I'd run three at 85%. That's the way my setup is right now. Three tens sealed (Xtant A Series) at around 600rms off a Sundown SAE-1000D. Sounds really clean and not too loud.
Unlike most of you guys, I was looking for some good sound and not just as loud as you could possibly make it.
I've had some pretty loud systems back in the day. I put four 15" Rockford Series 1's in my '93 Mustang Hatchback and the first time I turned it up I thought I was going to throw up. I couldn't see straight and I couldn't breathe.
I don't really care for that kinda sh!t anymore. It's not bad every once in a while, but I wouldn't want it every day.
Unless you're trying to show off to impress somebody, why waste the time and money? If it sounds good to you then that's all that matters.
well let me clarify a few things for the sake of clarification. lol.
by headroom, i meant being able to crank some more dB out. the subs in my next setup are VERY efficient so i would be able to get away underpowering 3 of them with a minimal dB loss. they will still almost be getting full RMS too..
another consideration i have is if want i to really turn it up (ex. showing off to a friend), i won't run the risk of frying a coil from too much power. though i doubt very much that i would do that. my electrical will be sufficient enough to safely see the amps full potential as well.
on the other hand it will be money i don't want to spend and more weight in the back. what i think i'm going to do is try 2 out for awhile and if i really need another just go ahead with it.. more input will be appreciated though, i still have 4 months to think this through. lol.
i run my FI Q at 1600 watts ~60% over rms and have been for quite some time. its been fine for me. but i like having my over head. much rather give sub clean power over rms then run in to dirty power when i want to show off or want more bass that day.
but by all means its you setup and you choice so weigh the choices and make your choice.
funny, i ran my Q off of the same amount. this was the first gen, right after they were released and had no options. took it like a champ but the dustcap would get pretty warm which bothered me..
the dB loss i mentioned would be per woofer, not in total. using 3 will definitely outperform a bi setup.
Yea,the Q seems like it can handle quite a bit more than the rms. I run mine on an aq1200d an it barely moves sometimes. It could put another 500 to 800wrms on it an still feel comfortable.
theres all ways something to be said for more cone area, don't get me wrong. but would he have room for for the proper box for 3 vs 2? in theory 1.5-3db gain wolfer and 1.5-3db gain for 2x the power power. just depends on how the equipotent would handle .67 or 1.33 or 1.5 ohm load. or whatever the final ohm load would end up as.
i want to say but im trying to keep it under wraps until the build thread
but i do have some sad news.. i was just persuaded on an amplifier to use and i won't be able to run 3 efficiently with it. i have enough build space for 4 of these subs btw, so that may happen somewhere down the road if i really like them.
i still need to sell my AQ D1 HDC315 and matching 4cuft 36hz fisher custom box, lol. also got my clarion dpx11551 which is BNIB but i'd rather not part with it.. though i may have to :/
your amps may be rated at 1500 watts, but I can assure you the Q subs never saw that much power. There are a number of reasons for that, which is exactly why you can run an amp rated for more power than the speaker states it can handle. I'm doing the same. I have a single Q18, and I have an amp for it rated to deliver 1200WRMS, and the amp is underrated considerably. That said, if this is for daily use, a lot will depend on the enclosure type for each setup. Will the 2 sub and 3 sub versions both have the same air volume per sub, and will both be ported and tuned the same, or both sealed? These factors will make a big difference. Typically, you'll gain maybe 3dB by adding the third sub. Maybe less in the real world. I'd personally keep it simple, clean, and taking up less room and use two ported subs.. but it's really just personal preference. I'm not really sure you're going to gain much of anything with your proposed setups either way, since adding the third sub means decreasing power per sub, and as a result whatever you'd gain from the added cone area, you're losing with the decrease in power.