2 dope

i have 2 12" Infinities, 1200 W max 300W RMS 4 Ohms SVC

Is a mono amp better or go with multi channel? Im just gonna run the 2 subs and run the rest of the speakers off my clarion deck. There are too many choices out there. Im leaning towards a mono amp.

The subs are 4 ohms but i hear they will do better in 2 ohms, so i should look at the 2 ohm specs on a mono amp?

2 ohms is better than running at 4?

9177

how much money are you willing to spend?

2 dope

well i had picked out a 900W rockford for $188 but i was told that i should go with more power as the actual RMS of the amp was only like 150W, so not more than $200 i guess is what i will spend

2 dope

when an amp gives specs, like 150x2...does that meant 150W x 2 subs? What are channels, is that how many speakers you can hook up?

Barry85Iroc

If you can afford it, mono is the best way to go. And get as much power as you can afford. (This ought to start some controversy) Speakers don't fry because of too much power. They fry because the amp is driven into clipping (not enough power).

TomP

Yep, 2 channels mean two speakers... as in, left/right. So a 200x1 amp will be mono, but bass is mono anyway, so a mono amp would be the best bet. Sometimes, though, 2 channel amps that get bridged into one channel can be cheaper then a single mono channel amp, simply because usually, a mono channel amp will be meant for driving a set of subs at high-power. It's more of a specialized amp so it might cost more $$.

I agree w/Barry, distortion kills a speaker, not power. Unless of course you seriously overpower a speaker

Good call at going by RMS!! Always look at RMS... and 150W sounds pretty cool for a RF. Remember too that a Rockford Fosgate is a quality amp, and amps like that are usually under-rated. That's why sometimes you'll see something that looks stupid like "37.5 x 2 RMS" for $400- you know that amp is putting out a lot more then 37.5x2 RMS.

If the amp is "one ohm stable", it can drive both your subs in mono. That spec would look something like "300x1 @ 2 ohms". An amp that isn't "one ohm stable" will say something like "200x1 @ 4 ohms", and won't list a "x1 @ 2 ohms". I hope that made sense.

Hm, maybe this will clear up that last paragraph. Take that 150x2 amp you're talking about. Say in mono it puts out 220x1 (I'm making this number up). So the spec sheet might say "150x2 RMS @ 4 ohms, 220x1 RMS @ 4 ohms". Each of your subs is four ohms. So if you want to wire up both subs, you have two channels. That spec sheet is saying that you can run both subs in "stereo mode" and you'll get 150 to each speaker. Or, you can run one sub in "mono mode" and you'll get 220 watts to the one speaker. But, the spec sheet leaves off a "???x1 RMS @ 2 ohms", so that means you can't run both subs in mono mode.

I'm not making that clear at all, am I?

2 dope

its all good, thanx for the info, ya i deff wanna run my subs at 1 ohm if i can, i think i will find an amp and post it here so yuos can help me out, thats the safest bet, thanx again

2 dope

well i found a visonik amp i like, its one ohm stable, can i get my 4ohm single voice coil subs to run in 1 ohm?

High Current Circuitry - Class AB
1 OHM STABLE MONOBLOCK SUB AMPLIFIER
Max Power @ 14.4V
1 ohm: 1200W
2 ohms: 800W
4 ohms: 600W
RMS Power @ 14.4V
1 ohm: 800W
2 ohms: 560W
4 ohms: 400W
Red Anodized Heat Sink
Gold Plated RCA and Power Connections
Signal to Noise (S/N) Ratio: >96dB
THD % Level
1 ohm: 1.0%
2/4 ohms: 0.5%
Frequency Response: 10Hz - 350Hz
Variable Low Pass Crossover (24dB Low Pass Filter): 40Hz - 250Hz
Variable Sub Sonic Crossover (24dB Subsonic Filter): 20Hz - 50Hz
Bass Boost Control at 45Hz: 0 - 18dB
RCA Input Sensitivity: 0.2 - 8V
3-way Protection Circuitry: Thermal, Short & Overload Protection
4 Gauge Power Inputs
Built in Cooling Fan
Bass / Remote Gain Control Included
Visonik Window Sticker Included
Dimensions (H x W x L): 2.5" x 12.75" x 13.5"
Low Level Input Impedance: 22K Ohms
Damping Factor: 200 @ 4 ohms
Fuse Rating: 20A x 3 (60A Total)

Barry85Iroc

No. You need a DVC (Dual Voice Coil), and most of those go to two ohms. That's the lowest I've seen. I'm running 2 subs with one amp in stereo. The amp is rated at 300 watts RMS @ 4 ohms, so each sub gets 600 watts. (DVC makes each sub 2 ohms).That way, the amp is still running at 2 ohms, (not running on the verge of O.D. ing, and a lot cooler) and getting the upper mid-bass from each channel.

2 dope

thats ok, it has enough RMS in 2 ohms im trying to get as close to 300W RMS as possible and this is one of the few that i can afford. Do you think it will be ok for my subs?

lykan

4 ohm subs wired in paralell equal a 2 ohm load.

You cannot run two 4 ohm speakers at 1 ohm, there is no way to wire it.

For each speaker you add in paralell, you drop the ohms by half

So a

1 - 4 ohm speaker = 4ohm load
2 - 4 ohm speakers in paralell = 2 ohm load
4 - 4 ohm speakers in paralell =1 ohm load

The lower the ohm rating, the more power you get out of an amp.

Say you have a 100x1 at 4 ohms (mono amp)

If you hook up 1 4 ohm speaker you've got the rated 100 watts

If you hook up 2 4 ohm speakers in paralell you have a 2 ohm load, that doubles the amps power to 200watts.
if you hook up 4 4 ohm speakers you;ve got a 1 ohm load, and 400 watts.

BUT, the lower the ohm load on an amp, the harder it is on that amp. If I run a 4 ohm load on my amp, its cool to the touch. If I run a 2 ohm load, it gets very hot to the touch.. if I run a 1 ohm load it runs, but gets waaaaay too hot, and shuits off after about 5 minutes.


The whole reason behind a DVC (dual voice coil) speakers is to get more power out of an amp for that one speaker.

So you 've got a regular 4 ohm speaker. Youre amp puts out 100watts at 4 ohms.

If you 've got a DVC 4ohm speaker, you can wire both leads up in paralell, that reduces the ohms of the speaker to 2 ohms, and doubles the amps out put to 200 watts.

Running 2 4 ohms speakers and the amp in stereo mode, you're only getting 50 watts per speaker.


Simply put on a 100watt amp .. if you have two 4 ohm speakers to get the most out of your amp you will run them in paralell making them 2 ohms and double the rating of the amp to 200 watts. This will perform better than running it in stereo and running two 4 ohm speakers

.

2 dope

ok, but i was planning on running the 2 4ohm subs at 2ohms mono to get the most power, i understand i cant run it at 1 ohm, im just looking to get an amp that can give close to 300 W RMS to each sub in 2 ohms.