What's an ohm, and why you should care.

[mxmissile]

There are only 2 wiring options, series or parallel, so either 2 ohms or 8 ohms. Stereo 4 ohms isn't an option if you have a monoblock (1 channel) amp. Since that amp ain't gonna do crap into 8 ohms, I'd go for 2....

[kennyc28]

ok I have got one for you mx I just bought a 700s RF 2 channel amp which is 4ohm stable bridged.
I have two 4ohm speakers do I run them in series to make 8ohms then bridge them to make the amp think its 4ohms to get the full rms which is 700watts or will it still see it at 8 ohms? the amp is not a mono block if that helps

[Arkaine]

I read a lot of the info listed here and now I understand a lot more things.. haha I feel like an idiot now some of the stuff I sadi before readin this! lol

[DarkDragon]

to help everyone out here is a page that explains 1,2,3,4 speaker dual and single coils, 4 to 8 ohm diagrams this should clear up the confusion
http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/S-...rs_wiring.html

ok so im just a little lost at one point here. i currently have my system wired WRONG i have 2 dual vc's @ 4 ohms wired into a monoblock in parallel (1 ohm) i already know this, however my question is, if i wire each sub in series in the box then wire the box parallel into the amp to get a 4 ohm load will i lose a significant amount of bump from the subs?

[Ryan]

2 dual 4 ohm coil subs can only be wired for 1, 4, or 16 ohms. If your amp is 1 ohm stable, you're not hurting anything, but you're running it hotter than necessary and not getting much more out of it. If it's NOT rated into 1 ohm, you're slowly killing it. Into 4 ohms, you will see less power - but it just might save your amp....

What amplifier and subs are we talking about, and what kind of box are they in?

Stupid auto log-in, lol. This is Jamin (mxmissile) BTW, on Ryans computer. Didn't notice I was on his account, lol.

its a Sony mono block (not sure the model number - 800 watts max) and it is only stable to 2 ohms. the subs are generic non-branded ones 10", 1000 watts max (i know wattage doesnt really matter) and the box is a bassworks dual 10" ported, with seperate chambers for each sub.

[schwinn]

Sony amplifiers are known to be terrible for driving subs. The 800W max rating is also nonsense and is likely not going to tell you anything about the amplifier.

Check the specs of the amplifier, to see how much RMS you are actually getting. Secondly, knowing the poorness of Sony amps, I would take the 2-ohm stable level with a grain of salt, and hence would recommend running it at 4 ohms instead, since it will not be so hard on the amp.

[fel0ncod3]

Okie, my turn to bring up an old thread.......



ok, referring to the pic above, I would need a one channel amp, putting out 500 RMS (assuming both subs are 250rms each) ok, now, what would be the difference if i have a 4 ohm load on each sub (final load going to the sub) (like the pic above), only with a 2 channel amp,putting out 250rms on each channel?

what is the difference, and which do you recommend that i do?

should i have a the subs wired separately into a 2 chan amp (250rms X 2), or wire them together going into a 1 chan amp (500rms X 1)

[schwinn]

Originally Posted by fel0ncod3

ok, referring to the pic above, I would need a one channel amp, putting out 500 RMS (assuming both subs are 250rms each) ok, now, what would be the difference if i have a 4 ohm load on each sub (final load going to the sub) (like the pic above), only with a 2 channel amp,putting out 250rms on each channel?
what is the difference, and which do you recommend that i do?

should i have a the subs wired separately into a 2 chan amp (250rms X 2), or wire them together going into a 1 chan amp (500rms X 1)

Ok, not to get technical on you, the sub IS the load, so you can't say "a 4 ohm load on each sub"... the load is put on the amplifier by the speakers.

Now, as far as the 250x2 vs. 500x1 - they both would deliver the same power, but the question for a subwoofer is how much current they drive. Current is what causes the speaker cone to move, so whichever version drives more current is what you want to do. That being said, most of the time, these two will be equivalent in output. However, it's generally recommended to drive a single sub channel so that you are certain that you get the same singal to both speakers (if the original recording has slightly phase-shifted the two channels (not that this is common) then the speakers will not be working 100% with each other. A single-source for the signal ensure this can never happen.)

In your example above, the configuration shown is the best choice, as it gives a total load of 4ohms (lower ohms = more current, as long as the amp can handle it, and it's a current-driven amplifier). If the speakers were both DVC 2-ohms, then your final load would be 2ohms in that setup, which is even better (most quality amps can handle this). In general, it's best to pick an amp that you want to use, check it's load limits, and then setup the speakers to use the amp at those limits.

[kdecellex2]

if im getting a JL AUDIO 1000/1 CLASS D NEW 1000 WATT MONO AMPLIFIER and im going to purchase 2 06 KICKER S12L7 SOLOBARIC 12" Subwoofers, should i get the 2ohm, or 4ohm subs?

[Ryan]

2ohm will be louder. Beyond that ask the author of this thread

Laters
Ryan

[ExtremeJDK]

If your amp is stable @ 2 ohms.

[Ryan]

I believer that amp will handle it...I may be wrong...but IIRC the 1000 watts for that amp is quoted at 2ohm...but I'm honestly too lazy to check

Laters
Ryan

[mxmissile]

JL /series amps make rated power into any load between 1.5 and 4 ohms. In other words, it won't make a difference which ones you get - two 4 ohm subs = 2 ohm load, 2 2 ohm subs = 4 ohm load, and the 1000/1 makes within 5% of rated power into either impedance, the extra 50 or so watts at 2 ohms isn't enough to matter.

Short version - If you're using the JL Audio 250/1, 500/1, or 1000/1 it doesn't matter which L7's you get, just make sure both subs are the same.