2 subs in series any affect on watts?

Ok I have never messed with wiring more than one sub per one amp before so please forgive me. I have looked around and tried to find an answer to my question with no luck.

I have two 10w0-4 subs I am putting on an MTX TA2301 (150 watts RMS x 1 at 4 ohms) and 2 10w3-D4 going on an MTX TA4501 (250 watts RMS x 1 at 4 ohms)

Now to keep a 4ohm load on the 10w3-D4s I am going to wire them in series/parallel. Does this affect the watts going ot each sub or will that stay the same?

For the 10w0-4 I am not sure how to wire them, if I put them in parallel how will that affect the amp? The Wiring Configurations chart shows the the amp will be 2ohms and the subs 4ohms. Is it possible to make the amp change by the way you wire the subs? Also will that have any affects on the amp at all?

Thanks again!

otto34 wrote:

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and 2 10w3-D4 going on an MTX TA4501 (250 watts RMS x 1 at 4 ohms)

Now to keep a 4ohm load on the 10w3-D4s I am going to wire them in series/parallel. Does this affect the watts going ot each sub or will that stay the same?

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Will that stay the same as what?  You have two 8 ohm subs (series-wired dual 4 ohm coils) wired in parallel to make a 4 ohm load on the amp.  According to the above, the amp outputs 250 watts into 4 ohms.  So each sub will get 125 watts.  (If you had 8 of  these subs wired so that the total load was 4 ohms, each sub would get 31.25 watts.)

Use two DVC 2 ohm subs or two single 4 ohm subs, each with the capability of 250 watts continuous with that amplifier if you want 500 watts output.  This amp will output 500 watts if presented with a 2 ohm impedance load.

Both of your amplifiers are mono block (one channel) capable of outputting into a 2 ohm load for greatest output.  Greatest quality, for a little less SPL, can be achieved using a 4 ohm load.

Your single 4 ohm 10w0-4s may be parallel wired to make a 2 ohm load.  The TA2301 will output 300 watts, giving each sub 150 watts (slightly over their continuous handling of 125 watts).  Careful setup will allow you to do this.

The impedance of the load always affects the amplifier.  That's what causes it to make power.  As long as the amplifier is rated for the load you intend to put on it, it will perform.  Output is greater at lower impedance loads (2 ohm);  less at higher loads (4 ohms or above).

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

stevdart wrote:

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Will that stay the same as what?

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I was unsure if the watts stayed the same or split when you wired two subs in series or parallel (ie 300 watts got put to both subs or it split and gave 150 to each one) But thank you for answering my question!

So with the 10w0-4s I can parallel wire them and run the amp 300 watts x 1 at 2 ohm and it will put 150 to each speaker. How do I carefully do this because you said the powerhandling on each was only 125?

Also I looked at both wiring configurations for two DVC4ohm subs and it only shows 1ohm and 4ohms from the amp, is there any way they could be wired into the TA4501 or should I look for another amp?

Continous power handling is just that - continuous, all day long.  It can be exceeded briefly, and probably will be during your setup and gain setting procedures.  I'm just saying that going into it knowing that the subs are rated slightly lower than the amp is rated, you would take extra precautions to set the gains.  But, who knows?  Maybe the sub is underrated and the amp is overrated...you don't really know for sure.

Search this forum for gain, or gain setting, if you need more answers on that.  What I said was pretty much a standard "...be a little extra careful there..." response when it's believed that your in an overpower situation.

As for the DVC subs, they are made for SQ anyway.  Don't feel that you need to run your amp full-out to power these, and loading the amp at 4 ohms is just fine.  A speaker doesn't need to be run at its thermal limit.  One watt of power will make some noise.  Remember that the ratings you see on a  amplifier is measured with a 4 ohm load, and the specs are better than the output at 2 ohms.  SQ setups use 4 ohm or higher.  You could wire these subs series/series and load the amp at 16 ohms if you wanted to.  In fact, it's not a bad experiment for anyone to try...in a lot of cases there is plenty of loudness.

The typical car audio consumer seems to think he has to "get every last watt out of the amplifier.  I paid for it!"

I'm not here to suggest what you buy or how you listen to your music.  If you have the gear already, set it up and see if it works for you.  You will probably be surprised at how loud you will get with a 4 ohm impedance when compared to the same gear at 2 ohms.  Roughly +3 db at the 2 ohm load, or if more because of added cabin gain, just slightly.

If you are just in the buying stage and don't have the amp (and you think that 250 watts won't be enough), the answer is simple:  buy a more powerful amplifier.  If you have the amp but don't yet have the speakers, buy the speakers configuration that will make the overall impedance what you want it to be.

BTW, I hope you are working on two different cars here.

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

Ok got everything so far thanks again!

Well the friend I am doing the work for has the subs already and I was just waiting to find out about the amps before I told him which ones to get. But from what you have said this setup should be fine for what he is looking for.

All the subs will be in one vehicle in their own airspace isolated from one another. Why is this bad? He has all the speakers already and wants to fill up the extended cab in his truck with them.

Ah gee, I was afraid it was going there.  All I can say is, by the time you get that 5 cu ft box in there with those two 10W0-4s, vented and tuned to 27 Hz, he won't have a whole lotta room left over for the mix of whateverhehasonhand.

I'd build the box total inside volume of 5 cu ft.  Put in a 4" round port, 6.5" long (or 6" round X 17"L for super-quiet).  Feed these two subs 250 watts.  Great response and a surprisingly high level of decibels for a SQ setup at this power level, especially in a truck cab.  No excursion problems and very quiet port noise, he wouldn't hear anything but the music.

I can't (won't) be of any help when it comes to mixing up different subs.

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

So you would suggest a ported box for the w3s?

Sorry I am still being humbled in the world of car stereo stuff

No, I would go sealed with those.  For the two of them with up to 500 watts input, build anywhere from 2.8 cu ft to 4.5 cu ft.  The larger box is the smoother rolloff.  This is an SQ application and shouldn't be mixed with other subs.

Here is an SPL comparison chart.  The gray line is the box for the 10W0-4s as described earlier, with 250 watts input.    jlsplcompare.jpg

The other three lines compare the 10W3-D4s.  Yellow line shows SPL using a 2.8 cu ft box with 500 watts input.  Green is the larger 4.5 cu ft box with 500 watts.  Teal is the 4.5 cu ft box with 250 watts.

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

Thanks a lot for your time man! I have a somewhat better understanding about what I am doing

You're welcome.  Glad to help.  Read the sticky above about WinISD and download the program.  You can have these tools, too, at your fingertips.  It takes some time but the knowledge you get out of it makes the learning worth it.

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

I have WinISD but have only messed with it a few times. I get lost when I use it. I am still new to the tuning subs things, I used to just use the suggested dimensions that came with the subs cause I really dont know how to tune a sub for a certian Hz.