Finding the right amp for a odd ohm load

[Aurelios 0]

So I am looking for some help choosing an amp, but I need help because with my speakers I have the options of making ohm loads at either 0.86, 1.26, 1.5 or 3.43. I am looking to push a minimum of 900 and a maximum of 1200 watts continuous. My absolute price limit would be 250, but the lower the better, I'm actually looking for the cheapest that I can get away with while still meeting my requirements.

[shizzzon 461]

are those DCR or nominal load values?

[shizzzon 461]

Oh and btw, Welcome Juggalo. I've got the Hatchet Swingin on the back of my ride.

[J31Rob 0]

Hatchet queens ITT.

[PHATBOi 38]

AQ1200D: http://www.audioque.com/aq/?page_id=26

Wired at .86 would be your best bet. Should take it no problem.

Or if you really want to save some cash and still have a solid amp with a 1 year warranty, either of these would run at .86 as welll:

AP15001D: http://vminnovations.com/product_4093/Audiopipe_AP15001D_1500W_Mono_D_Amplifier.html

AP10001D: http://vminnovations.com/product_5568/AUDIOPIPE_AP10001D_1000W_MONO_Power_Amplifier.html

[Aurelios 0]

What up ninjas! Glad to see the family representing on the forum.

are those DCR or nominal load values?

What does that mean?

That Audiopipe 1000 looks nice, anyone have experience running one of those, are they pretty solid amps?

Edited September 5, 2010 by Aurelios

[ssh 924]

If the amp you get is 1ohm stable, then I would wire everything down to 1.26 and call it a day. Closest number to 1ohm to make most power without overworking the amp.

Depending on imp rise you may be able to get away with 0.86

[shizzzon 461]

Example-

dual 2 ohm sub-

2ohm - nominal load

IE 1.4 ohms typical DCR value when measured on a DMM.

The DCR value will always be lower than the nominal load when measured on a DMM.

During play... well that changes drastically but not really necessary for this conversation.

So... i'm curious how u are getting these possible load configurations...

I'm assuming they are DCR but the numbers are so odd.. u must be running many coils?

[Aurelios 0]

Gotcha. Yeah, I'm running three dvc subs. I just plugged the numbers into the 12 volt's calculator every way I could think of and those are the numbers I came up with.

Edited September 5, 2010 by Aurelios

[Julian 641]

You could look at a regulated amp from someone like jl, regardless of the ohm load it will do 1000w such as a jl 1000/1

[Aurelios 0]

That would be nice if it wasn't like more than double my budget, even a used one is way over what I was looking to spend, but that would be the preferred choice if money allowed it.

[Aurelios 0]

So after thinking it over I think it would be a better idea to wait and save up the extra money to get a JL 1000/1, it will take a little longer, but I think it will pay off in the end.

[NB50 206]

What are the coil configurations on the subs?

[Aurelios 0]

Two dual-6 and one dual-4.

[stevemead08 752]

im pretty sure you dont want to mix different ohm coils

[Impious 1,476]

Two dual-6 and one dual-4.

Pretty bad idea. Don't run those subs together.

For starters, they will receive different amounts of power.

What subs are they?

[Notorious97200 339]

Instead of saving for a jl 1000/1, you can simply buy a bigger amp (1500 or 2000 wattsat 1 ohm).

Be careful with the gain setting. And don't try to play under 1 ohm, it's not safe.

If you need to upgrade your subsin the future, you will already have a powerful enough amp.

Listen to Impious : "Pretty bad idea. Don't run those subs together"

[Aurelios 0]

Two dual-6 and one dual-4.

Pretty bad idea. Don't run those subs together.For starters, they will receive different amounts of power. What subs are they?

So is it a bad idea just because the subs will receive different power? If so, the dual-4 is rated for 400 rms and the dual-6 are rated for 300 rms, would that work out?

The dual-4 is a JL 12 and the dual-6 are American Bass 12's.

I was just trying to use what I had already to minimize what I had to purchase. I would love to find more of the American Bass to run with it, but that has proved impossible to this point.

[stevemead08 752]

also a bad idea to run different brands together

[Aurelios 0]

also a bad idea to run different brands together

Is that just on the same amp or period?

[stevemead08 752]

same amp or in same box.

Why not get an amp just for the 2 American bass ?

[Aurelios 0]

Well I had a setup before where I was using the American Bass and two other 12's, each set on two different amps, and it was loud, but I want that bone rattling bass and I didn't get that.

So you all would probably not like to hear that the rest of the plan was to put a 18" Dayton in the trunk for the low bass and the three subs I mentioned where the back seats were at for the slightly higher bass. See the concept I am getting from everyone I know, who do have stereo's and they are loud stereos, say that I need the different speakers running different frequencies so I am not missing out on any of the music. I'm told that as long as I completely separate the 12's and the 18 it should work and I will get my low low bass and my higher punchy bass. Does this make sense to anyone else or is everything I have been told asswards backwards?

[95Honda 486]

Above vented box tuning (and Sealed resonance) it doesn't matter how much power each driver gets, it won't hurt anything as they will all be moving exactly in phase assuming the polarity is correct.

You could have 100 watts on one driver and 200 to another in the same enclosure and it won't matter....

The only problem with this is that you aren't balancing the load thermally, and at full power some drivers may reach mechanical limits before the others.

Other than that, no much wrong with the different coil configurations.

You will probably always be at or above the impedance rating of the subwoofers when they are used in an enclosure, and any amp that is 1 ohm stable shouldn't have any issues driving a load that slightly dips below this.

You could always run the amp above it's minimum rating and have cleaner bass, higher efficiency and longer equipment life...... But I think everyone kind of forgets that around here....

[Impious 1,476]

Well I had a setup before where I was using the American Bass and two other 12's, each set on two different amps, and it was loud, but I want that bone rattling bass and I didn't get that.

So you all would probably not like to hear that the rest of the plan was to put a 18" Dayton in the trunk for the low bass and the three subs I mentioned where the back seats were at for the slightly higher bass. See the concept I am getting from everyone I know, who do have stereo's and they are loud stereos, say that I need the different speakers running different frequencies so I am not missing out on any of the music. I'm told that as long as I completely separate the 12's and the 18 it should work and I will get my low low bass and my higher punchy bass. Does this make sense to anyone else or is everything I have been told asswards backwards?

Who ever told you that are idiots, stop taking stereo advice from them.

Technically there is nothing "wrong" the concept. It has been and is used in different genres of audio reproduction; Pro audio, for example. However, it's used in pro audio because 1) their "smaller" (i.e. 12") drivers might not reach down very low in frequency extension while their larger drivers (18's, for example) might be used in horns that have a narrow bandwidth of efficiency, 2) their spaces are so large they get little reinforcement assistance from the environment, and 3) they aren't dealing with as many space restrictions. So in their particular scenarios, it is a good solution.

However, in car audio our subwoofers of just about any diameter are fully capable of adequately covering the entire bass and subbass frequency range, we get a large benefit in subbass reinforcement from cabin gain, and we are dealing with extremely limited space restrictions. Many people get the idea that you "need to separate to the bass to cover the entire spectrum" from the misconception that large diameter drivers can't play higher frequencies as well as "smaller" diameter drivers can. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. The diameter of the driver actually has very little to do with how well the driver plays higher frequencies (within the scope of this conversation, which is focused on bass reproduction). It is entirely possible for a 12" driver to have worse high frequency extension and performance than an 18" driver. It's a simple fact of physics.

Given the limited amount of real estate in a vehicle, and the ability of our drivers to more than adequately reproduce the entire bass/subbass region, the need to use multiple different sizes of drivers and "separate" that narrow bandwidth of frequencies is simply asinine and a completely unnecessary waste of space, time and money. Run a single size, you will not be missing out on anything. A single 18" driver will be more than capable of covering the entire spectrum.

And while 95Honda is correct that nothing will actually be damaged by running different drivers of a different impedance within the same system; it just isn't a very intelligent way to go about things. As I mentioned, they will be receiving different amounts of power which means you more than likely will not be maximizing the capabilities of all of the drivers. They will have different response characteristics which will likely not "blend" very well. And as he mentioned, you may run into thermal or mechanical limitations with one driver before the others. It just overall is a poor execution.

If you weren't getting the output you were wanting with your prior system, then the problem was probably either a case of poor equipment selection for the goal, or poor installation/setup execution for the goal. No offense, but given what you've said so far in this thread, I would have to guess the issue is probably a combination of both.

So; Let's start from the beginning. Forget what your friends have said, they've proven themselves uninformative and unhelpful. We're going to start from scratch and get you headed in the right direction.

• What equipment do you have?
• What are the goals for your system?
• What equipment are you willing to sell? (sell off the equipment that you don't need so you can buy equipment you do need)
• What is your budget?
• What vehicle do you have?
• What type of electrical system does your vehicle have?
• How much space are you willing to sacrifice?

[Aurelios 0]

First off, thank you for your very informative explanation, I have really been torn on what I should be listening too when it comes to this stuff. And thank you for taking the time to make sure I am doing everything right, it's greatly appreciated.

1) I currently have two American Bass 12's, one JL 12, a JL 250, an American Pro 4-ch (which stopped working recently and is being checked to see if it still works), two pairs of Planet Audio 6.5's, and I am currently running my RCA's to my iPod when my deck started acting funny.

2) My goal is to have bone rattling, take-your-breath-away bass for daily driving.

3) Now this is tricky. I have been told that even if I don't use the JL 250, that I should hold on to it in case another amp goes bad so I can still listen to my system since it is a solid amp. And I really like my American Bass because they are good, hard-to-find speakers, but I am afraid they won't get me what I'm looking for, I just hate to get rid of them. But assuming I don't need them and I don't listen to my friend, I would be willing to sell all of it.

4) I would like to stay within 800, but I guess I could go 1000 at the absolute most.

5) My vehicle is a 99 Nissan Altima.

6) Stock battery, stock alternator (I believe it's 100 amps), 0 Ga power and 4 Ga ground to the trunk from the battery, and a 5 farad Power Acoustik cap.

7) I am willing to sacrifice everything except the front seats, the whole trunk and back seats are fair game.