What wattage sub/amp?
05-27-2003, 06:39 PM
#2
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not sure exactly what you are asking. recommendations on amps, subs, brands, wattages, looks?
if you have your mind set on a sub that takes 400w RMS, then you will need an amp that puts out at least 400w/RMS x 1channel(bridged or just a mono amp). a higher output is better, you can always keep it if you upgrade later, and you should NEVER run an amp over 80% gain if you want good sounding music. the top 20% is mostly distortion.
if you were to put 300W to a sub rated at 400W, chances are it will still sound pretty good.
you also have to take into account brands and the power they can take. like JL is known to take way more power than they advertise, while pioneer takes less.
it doesnt matter a whole lot the amount of wattage one sub can take. generally, the more power its rated for, the better the sound, the longer the excursion, the louder it will be. but you can only go so loud with one sub, no matter how much power you put to it.
if you have your mind set on a sub that takes 400w RMS, then you will need an amp that puts out at least 400w/RMS x 1channel(bridged or just a mono amp). a higher output is better, you can always keep it if you upgrade later, and you should NEVER run an amp over 80% gain if you want good sounding music. the top 20% is mostly distortion.
if you were to put 300W to a sub rated at 400W, chances are it will still sound pretty good.
you also have to take into account brands and the power they can take. like JL is known to take way more power than they advertise, while pioneer takes less.
it doesnt matter a whole lot the amount of wattage one sub can take. generally, the more power its rated for, the better the sound, the longer the excursion, the louder it will be. but you can only go so loud with one sub, no matter how much power you put to it.
05-27-2003, 06:55 PM
#4
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the HX2? just wondering. isnt the hx2/he2 a dual coil(hence the 2 in the names), but arent they 4ohms apiece? or are they 8? if they are 4ohms each adn you wired them in parallel, that would drop it down to 2 ohms, and just about double the power output of the amp, so you could gett away with spending less money, just make sure the amp can handle running at 2 ohms stable for long periods of time, i dont think many amps will have a problem doing this, as i once had a $200 kenwood amp that i ran at 1.33ohms stable for very long time and it never died.
05-28-2003, 04:43 AM
#5
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Just my 2 cents, but the power of the amp for the sub has to be proportional to the rest of the system or else you won't hear much but base. The sub should produce %150 in wattage of what the rest of the speakers produce.
05-28-2003, 12:35 PM
#6
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Originally posted by Gleb83
Just my 2 cents, but the power of the amp for the sub has to be proportional to the rest of the system or else you won't hear much but base. The sub should produce %150 in wattage of what the rest of the speakers produce.
Just my 2 cents, but the power of the amp for the sub has to be proportional to the rest of the system or else you won't hear much but base. The sub should produce %150 in wattage of what the rest of the speakers produce.
05-28-2003, 07:12 PM
#7
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You are absolutely right, but too much power is possible and won't sound good. My friend has a 02 GTI with a Monsoon sound system and he bought some subs. They were two 10 inch Alpine type R powered by 300 RMS each, and with the gain all the way down you still could hear nothing but the base. I know this is an extreme you want a sub to match the rest of your system.
06-01-2003, 09:44 PM
#8
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The brand of the subwoofer does have a lot to do with its rating as mysubaruimp said. For example a Sony subwoofer compared to a JL subwoofer. I had a Sony 10" sub that I picked up at circuit city for $35 and i only gave it 50 watts and it did fine. When I hooked it up to 200 watts it only took about 10 seconds before it was toasted. The sub was rated at 400 watts though. The construction of the sub does have a lot to do with it. Look at the magnet and that will usually give you better indicator. The magnet on the sony looked like the magnet on a pair of 6x9's. For amps definately go for a higher brand amp because usually in the end you will be happy that you did. Try to find like clearance on an amp for cheap. To find out the power of the amp truly multiply the total rating of the fuses times the vechicles output at 14.4. For example if your amp has two 25amp fuses you have a total of 50 amps x 14.4 volts = 720 watts. Assuming that is the amp runs at 100% efficiency and most amps run 60-80% so go with the high number depending on amp and you get a total of 576 peak. Well I think everyone knows where this is going. A lot of the amps out there aren't what they say they are unless a bolt of lightning strikes them and then for that split second they may reach the power rating they state. Just my two cents....
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