A simple YAY or NAY?
- Thread starter pluto316
- Start date
chuyler1 said:
you sir are wrong
subwoofers that are more linear, equaling better SQ, need more power to move their "inefficient" motor. look at the W7's. it's an injustice to hit them with anything less than 750 watts. same with an A-series from ED. brahma's and XXX that use XBL2 tech need 1200+, because of their short VC, high motor strength design. the "average" consumer doesn't need much over a 300 watt sub, but audiophiles do
there are true SQ guys running 800 watts to just their front sound stage, let alone their subs. and damn 3 pages to say the kenwood sub is a big expensive paper weight?
got wake? said:you sir are wrong
and damn 3 pages to say the kenwood sub is a big expensive paper weight?
100% agreed!
750 != 1600
With that out of the way, my last setup had 250watts RMS per channel for my front stage...I know what high-power can do. However, the 12" sub was only getting 400watts. The midbass covered any intensity that may have been lost in the bass.
However, once you break 1000watts total output you start running into electrical current problems...I'm sure if you had an ambulance alternator in your P5 that wouldn't be a problem, but for most realistic systems it is. A capacitor does you no good if your system is sucking down more current than your alternator can generate.
I would rather spend my money on more surface area, sound deadening, and high quality components throughout the install than blow it on a 1600 watt sub, a 1600 watt amp to power it, an alternator, a capacitor, and a battery.
With that out of the way, my last setup had 250watts RMS per channel for my front stage...I know what high-power can do. However, the 12" sub was only getting 400watts. The midbass covered any intensity that may have been lost in the bass.
However, once you break 1000watts total output you start running into electrical current problems...I'm sure if you had an ambulance alternator in your P5 that wouldn't be a problem, but for most realistic systems it is. A capacitor does you no good if your system is sucking down more current than your alternator can generate.
I would rather spend my money on more surface area, sound deadening, and high quality components throughout the install than blow it on a 1600 watt sub, a 1600 watt amp to power it, an alternator, a capacitor, and a battery.
You know what's funny...you just said "only" 400 watts to a sub. Really...you can generate GREAT bass on 50 watts. The whole car audio scene is falling victim to the numbers game. I used to compete with 100 watts TOTAL, and it sounded great. Heck...as I said before, I hit almost 150dB on 150watts!
Just keep it in perspective, I guess!
Just keep it in perspective, I guess!
chuyler1 said:
i've been running several thousand watts through my system since day 3 of owning my 1.6L '99 with no problems
still have stock alternator, and a $40 battery from walmart the red top battery i had died when the battery in the trunk ****** up from the vibration. it only lasted 2 weeks no capacitor, no batcap, nothing more than an upgraded battery and proper wiring, and no problemsNetGuy, ever heard of mark antony amps? specifically the mk25opcm. it's a new generation of cheater amps that is rated at 25 watts into 4 ohm, USACI rated at 70 watts, but puts out over 2500 into .5 ohm, at 12.9 volts
it'll do even more at 16 volts. you ran 6 subs, and what ohm load were you running, since the amp might be rated at 100 watt at 4 ohm, but can put out well over that at a lower load. especially if it was unregulated my old autotek 330mxi was rated at 165x2 at 4 ohm, but bridged at 1 ohm would put out over 2k watts, and that's an 8 year old amp and while 148 dB is impressive with low power, you did needed six 12's to achieve it. my goal is over 150 dB with a single 10got wake,
I had experimented with different wirings at different times. At one point, I had 8 12s in my civic that were all wired parallel (showing a 0.5 ohm mono load to my PPI ProMOS 50...which was "the" cheater amp at the time). According to my math, it was probably throwing about 500 watts into the subs before it's untimely death-by-fire. I wish I could have caught pictures...but actual flames were coming from inside the amp through the little holes for the gain knobs!
Anyway, the later (and more stable) configuration with 6 12s was 2 pairs of 3 subs wired in parallel (load would be around 1.3 ohms, if I recall), so the amp was running in 1.3 ohms stereo. While I was competing with it system, I was running a Phoenix Gold ZPA 0.3 (specs HERE). It did well, but the car had some weird acoustic problems. When competing with the doors and windows shut, which was how these things were run back then, I could hit around 147-148. Open the door and it jumped past 150. With the mic in the footwell, the thing hit 157dB. Grrrr.
Anyway, hope that answers your questions.
I had experimented with different wirings at different times. At one point, I had 8 12s in my civic that were all wired parallel (showing a 0.5 ohm mono load to my PPI ProMOS 50...which was "the" cheater amp at the time). According to my math, it was probably throwing about 500 watts into the subs before it's untimely death-by-fire. I wish I could have caught pictures...but actual flames were coming from inside the amp through the little holes for the gain knobs!
Anyway, the later (and more stable) configuration with 6 12s was 2 pairs of 3 subs wired in parallel (load would be around 1.3 ohms, if I recall), so the amp was running in 1.3 ohms stereo. While I was competing with it system, I was running a Phoenix Gold ZPA 0.3 (specs HERE). It did well, but the car had some weird acoustic problems. When competing with the doors and windows shut, which was how these things were run back then, I could hit around 147-148. Open the door and it jumped past 150. With the mic in the footwell, the thing hit 157dB. Grrrr.
Anyway, hope that answers your questions.
gotta love good cheater amps mark antony doesn't publish the power, except at 12 volts into a 4 ohm load. but i know of 3 reputable people that bench tested it at over 2k watts at between 12.5 and 13 volts, depending on who tested it. the acoustics of cars is really ****** up, unless you get into an extreme vehicle, where you can control stuff better. i'm assuming you used sealed boxes? they typically are louder with the window cracked or door open.
mark antony doesn't publish the power, except at 12 volts into a 4 ohm load. but i know of 3 reputable people that bench tested it at over 2k watts at between 12.5 and 13 volts, depending on who tested it. the acoustics of cars is really ****** up, unless you get into an extreme vehicle, where you can control stuff better. i'm assuming you used sealed boxes? they typically are louder with the window cracked or door open.chuyler1 said:
in a year or so i'll be getting one for a serious stock or modified setup, but not extreme. my buddy and i are opening a shop, and he's doing one up now just for show. no real system and it won't be for drags. i keep trying to talk him into an engine swap and a turbo, though
