have 2 12' dual ohm kicker CVR's. With Lanzar VIBE251? what ohm should the speakers be wired to for best sound? Should the amp be bridged or not? any advice is much appreciated!!!
you can't get an ideal load with a 2 ohm stable 2 channel amp and a pair of 2 ohm DVC subs. sell that Vibe and buy something like an Audioque AQ1200D that can deliver 1200 watts RMS @ 1 ohm. That would work.
Listen to Glasswolf. Sell it, save some more money and buy yourself a more decent amp. It might take you some time(maybe more time than you expect) but at the end it'll be worth it. I've been building my car's audio system for almost a year know, but I'm starting to see the results. Buy quality electronics, don't go cheap it just doesn't pay off at the end, I tell you from personal experience..
I can tell you this from experience. You'll be much prouder of a quality system you've taken time to put together and install properly than you will of a system you bought by getting the cheapest stuff you could find and slapping it into the car. This is the same as taking more pride in a car you built, modified, or restored yourself, than a car you lease from a dealer or get as a hand-me-down from mon and dad.
That said, you could keep the 2 channel vibe and use it to drive your front stage speakers, saving up to buy the AQ1200D for the subs. $249 later, you'll have a really nice little setup that won't drown out everything else every time the bass hits.
not everyone wants or needs the high dollar equipment. Not everyone strives to have the best setup there is. He said that he has no budget yet you are still forcing it down his throat.
wells, just wire it as i said earlier and it will work just fine.
He was told how to wire it, but at a 4 ohm load, he'll get 250W x 2, which probably isn't going to make him very happy with two CVRs. I was suggesting alternatives that would yield better results.
If he has zero budget, maybe car audio is NOT the thing he should be worrying about right now, hmm?
I seem to recall having helped him in a number of threads now. He just keeps asking the same thing in new threads in various ways hoping to get a different answer. If I'm remembering this incorrectly then I apologize.
wells, it doesn't matter if you bridge the amp or not. It will produce the same power bridged @ 8 ohms as it will stereo @ 4 ohms. The only thing bridging is really useful for is producing a mono signal to a single driver. Remember not to turn your input sensitivity knob at max if the subs aren't loud enough with the gain set to where it belongs in an attempt to compensate.
I wasn't asking the same thing in various ways. One of the setups were mine and the other was a friends. I'm kinda new to this. Sorry for the hinderance everyone, but thanks for all the advice. I am working on a getting a new setup. tc9 12 is supposed to be in today and i'm gonna power it with a STA120 (soundstorm 2000watt monoblock class d). I know this amp is very underated, but it should do at least 1000watts at one ohm? Am i right?
i did mean over-rated. About how many watts rms do you think it will put out at one ohm? It will do what I need, I imagine... but it's not exactly what I want... it's just what I'm stuck with for a little while.
* Max power @ 1 ohm: 2000W X 1 * Max power @ 2 ohm: 1500W X 1 * RMS power @ 2 ohm: 1200W X 1 * RMS power @ 4 ohm: 1000W X 1 * Signal-to-noise ratio: 105dB * THD at RMS output: 0.01% * Damping factor: 125+ * Strapping capability: Strap two amps together for twice the power (2 Ohm stable) * Variable low pass crossover: 50 -150Hz * Variable subsonic filter: 15 - 40Hz * Variable 0 to +18dB Bass Boost * Phase shift selector: 0 or 180 degrees * Variable input gain control * Input voltage sensitivity selector * Power and protection LED indicators * Illuminated red logo * Thermal, overload and speaker short protection * RCA Line Level inputs * RCA Line Outputs for system building * Chrome plated RCA connectors and screw terminals * Remote subwoofer level control * Dimensions: 11-1/4"W x 3"H x 11-3/8"L
These are the stated specs, but here's the part to pay attention to: * Max power @ 1 ohm: 2000W X 1 * Max power @ 2 ohm: 1500W X 1 * RMS power @ 2 ohm: 1200W X 1 * RMS power @ 4 ohm: 1000W X 1
Ignore the "max" power specs, but look at how the amplifier only increases output by 20% at half of the presented load (4 ohms down to 2.) An amplifier with a good power supply should double it's output into 2 ohms. This is a sign that the amp has a really insufficient power supply, and that on sudden demands for large current, when the bass hits, the amp is going to clip on you because it won't have any reserve left to supply that current.
Now at a 1 ohm load, since no RMS rating is offered, based on the max to RMS ratios stated, I'm guessing you'll get a stated 1500 watts RMS (supposedly) but again at it's lowest stable load, you'll be eating up any reserve power that amp ever even hoped to have, so don't expect great things.
I don't see a fuse rating for the internal fuses on this amp, but if you find those, tell me how many fuses it has and what they're rated and I can tell you how much power the amp can produce continuously.
thats such a nice sub you have there, and i will tell you back when i was new to car audio i bought one of those soundstorm 4000 watt amps, they cost like 250 now haha and ill tell you it was absolutely horrible, your going to clip that amp and destroy your sub, and that amp will probably sound horrible at 1 ohm. not trying to be negative, but im just telling you from experience you want to get rid of it and get something decent, you dont want a nice sub that like to sound crappy and have a good chance at blowing it. sure it will pound but for how long?
honestly look at the price you paid for it, then look at the price for a 500 watt alpine amp. I bet the alpine costs more but because of their numbers it may look like its not worth it, but trust me the alpine will push out more than that and sound so much better, and of course be composed of much better components like a very efficient power supply. its honestly just better to buy a quality amp even if it doesnt have the specs of a power acoustik or sounstorm or plye amp. it will sound much better and keep your stereo equipment pounding longer.
companies like that just love to give bogus stats knowing that when kids get started in car audio of course they think 4000 watts from that company is better than only 500 from rockford fosgate. but come on now if someone really thinks about it how can you power 4000 supposedly watts with just a tiny stock alternator and a stock battery on around 13-14 volts dc it just doesnt happen you can compare a 4000 watt amp with 2 15's in a car and then go listen to a home audio set up of a harmon kardon reciever rated at 80 watts rms connected to some jbl towers with 8" woofers and wonder how with only 160 watts of power those speakers can shake down the house those 4000 watts on a small battery should just shatter your windows haha
my old Orion 280GX was rated at 80W x 2ch @ 4ohms and 160W x 2ch @ 2 ohms. I used that to drive a pair of 12" Cerwin Vega subs in a large ported box, and was hitting over 140dB. It's never a good idea to buy an amp based solely on the specs or numbers advertised. I've written a few papers on amplifier internals and what makes for a good amplifier.
lol that tc9 should impress the hell out of u man... what kinda box u got that baby in??? and what voice coil config u got it at? its most likely that crappy amp u have man
he said he hooked it up free aired... but it will sound 100x louder in a box, but learn this as a lesson, when you play a subwoofer free aired(not in a box) it sounds pretty horrible. So what can that mean? When everyone here always stresses that using a quality custom box will make or break your bass. Dont go cheap on a box! make sure if you dont know how to build a box yourself you find someone who can. Like i said thats a good sub you have there, and trust me no box you buy from best buy or any sound shop will come close to matching that subs t/s parameters and it wont sound as good as it should. hope your starting to learn car audio and what it takes to build a quality system
wells, running a sub without a box should ONLY be done at very very low power levels, just to make sure the sub works, and the coils aren't damaged. NEVER apply serious power to a sub with no box. The sub has no suspension or damping without the box. The box is there to provide force against the movement of the driver, and without that you will over-excurt the sub and cause mechanical damage to it's motor.
The box, if properly built, will make all the difference in the world.
Be careful with that sub, man. It's an invenstment, and you don't want to break it before you can even enjoy it. haha
Thanks for that advice GW... I did put alot of power on it, but not for long at all. I don't think anything messed up though. I finally put it in a box yesterday afternoon, and needless to say i was impressed. The sub does not have nearly the airspace it should have though. I can say this though, this tc9 is three times the sub of what my audiobahns could have ever thought of being. I plan to start on the box very soon, and I plan on making it slot ported with about 2.2-2.5 cu ft^3 tuned at about 33hz. Would this box that I have in mind suit this driver?
as of now i have it in a box for a single cab truck and the box was made for 3 audiobahns AW1251T's. The Box is chambered, therefore this sub is in a very small enclosure