Everyone, start here for info on the facotry MSP setup.
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69147
As far as the facotry amp goes, either of the MSPs amps (yes there were 2 different models) only produce 120 Watts RMS at 4 ohms. So you will never see more then that from the factory amp. Now this does not mean you can't use a sub that handles more power. Using a 500 watt rms sub on this amp will not blow up anything, when setup correctly. Thats like thinking if you don't put enough power through a fuse, it will blow. Well we know things work exactly opposite of this. What actualy happens in the real world is that people WAY to often do not connect the right subs to the right amp and end up with an impedance mismatch. Or they get a sub that needs a bajesus of power to move and they feed it with a tiny amp and then over set the gain to try and make up for the mismatch. Either situation will cuase something to eventualy blow. However it is not the equipments fault. The failure is the fault of the user. As someone tries to extract more volume (keeps turning it up) from a system that does not have an amp capable of producing enough power to obtain that volume ( still with me?) the system fails. An amplifer can only create so much power and after that it only creates disotion. This distorion is not really more power but it is more "constant" power becuase the AC (alternating Current) voltage of music is now becoming DC (Direct Current) voltage. This radicly over heats the subwoofer (remember that wattage is a heat rating in regards to subwoofers) and causes its distuction. Also the situation that cuases this distortion, also causes the amp to over heat and also die an untimely death.
Ok,with that out of the way, lets look at power ratings.
Power ratings can vary drasticly. JL for example underates there product compared to most companies and POS companies like Audiobahn, MA Audio, Visonic, Jensen, Sony, and Dual over rate them. With amps, this is an under or over rating of what the amp will do in the real world. Subs are a bit more complex. Some manufacturers rate the sub by how much power it takes to move the sub to Xmax ( the full extent of a subwoofers movement). Others rate it by how much wattage the sub can disapate as heat before it blows. Most often its in the middle of the 2. Rating to Xmax is generaly much lower then to heat failure and is by far more useful for us to go by as consumers looking to match the sub with an amplifer. We want an amp that can drive it to Xmax, not to thermal failure.
Understanding gains on an amp is another commonly FUBARed topic.
If an amplifer can produce 200 watts, this does NOT mean the setting the gain all the way to the right will produce 200 watts or that setting it to dead center is 100 watts. Nor that setting it all the way to the left produces almost no power. The gain is ment to tell the amp at what voltage the head unit maxes out at. So if the head unit puts out a 4 volt signal, then with an alpine amp, you should set the gain all the way to the left as alpine amps ca only take up to a 4 volt signal. Ofcoarse Head unit output voltage is widely overstated too so this is usualy not the actual setting.
Back on topic. If the amp can only produce 200 watts then once the gain is matched to the head units voltage, turning the gain up further will only create distortion and unneeded heat and stress, not more power. If I see someone with a gain dead maxed, I know I have an audio newbie or a complete idiot on my hands. What seperates them is that the newbie wants to learn the right way of doing it, the idiot just wants to remain and idiot and pretend he knows what he's doing. I send these clowns to best buy. They aren't worth my time.
But I digress. So its not matching RMS power that is important in sub systems or audio in general. Matching a subwoofer's resistance to the resistance that a praticular amp wants to see is far more important. Also, maximizing power while minimizing distortion is the most important thing in any audio system to get proper sound quality and longevity.
1sty has spoken
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69147
As far as the facotry amp goes, either of the MSPs amps (yes there were 2 different models) only produce 120 Watts RMS at 4 ohms. So you will never see more then that from the factory amp. Now this does not mean you can't use a sub that handles more power. Using a 500 watt rms sub on this amp will not blow up anything, when setup correctly. Thats like thinking if you don't put enough power through a fuse, it will blow. Well we know things work exactly opposite of this. What actualy happens in the real world is that people WAY to often do not connect the right subs to the right amp and end up with an impedance mismatch. Or they get a sub that needs a bajesus of power to move and they feed it with a tiny amp and then over set the gain to try and make up for the mismatch. Either situation will cuase something to eventualy blow. However it is not the equipments fault. The failure is the fault of the user. As someone tries to extract more volume (keeps turning it up) from a system that does not have an amp capable of producing enough power to obtain that volume ( still with me?) the system fails. An amplifer can only create so much power and after that it only creates disotion. This distorion is not really more power but it is more "constant" power becuase the AC (alternating Current) voltage of music is now becoming DC (Direct Current) voltage. This radicly over heats the subwoofer (remember that wattage is a heat rating in regards to subwoofers) and causes its distuction. Also the situation that cuases this distortion, also causes the amp to over heat and also die an untimely death.
Ok,with that out of the way, lets look at power ratings.
Power ratings can vary drasticly. JL for example underates there product compared to most companies and POS companies like Audiobahn, MA Audio, Visonic, Jensen, Sony, and Dual over rate them. With amps, this is an under or over rating of what the amp will do in the real world. Subs are a bit more complex. Some manufacturers rate the sub by how much power it takes to move the sub to Xmax ( the full extent of a subwoofers movement). Others rate it by how much wattage the sub can disapate as heat before it blows. Most often its in the middle of the 2. Rating to Xmax is generaly much lower then to heat failure and is by far more useful for us to go by as consumers looking to match the sub with an amplifer. We want an amp that can drive it to Xmax, not to thermal failure.
Understanding gains on an amp is another commonly FUBARed topic.
If an amplifer can produce 200 watts, this does NOT mean the setting the gain all the way to the right will produce 200 watts or that setting it to dead center is 100 watts. Nor that setting it all the way to the left produces almost no power. The gain is ment to tell the amp at what voltage the head unit maxes out at. So if the head unit puts out a 4 volt signal, then with an alpine amp, you should set the gain all the way to the left as alpine amps ca only take up to a 4 volt signal. Ofcoarse Head unit output voltage is widely overstated too so this is usualy not the actual setting.
Back on topic. If the amp can only produce 200 watts then once the gain is matched to the head units voltage, turning the gain up further will only create distortion and unneeded heat and stress, not more power. If I see someone with a gain dead maxed, I know I have an audio newbie or a complete idiot on my hands. What seperates them is that the newbie wants to learn the right way of doing it, the idiot just wants to remain and idiot and pretend he knows what he's doing. I send these clowns to best buy. They aren't worth my time.
But I digress. So its not matching RMS power that is important in sub systems or audio in general. Matching a subwoofer's resistance to the resistance that a praticular amp wants to see is far more important. Also, maximizing power while minimizing distortion is the most important thing in any audio system to get proper sound quality and longevity.
1sty has spoken
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