1.333 ohms to a mono amp

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=116824
Printed Date: May 12, 2025 at 2:32 PM

Topic: 1.333 ohms to a mono amp

Posted By: nodiggie
Subject: 1.333 ohms to a mono amp
Date Posted: October 09, 2009 at 1:05 AM

Yeah, it sounds dumb I know.

My plan is to replace both current subs with new but can only afford 1 right now. So what would happen (good/bad) to a mono sub amp if you tried to wire a 1.333 ohm load to it?

I can wire it 2ohms with no problem but could also wire it
( 1ohm + 4ohm).

Will this 1.333ohm load give my amp a heart attack ?

Just my brain working overtime with all the endless possibilities.

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Still learning

Kraco

Replies:

Posted By: i am an idiot
Date Posted: October 09, 2009 at 5:11 AM

1 Ohm + 4 Ohm paralleled is (.)8 ohm. Any time 2 resistrs are paralleled, the result is always lower than the lowest value resistor of the pair.

We can only guess that your amp is stable down to only 2 ohms. If that is the case, running it anywhere below 2 will be a judgement call that you will have to make on your own. Would you double the recommended load on your pickup truck? If your car redlines at 8000 RPM, would you rev it to 12000 before you shift?

Posted By: haemphyst
Date Posted: October 09, 2009 at 1:30 PM

^^ that, and...

The 1-ohm load will pull four times more power than the 4-ohm portion of the circuit, and if they are close to the same sensitivites, then the 1-ohm driver will be 6dB louder than the 4-ohm driver.

Impedance aside, paralleling inequal impedance drivers within the same frequency band is generally... no, ALWAYS a bad idea.

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

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