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Tuesday, 27 September 2016

Cars & Transportation: Car Audio: “Question: My new 15 inch subwoofers sound like wimpy 10 inchers?” plus 5 more

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Cars & Transportation: Car Audio: “Question: My new 15 inch subwoofers sound like wimpy 10 inchers?” plus 5 more

Question: My new 15 inch subwoofers sound like wimpy 10 inchers?

Posted: 26 Sep 2016 05:20 PM PDT

Yes, you need a different amplifier. That Lanzar isn't nearly powerful enough to drive those subs to anywhere near their potential. Those subs are rated for 1000 watts rms each but your amp only puts out 250 watts rms per channel at 2 ohms, so at max power from the amp they would only be getting 1/4 of the power they can handle. With the volume, gain and bass boost all turned the distortion is probably enough to overheat the voice coils which could blow the subs. Hopefully you haven't done that.

A word about gain. This is NOT a secondary volume control. It's purpose is to match the voltage output of the head unit to the amplifier, and that is all. Different head units have differing amounts of voltage output which is why most car amplifiers have a gain control. It is purely a voltage matching device. If you turn it too high, the voltage gets boosted to the point where you could damage the speakers. Adding bass boost compounds the problem, so the first thing you need to do is learn how to set up your amp. Go here:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-PxvOxJBbIdZ/learn/car/subwoofers/tuning.html and here;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhrDqke8BKo

A word on power ratings. ALWAYS refer to continuous power output, which is expressed as WATTS RMS. Do not pay much attention to peak power ratings because they are measured in microseconds of power peaks.

Now, for an amplifier the minimum power I'd recommend is 500 watts rms per sub (1000 total). While you could go up to 1000 watts each I do not recommend that because the alternator in your vehicle probably can't handle that much power. To avoid electrical issues with your car at high volume it's likely that you'd be faced with upgrading to a high alternator that will cost around $300-400 not including installation.

Another thing is that you don't really need a 2 channel amp because low bass frequencies are non-directional so youtypically can't hear a stereo image in that range. A 1-channel amp (called a monoblock) is what I'd recommend. There are many that could fit the bill and that is going to depend on your budget. One thing is sure - you get what you pay for and cheap, low-end amps rarely ever perform up to their advertised specs.This rules out Boss, Crunch, Planet Audio, Soundstream, Lanzar and numerous other budget priced brands.

For those subs I'd recommend something like the Hifonics Brutus Elite BE1200.1D that costs around $165 through one of the big online retailers like Sonic Electronics. It is rated 1100 watts rms at 1 ohm and will come pretty close to that in actual use. The thing you'll need to double-check is that to utilize the full capability of that amp, the voice coils of each sub should be wired in parallel, and the subs should be wired in parallel with each other to get down to a total impedance of 1 ohm . If they are wired series/parallel then the impedance will be 4 ohms and the amp will only produce 450 watts rms at that impedance. It is unclear from the advertisements and company website how the subs are wired as delivered and what the total impedance is.

If all this is a little over your head, get some help from someone who knows what they're doing.

Question: Hi guys bought a rockford t1500 & planning to buy l7 15" but im not sure which one to go for is it 4/2ohm as i want to run the sub on 2ohm?

Posted: 26 Sep 2016 11:49 AM PDT

Are you buying two subs, or just one?

Given that the L7 is rated for 1000 watts RMS, and the amplifier is rated for 1000 watts RMS at 4 ohms and 1500 watts RMS at 2 ohms, your best choice would be to wire the sub for 4 ohms. I'm sure you've been told that it's better to overpower a sub but that's a myth. Running at 4 ohms is easier on the amp and will provide the sub with all the clean power it can handle.

Wiring the sub for 4 ohms would require a 2-ohm DVC model. You could always add a second identical sub later and drive both with the same amp.

Question: Which is better with rockford t1500 l7 4 ohm or 2 ohm as i want to run it on 2ohm?

Posted: 26 Sep 2016 11:47 AM PDT

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