How many dbs do you think i can hit with 1 15" sub???

 

anywhere from 122db to 160db. Depends on ALOT of factors. Type of sub, type of box, size of box, placement of box, amount of power, tuning frequency of box, amount of sound deadening in the car, overall state of the electrical system, etc ,etc ...

It's like asking, how fast will my car be with nitrous ?

 

Everything DJ said is true, there are a lot of factors involved. Since I am new to this message board thing, I had to copy and paste a previous post of mine that will be helpful to anyone seeking maximum dB SPL. Hope it helps.

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If louder is what you are after, then adding drivers is the best way to go. This gets a little complicated, but bear with me. A decibel is not a hard and fast number, it expresses a ratio, such as dB/SPL or dB/W. The decibel scale is logarithmic, meaning as the dB number rises arithmetically, the value, such as SPL increases exponentially. An example would be to make something twice as loud requires an increase of 6dB. If one jet taking off has an SPL of 120dB, then 2 taking off at the same time represents an SPL of 126dB.

Now for the math lesson...You can calculate the number of dB between 2 values, such as voltage, current or SPL by using the following formula.
NdB=20 log(P1/Pr). Where NdB=the number of dB, P1 is the measured pressure, and Pr is the reference pressure. Using this formula, we can calculate the difference in dB between 2 CD units with different output voltages. Say CD player A puts out 3.6 volts, and CD player B puts out 2.8 volts.

First, find the ratio between the voltages by dividing 3.6 (P1) by 2.8 (Pr). The result is 1.2857. Now press the 'log' key on the calculator, and the result is 0.0109. Multiply this by 20 just like in the equation, and the result is 2.18, which represents NdB. CD player A is 2.18 dB louder than CD player B.

The same equation can be used to measure power ratios as well, the only difference is NdB=10 log (P1/Pr). Say amp A has a power rating of 138W and amp B, 276W. Divide 276 by 138 (P1/Pr), and you get 2. Find the logarithm of 2 which is 0.301, and multiply by 10. The more powerful amp is 3 dB louder.

Note that I made amp B twice as powerful for this illustration. It takes double the output power to raise your SPL by 3dB, which starts to get pretty expensive! If you are looking for more bump, I would suggest more subs. I am running 3 JL Audio 8W6's in parallel to a Soundstream Reference 500s in high current mode. By the numbers, this set up should blow the voice coils through the bottoms of the magnets no problem, but it is well set up. My subs have all the power they need and then some, and the amp isn't even breaking a sweat.

I hope all of this helps dispel some myths about SPL and how to go about getting more.

 

122 db that loud for me anyways. I just want my sub to be loud enough that i don't have to listen to ***** exhaust around town!


"Hey someone started up there weedwacker" "Nope, its just riceboy doin a fly by"

 

122 is attainable with just a 10" and a couple hundred watts

mike

 

its not unheard of to hit 140 with a single 12. many factors, much having to do with the box and its placement. 140 will be more than enough for me

 

Hey coalyard, I always thought that if you double your power, with the exact same setup (theoreticaly speaking), then you would gain 3dB. I could be wrong, sounds like you have way more knowledge than me, so I think I'll take your word.

 

oh come on man...... you gotta at least hit the mid 140's if not mid 150s :-) I'm just messing wif ya... I can't wait to get my new system metered!

 

as soon as i get my new sub amp, i'm goin out to get mah baby metered. gotta know what i'm doin. i was just happy to be able to make a can of soda shake off my trunk at half volume . never play it that loud, just glad to know i can if necessary