driving subs/enough power?
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=107295
Printed Date: May 02, 2024 at 1:42 AM
Topic: driving subs/enough power?
Posted By: dm2008
Subject: driving subs/enough power?
Date Posted: September 07, 2008 at 8:18 PM
Alright guys first of all I want to thank everybody, as youve already been great help, just because i've read many of these posts which helped me greatly to understand all about car audio electronics.
Now for the fun:
Question:
I am thinking about putting in an x amount of subs into a 1997 Dodge Stratus and I want to know how big of an amp i would need.
What I need to know is what kind of a mono amp i would need to power 4 Clarion 1000peak/500rws subs?
Do you think this is too much bass for a stratus? if so how many subs do you believe is suitable?
I really dont know much about electronics but i would love to learn
Replies:
Posted By: stevdart
Date Posted: September 08, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Study the wiring configurations in woofer wiring (to the left) to find out what impedance you want to arrive at. This will help you choose what coil configuration to use in a multiple speaker setup.
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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: September 08, 2008 at 10:09 AM
How big an amp you will "need" depends on two things: your design goals and your pocketbook. What are you trying to accomplish with the install? The power rating on the speakers tells you how much power they can safely handle (their maximum based on the voice coil design and current carrying capabilities) not what they "need." Speakers will work just fine with any amplifier power as long as you setup the amplifier correctly and do not over-power the speakers. ------------- Support the12volt.com
Posted By: dm2008
Date Posted: September 08, 2008 at 2:04 PM
Lets just say i buy a 1000w mono amp thats stable at 1 ohm. What would be the difference between plugging in 4 subs in it, or 2 subs.
Will the 2 speakers sound better/louder if they are receiving more power(not over-powering them) than 4 speakers that are receiving less.
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: September 08, 2008 at 2:16 PM
dm2008 wrote:
Lets just say i buy a 1000w mono amp thats stable at 1 ohm. What would be the difference between plugging in 4 subs in it, or 2 subs.
Will the 2 speakers sound better/louder if they are receiving more power(not over-powering them) than 4 speakers that are receiving less.
It is impossible to answer that question since it depends much more on the enclosure and the installation configuration than on simply increasing cone area. In general, though, if you move from 2 speakers to 4 speakers with the same power, you can add +3db to your SPL total. If you double the power to 2 speakers, you can also add +3db. If you double both the speaker number and the power level, you add +6db. (in case you do not know, +10db = twice as loud.) But like I said, that is theoretical and it depends on the way the system is built. ------------- Support the12volt.com
Posted By: 04nata
Date Posted: September 08, 2008 at 2:33 PM
so what about if you have 2-12's in a ported box with 500 watts total, if you put in 2-15's with the same amp and similar box, will you increase the amount of sound? I also, am trying to decide on going from 2-12's up to either 3-12's or else 2-15's, I understand if I double the power of the amp I will get more sound also.
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: September 08, 2008 at 2:38 PM
04nata wrote:
so what about if you have 2-12's in a ported box with 500 watts total, if you put in 2-15's with the same amp and similar box, will you increase the amount of sound? I also, am trying to decide on going from 2-12's up to either 3-12's or else 2-15's, I understand if I double the power of the amp I will get more sound also.
Again, it is impossible to say with any certainty what will happen. In general any time you increase the available cone surface area you in theory increase the SPL capability, but there are so many other factors to consider that any predictions based solely on the sizes of the woofers is likely to be incorrect. Changing from dual 12" woofers in a properly sized and aligned enclosure to dual 15" woofers of the same type (brand, sensitivity, etc.) in a properly sized and aligned enclosure but using the same amplifier will likely increase the SPL, yes. How much and in what frequency bands is impossible to say. ------------- Support the12volt.com
Posted By: dm2008
Date Posted: September 08, 2008 at 2:40 PM
Well if i go with 2 subs i would go with a ported box and if i go with 4 i would probably go for the sealed box because it takes a bit less space. concerning the system set up im not too sure but hopefully you guys can help me out ?
P.s is it true that 10' will hit lower frequencies than 12'?
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: September 08, 2008 at 3:19 PM
dm2008 wrote:
P.s is it true that 10' will hit lower frequencies than 12'?
No it is not. Who told you that? ------------- Support the12volt.com
Posted By: dm2008
Date Posted: September 08, 2008 at 3:22 PM
just a friend, thats what i thought though too.
What do you guys think of the Clarion subs though?
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