Fi SSD or Fi Q @ 1200w?

[clanderson]

Hey guys, I'm stuck between the Fi SSD or the Fi Q - but I've only got a Diamond Audio 1200w amp to work with.

What do you think? Will the Fi Q sound as good underpowered as the SSD would sound with sufficient power?

Click to read more...

 

[40oz 10+ year member]

I'm sure the Q would sound great with that amount of power, in the proper enclosure. If you don't mind spending the extra cash then get the Q, otherwise get the SSD with the cooling option.

 

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

why is 1200watts underpowered for a Q??? Ran the wifey's off a Sundown 1500 and AQ1200, sounded good with both amps...

 

[clanderson]

I only said underpowered because the Q states that it is 1500w RMS.

But it's best to run your subs in the +/- 25% power range, correct? So would a Q sound better than an SSD @ 1200w?

I've also been told to consider the BL...

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

Ssd

 

[clanderson]

SSD over Q or BL? Why do you say that?

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

Wow, no such thing as "underpowered".

 

[clanderson]

Sorry, I realize some people are pretty touchy when the word "underpowered" is thrown around. I simply mean which one would hit harder at 1200w. And since the BL and Q are rated at 1500w RMS, that is UNDER their power handling capabilities. Whereas the SSD would be fully powered with the 1200w I could supply it.

But thanks for dropping into this thread just to jab at a newbie's terminology.

 

[supereikenator 10+ year member]

Sorry, I realize some people are pretty touchy when the word "underpowered" is thrown around. I simply mean which one would hit harder at 1200w. And since the BL and Q are rated at 1500w RMS, that is UNDER their power handling capabilities. Whereas the SSD would be fully powered with the 1200w I could supply it.
But thanks for dropping into this thread just to jab at a newbie's terminology.

Happens to me all the time...haha. People just assume you don't know what you mean. It's like saying running an Ascendant Audio Mayhem on 600 watts would be underpowered, we just mean not enough to reach it's full capabilities. But they seem to think we think we will blow it or something.

 

[supereikenator 10+ year member]

And personally, I'd go with what Buck said, he really knows his stuff, talk to him about an enclosure too, he can design the best one possible.

 

[supereikenator 10+ year member]

Wow, no such thing as "underpowered".

So if I ran an SSA Evil off of a Rockford Punch 300 watt amp it wouldn't be underpowered?

 

[supereikenator 10+ year member]

..

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

So if I ran an SSA Evil off of a Rockford Punch 300 watt amp it wouldn't be underpowered?

Nope. Music is dynamic and your amplifier is very rarely sending full power or ratted power. That is unless you are listening to 0db test tones all the time at near clipping. Perfect example, I have ran a single Xcon 12D2 (ratted for 1750rms) in a sealed 1.1 enclosure, off a small 2 channel (240 mono @ 4ohm mono) for a while and every single person that heard a demo loved the sound and output. Most of the time the Xcon was seeing MAYBE 150 watts on music.

 

"Underpowering" is a terrible audio shop myth to mis-lead customers into spending money on the wrong amplifiers. There is no law that says you have to match power ratings of the amplifier and the sub woofer. Also, on the other end of the spectrum, headroom is a good thing. I have run a "600 watt" prototype of our's off a mono block ratted for 1300+ watts. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

But thank you for the snarky retort and the dislike. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[clanderson]

Ok guys, just looking for an answer from someone with experience, not to get into an argument. But I do understand your defensiveness when someone says something like "is this sub going to be underpowered".

But like the original post, would the BL sound as good as an SSD @ 1200w?

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

Sorry, I realize some people are pretty touchy when the word "underpowered" is thrown around. I simply mean which one would hit harder at 1200w. And since the BL and Q are rated at 1500w RMS, that is UNDER their power handling capabilities. Whereas the SSD would be fully powered with the 1200w I could supply it.
But thanks for dropping into this thread just to jab at a newbie's terminology.

Not taking a jab at a newbie, it is something that has been addressed on this site numerous times over many years. Explain what you are asking more clearly and don't use terms that don't make sense, do not exist or are confusing to others, and you will get much better responses and information from the forum. Also, you cannot assume that more power will always equal more output. Lastly, read what I said about matching power ratings between sub and amplifier. You are not going to hear an output difference, for example, with a Q on 1200 watts or on 1500 watts, same goes for the BL and SSD respectively. If worried about score on a Termlab that is different.

 

Difference in the actual sound between model is a different thing, the specs will help tell that story. If you are worried more about wattage and output, take the Q out of your equation and go for the BL if you are down to those two. Not saying that the Q is not loud, far from it, but it has been shown that since the Q and BL were released, that people more focused on the output and power, are better suited for the BL.