Printer Friendly Forum Posts - Best Subs for this Amp

Here are the specs to the amp I have no...any idea what subs would fit it best? aiming for 10" and a reasonable price.

Power Acoustik PA4-800 Amplifier

Manufacturer Sku: PA4-800
Brand: Power Acoustik
Model: PA4-800
Min Frequency Response: 10 Hz
Max Frequency Response: 30 KHz
Bridgeable: Yes
Protection LED: Yes
Power supply topology: MOSFET
Signal to Noise Ratio: 97 dB

Features
Bass Boost: Yes
Wire gauge: 4
Gold Plated Connectors: Yes
Tri-Way Capable: Yes

Output Power
Peak Power Output (Watts x Channels): 800 x 4
Bridged Power (Watts x Channels): 800 x 1
RMS Power Output (Watts x Channels): 105 x 4
Minimum Impedance Unbridged: 2 Ohms
Tri-Mode Capable: Yes

Crossover
High-Pass Crossover Min Frequency: 150 Hz
High-Pass Crossover Max Frequency: 1.5 KHz
Low-Pass Crossover Min Frequency: 40 Hz
Low-Pass Crossover Max Frequency: 120 Hz

Dimensions
Height: 11.25 in
Depth: 2.25 in
Width: 14 in

Those specs do not impress me. However, I will say that you're going to want to shoot for 2 subs, either 4 ohms each or DVC 2 ohms/coil each or DVC 8 ohms/coil each. Or you can go for 4 subs, 2 ohms or 8 ohms each... And the wattage is not very high, so you're going to want to shoot for something with a sensitivity of at least 90dB. Though keep in mind that some manufacturers (*coughaudiobahncough*) overrate their sensitivity ratings.

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2009 Pontiac G8 in planning stage
HU: ?
Speakers: ?
Amps: ?

okay, thanks for the input...i know the amp isnt the best out there but i was informed that with the setup i have no the amp is too powerful for the subs i have and i figured id replace the subs before i burnt them up. and yea, id look for 2 10" subs and that is what i have now.

if u think otherwise let me know...the sub specs are:

TS-W28C
Size - 10" (25cm)
Nominal Power - 120W
Max Power - 400W
Nominal Impedence - 4Q
Sensitivity - 90dB
Frequency Responce - 20-4500Hz
Magnet Weight - 706g (25oz)
Displacement - 0.04cuft (1.12 liters)
Revc - 3.0Q
Levc - 1.516mH
Fs - 28.6Hz
Qms - 8.63
Qes - 0.518
Qts - 0.488
Vas - 2.971cuft (84.13 liters)
Rms - 1.338N.S/m
Mms - 63.93g
Cms - 4.858x10^-4m/N
Diam - 8.3" (211mm)
BL - 8.349T.m
Xmax - 0.2" (5.2mm)

Sealed Enclosure - 1.0cuft (28.3 liters)
Ported Enclosure - 1.1cuft (31.2 liters)
     port - 3"(76mm) x 12"(305mm)
Bandpass Enclosure - sealed - 0.6cuft (17 liters)
       vented - 0.6cuft (17 liters)
       port - 3"(76mm) x 5"(127mm)

Cutout hole - 9.375"(238mm)
Mounting depth - 4.75"(121mm)

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If you're looking for pretty good bass, you'll be best off selling everything you have and replacing it all. However, if you really want to stick with the amp, a bunch of Infinity subs are rated 92dB sensitivity. Infinity is a pretty good brand for drivers. That amp is going to need all the help it can get from the drivers, so I would go for 12"s if it's an option.

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2009 Pontiac G8 in planning stage
HU: ?
Speakers: ?
Amps: ?

Any two 4 ohm svc subs will work fine off of this amp. This is of course presuming that the amp will only be used to drive these subs and not anything else. If that is the case find a pair of 10" subs that you like and go for it.

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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

forbidden, yes, you are correct. But I'm recommending the Infinitys because of the sensitivity. The pretty low wattage of this amp is not going to push a speaker with 87dB or so as well. I'm assuming he wants some pretty decent bass since he's going for dual subs. But if I am incorrect in that assumption, then there are lots more possibilities.

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2009 Pontiac G8 in planning stage
HU: ?
Speakers: ?
Amps: ?

Specs, especially the efficiency rating will not tell you what the speaker will sound like. While yes a higher efficency number will make a "louder" system, at what expense to sound quality. Efficiency can be made up in the form of a proper box. While his amp may not be all that it is cracked up to be, my bet is that it will still produce a ton of power and as such any pair of subs in the proper box should perform more than adequate for him.

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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

Honestly.

You're doing it in completely the wrong order.

1) Determine goals
2) Determine budget
3) Check out space
4) Buy the subs
5) Design the box
6) Finally, pick the amplifier

I'd personally sell that amp and go back to square one, #1, numero uno.

For the sub, not only is the amplifier the last item on the logical list of decisions to make, it's probably the least important item. As long as you don't have a totally wrong amplifier, or a crap one, its going to sound pretty much the same and get pretty much just as loud.

Anyway. What is your goal and what is your budget for the entire bass project? Let's start there.

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New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

kfr01 speaks the truth. Even if I got a chance to do my system over, I'd pick Adire over JL Audio. But I wouldn't go for Adire with the amp you have, as the power level is too low.

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2009 Pontiac G8 in planning stage
HU: ?
Speakers: ?
Amps: ?

these specs are confusing:

800x4, then 800x1(bridged), all considering a minimum load of 2 ohm stereo!!

my first concern is how youre going to bridge all 4 channels of that power akoustic together to one channel. most often times 4 channel amps only allow you to bridge the left and right "front" section together into one, and then the left and right "rear" section into another. thus you can run one sub on each bridged section.

so...2 svc 4 ohm subs could be configured w/ one sub on each bridged section @ 4 ohm mono, which is what i assume forbidden and dragonrage tryed to communicate (but then the spec would have to say 800x2 bridged!)

but if somehow you could bridge all 4 channels together such as power akoustic would lead one to believe, 2 svc 4 ohm subs would present a 2 ohm mono load to the amp (and poof you will magically require another)

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MECP certified, 5yrs experience, you probably otta listen bitch!!

you can look at the manuale you should be able to brinde this amp from 4 ch to 2 ch, personally I would go with kappa perfect or or a memphis 10" these subs will sound great with little power, I would set up a slot ported enclosure for more spl.

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Here is the page for the power series amps: https://www.poweracoustik.com/powerseries.html I'm sorry to say but they look to be peices of crap. If you still want to keep it I would reccomend a sub that dosn't take much power to get moving like a JL 15 W0 or some Adire Audio shivas. I think two of the JL woofers in a large ported box would sound pretty good for an SPL setup. The Shivas would work also, but you wouldn't be pushing them to their full extent so watch the gain setting. This amp is overrated for sure and I'm sure that was just a typo from Power Acoustik above (you should see the manual for a Power Acoustik amp I have...).

Yea, I figured the amp isn't that great, I bought it over 2 years ago online and it was only $120...so I get what I paid for. I have used several different set-ups with this amp...I've borrowed friends subs and used them and they aways sounded decent...I have no clue what the power was of those but they always hit pretty hard. I have been considering using a slot box with the ones I have now but can definitely reconsider if I get new subs that call for something else. Also my brother wanted to build a fiberglass enclosure for any subs I have, so I'm also considering that...but I definitely need to research all that and what options I have.

I don't have a big budget and I don't even know if I will get new subs soon, but IF I do, I just wanted to know what to look for.

From what I gather so far, if I keep this amp, I need to have 2 4ohm subs with a 90dB sensitivity. Sub brands to look for are infinity, kappa and memphis...though I've never heard of the last two.

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Kappa is an Infinity line. You can get Infinity Reference or Infinity Kappa.

As for 90dB, I just recommend 90dB or more. You don't HAVE to listen to that. The Infinitys have more, and I am not sure about Memphis.

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2009 Pontiac G8 in planning stage
HU: ?
Speakers: ?
Amps: ?

alright, sounds good. if i should happen to do a fiberglass enclosure, are there any sub brands i should avoid?

cause as far as i know its not TOO hard to do a sealed fiberglass enclousre, but is it possible to port it just incase the subs sound better ported?

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Most drivers can be run in a sealed or ported box, but will have different optimal dimensions for each. Ported boxes make sloppier but louder bass, while sealed boxes make tighter bass. I prefer sealed, but you'll have to decide which you want to use on your own.

Here are some sub brands to avoid, there are more but I can never think of them all at once (no specific order): Pyramid, Pyle, Legacy, Jensen, Road Gear, Power Acoustik ;), Volfenhag, Visonik, Sony, Boss, Pioneer, anything on Ebay that doesn't actually list a brand name, Audiobahn... Like I said, there are more to avoid, but that's about all I can think of at the moment.

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2009 Pontiac G8 in planning stage
HU: ?
Speakers: ?
Amps: ?

You should take care in selecting the sub for the box design you plan on using. Download WinISD pro to help you. It is a real mistake to shoe-horn a sub into an enclosure design if the sub is not right for the box!

What are your goals for the subwoofer? SPL, SQ, both? How much space (volume) do you have to use?

These things will effect the subs you should be looking at.

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New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

Uhh...what about JL? I don't think Memphis or Infinity make subs that would like only about 150 to 180 watts (the actual power coming from that amp continuosly probobly). That JL setup would pound. And don't worry about sensitivity ratings on subwoofers.

customsuburb wrote:

And don't worry about sensitivity ratings on subwoofers.

I partially disagree. On the contrary, this specification is important to look at and consider relative to your goals and other system components.

However, don't place too much emphasis on it to the exclusion of losing the picture of the overall subwoofer. What dragonrage was doing either, "90db or more," I disagree with. I'd argue a 88db woofer with that best fits the enclosure he plans to make would be better than a poorly fit 90+db subwoofer. Also, realize that not all marketers are completely honest (cough audiobahn cough).

Having said that, along with some good enclosure modeling software, sensitivity can help determine if a subwoofer will be a good match for your system components and your amplifier power. A couple of db difference won't matter much... but once you get 3db off, assuming otherwise similar characteristics, you'd need TWICE the amplifier power to achieve the same volume.

To sum up: Sensitivity is one useful rating. It should not be overstressed. It should not be disregarded. Evaluate the overall sub based on your needs and goals.

Why are you still not doing this? Do you really love this amplifier that much?

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New Project: 2003 Pathfinder