How to power a single 12 ohm subwoofer?

[boarderx]

I have an old JL Audio 10W0 12 ohm subwoofer sitting around and I want to install it in my truck. I have a few amps sitting around but I'm not sure how to power a 12 ohm speaker. One amp puts out a mono 4 ohm load, the other puts out (I think) a 2ohm load when bridged. Can I use either of these amps to power the 12 ohm subwoofer? If not, what's the best way of powering the sub? Should I think about buying a new 4 ohm subwoofer? Suggestions?

Click to read more...

 

[Lakota 5,000+ posts]

Hooking it up to an amp will power it, but being at such a high impedance the sub won't receive near the amount of power that the amp is capable of putting out. Single voice coil?

 

[ThatChevyGuy 5,000+ posts]

you need 3 of them single 4 ohm load.

 

[jdc753 10+ year member]

The ratings on the amps are the lowest impedence that the amps will be stable at. They will be fine at any higher rating and will actually run cooler. Kinda like using a tractor trailer to move your sofa across town. The sub will see far less power than the amp is rated for at 4ohm but should play just fine.

 

[boarderx]

Yea, single voice coil.

Hooking it up to an amp will power it, but being at such a high impedance the sub won't receive near the amount of power that the amp is capable of putting out. Single voice coil?

 

[Lakota 5,000+ posts]

you need 3 of them single 4 ohm load.

Being so old he may not be able to get a few more? I'm not really familiar with the older JL stuff.

 

[ThatChevyGuy 5,000+ posts]

ebay, they go all day.

 

[boarderx]

Yea, I pulled the sub out of a JL Audio box with three of these subs in it. I was driving all three with the one amp a few years ago. The box is too big for me now and I wanted to at least try to make use of the speakers.

you need 3 of them single 4 ohm load.

 

[stuckinok 5,000+ posts]

buy a new sub

 

[negative_camber 10+ year member]

Edit: Nevermind... I type too slow. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 

[Lakota 5,000+ posts]

buy a new sub

That or get a couple more and wire them in parallel to decrease impedance.

 

[ThatChevyGuy 5,000+ posts]

you need to start reading.

 

[boarderx]

I believe the mono amp I have is a Nakamichi that puts out 300w RMS. According to JL Audio, the sweet spot for these subs is 125w. Being that the amp won't output that much to a 12ohm impedence, it looks like this combo will work fine for me.

 

[boarderx]

Yea, I know! I used to be into the car a/v thing years ago, but family life and kids took over. Now that I have a new vehicle, I'll probably get back into it.

you need to start reading.

 

[Lil Poot 5,000+ posts]

what impedence is that amp rated at 300w for? because 12 ohms is pretty high... taking a wild guess, i'd say if thats a 300w rating at 4 ohms, which is likely, you'll see more like 50-75 watts at 12 ohms.