Hello! I am new to forums and am relatively new to car audio. My question is, is it best to overpower a sub ( or any speaker for that matter )?? If a manufacturer recommends 600 watts rms does that mean that it is best to give it 600 watts rms ( no more no less ) or would it be best to give it a bit more?
A good explanation would be a great help to myself and several people that I know.
Its alright to overpower by alittle and as far as underpowring it doesn't matter how much you underpower it can't cause any harm. Remember the enclosure can also alter the amount of power the sub can take.
if a sub is 600rms it is best to give it 600 rms. Now depending on the amp you run it with if it is underrated or overrated you dont always get the 600 watts. If you were to run a 600watt sony amp or a 600 watt Sinfoni amp the difference would be tremendous. Some amps use max ratings at 14.4 volts and some use RMS ratings at 12 volts so if you are running a low end amp that uses max ratings it would prob be ok to run a 1000 watt sony amp to a 600watt sub because it is really not putting out 1000 watts more like 500 tops. Some subs underrate their subs as well so that they can be burped in comps at much more then their RMS recomendations such as the Eclipse TI, it is 750rms but I have heard of people burping that sub with as much as 2000 watts. Now does that mean it can handle 2000 watts as a daily driver no of coarse not. Burps if you dont know are short bursts of lots of power and a test tone that is right around the frequency that the box is tuned to. Well I gotta go out so hope this helps. Run a sub as close to the rms wattage as possible.
Anonymous
Posted on
Thanks for the quick response bassman ill take your advice,
Anonymous
Posted on
Overpowering gives you "headroom" which keeps the amp from generating heat at any given volume level...correct?? It also virtually eliminates the possiblity of clipping...correct??
lol, no. A amp will get hot, its impossible to have a amp that does not generate heat. If you can find a 100% efficient amp please show it to me.
Anonymous
Posted on
Is it true to say that the closer an amp is to it's max output the MORE heat it will generate?? So, in other words, if the speaker is over powered, the farther away the amp will be from it's max output at all times...thus LESS heat and a more reliable system...is that correct??
If the speaker is overpowered too much, the closer the speaker will be to blowing.
Anonymous
Posted on
Generally speaking, how much is too much??
Also, Some subs are only rated at peak as opposed to rms (or both). If only a peak rating is given, how do you determine how much rms to give it?? i.e. if a sub is rated at "1000 max" how much rms should one give it??
bryan aspinwall
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Ok, I got two mtx twelves (300 watt rms each) im thinking about getting a two channal power acoustik amp that puts out 370 watts to each sub...would that be good, bad, or ok or would it work at all?
Anon- If the company does not provide the RMS DO NOT BUY IT simply because they are just to make it look better then it actually is and any reputable company will give you the RMS.
Speakers are built differently so I can't say how much is too much. Usually half of the max power is rms. Sometimes the speakers are overrated and the peak power may be 3 or 4 times the rms. Bryan, 70 watts isn't going to make a big difference. It'll work.
Sometimes 'GUESSTIMATING' rms power to be 1/2 of MAX power can be WAY OFF . Example , yesterday i saw in a store a Pioneer 6"x9" label says '400 watts max', in much more smaller wording just below that it has '80 watts RMS' - LOL . That would be 1/5 though ,huh .
I'd do what BM Mike says ' if it ain't got RMS power written on it - it not worth $hit to even buy that !' - thats 1 rule all of us can agree on lol .....
Anonymous
Posted on
I saw an MB Quart premium sub the other day (an older model-pwd 304) and the papers that explain the specs and the specs listed on the website website both say "1000 watts max". How much rms should a sub like that be fed??
Ok then i would't buy that then either even if it was dirt cheap. Also some times reputable companies just show the Max instead of RMS because the RMS is technically the most amount of power your suppose to give the sub daily, Hence MAX in some cases. It just depends on the company. Anyway I don't believe max ratings even if they were reputable companies. You know why? There just trying to make a sale, trying to make the product look as good as possible.
"Overpowering gives you "headroom" which keeps the amp from generating heat at any given volume level...correct?? It also virtually eliminates the possiblity of clipping...correct?"
Most of an amplifier's heat is actually generated when it isn't providing power and is idling. Big or small, they will all build up heat. Any decent amplifier should be able to handle the heat of the power levels it provides. The power supply is what generates the most heat. Headroom is more about the power supply being capable of providing much, much more current than necessary for it's rated power output. Overpowering can limit the problem of clipping, but it depends upon the user. Say you have a 200W amp and a 100W amp, and you want to crank your system. The guy with the 100W amplifier clips the amplifier because he wants to listen to his music loud. If that's the exact volume level that he wanted to listen to, and he's just on the verge of clipping and the amp only clips at the highest transients, then that 200W amp would help him. But from what I've observed from the "average" car audio user, give somebody an amplifier with sufficient power and an amplifier with 10x sufficient power, and it'll still never be loud enough and they'll keep cranking the volume up until it is clearly apparent that they're going to blow the cones out of the speakers. That's why overpowering is only recommended for those that know how to utilize it .
.