Current setup:

Profile MSX600 mono sub amp, feeding 410W RMS at 2 ohm into a single 10, Infinity 1042W DVC sub, rated for 250W RMS.

The amp can go 410 at 2 ohm, 300 at 4 ohm. Obviously I can't wire two of those subs for 2 ohm, since they're DVC's.

Currently running a sealed enclosure, not bad at all, but I'd like to have a bit more power. Inside the car mainly, i.e. I don't care about eart shaking SPL that everyone outside the car can hear, I want it loud, but still want SQ.


1) Get a bigger amp, and one more 10. Would have to run them at 4 ohm.

2) Get two smaller subwoofers. Would it be "a lot" louder running two 10's, rated for say 175-200W RMS and fed by the amp 410W RMS at 2 ohm, compared t othe current setup ?


I've been holding off on the ported box, because of this dilema. Well that and I have tons of unfinished projects as is right now anyway

Needless to say, on a very very tight budget, amp cost me 59 dollars, sub cost me 69 dollars.

 

I've got some comments/questions, etc.

First a question. Why do you want to run your subs @ 4 ohms? You will get a ton more power out of an amp by wiring to 1 ohm. This seems ideal in your case because it will save you money. If you buy an amp that’s 1 ohm stable you won’t do any damage by running it this way and it will give you the best watt/$$ ratio possible.

Second: adding a sub and doubling your power (to keep your power to your sub constant) will only gain you 3 dB in output.

A ported box will grab you some output but if it's not executed the right way (ie tuned too high) it will be a one note wonder. Ported boxes take exact math, planning, etc.

Running woofers with lower power handling doesn't mean they're more efficient. If you want woofers that get louder with a lower amount of power you want to look at the efficiency spec.

 

Wrong. Doubling your subs but keeping the power level consistant will net a 3dB gain. For example, if you replaced a single 4 ohm sub with 2 8 ohm subs that were theoretically identical except for the impedance, you would get a 3 dB gain dispite getting the exact same output from the amp. Any time you double cone area, you gain 3dB if all other conditions are equal (which they never are - which is why this is theoretical). This is why IN GENERAL (Please notice that it's bold and in caps to help highlight that this is not always the case!!!), larger subs have a higher efficiency.

Now, if you take a single 4 ohm sub, and add another 4 ohm sub that's identical, then parallel them, you'll get a theoretical 6dB bump. You'll get this because in addition to the 3dB gained from doubling the cone area, you also get 3dB from the doubled power. In reality, few amps make exactly double the power into half the impedance, but it's close enough for the sake of reality.

 

1 ohm, well I can't wire the sub I got that way though, can I ?

Ported box, for a single 10, would it be too low if I tune it for 28 Hz, should I go more like 32 or something ?


Edit, on the first thing. OK, I can go 1 ohm. Now what size amp ? For two 10's each 250W RMS, should I go with something like 600W RMS at 1 ohm ?

 

Yeah, that should be fine.

 

Could I go even bigger though ? Say 800W RMS or bit higher ? Turn gain down, not touch the bass boost (the last two options is what I already do anyway), so I can if needed, upgrade the subs later on if needed.

 

http://www.profileusa.com/manuals/400MSX_600MSX.pdf
To clarify so you don't have problems. This amp is not 1 OHM stable. It will cause problems.
Car Audio wholesale distributor Alpine Pioneer Kicker Clarion Hifonics Kenwood Boss -
Ikesound.com - Directed Audio 1500DClass D Mono Amplifier
This one is.

 

There's no harm in running an amp that's way larger than your subs as long as you're gentle with the gain.

Honestly, you're probably going to find yourself wanting a better pair of subs down the road so you might as well buy the biggest/best amp you can afford now. Ask me how I know. It sucks having to buy the same piece of equpiment multipul times.

 

Exactly, I totally agree right there *l*. A 250W RMS sub is ok, but I would prefer a bit bigger.

I guess I'll keep looking around for now, and build the ported box once I figure out the dimensions and port size, and decide whether I prefer ported or sealed.