Help picking subs and amp

[alucke 10+ year member]

i have Kenwood DNX7180 with a KAC-8405 powering 4 60watt rms speakers, a Kenwood KAC-9105D powering 2 Kenwood KFC-W3013PS 12 400 rms subs. The problem I have is I can even hear the subs, till I turn the volume up to about 25-30 on the head unit. I don't wanna be a bass head. I want just enough to hear the bass at a normal level. What wattage should the subs and the amp be? Any help would be appreciated.

alucke

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[quackhead 10+ year member]

are you an avid fisherman by chance?

 

[daboyfrumdabx 10+ year member]

are you an avid fisherman by chance?

Haha, ouch.

I've always liked Kenwood decks and while their amps aren't the best, I think they're often reasonable for the money if not bought from like Best Buy. OP, new equipment would help, but if you truly need to turn the volume up that high, I would suspect you have an issue with your wiring. First things first, are you wired at 1 or 4 ohms? Those subs could be wired to either and the amp can handle both, I'd start by making sure they're at 1 ohm. Next, if you could give up a break down of the settings on the amp. Where are filters set, gain (input sensitivity), etc?

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

Haha, ouch.
I've always liked Kenwood decks and while their amps aren't the best, I think they're often reasonable for the money if not bought from like Best Buy. OP, new equipment would help, but if you truly need to turn the volume up that high, I would suspect you have an issue with your wiring. First things first, are you wired at 1 or 4 ohms? Those subs could be wired to either and the amp can handle both, I'd start by making sure they're at 1 ohm. Next, if you could give up a break down of the settings on the amp. Where are filters set, gain (input sensitivity), etc?

I suppose u are right, lol...the 9105 is a far cry from the 7 series. fair enough then. I agree though, KW has been one on a short list to check out when shopping for a decent HU

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

those are a SVC 4ohm, prolly sealed up too, i'd bet...they ought to be getting a good 150 - 250 watts each off that amp at 2 ohms (figgering ohm rise and such).possibly a touch more..combined with possible out of adjustment on the lpf, or gain, etc..that amp has a pretty low s/n and pretty high THD from the get go....and probably not much of a Dapening Factor i am guessing.

 

[daboyfrumdabx 10+ year member]

those are a SVC 4ohm, prolly sealed up too, i'd bet...they ought to be getting a good 150 - 250 watts each off that amp at 2 ohms (figgering ohm rise and such).possibly a touch more..combined with possible out of adjustment on the lpf, or gain, etc..that amp has a pretty low s/n and pretty high THD from the get go....and probably not much of a Dapening Factor i am guessing.

Nice catch. I thought I recognized the model number, but apparently not.

 

[alucke 10+ year member]

I stopped by a shop that deals with Kenwood amps. They suggested that I get a 2 x 400 watt rms amp. Can anyone suggest a good 2 channel amp at that rms rating, for a reasonable price?

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

Were they pointing to a 2ch amp when they told you that?

Your subs wired parallel will be a 2 ohm load..look for rms ratings at 2 ohms mono or 4 ohms stereo that are at least what the subs can use, preferrably 1.5 times that for good headroom. What kind of box ya got?

Hifonics GLX1400.1D Class D Amplifiers at Onlinecarstereo.com

Precision Power PC1000.1 Class D Amplifiers at Onlinecarstereo.com

Lanzar OPTI500x2 2 Channel Amplifiers at Onlinecarstereo.com

a nice, cheap 2 ch 1/2 ohm stable 600 watt amp:

Alphasonik PMA600HCA 2 Channel Amplifiers at Onlinecarstereo.com

 

[DoesDad 10+ year member]

Were they pointing to a 2ch amp when they told you that?Your subs wired parallel will be a 2 ohm load..look for rms ratings at 2 ohms mono or 4 ohms stereo that are at least what the subs can use, preferrably 1.5 times that for good headroom. What kind of box ya got?

Hifonics GLX1400.1D Class D Amplifiers at Onlinecarstereo.com

Precision Power PC1000.1 Class D Amplifiers at Onlinecarstereo.com

Lanzar OPTI500x2 2 Channel Amplifiers at Onlinecarstereo.com

a nice, cheap 2 ch 1/2 ohm stable 600 watt amp:

Alphasonik PMA600HCA 2 Channel Amplifiers at Onlinecarstereo.com

All of these are good choices OP. Quack seems to know his shiz.... I'd go with a monoblock that does at least 800 @ 2. Any of the ones on the list here are good to go! I'm still thinking something is wrong with your setup though. I had a couple Kicker Comps years back seeing 125 watts each and I didn't have to turn em' all the way up to hear em'. You shouldn't have to do that with the Kenwoods either.