1 ohm vs 2 ohms

going to install 4 12" soundstream splx subs. i cant decide wether to run all 4 @ 1ohm or should i run seperate amps @ 2ohm each(2 subs per amp).

subs - 1000w rms; 2000w max; dual 2ohm
amp - 1x4000w @ 1ohm; 1x2200w @ 2ohm

what i cant decide is that if i buy two amps and wire them @ 2ohms how much better will it sound than if i wire one amp up @ 4ohm. 2 amps are definately better than one. but is 4000w @ 1ohm the same as 4000w @ 2ohm.

Amps run easier and with less heat at higher impedance. Lower impedance are also supposed to increase the amount of THD.

But you plan on pushing the subs at their max power all the time? I am pretty sure if you pushed 2000 watts into a 1000 watt sub for more than a few minutes you would be buying another sub soon.

Aaaaandddd...if those subs are dual 2 ohm then you would either be running them at 0.5 ohms or 2 ohms. So....

2 OHMS!

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MECP Advanced
Make your life easier and buy a DMM.

hahah i thought it said two not four my bad!!!!

Disregard the last two parts of my post!!!

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MECP Advanced
Make your life easier and buy a DMM.

I would probably go with two amps, so that your amps do not get worked as hard.

Are you upgrading your alternator and adding a few batteries?

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MECP Advanced
Make your life easier and buy a DMM.

got three 2400 kinetik batteries. got my alt rebuilt i think its about 200 amp.


I used to have two kicker l7 15s and a kicker 2500w amp. also with an upgraded alt and a yellow top. after time that gave up and noow i wanna do it bigger and better.

Anyways back to the topic. I just really dont think that one amp will be as strong as two. No matter what ohm u are going to wire.

millionville wrote:

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going to install 4 12" soundstream splx subs. i cant decide wether to run all 4 @ 1ohm or should i run seperate amps @ 2ohm each(2 subs per amp).

subs - 1000w rms; 2000w max; dual 2ohm
amp - 1x4000w @ 1ohm; 1x2200w @ 2ohm

what i cant decide is that if i buy two amps and wire them @ 2ohms how much better will it sound than if i wire one amp up @ 4ohm. 2 amps are definately better than one. but is 4000w @ 1ohm the same as 4000w @ 2ohm.

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what amp are you talking about? my opinion is if it is a good amp with a true 4000W RMS, not MAX, one amp would be better than two. keeping your system as simple as possible is usually the better and easier way to go, and it makes it so there are less things that can break. now this all depends on exactly what amp you are going to be running.

now if your are talking about sounding better, 2 amps outputting 2000 watts @ 2ohms would probably sound better and run better. but in the end the sound you get from your subs depends more on your enclosure design and sound dampening your car to reduce any rattling noises.

now here's the fun part, 1 amp that gives you 4000 watts at 1 ohm is in most cases the same amp that will give you 2000 watts into 2 ohms. so basically, if you are wanting to run two amps versus one, you will be buying two of the exact same amp that you would only really need one of if you ran them all at 1 ohm total. so you will be spending twice as much on amps plus all the extra wire and accessories you need to add the second amp, and the only benefits you would see are less distortion and probably longer longevity from your amps because they should run cooler.

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Are you going to compete? Then why are you all worried about 2000 watts versus 4000 watts? You do know the output differences will be less than 3dB? 3dB, and all the additional power requirements, for an unnoticeable difference in output, with all the added expense isn't worth it in a daily driver...

soundnsecurity. thanks for the response. The third paragrapg is excactly what i was looking for. Sounds like i will be running two amps for my setup. Money was not an issue. Btw the amp i was talkin about was the soundstream xxx4000d. I once read somewhere that 4ohm will play longer and cleaner than 2ohm. And the same for 2ohm vs 1ohm.

I am looking for longevity rather than simplicity. It seems as tho the higher the ohm the easier it is on your electrical system in your car.

Thanks again soundnsecurity. good info.

I might compete just for fun. This system is goin in a project of mine. To be honest i just like loud heartstoppin music