Do I want a 2ohm or 4ohm sub?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,262
Likes: 70
From: san diego CA
Do I want a 2ohm or 4ohm sub?
I plan on just having a simple setup, a jl 10w3 v3 (undecided on amp) and was wondering what difference the ohms would really make. Does 2ohm go better with a certain setup, or does it not really matter?
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
the only real difference is going to be what amp you need to match the rms rating, a w3 is rated at 500 watts rms. the difference in impedance is that a higher wattage is much easier to get from an amp at lower impedance than at higher, heres an example using matching jl audio amps to get 500 watts rms. with a single coil 4ohm sub you need an amp to put out 500 watts at 4 ohm, you would use this amp http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...JX1000-1D.html which would also produce 1000 watts at 2ohm. with a single coil 2ohm sub you would use this amp http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...o-JX500-1.html which only puts out 340 watts at 4 ohm. hope this helps
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,262
Likes: 70
From: san diego CA
Makes perfect sense and helps a lot actually. But then why would anyone choose a sub with higher impedance (and it being the same price) if you're going to need to spend more on a higher wattage amp?
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,295
Likes: 8
From: Issaquah WA
For amps that do put out more power, running a lower 2 ohm) resistance tends to drive the amp harder, running it hotter, leaving less headroom, lowering dampening factor, etc. With a high quality amp, not usually a problem, but with many less expensive brands, I'd be leery.
Some amps have been designed to run at lower impedance loads, and get more power out of the amp with no loss in sound quality. But those amps have generally been more expensive. Other amps give a higher power rating, but don't mention any of the other side effects, because it's easier to sell them that way.
Last edited by WAwatchnut; Jun 7, 2011 at 05:48 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 8,718
Likes: 20
From: Dyer IN
Cruise-In IX Veteran
some people will run a 4 channle and bridge rear channels for sub and front channels for speakers. most amps do 4 ohm bridged so they would want a 4 ohm sub vs usin a 2ohm and a mono. it all depends on the setup
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,035
Likes: 134
From: North Augusta, SC
Just about any amp in any normal setup will be happy with a single coil 4ohm sub. Unless you have a set plan that you know a 2ohm load is OK, just get a single coil 4ohm and you can be flexible with the amp.
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
because if you get two single 4ohm subs when you wire them together you would get a 2ohm load to the amp, or as pentavolvo said if you run an amp bridged it needs to be a 4ohm load to the bridged channels, the higher impedance the more efficiently the amp runs and the cooler it runs so your amp will last longer also
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,262
Likes: 70
From: san diego CA
ah okay, so it's basically easier to get the full potential out of a 2ohm but it leaves you pretty limited in terms of amp selection, running multiple subs, and bridging etc, correct? So if I don't plan on getting crazy and bridgding all kinds of things and was just looking for a single sub only, a good combo would be the single jl 10w3 2ohm with a monoblock rockford fostgate 500w amp? (assuming i don't plan on running 2 subs or bridging anything?)
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
ah okay, so it's basically easier to get the full potential out of a 2ohm but it leaves you pretty limited in terms of amp selection, running multiple subs, and bridging etc, correct? So if I don't plan on getting crazy and bridgding all kinds of things and was just looking for a single sub only, a good combo would be the single jl 10w3 2ohm with a monoblock rockford fostgate 500w amp? (assuming i don't plan on running 2 subs or bridging anything?)
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,295
Likes: 8
From: Issaquah WA
The price at Sonic is weird for the Power series. They are usually pretty competitive, but that price isn't. There are several sites selling it for much less. The Power series usually runs about 40% more than the corresponding Prime amps.
Last edited by WAwatchnut; Jun 8, 2011 at 03:35 AM.
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
Completely different construction. The Power series is a class "bD" design, so it's supposed to be more efficient and have better headroom. That's consistent with the power rating. Both are "500 watt" outputs, but the less expensive one is 500 @ 1% THD, with no "maximum" or Dynamic rating given (leading me to guess 500 is the max output). The Power series is 500 @ .5% THD, with a dynamic output of 690 watts. Other things to note are the use of SMDs, etc. According to the specs (I haven't used the Prime amps) the Power will have lower distortion, much better signal to noise ratio, and better dampening.
The price at Sonic is weird for the Power series. They are usually pretty competitive, but that price isn't. There are several sites selling it for much less. The Power series usually runs about 40% more than the corresponding Prime amps.
The price at Sonic is weird for the Power series. They are usually pretty competitive, but that price isn't. There are several sites selling it for much less. The Power series usually runs about 40% more than the corresponding Prime amps.
