sub, amp, head unit?
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=27238
Printed Date: May 11, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Topic: sub, amp, head unit?
Posted By: Kid777
Subject: sub, amp, head unit?
Date Posted: February 25, 2004 at 8:46 PM
I just had a shop install my amp and sub to my factory system with a line out converter. I'm disappointed in the way it sounds. Heres what i have 1 12" kicker l5 hooked up with a visonik amp putting out 400rms @4ohm hooked to stock head unit. Its not loud at all and barely bumps on most songs. The guys at the shop told me i need a head unit and it would be much louder. I realize im severely underpowering the sub and was wondering should i just buy a new amp that 600rms at 4ohm or buy a headunit? Do headunits really make that big a difference? thx E
Replies:
Posted By: brad123
Date Posted: February 25, 2004 at 9:34 PM
The amp is not good. Get a Jl, kicker, rockford fosgate ect.. something higher end and it will sound good, the head unit is not the problem.
Posted By: devilsquid
Date Posted: February 25, 2004 at 9:55 PM
i agree with that statement...get an OLD rockford fosgate if you can find one...i had a punch 60 and it pounded like no ones business!!
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Posted By: Kid777
Date Posted: February 25, 2004 at 11:03 PM
hey i was looking at kicker amps. I can get a sweet deal on a kicker dx700 but my question is will this blow my sub up? As long as i dont crank it all the way up FEATURES:
Frequency response 10-200 Hz
350 watts x 1 at 4 ohms
700 watts x 1 at 2 ohms
MOSFET power supply
Module docking port with two-way active crossover (switchable at 60, 80, or 100 Hz, 24 dB/octave)
Switchable subsonic filter 25 Hz, 24 dB/octave
Oversized power connectors
Remote gain controller
Dimensions: 15-9/16"W x 3"H x 10-1/16"D
Posted By: wayland1985
Date Posted: February 25, 2004 at 11:38 PM
If I'm not mistaken, your woofer is a dual 4 ohm voice coil setup, and has an RMS rating of 750 watts....correct me if I'm wrong. If you're running a ported enclosure, your sub can hold the 750 watts RMS, with no problem. But if you're running a sealed enclosure, kicker only recommends 600 watts RMS (300 watts per coil), so that amp would be a tad too much for that woofer. Keep in mind, you'd be running in parallel so you're running at 2 ohms.......and 750 watts doesn't mean that each coil can hold 750 watts, it means that both coils in total can take 750 watts (so it would be like 375 watts a coil, if you're running a 2 channel amp).
So if you have a ported enclosure, go and buy the amp, you should be fine.....
If it's sealed, then I'd be a bit more conservative....since the stress on the woofer would be greater....
Also, keep in mind, I looked up the newer Kicker L5 12" dual 4 ohm specs..... Post the model number, or look up the specs for your current sub, just to make sure the numbers I posted coincide with your woofer...
Visonik is probably your main problem..... They aren't very reputable for making quality products.... Are you sure it puts out 400 watts RMS??? OR IS IT 400 WATTS PEAK??? And, is that at 4, 2 or 1 ohm? Because, they try to lie about their ratings..... Also, was the shop a reputable private shop, or some BestBuy-like chain store? They may have installed the entire setup wrong.....Like using too-small wire for the amp, wrong fuses, reverse polartiy, bad ground ETC, which also could be probelmatic. Check those out before you drop the cash on the new amp.........unless you have money to spare.....then just get rid of that Visonik POS....haha
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~WAYLAND
Posted By: BangBang
Date Posted: February 26, 2004 at 2:01 AM
i suggest u go to best buy or good guys. get ur sh*t fixed. i had the same problem its not the head unit, its more likely the amp and the sub. check out my posts' lolz i went thru alot and finally worked dont go for bass. go for DISTORTION. that Term means alot to me now hahahah ~!!!!
Posted By: Kid777
Date Posted: February 26, 2004 at 11:00 AM
Hey part of the problem i'm having (this is pretty dumb) is that the girl i bought the sub and box from doesn't have aclue if the subs 4ohm DVC or 2ohm DVC and how its wired in the box. Its in a factory kicker sealed box and she bought it feom soundomain. My amp now is only 4ohm mono stable and works although pretty bad. Would this suggest that its the 4ohm model? Should i try to remove the sub from the enclosure to see how its wired inside? thx this sucks cause i can't buy a better amp until i figure out what the hell sub model it is and how its wired.
Posted By: customsuburb
Date Posted: February 26, 2004 at 12:47 PM
I checked Kicker's website and they only put the 4 ohm version in their pre-made boxes. They also wire it at the factory for a 4 ohm load. The only other way you can wire it is for a 1 ohm load and this would not be good for what you're doing. You're going to have to find a high powered 2 channel amp that can be bridged into 4 ohms to get the maximum amount of power for your sub. Rockford Fosgate's Power 551S would be a good choice. It would give your sub 550 watts in 4 ohms. Right now you can buy if off of crutchfield.com on clearance. Make sure your car's charging system can handle this big of an amp though. Rockford Fosgate Power 551S
Posted By: forbidden
Date Posted: February 26, 2004 at 1:11 PM
The original question is answered by yes, the headunit will make a huge difference.
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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.
Posted By: Kid777
Date Posted: February 26, 2004 at 2:55 PM
I was looking at kickers website and they list the 40hm DVC model for the pre made box like you said. I looked at sounddomains wiring diagram for hooking up one amp to this sub and they gave me either a 2ohm load at the amp or an 8ohm load. the 2ohm DVC model gave me a 1ohm load or 4ohm load. I'm pretty sure the model i have is the 4ohm DVC as this seems much more common but what throws this off is the amp i have hooked to it does work although very badly.
Posted By: jpranwez
Date Posted: February 26, 2004 at 5:10 PM
Here a thought. Is your amp 2 ohm stable. If it's not and you have a 4 ohm dvc the guys at the shop may have wired to 8 ohms. I think that would make a difference in output.
Posted By: customsuburb
Date Posted: February 26, 2004 at 5:24 PM
This enclosure is only available with a 2 ohm dvc sub. He will therefore either have it wired into 1 ohm or 4 ohms and it is likely it is wired into 4 ohms because it is wired this way at the factory. I think he really just needs a bigger amp.
Posted By: Kid777
Date Posted: February 26, 2004 at 8:16 PM
Last question: my amp now is running at 4ohms. If the sub was wired for 2ohms or 8ohms what would happen? Would any sound come out? If the sub is currently working with the 40hm mono amp does that mean its definitly wired for a 4ohm load? thx
Posted By: customsuburb
Date Posted: February 26, 2004 at 9:36 PM
IT should be wired for 4 ohms right now. If you wired it for 8 ohms you would get even less power and if you wired it for 2 ohms your amp would probobly go into protection mode and not give you any sound. To make sure your sub is wired for 4 ohms take it out of the enclosure and see if the voice coils are connect like this: 
Posted By: customsuburb
Date Posted: February 26, 2004 at 9:37 PM
I just realized you can't wire your sub for 2 or 8 ohms unless its a 4 ohm DVC sub. Your only other option would be 1 ohm.
Posted By: jpranwez
Date Posted: February 27, 2004 at 5:25 PM
That's where I got confused. Subarb said 4 ohmdvc originaly and meant 2 ohm. A 2 ohm dvc means it's probably wired to 4 ohms. Personally I wouldn't think it's the amp. I have enough experiences to know how important the input power is.
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