equipment capatability advice

[daboyfrumdabx 10+ year member]

How to Set Your Gains
I found this resource but it never says anything by checking it with a voltage meter. Basically tells u to listen for distortion and then when u hear it, thats your gain setting lol.

And what is the way quakhead is saying is a better way to hook my subs up for what I am trying to accomplish (only 800 watts rms going to the subs from a 1200 watt rms amp)?? I dont want to blow the subs or amp by installing incorrectly or buying the wrong ohm rated equipment..

Looks like you found the gain setting source that is convenient for you. Keep searching, you'll find mention of a DMM, I promise. That'll be the one you want to use. From there, slight tweaks by ear can be beneficial, but the DMM will give you a pretty good starting point, especially when you're only trying to use some of what the amp is capable of.

What Quack is saying isn't wrong. Perhaps it may even be more proper. It's just not the way most of us would go about it. You can honestly use either method. I'd rather buy the dual 4's and wire to one and have the head room. Buying the dual 2 and wiring to 2 will not yield the same headroom, but the amp generally works less at at that load. Either way is fine, you choose what you want to do.

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

How to Set Your Gains
I found this resource but it never says anything by checking it with a voltage meter. Basically tells u to listen for distortion and then when u hear it, thats your gain setting lol.

And what is the way quakhead is saying is a better way to hook my subs up for what I am trying to accomplish (only 800 watts rms going to the subs from a 1200 watt rms amp)?? I dont want to blow the subs or amp by installing incorrectly or buying the wrong ohm rated equipment..

If you wire the amp to a 2ohm load, the amp is now a 870 watt amp, not a 1200 watt amp..just as the amp manufacturer stated in the specs you posted...I assume you notice the rating of 1% thd at 4ohms power and 5% at 1 ohm power?..lol ..You cannot wire the amp to 2 ohms with D4 subs bro.

 

[xSPLoder 10+ year member]

http://a248.e.akamai.net/pix.crutchfield.com/ca/learningcenter/car/subwoofer_wiring/2-DVC-4-ohm-mono-low-imp.jpg

^^

Wire 2x dual 4ohm VC subs down to a 1ohm load on amp

http://a248.e.akamai.net/pix.crutchfield.com/ca/learningcenter/car/subwoofer_wiring/2DVC_2-ohm_mono.jpg

^^ 2 ohm load

http://a248.e.akamai.net/pix.crutchfield.com/ca/learningcenter/car/subwoofer_wiring/2DVC_4-ohm_mono.jpg

^^4 ohm load

 

[daboyfrumdabx 10+ year member]

If you wire the amp to a 2ohm load, the amp is now a 870 watt amp, not a 1200 watt amp..just as the amp manufacturer stated in the specs you posted...I assume you notice the rating of 1% thd at 4ohms power and 5% at 1 ohm power?..lol ..You cannot wire the amp to 2 ohms with D4 subs bro.

Output Power 14.4V @ 1% THD 510X1 @ 4 ohm,870X1 @ 2 ohm,1200X1 @1 ohmOutput Power 14.4V @ 5% THD 1470X1 @ 1 ohm

1% at 4 through 1ohm. 5% if pushing the 1ohm past 1400 watts.

 

[xSPLoder 10+ year member]

I know people who run on .25 ohm daily and serving over peak power day in and day out for months on end. I wouldn't recommend doing that but running at a 1 ohm load inst bad at all. Maximize the use of your equipment. You can feed more power and not blow the sub up as long as it is clean power.

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

Looks like you found the gain setting source that is convenient for you. Keep searching, you'll find mention of a DMM, I promise. That'll be the one you want to use. From there, slight tweaks by ear can be beneficial, but the DMM will give you a pretty good starting point, especially when you're only trying to use some of what the amp is capable of.
What Quack is saying isn't wrong. Perhaps it may even be more proper. It's just not the way most of us would go about it. You can honestly use either method. I'd rather buy the dual 4's and wire to one and have the head room. Buying the dual 2 and wiring to 2 will not yield the same headroom, but the amp generally works less at at that load. Either way is fine, you choose what you want to do.

that amp is underrated to begin with, there is plenty of headroom available at 2 ohms on that amp..It will just sound better and be more controlled, not to metinon he can then make proper adjustments without the fear of hitting the subs with the 1450 rated watts in the specs he posted.

 

[xSPLoder 10+ year member]

I know people who run on .25 ohm daily and serving over peak power day in and day out for months on end. I wouldn't recommend doing that but running at a 1 ohm load inst bad at all. Maximize the use of your equipment. You can feed more power and not blow the sub up as long as it is clean power.

Just an FYI, I said this so OP knows for the future and now if he chooses to go that path. I used to think going over rate was just crazy but not if you do it right.

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

I know people who run on .25 ohm daily and serving over peak power day in and day out for months on end. I wouldn't recommend doing that but running at a 1 ohm load inst bad at all. Maximize the use of your equipment. You can feed more power and not blow the sub up as long as it is clean power.

How does that maximize anything? You do understand what happens when you reduce the resistance to an amplifier?...OP has already made clear he wants good CLEAN bass. not the most db's on a meter...jeez you ppl are crazy....the man has two 400 watt subs, he wants to keep the power down to @ 800 watts...I would go a different route like a cleaner amp at 2 ohms with more power, but if OP is set on @800 watts..do it right or go home.

 

[xSPLoder 10+ year member]

How does that maximize anything? You do understand what happens when you reduce the resistance to an amplifier?...OP has already made clear he wants good CLEAN bass. not the most db's on a meter...jeez you ppl are crazy....the man has two 400 watt subs, he wants to keep the power down to @ 800 watts...I would go a different route like a cleaner amp at 2 ohms with more power, but if OP is set on @800 watts..do it right or go home.

Did you read my other post after the one you quoted?

 

[xSPLoder 10+ year member]

easy quacka

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

1% at 4 through 1ohm. 5% if pushing the 1ohm past 1400 watts.

ok, so is that 1% at 4ohms or 1% at 1ohm...i know it is not across the board...they don't work like that, bro.....I Like DJ and am sure he is honest with the numbers, but 1% at 4ohms would ****.

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

easy quacka

Oh, I am easy...but it is fun to poke and giggle about power...but in reality, the debate is over the stability of the amplifier and how it performs. Yes, a true .5 ohm rating says a lot for the build quality of the amp. It is one of the deciding factors to consider. but for a budget two sub set up with cheap subs and a cheap amp with SQL as a goal, there are other factors that are more important than a small 3db gain in output. The higher the ohm resistance, the better the amp performs and the better the bass sounds, which will make up the difference and keep things under control.

 

[xSPLoder 10+ year member]

Oh, I am easy...but it is fun to poke and giggle about power...but in reality, the debate is over the stability of the amplifier and how it performs. Yes, a true .5 ohm rating says a lot for the build quality of the amp. It is one of the deciding factors to consider. but for a budget two sub set up with cheap subs and a cheap amp with SQL as a goal, there are other factors that are more important than a small 3db gain in output. The higher the ohm resistance, the better the amp performs and the better the bass sounds, which will make up the difference and keep things under control.

Trust me, I know where you are coming from with this and completely understand. But like he said, he is a noob. Instilling fear into him about blowing amps and cheap subs does not teach him anything if he chooses to go further with it down the road. I'm just giving some helpful knowledge

easy quacka

I just thought this sounded funny

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

Trust me, I know where you are coming from with this and completely understand. But like he said, he is a noob. Instilling fear into him about blowing amps and cheap subs does not teach him anything if he chooses to go further with it down the road. I'm just giving some helpful knowledge


I just thought this sounded funny

lol...it did. In another post, Op said he fried a coil on his L7 from not setting the gains right...I do not think AQ is a bad product, but if he is set on buying the Sundown E12, he might as well run D2's at 2 ohms and save himself some worry over past experiences...you hear me, bro?

 

[xShoWTeKx 10+ year member]

lol...it did. In another post, Op said he fried a coil on his L7 from not setting the gains right...I do not think AQ is a bad product, but if he is set on buying the Sundown E12, he might as well run D2's at 2 ohms and save himself some worry over past experiences...you hear me, bro?

if he is bad at setting them 870 is still rms if he clips they are still going to blow.