do i need a bigger 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=134673
Printed Date: May 17, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Topic: do i need a bigger amp?
Posted By: audio coffin
Subject: do i need a bigger amp?
Date Posted: August 05, 2013 at 5:21 PM
I have 2 dvc 4 ohm subs, they are 12" pioneer ts-3002d4. 1000 rms-3500 max. I have them wired to 1 ohm. my amp is a pioneer class d mono amp prs-1200spl. which gives me 1200 watts at 1 ohm. is this a good match, or do I need 1000 watts per sub?
Replies:
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: August 05, 2013 at 5:54 PM
You can use any amp with any speakers. Set your gain properly. ------------- Support the12volt.com
Posted By: soundnsecurity
Date Posted: August 05, 2013 at 9:10 PM
power is not as important as having a proper box design, not to say that there wont be a difference with having 1000 extra watts, the difference wont be huge. but you do need to make sure that your wire and battery and alternator are keeping up with the amp you already have because if you and getting large voltage drops when the bass is heavy then that will rob your power and make it seem like you need a bigger amp. if your power system isnt in shape then a bigger amp will only make the problem worse.
Posted By: audio coffin
Date Posted: August 05, 2013 at 10:46 PM
I am doing the stereo in a 98 Lincoln town car, weird I know, I have 0 gauge wiring ready to go in, as well as the o gauge fuses; it already has a hi output alt. and I have another battery to go into the trunk. I am planning on putting 3 way hertz splits in the front doors and hertz 8" subs, 2 way focal splits in the rear doors. along with the subs in the trunk. so I will be running 1 amp for the front doors, 1 amp for the rear doors and one amp for the subs. ported sub box with 1.6 cubic feet per sub. just wasn't sure how the watts worked. I originally had one sub with the amp, all was ok, but then I got a sweet deal on the second sub, so what I am asking is, if my goal is to have 4 dvc 1000 watt rms subs, is my 1200 watt amp good enough as long as it is stable, or do I need an amp that puts out 4000 watts rms because each sub takes 1000 for optimum performance.
Posted By: soundnsecurity
Date Posted: August 05, 2013 at 11:17 PM
having 4 1000 watt subs on a 1200 watt amp is stretching it a bit, if you go with 4 subs then i would get a bigger amp. where are the 8" hertz subs going? why would you need those if you will have 4 12's, you probably wont hear them and subs dont usually sound good as a mid unless you have them in some sort of an enclosure.
Posted By: audio coffin
Date Posted: August 06, 2013 at 12:26 AM
it will be awhile before I get the other 2 subs. the 8's will be in the driver and passenger doors. they will be sealed in .5 cubic feet. I like a lot of different music. my 12's are spl subs, so they love the extended stuff, but don't seem to play quick drum beats that loud. it's like they don't want to play anything above 60 hz( not actual) so if I put the 8's on the front amp they should be loud enough to play what the 12's don't. it must be mid life crisis, only I don't want a sports car, right now it can sound like i'm talking through a fan with the low end, but I miss playing hard rock and feeling the kick drum punch me in the chest. back in the mid 80's we had woofers to play rock and roll, then rap started in the late 80's.which brought on the sub woofer. I remember using sealed 8's for a better rock sound. this way I can also turn my subs down on the head unit if I don't want the extended bass, as an option.
Posted By: soundnsecurity
Date Posted: August 06, 2013 at 6:20 AM
i guess thats a good enough reason, as long as you know that you cant just stick them in a hole in the door and expect them to sound good. i still think its unnecessary because your normal component mids could give you that response if you built an enclosure for them to extend their lower end response. sometimes more speakers is not better and it turns into more work trying to blend everything together to make it sound like a full system instead of a random collection of speakers. not to mention having subs up front will need a ton of deadening to fix all the rattles it will create in your doors. simpler is usually better.
the 3 way hertz components should have a nice bass response by themselves so i would install those first and listen to what they can do and if you are still unhappy with them then you can add the 8's
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