Help.....2 ohm vs 4 ohm

[NKC]

I have a Kicker S12L7(silver) 4 ohm with a RF Bd1000.1 in my car right now.....

I also have a Kicker S12L7 (black) 2 ohm sitting at home.....

Will there be a difference if I take out the 4 ohm and put in the 2 ohm???

Some guy wants to buy the silver one and he's offering me a really tempting deal....Good enough to buy a new one.

What should i do???

Can the 2 ohm one take the power?

Really need your help guys....//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

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[SoundsUnlimited 10+ year member]

Ok heres the deal..If u only have one DVC sub..and u are seeking to get max power to it..Well u are going to want to have the lowest amount of resistance possible(lowest ohm load u can mustor)...SO...If u want the most power for it Keep the 2-ohm sub

If u wired a 2-ohm sub parallel and then u wired a 4-ohm sub parallel..Here is what the outcome of resistance from two would be

Dual 2-ohm(SUBWOOFER)=1-ohm of resistance

Dual 4-ohm(SUBWOOFER)=2-ohms of resistance

Now depending on what you want from your subs or what you amp can handle..I would go with the Dual 2-ohm subs that way u can have more power juicing the sub!

Now if u decide to wire the sub in series: here is what the outcome is going to be

Dual 2-ohm(SUBWOOFER)=4-ohm of resistance

Dual 4-ohm(SUBWOOFER)=8ohm of resistance

*Now as you can clearly tell, u see which will draw the most current to it! Best thing to do is check the stats on your amp.>Then decide what you want from your subs(WATTAGE WISE)..Then go wire them up*

Hope I was helpful..If u need anymore help just let me know

Blake

 

[Savant 10+ year member]

I don't really know enough about those subs or that amp to be of direct help.. but..

the resistence of the sub has nothing to do with the amp (perse').. That is, the 2 ohm sub is more efficient than the 4 ohm sub (has less resistence).. The power rating for them has nothing to do with their resistence... If the 2 ohm is rated for X watts, and so is the 4 ohm sub, the 2 ohm sub can handle the same amount of power as the 4 ohm sub..

Where the possible issue comes in is at the amp.. Can the amp run at 2 ohm stable? if not, then the 2 ohm sub would hurt the amp (you might be able to get away with running it at lower power, setting the gains lower to avoid over-driving the amp, but I don't know enough about running an amp at lower resistence than it's rated for.. you could well burn it up.. in any event, it's not really a good idea).. If the amp is 2 ohm stable, then you can safely run the sub.. Normally, the lower the resistence the subs have, the more total power you can get from the same amp..

Example:

My amp.. 300 rms x 2 at 4 ohm

.................600 rms x 1 at 4 ohm

.................500 rms x 2 at 2 ohm

notice how at 2 ohm I get more per channel than at 4 ohm? the general rule of thumb is 1/2 the resistence and double the power.. up to the point that your amp can handle it.. my amp is NOT 1 ohm stable.. some are..

which actually brings the other question (like I said, I don't know those subs).. are the subs single or double voice coil? If they are single I'm thinking you should be ok (not knowing the amp though).. if it's dual, you would be at either 1 or 4 ohm, and the amp might not like 1 ohm.. at 4 ohm (presuming your other sub was dual as well, you would be at either 2 or 8 ohm, prolly running at 2) you would only get about 1/2 the power from the amp as you did before..

sooooooooo.... it all depends on the number of coils and the amp //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif You can run that sub on that amp.. will it have enough power to it? I don't know.. will you burn up the amp? I don't know.. Hopefully between my and SoundsUnlimited's post, you have the info you need //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Matador 10+ year member]

"the resistence of the sub has nothing to do with the amp (perse').. That is, the 2 ohm sub is more efficient than the 4 ohm sub (has less resistence).. The power rating for them has nothing to do with their resistence... If the 2 ohm is rated for X watts, and so is the 4 ohm sub, the 2 ohm sub can handle the same amount of power as the 4 ohm sub.."

huh? guess u have'nt learned shit since u been here buddy.

resistance of the sub (total resistance of the VC) will determine the power output of the amp. 4ohm has more resistance, and about efficiency dunno, but the lower the resistance, generally u get more power but at higher distortion levels, and clipping if not set correct.

if those L7s wree from teh same year n model, which they are not, they would take the same amount of power, ie: 700rms, no matter its resistance (DVC2ohm, DVC4oh, SVC4ohm...).

so if u can tell us whether they are dvc or not, we can help u out better.

i believe the 1000bd puts out ~1100rms @1ohm, correct me if im wrong, it's been a while since i looked at th ebd1000

 

[Savant 10+ year member]

Originally posted by Matador "the resistence of the sub has nothing to do with the amp (perse').. That is, the 2 ohm sub is more efficient than the 4 ohm sub (has less resistence).. The power rating for them has nothing to do with their resistence... If the 2 ohm is rated for X watts, and so is the 4 ohm sub, the 2 ohm sub can handle the same amount of power as the 4 ohm sub.."

 

huh? guess u have'nt learned shit since u been here buddy.

Actually, I've learned a lot.. and if you 'carefully' read the statement and know what perse' means, you will see that I was working on the premise of the subs being seperate entities from the amp, and in that context trying to show that the resistence of the sub is NOT DEPENDANT on the amp.. Further down I also explain that the output of the amp is DIRECTLY EFFECTED by the resistence of the sub..

Perhaps I could have worded it a bit more clearly, but it's not an easy thing to try and explain in a short post.. that's why most people send someone off to one of the sites with hundreds of pages of info to learn some of the basics..

resistance of the sub (total resistance of the VC) will determine the power output of the amp. 4ohm has more resistance, and about efficiency dunno, but the lower the resistance, generally u get more power but at higher distortion levels, and clipping if not set correct.

if those L7s wree from teh same year n model, which they are not, they would take the same amount of power, ie: 700rms, no matter its resistance (DVC2ohm, DVC4oh, SVC4ohm...).

 

so if u can tell us whether they are dvc or not, we can help u out better.

 

i believe the 1000bd puts out ~1100rms @1ohm, correct me if im wrong, it's been a while since i looked at th ebd1000

Not sure if there is anything in there directed toward me or not.. I'll presume that since you included my statement about power handling that there is...

My point on power handling is this... the resistence of the sub has NOTHING to do with it's power rating (perse').. you can put 500 watts into a 2 ohm 500 watt sub.. the exact same 500 watts into a 4 ohm 500 watt sub.. they both run the same.. that's what I was getting at..

As far as the amp.. if it really is 1 ohm stable, then all of this is moot.. even if it's a DVC 2 ohm, he'd be at 1 ohm in parallel and be ok.. provided he adjusted the gains to not blow the sub (if needed)..

 

[NKC]

Sorry to cause all this distruction....

The amp is certified at 1129 actual total power at 2 ohm....

The silver one which is DVC 4ohm is wired parallel right now.....so it's at a 2 ohm load. Sounds pretty good to me.

My problem is, the black one is DVC 2ohm. If i wire it parallel, it will be running at a 1ohm load. Not sure if the amp is amp to go 1ohm, and if it does how much power will it produce? Will the sub be able to handle it?

If i wire it series, the Black DVC 2ohm will become a 4ohm load.

How much power will go to the sub at 4 ohm?? Is it enough?

WIll I see a huge difference then before ?

The guy wants to buy my SLiver one(DVC 4 ohm) for $400CDN that's about $266US...As you know, I can buy a new one will money leftover if I sell it to him.

Plus, I can save even more if I just put in the Black one(DVC 2ohm)

 

[Savant 10+ year member]

Not sure if your amp is 1 ohm stable..

As a rule of thumb, if you double the resistence you 1/2 the available power.. so I'd guess at 4 ohm you'd have ~550 watts..

will it sound the same? That depends on where you have your gain set now and how much room you have left.. if you are running your current sub near 'max', then no.. it won't sound the same.. it would sound about 1/2 as loud (double the power = double the loudness.. double the surface area = double the loudness.. or so I've been told).. It might be enough, or your current settings might be low enough that you have room to turn up the gains so that max output matches what you currently have (meaning you might only be running 550 watts now .. prolly more, but you get the idea)..

You should be able to find that amp on RF's web site, or some place on the web.. that should tell you if it's 1 ohm stable..

Good luck //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[NKC]

Even if they are 1 ohm stable....I dont think RF will tell people that they are....

 

[SoundsUnlimited 10+ year member]

Look I'm not trying to call anyone wrong here..If I am wrong, well correct me..But your right 500 watts is the smae in a 2-ohm sub as a 4-ohm sub..HOWEVER, its all in the wiring my friend..If a 2-ohm sub is wired parallel and then a 4-ohm sub is wired paralle..Well your not going to get the same amount of power to them...The 2-ohm sub is going to have more resistance therefoe more wattage applied to it thus the 4-ohm sub! Everyone in here has been right IN A WAY!! But, I am concluding this on the basis of the wiring! If he is seeking max power to the subs, and assuming his amp is 1-ohm stable..I would preferably go with a 2-ohm sub, wired to 1-ohm of resistance, To get to this resistance you have to wire the subs to parallel.

 

[SoundsUnlimited 10+ year member]

Now if your amp puts out 1000 and some watts at 2-ohms...And you arent sure if it is 1-ohm stable or not..Assuming u have L7's..WHich still hasnt gotten st8 yet..I would go with a 4-ohm sub wired parallel will give u a 2-ohm resistance! Or u can get the 2-ohm sub and wire it sereis...But you aint gonna have hardly ANY power to the sub!! SO if I were u go with the 4-ohm sub, wired parallel and you should be set and ready to bump! Hell even if the amp is 1-ohm stable I dont think I would want that much juice running to single l7 for everyday applications...Well u might could turn the gains ALL The way down and get away with it though, But that choice is yours! By the way, if you want to prove me right..Get a **** multimeter and wired the different subs..Then tell me what the **** final ohm load is!

Blake

 

[pacfalife 10+ year member]

my friend has this amp....it is not warrentied under anything under 2 ohm. Even though my friend (ricerdude) is running 4 xtrs off of it and it sounds good. It last but i don't know if it will take that much power...you say its 1129 watts at 2 ohm....then it would raise to 1694 watts....what is the specs on the 2 ohm DVC? I would run the 2 ohm DVC at 1 ohm. That is just me tho.

 

[Savant 10+ year member]

Originally posted by SoundsUnlimited Look I'm not trying to call anyone wrong here..If I am wrong, well correct me..But your right 500 watts is the smae in a 2-ohm sub as a 4-ohm sub..HOWEVER, its all in the wiring my friend..If a 2-ohm sub is wired parallel and then a 4-ohm sub is wired paralle..Well your not going to get the same amount of power to them...The 2-ohm sub is going to have more resistance therefoe more wattage applied to it thus the 4-ohm sub! Everyone in here has been right IN A WAY!! But, I am concluding this on the basis of the wiring! If he is seeking max power to the subs, and assuming his amp is 1-ohm stable..I would preferably go with a 2-ohm sub, wired to 1-ohm of resistance, To get to this resistance you have to wire the subs to parallel.

I think you are missing the point.. There are several things being talked about.. one is that, 500 in a 2 ohm is the same as 500 in a 4 ohm (provided both subs are 500 rated)..

The 'second' issue is the power delived from any 'given' amp.. it will be able to provide more power to less resistence.. yes.. the 2 ohm load has the amp giving more power than if it went to a 4 ohm load..

Also, he's not asking about what subs 'to get'.. he's asking if his dvc 2 ohm will work with the amp that's running a dvc 4 ohm now.. he's selling the dvc 4ohm and has a dvc 2 ohm.. The easy answer is, he can probably hook it up if he adjusts things properly.. but, he might also blow the amp since it's not 1 ohm stable (advertised/rated anyway).. at 4 ohm, he could potentially only have 1/2 the volume... which might be preffered to blowing the amp..

So, in a nut shell, no one is wrong //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif just seems to be a bit of confusion over all //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[Savant 10+ year member]

Originally posted by pacfalife my friend has this amp....it is not warrentied under anything under 2 ohm. Even though my friend (ricerdude) is running 4 xtrs off of it and it sounds good. It last but i don't know if it will take that much power...you say its 1129 watts at 2 ohm....then it would raise to 1694 watts....what is the specs on the 2 ohm DVC? I would run the 2 ohm DVC at 1 ohm. That is just me tho.

Not sure of the cost of the amp, or the resources to purchase another.. But, I'd have to agree.. set it low and run at 1 ohm.. if the amp cuts out more than a few times, change to 4 ohm and see if you get loud enough.. if not, get a new amp or new sub.. *shrug*

 

[NKC]

I sold the Silver L7(DVC 4 ohm) already.....for a really hefty price

I hooked up the Black L7 (DVC 2 ohm) and wired it series....so it's at 4 ohm right now...

I dont really know how to set my system but ****>>> I have the gain set about half way and it pounds the same as the (DVC 4ohm) which was running at 2 ohm....

I really thought I was gonna get less power to it but I was wrong.....

**** RF amps are pretty good stuff....

Thanks for all the input guys but I guess testing it out is always the best solution....

I might try wiring it parellel some other time but i dont want it to blow....

The only difference I found between the two is definately SQ.....but I'm still running in the sub so time will tell...

 

[SoundsUnlimited 10+ year member]

So, in a nut shell, no one is wrong //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif just seems to be a bit of confusion over all //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif [/b]

yes I agree I was rather confused on what the hell he was asking..I agree we are all right, just confused..well atleast he knows how to wire it now..LOL

Blake