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Overpowering a subwoofer?


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mukrainetz 
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Joined: January 04, 2006
Posted: March 13, 2006 at 2:58 PM / IP Logged  

I have a pair of 12" subs which run at 1000watts max  (500watts rms) and the amp is 2000watts max (350 watts rms x 2 and 600 watts rms bridged.)

From what I understand its better to over power the subs (600w bridged) than underpower them (350w)

Bridging the two amps powers them at 600w rms when their max is 500w each. Will this be a problem, am I going to fry them or do I not run the bass boost at full? Im new at audio installation, I have always done my work on engine and body mods so any help would be much appreciated.

h2oskierfl 
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Posted: March 13, 2006 at 3:50 PM / IP Logged  
Are the subs single or dual voice coil? How are you running them? Parallel or series? Is the amp 2 ohm stable? If they are single voice coil, you would be better off running them one on each channel. That way they would get 350 each. If you bridge them, you will end up with either a 2 or 8 ohm load (assuming they are 4 ohm subs) depending on how you wire them. Either way you will not see a benefit.
mukrainetz 
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Posted: March 13, 2006 at 4:08 PM / IP Logged  

Sorry for the lack of information:

The subs are dual voice coil 4 ohm, and according to the diagrams posted on this site the coils are wired in series and the subs wired in parallel for a 4ohm load. The amp is 2ohm stable.

I didnt have the dough (or space) to buy two separate amps but relied on information saying I could run both subs off the same amp bridged and it would be fine.

tcss 
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Posted: March 13, 2006 at 4:19 PM / IP Logged  
That's strange that your amp puts out less total power bridged than in two channel mode. Are you sure you are reading the specs correctly? What brand and model is it?
There is no such thing as free installation!
mukrainetz 
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Joined: January 04, 2006
Posted: March 13, 2006 at 6:59 PM / IP Logged  

here are the specs for the amp: (edited by moderator)

SpecificationsBlue Neon Lighting
Maximum Power Output1000 Watts x 2
2000 Watts Bridge
Power Output @ 2 Ohm300 watts x 2 
Power Output @ 4 Ohm200 watts x 2 
Bridged Power @ 4 Ohm600 Watts x 1
THD @ 2 Ohm<.1%
Channel Separation55dB
Frequency Response 1.0dB15Hz-30Khz
HPF (High Pass Filter)50Hz - 1Khz
LPF (Low Pass Filter)30Hz - 500Hz
Subsonic Filter10Hz - 100Hz
Adjustable Sensitivity Range.2 Volts - 6 Volts
Input Impedance (low Level)10K Ohms
Fuses40 Amp x 2

DYohn 
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Location: Arizona, United States
Posted: March 13, 2006 at 7:05 PM / IP Logged  

You will not overpower the subs.  You say your speakers can handle 500 watts, and the amplifier (if the specs are accurate) produces 600 watts bridged.  When you connect two subwoofers to the amp (assuming they are the same) they will share the available power equally so each will be able to use up to 300 watts (600 divided by two.)  Set your gain properly and you will be fine.

Please list makes and model numbers of your gear.  Thanks.

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arrow12 
Silver - Posts: 527
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Posted: March 13, 2006 at 7:49 PM / IP Logged  
Just one question.  Earlier, mukrainetz, you stated, "Bridging the two amps..."  Does that mean you have two amps?  I am guessing you had a typo, but I just want to make sure.
That's my opinion. Take it, leave it, or correct me.
stevdart 
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Posted: March 13, 2006 at 9:48 PM / IP Logged  

mukrainetz wrote:
From what I understand its better to over power the subs...than underpower them...

That is false.  Here's a list of prior forum threads that deal with the subject of a speaker's thermal power handling:  https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/search.asp?KW=thermal+rating&SM=3&SI=PT&FM=2&OB=1&Submit=Start+Search

Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.
gbear14275 
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Joined: May 09, 2005
Posted: March 14, 2006 at 12:33 AM / IP Logged  

mukrainetz wrote:
From what I understand its better to over power the subs...than underpower them...

The reasons you have heard this before is because many times what happens is that people will turn up a amplifier rated below a speakers power handling capability because they think that they have nothing to worry about.  The amplifier will go into clipping in these cases which actually causes the amplifier to deliver a quantity of power much higher than it would normally.  This is where stevdart's references come into play.  If you read through those you will see how a speaker fails and how power ratings need to be converted in certain situations.  Much of it involves understanding how the shape of waves affects power delivery...blah blah blah, yeah.

The other half of the statement, "overpowering is better" is made because many times people that bought the appropriately sized (or larger) amplifiers made sure to set their gains right so the amp would not go into clipping.  In truth either situation can be just as damaging: An amplifier thats rated power is more than the speakers rated capabilities or an amplifier rated under the speaker but driven into clipping.  Both of these put more power through the voice coil than it can handle and it will eventually fail.

Your best bet is to buy an amplifier rated at or under the speakers rated capabiliities and set the gains correctly.  If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

stevdart wrote:

That is false.  Here's a list of prior forum threads that deal with the subject of a speaker's thermal power handling:  https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/search.asp?KW=thermal+rating&SM=3&SI=PT&FM=2&OB=1&Submit=Start+Search

stevdart 
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Posted: March 14, 2006 at 4:14 AM / IP Logged  

mukrainetz, I figured since you used the phrase "From what I understand..." that you might have included that bit of info in order to get some feedback..although I know it's not the subject of this thread, nor should it overtake your subject matter.

The list of threads is likely to deal with the subject since I used the key phrase "thermal rating" in the 'message body' search.  Just to give you some insights on how that subject has been discussed on this forum.  I didn't read through those but just glanced through the titles, but I'm sure you will find some truths that come out.  There are some various ways that you CAN look at it, but assigning an assumed percentage of success according to how you think the consumer will set up the system, as gbear was saying, is not a way to waste very much of your time on.  There are so many wayyy overrated amps (and subs) on the market now, you don't know what those ratings tell you.  There is only one truth, and it is opposite of what you assumed was true in your opening remark.  You can make your own conclusion if you've got facts to work with.

So the next time you hear someone tell you that, you can say, "Yeah...you hear a lot of things, doncha?"

With that out of the way, post back with those model numbers of your gear that DYohn asked about so the forum can get a better look at the big picture.

Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.
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