Printer Friendly Forum Posts - soundstream amps/audiobahn subs

i recently purchased a set of audiobahn 150q 15 inch subs and a soundstream reference 300 amp and i was wondering wich is the best way to wire them (the amp to the subs) thanks in advance.....

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THE LOUDER THE BETTER !!!!!!
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In order for us to tell you how to wire it we need the complete model # of your subs

they are single voice coil 4 ohm subs 600 watts each rms

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THE LOUDER THE BETTER !!!!!!
CAN YOU FEEL IT ?????

they are aw150q 15 inch subs i have the one reference 300 soundstream amp but i am going to purchase another one just like it so if anyone can give me info on how to wire the one amp to both subs to get the best/deepest bass and also on wiring both amps to the subs as well (1 amp per sub) i would greatly appreciate it thanks again........

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THE LOUDER THE BETTER !!!!!!
CAN YOU FEEL IT ?????

First off here is the manual for your amp https://www.soundstream.com/owners_manuals/ref23500.zip you will want to bridge your amp to one channel and then wire your subs in parallel. So in order to wire them in parallel you will wire the + of the 1st sub to the + of the 2nd sub, and the -of the 1st sub to the - of the 2nd speaker, and then connect them to the one bridged channel on your amp. This will give you a 2 ohm load which will give you 300 watts and that is the most power you can get out of the amp. Now if you run each sub on its own amp that will present the amp with a 4 ohm load and the amp will put out 150 X1, but if the amp has a 2 ohm load ( which is what you currently have) it will put out 300X 1 which means each sub will get 150 watts. Now if you add a 2nd reference 300 amp you will be getting the same amount of power from 2 amps as you would by only using 1. Now these subs are 600 watts rms each which means that they need 1200 watts you are only giving each one 150 each 300 total. I would suggest that instead of you buying another reference 300 that you find an amp that puts out 1200 watts rms @ 2 ohms to drive your subs.

I would buy a Soundstream rubicon 1002 amp. I haven't used one personally but they produce maximum power at 2 ohms which is 1000 watts rms. Actually these amps are underated. I had a reference 700 s rated at 823 watts at 2 ohms mono and it was stable down to 1 ohm. Which means it wasn't being used to its full potential. So I imagine that you will be hitting your mark of 1200 watts rms. I wouldn't suggest buying a reference amp unless you are going to drop your load below 2 ohms because they are called sleeping bueaties because the will unleash the beast when pushed but are puny at anything above 2 ohms.

thanks for the replies i appreciate it i will be back for further help when i decide on an amp.... i have a legacy la2070 that is rated at 2400 watts peak 2 channel bridgeable to one is this any good??? i only paid $80 for it brand new.. should i use it or buy something else??? are legacy amps any good

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THE LOUDER THE BETTER !!!!!!
CAN YOU FEEL IT ?????

I'm not a huge fan of Legacy but in this case I would suggest that you use the Legacy instead of the soundstream. The soundstream is a much better amp but that particular model isn’t powerful enough for your subs. I think you will be much happier using the Legacy. Now as far as hooking up the legacy you will need to run one sub off each channel. You will want to wire each sub as you normally would + to + and - to -, and run each sub off its own channel.

would this ppi amp do me any good to run these two 15's or if i had two of them one for each sub........pcx-2125 please let me know i appreciate all the help............joe

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THE LOUDER THE BETTER !!!!!!
CAN YOU FEEL IT ?????

these are the specs on that ppi amp

Channel:
4ohm:
2ohm:
Bridged:
Damping:
S/N Ratio:
Dimension:
Length:
THD:
Power Input:
Freq. Resp.:
I/P Sens.:
X/O Slope:
X/O Freq.:
X/O Type:
Input Type:
Cooling Fan:
QBass:

2
125
250
500
>500
>115dB
2.375" x 10"
17"
02%
4 Guage
4.5-100k
.15-12V
12dB
30Hz-4kHz
2 way
12 vDC
Yes
QBass¢â Plus

< =https://order.store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/wg-order?millionbuy+ppipcx2125 method=post>

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THE LOUDER THE BETTER !!!!!!
CAN YOU FEEL IT ?????

That PPI amp would still be underpowering your subs if you just had 1 amp. The amp is rated at 125 x 2 @ 4ohms, which is what you should be concerned with. You don't need to worry about the rating @ 2ohms since it is stereo (2 channels) and you have 4ohm SVC's and not 2ohm SVC's. And you also don't need to worry about the rating bridged since wired in parallel you would produce a 2ohm x 1 load, and the amp is only stable to 4ohms x 1.

Now if you had 2 of those PPI's, then you could run 1 sub per amp, bridged @ 4ohms. You would get apx 500watts to each sub, but would still be underpowering them.

Best rule of thumb is to match the total RMS rating of the amp to the total RMS rating of your subs. In your case, you have two 600RMS subs. As bberman1 said earlier, your best bet is an amp that produces either 1200 x 1 @ 2ohms, or 600 x 2 @ 4ohms.

Given the choices you have laid out, I'd suggest going with the Legacy amp as well (even though I'm not a fan of Legacy either). As bberman1 said, run 1 sub per channel. If I did the math right, you should be getting apx. 600 x 2 @ 4ohms which is a good match.

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

200w x 2 @ 4 ohms Stereo / 400w x 2 @ 2 ohm Stereo / 600w x 2 @ 1 ohm stereo / 800 w x 2 @ 1/2 ohm stereo / 1600 w x 1 @ 1 ohm mono / Dimensions: 3.5" (H) x 12" (W) x 24" (D)

what about this amp its an audiobahn a2200hc would this do the trick and how would i wire this to the subs??????? thanks for all the help

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THE LOUDER THE BETTER !!!!!!
CAN YOU FEEL IT ?????

Digital Audio 1000 WATT, A/B MOSFET 4-CHANNEL POWER AMPLIFIER Model: DA4150C SPECIFICATIONS:
*150 watts x 4 @ 4 ohms stereo
*250 watts x 4 @ 2 ohms stereo
*500 watts x 2 @ 4 ohms mono
*2/3/4 Channel Bridgeable Operation Selection
*PWM MOSFET Power Supply
*THD: 0.02%
*HCC (high current capability) 60 Amps
*Input Sensitivity Line Level: 200mV/2.5V (adjustable)
*Frequency Response: 10Hz - 40KHz
*S/N Ratio: >100dB
*4-way Protection Circuitry: Thermal, Short, Overload & DC Offset.
*Variable 18dB Low Pass Crossover: 50hz-150hz
*Variable 18dB Hi Pass Crossover: 75Hz - 750Hz
*2-Ohm Stereo Stable
*Red Logo Illumination
*Brushed Aluminum Finish with Diamond Cut Heat Sink
*Hi/Low Level Inputs
*4 Guage Power Connection
what about this amp ???????????????????

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THE LOUDER THE BETTER !!!!!!
CAN YOU FEEL IT ?????

ive decide on going with the digital audio amp.....and i also purchased a 2.4 farad digital capacitor what is the best way to hook up the capacitor......im using a 1 in 4 out power distribution block as well... please let me know....thanks again

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THE LOUDER THE BETTER !!!!!!
CAN YOU FEEL IT ?????

You'll still be underpowering your subs by 100watts each with the Digital Audio DA4150C.

Your CAP should have had a diagram with it, but I'd suggest the following...

Distro. Block --> Cap --> amp

I've also heard that you can do this as well...

              amp
             /
distro block
             \
              CAP

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

I would hook up the cap the 1st way wvsquirrel suggested although you can do it either way. I would have suggested a JBL 1200.1 instead of the digital audio it’s a better amp and is a better match for your subs. But the Audiobahn would not have worked the most you could have gotten out of it was 200 watts per sub using your current configuration.

ive been looking at the jbl 1200.1 and the reviews are good but everyone is talking about it not having a subsonic filter what exactly is that?? i do have a external xover will that work for what they are talking about???? also 4 guage wire into a 1in/4out distrobution block with 80 amp fuses is that going to be cool as far as the wiring???? also a inline fuse by the battery with a 80 amp fuse as well..... and should i purchase a external fan for this amp so it dont get hot as fast???????? thanks again

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THE LOUDER THE BETTER !!!!!!
CAN YOU FEEL IT ?????

Subsonic Filter: A high pass filter designed to prevent frequencies below the audio range from being applied to the subwoofer from the amplifier. Consequently, improving subwoofer performance and power handling.

For the JBL 1200.1 I'd recommend running 2AWG from the battery to the distribution block, then 4AWG to the amp. I would never run a 1200watt amp with anything smaller then 4AWG, and since you would have other things drawing power from the distro. block, you need more then just 4AWG to supply power to everything from the battery.

I'd say 100 amp fuse if you went with the 2AWG from the battery (80 amp if you decide to use 4AWG).

As long as your battery is in a well ventilated area then I don't think you would need to worry about a fan right now.

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

the only other thing that will be runnin off the distro block is the xover do i still need the 2awg or will the 4 be good and is there any other way to power the xover instead of the distro block???? thanks for all the advice............

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THE LOUDER THE BETTER !!!!!!
CAN YOU FEEL IT ?????

"As long as your battery is in a well ventilated area... " I meant to say Amplifier! Sorry about that :)

What are the power requirements of the x-over? I know 2 gauge may seem extreme, but any power that you rob from the amp will affect performance. You can still use 4 gauge from the bat. to the distro block if you want, just know that you might get better performance by using 2 gauge instead. Why starve a very well built amp if you don't have to? Just a suggestion...

You could run a seperate power wire from the battery just going to the x-over if you wanted to, but using the distro. block is easier as long as you have enough juice going to it to run everything.

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

i have a brand new battery and alternator im not sure how to determine what the power req. for the xover is.... however i dont think its much cause its a cheap radioshack one..... before i had it wired to the amp......

wvsquirrel if you get a chance can you draw me out a diagram for the power system wiring diagram as well as the subs.... i would really appreciate it as i am new to this game(with high power stuff any ways)

today i ordered the jbl bp1200.1 + i have a 2.4 digital cap + a 1 in 4 out distro block + the xover....you can email me at fatdaddyjoe@yahoo.com if you want thanks again for all the help........................joe

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THE LOUDER THE BETTER !!!!!!
CAN YOU FEEL IT ?????

No probs, check back in about 30 minutes and I should have one posted for you (it won't be high quality, but it should deffinately work!)

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

thanks alot man i appreciate it

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THE LOUDER THE BETTER !!!!!!
CAN YOU FEEL IT ?????

I don't know the make/model of the X-Over so I didn't show the connections between the X-Over and the amp (I also didn't know what other speakers you were wiring into it).

The Cap looks like it has 2 positive terminals, but it really doesn't, I drew it like I did for continuity.

Hope this helps...

posted_image

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

I can't edit my other post right now, so here's another shot (I had to edit the pic a little)...

posted_image

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

should i run the rca cables from the radio to the sub input on the xover then to the amp input??? is that right??? thanks for all the help squirrel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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THE LOUDER THE BETTER !!!!!!
CAN YOU FEEL IT ?????

Yes, if you are planning on using the external crossover to control the signal going to the subs, then run the RCA's from the headunit to the crossover's input, then from the crossover's output the amplifier.

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com

hey squirrel i found out today that the jbl amp is on back order and they dont know when it will ship so i cancelled the order... they offered me a MA AUDIO HK1997 THE SPECS ARE 1X600@4 OHMS AND 1X1200@2 OHMS PLUS ITS $40 CHEAPER WILL THIS DO THE SAME????? ITS ONLY $210 IS THAT COOL.... LET ME KNOW SO I CAN GET THIS AMP PURCHASE DONE AND OVER WITH........... THANKS AGAIN JOE

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THE LOUDER THE BETTER !!!!!!
CAN YOU FEEL IT ?????

Between the 2, I would have stuck with the JBL.
I hate giving specs that I don't know (or can't quote). I'm not a professional installer or retailer, so my equipment knowledge is limited, but I've read rave reviews on the JBL 1200.1 and know it would have done what you needed. The MA Audio I'm not sure about.

The MA Audio site shows specs that say 1200 x 1 @ 2ohms, but the manual says 1000 x 1 @ 2ohms. So I'm inclined to lean towards the 1200x1 specs being based off of a 14.4volt system, and the 1000x1 specs being based off of a 12volt system.

The HK1997 is also only a Class AB amp (even though it is a mono amp). You can use Class AB's to run subs, but they were mainly designed to run mid's and high's. Class D amps are designed specifically to run subs, and run them hard! The 1200.1 was a Class D.

The price looks reasonable though (again I'm not in retail so I don't know the current "list price"). I ran a quick search and found that amp averaging $400 on the web.

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Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
Donate to the12volt.com