C5 sub/amp question
Thread Starter
Night Owl for life
Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Bugs Bunny should'a made a left turn here
C5 sub/amp question
I will be upgrading my stereo soon and have some newb questions.
I will be adding a sub to my C5. The sub will be an Alpine SWS-1243D dual 4ohm 12" in a stealth type box.
The sub is rated at 900 peak, 300RMS. I was looking at Elemental Designs for the amp, the nine.1 in particular.
The 9.1 is rated for 450x1 @ 4 ohm. Is this amp rated too much for this sub? (it seems so, but I'm no stereo expert)
The sub/box is a done deal. If this amp isn't a good idea for this sub, can anyone recommend a mono amp that would be a good fit?
Thanks.
I will be adding a sub to my C5. The sub will be an Alpine SWS-1243D dual 4ohm 12" in a stealth type box.
The sub is rated at 900 peak, 300RMS. I was looking at Elemental Designs for the amp, the nine.1 in particular.
The 9.1 is rated for 450x1 @ 4 ohm. Is this amp rated too much for this sub? (it seems so, but I'm no stereo expert)
The sub/box is a done deal. If this amp isn't a good idea for this sub, can anyone recommend a mono amp that would be a good fit?
Thanks.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,149
Likes: 6
From: NCCO Oklahoma
A dual voice coil 4 ohm sub will be wired up as either a 2 ohm or an 8 ohm load. So you need an amp that can handle that impedance.
It's okay to hook up an 8 ohm load to an amp that is 4 ohm capable... as 'ohms' is the measure of the resistance to current flow. If you tried to use an amp that was rated at 8 ohms with a 2 ohm load, you would quickly burn it up.
That being said, the ED Nine.1 is rated at 450 watts @ 4 ohms, 900 watts @ 2 ohms, or 1,200 watts at 1 ohm. It will work fine for that sub... so long as you recognize that the amp is capable of delivering more power than the sub can handle.
This is not a bad thing, if you can recognize when the sub is at it's physical limits and don't push it past that point.
I would much rather have a really powerful amp and exercise "volume control" than have a weak amp and try to push it's limits.
You could go with a smaller amp if you wanted... and save a few bucks in the process. For example: This Kenwood amp can deliver 300 watts at 4 ohms, or 500 watts at 2 ohms. All for $130.
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...KAC-8104D.html
Hope this helps.
Mark
It's okay to hook up an 8 ohm load to an amp that is 4 ohm capable... as 'ohms' is the measure of the resistance to current flow. If you tried to use an amp that was rated at 8 ohms with a 2 ohm load, you would quickly burn it up.
That being said, the ED Nine.1 is rated at 450 watts @ 4 ohms, 900 watts @ 2 ohms, or 1,200 watts at 1 ohm. It will work fine for that sub... so long as you recognize that the amp is capable of delivering more power than the sub can handle.
This is not a bad thing, if you can recognize when the sub is at it's physical limits and don't push it past that point.
I would much rather have a really powerful amp and exercise "volume control" than have a weak amp and try to push it's limits.
You could go with a smaller amp if you wanted... and save a few bucks in the process. For example: This Kenwood amp can deliver 300 watts at 4 ohms, or 500 watts at 2 ohms. All for $130.
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...KAC-8104D.html
Hope this helps.
Mark
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 7,981
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From: Piedmont, SC Currently Own: 99 Nassau blue FRC. Previously Owned: 84,95,98 Indy Pace,01 Z06
One 4 ohm Dual Voice Coil (DVC) Speaker
Option 1 (parallel) = 2 ohm load
Voice coils wired in parallel
Recommended Amplifier: Stable at 2 or 1 ohm mono
Option 2 (series) = 8 ohm load
Voice coils wired in series
Recommended Amplifier: Stable at 4, 2, or 1 ohm mono
Last edited by NVTHIS; Mar 17, 2009 at 10:36 AM.
Thread Starter
Night Owl for life
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From: Bugs Bunny should'a made a left turn here
i'm just looking to add some thump to the system, so the stereo is going to be pretty basic.
Thread Starter
Night Owl for life
Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Bugs Bunny should'a made a left turn here
It's a little hard to explain, so here is a diagram of how to wire a single dual voice coil 4 ohm sub into 2 ohm or an 8 ohm load.
One 4 ohm Dual Voice Coil (DVC) Speaker
Option 1 (parallel) = 2 ohm load
Voice coils wired in parallel
Recommended Amplifier: Stable at 2 or 1 ohm mono
Option 2 (series) = 8 ohm load
Voice coils wired in series
Recommended Amplifier: Stable at 4, 2, or 1 ohm mono
One 4 ohm Dual Voice Coil (DVC) Speaker
Option 1 (parallel) = 2 ohm load
Voice coils wired in parallel
Recommended Amplifier: Stable at 2 or 1 ohm mono
Option 2 (series) = 8 ohm load
Voice coils wired in series
Recommended Amplifier: Stable at 4, 2, or 1 ohm mono
thank you for post that diagram, it helps.
now i just have to figure out which amp to use.
