Like many of you I opted for the Clarion Camo Sub and, following ReelWork's excellent install, I had mine in and ready to go in short order. Well, I agree that the bass is pretty decent considering the size/power of the unit, but in my particular instance I ran into a problem.
After installing and testing the unit, I noticed that my bass would apparently distort even with the gain set to minimum. After a few minutes of bass-heavy music I noticed what appeared to be a distinct "rattle" (distortion) coming from the area around the amp in the back of the unit. After examining the circuit card for loose components (just remove the driver, disconnect the leads, and then remove the two screws holding the amp in), I noticed that the gasket material on the back of the amp card itself was deformed. I re-installed the driver and did a test. When I pushed in on the subwoofer cone I could hear the air escaping around the amp and the cone would pop right back into place immediately, not slowly (indicating a poor enclosure seal). To verify, I removed the driver/amp to peek inside the enclosure and sure enough, I noticed that the holes which were drilled for the RCA plugs had excessive flash around the edges. This effectively left a gap between the amp's gasket and the mounting surface which let air escape...could this be what was causing the distortion?
Well, I took an X-acto knife and cleaned the plastic flash from around the RCA holes on the inside of the enclosure and then lightly sanded the interior mounting surface for the amp (NOT the amp itself, the enclosure mounting surface) to make sure it was level and free from irregularities. I then found some thin foam insulation (similar to what was already applied to the back of my amp card) and created a new gasket to place around the opening for the card (the plastic flash had chewed the original material up). I then re-installed the amp card, hooked up the leads to the driver, and secured the driver to the enclosure. As a quick test, I pushed in on the subwoofer cone. No air leak noise and the cone slowly returned back to its normal position. So far, so good...it appeared that I finally had a good seal, now it was time to hook it back up.
Wow, what a difference! With the air leak sealed the bass is now distortion-free at all levels of play/gain!! I don't know if others have experienced this distortion/rattle with their Clarion subs, but if so you may want to check and see if you have mounting surface irregularities around the amp card which compromises the seal and lets air escape. HTH.

-Mike

 

Wow very nice. I have always liked a seal sub better than an open air or even a bandpass sub. There is a formula for the airspace in a sub but who cares that much for what a less than $200 sub with the amp!

Good job on your sub there, your actually brave enough to take something you just bought apart. I normally wait until after the warrenty runs out

 

Thanks Normally I'd leave well enough alone, but the low price of the unit (along with a Crutchfield rep's guarantee that it would be replaced if I couldn't fix it) were major factors in me taking this thing apart. Not too difficult, really, just 8 screws around the driver base ring and a further two attaching the circuit card. Now I definitely think $150 is a good price, I like the sound of this sub.

-Mike

 

Ya know, I have to admit that I'm really glad I took the time to post those pics and instructions.. From what I have seen, they have helped out many folks and made a relatively easy install, a cakewalk where all you have to do is go through the motions....

thanks again and I'm glad you got that fixed! Nothing like feeling bad when somebody follows a recommendation from someone else and it doesn't work as advertised... Thankfully, you have the smarts to troubleshoot and fix it in no time at all..

Chris (ReelWork)