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soundnoob Unregistered guest | Hi, I'm kinda new to amplifiers and stuff, I had my system installed by a technician but I dont wanna pay again. I just have some questions. What difference would it make if I have a 4 ohm or a 2 ohm on the subs. Say if I have a 2 channel amp going to one sub with 2 ohms...would it cut the power in half if I use 4 ohms??? and what does bridging mean? a chart of what could happen woulld help me out a lot. thanks! |
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Uneek007 Unregistered guest | I wanna know too. |
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Bob365 Unregistered guest | Here's some calculators to help. http://www.the12volt.com/caraudio/boxcalcs.asp Bridging is taking two channels and making one.(+ from one channel and - from the other) Most likely you'd cut the power in half amd would have to unbridge it and only use one channel since it's a two channel amp. A single channel amp would most likely just cut the power in half. This is assuming your amp is stable at the higher ohm load. Most should be stable at 4 ohms. Find the make and model of your amp and look up the information on the web. Example 2 channel amp 200 W x 2 @ 4 Ohms RMS 400 W x 2 @ 2 Ohms RMS 800 W x 1 @ 4 Ohms RMS BRIDGED Some amps are not stable at all of them, but 1, 2, and 4 ohms are the most common. Now look up your sub. Find out if it is SVC(single voice coil - 1 pair of connections) or DVC(dual voice coil- 2 pairs) and what the ohm rating is. If your sub is SVC, it's probably 4 ohm. If you have a DVC and a 2 channel amp that's bridged, the sub probably a 2 ohm voice coil. Wired in series that's 2+2=4. |
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Bob 365 Unregistered guest | From your statements, I would guess that you have a 2 ohm DVC sub(each voice coil is 2 ohms) wired in series to a bridged amp. The amp sees a 4 ohm load. If you replace the sub with a 4 ohm SVC, you will keep all of your power. Now for argument's sake, let's say you had a 4ohm DVC wired in parallel. The amp sees a 2 ohm load. You would only be using 1 channel for the sub. Say you were using the other channels for some mids. In this case since you can't bridge then if went to a 2ohm DVC or a 4ohm SVC, you would cut your power in half. It's simplified if you use a single channel amp. Example 1100@1,600@2, 300@4 Everytime you double the ohm load you cut the power in roughly half. Of course, if the amp is not stable at that ohm load, it won't work. |
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soundnoob Unregistered guest | Thanks Bob, lol..I always wanted to say thanks to a guy named Bob. Anyway. This is what it says about my amp... 125 watts RMS x 2 (4 ohm load) 500 watts x 2 max output, 1,000 watts x 1 max (bridged mode)... I really dont know much since it doesnt specify if that 1000x1 / 500x2 of the amp is 4 or 2 ohms. But if I use two 250(rms)/500W(peak) 4ohm SVC subs (stereo)... would that be able to handle this amp even if I set the gain high? how about two 8 ohm subs? Sorry about my curiosity, but thanks in advance! |
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Bob365 Unregistered guest | Don't set the gain high! It is not a volume knob. You'd introduce distortion and possibly hurt the sub. I sure someone can explain the reasonng behind better than I can, but find a tutorial on setting gain and do it the right way. Your amp's RMS is probably #1 125x2@4 #2 250x2@2 #3 500x1@4 (Bridged) Two 4ohm SVC would only get 125W each(#1) if you used only one it would get 500W(#3) Under or overpowered. Now two 8 ohm SVC subs wired in parallel to bridged amp would give each 250W(#3) Best so far if the subs are 250/500 Have you already bought these subs or are you just asking questions? If you have a budget or some subs that you are looking at, post it here. Also you may want to take a look at just one better sub(2ohm DVC or 4ohm SVC)and give it the full 500W. Double the power but half the cone area = same loudness(SPL). It can also be cheaper. depends on if you have a box already, shipping, costs of the subs, etc. |
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soundnoob Unregistered guest | Thanks for all your help! I'll take your advice as I browse around for a Sub. Thanks Again! |