10" with one broken screw, which may skew results. but It only seems to effect sound at higher volume. have moved the subs around a LOT for testing too.)

Edit: 25 edits! lol
Edit #27: Actually, I just found the perfect spot. behind my computer chair (main listening spot) against the center of the wall. perfect amount of bass without being too boomy, plus my chair vibrates!

Thanks,Ive been waiting for a comparison like this.I currently have a 8" klipsch and its terrible for movies,decent for music. I dont know wether to step up to the 10 or 12" lava. Small room 50/50 movies/music.Have you tried to watch Tron:legacy on either sub? Would you say the 10 can handle most movies? Go deep? Sorry for all the questions

The lava lsp12 is amazing!

if you have a medium to small room, I'd say the 10" would be fine, unless you really want to shake everything. the 12" is pretty overkill for my 152sqft room. it's a little too shaky, and resonates everywhere. but it's all down to personal preference. the BIGGEST factor in sound was the placement of the subs. I could easily make the 10" outperform the 12" with a better placement. in fact, I found the best place where it isn't too shaky was on my bed near the center of the room, which is usually the worst place for subs, but it sounds more musical there. if you want big booms corner loading is the way to go.

Edit: to further elaborate, yes the 10" can go almost as deep, just corner load and turn the volume up a bit for movies. but at the same volume and placement, the 12" definitely has more thump to it. without corner loading the 12" is definitely more heart pounding for action movies, but the 10 isn't far behind. like I said, placement is the #1 thing.

I ordered one on yesterday to replace a klh 10'' sub that i bought a few years ago....I have 7.1 system in media room with 7 Jamo in walls....can't wait to receive it....it will be paired with a Denon 1611 receiver..

I have 2 10s corner loaded and you can feel the bass resonate the couch (check out the song solar sails on the tron sound track). I went with 2 10s instead of a 12 for the special plus coupon. I also have a 1611