Is 250 watts enough??

[RehhSoSexy]

I have just bought a 12" Pioneer Champion Series Subwoofer in a ported box for around $40.00

I am powering it with a 250 Watt JL Monoblock amp (JX 250/1 watt) I have heard the sub can handle up to 3500 watts? but on the actual sub it only says a little over 1000?

Is my 250 watt amp under powering this sub too much? i dont want it to crap out on me..

I was running a 12" Audiobahn Natural Sound sub in a ported box with half the coil burned up and it never blew. i also have my db and frequency nobs turned all the way up on my amp.

thanks!

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[09civic 5,000+ posts]

First off, you can't hurt a sub by underpowering it. Only by giving it too much power. And please do not have your gain and bass boost all the way up on your amp. You will blow your sub no matter how much you are giving it.

 

[RehhSoSexy]

Alright thanks, I will have to turn them down a little tomorrow

 

[goingdef 10+ year member]

yea 250 is enough..........for "one" of my doors!

na for real your not going to hurt it at all, but your really not going to see any of what it offers in performance, dump the amp on CL and scoop a bigger one you won't regret it.

 

[Flex68 10+ year member]

* facepalm *

 

[RehhSoSexy]

I have been thinking about upgrading my amp to somewhere around 600 to 800 watts, im looking for a cheap amp for somewhere under $100 dollars though, since im not really running any high end dollar stuff at the moment.

I was thinking about Amazon.com: Lanzar VCT2010 800-Watt 2-Channel High-Power Mosfet Amplifier: Car Electronics

I also know that lanzar, boss, and pyramid are not the best stuff for audio but it a cheap two channel. what do yall think?

 

[goingdef 10+ year member]

I have been thinking about upgrading my amp to somewhere around 600 to 800 watts, im looking for a cheap amp for somewhere under $100 dollars though, since im not really running any high end dollar stuff at the moment. I was thinking about Amazon.com: Lanzar VCT2010 800-Watt 2-Channel High-Power Mosfet Amplifier: Car Electronics

I also know that lanzar, boss, and pyramid are not the best stuff for audio but it a cheap two channel. what do yall think?

don't get a a/b class amp for sub use all those amps are not going to make you happy in the end look on CL in your area for a class D and talk them down, you can do a lot with 100 bucks!

 

[RehhSoSexy]

alright thanks for the advice, I am new to all these different amp classes and everything.

 

[goingdef 10+ year member]

alright thanks for the advice, I am new to all these different amp classes and everything.

look around for an older fosgate I see them on CL all the time for cheap and they are built very well, hence why there still around and going.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

is that sub a dvc 2ohm.or 4??

 

[DoesDad 10+ year member]

I've had a couple of those Pioneers back in my days of noobness. I was giving them around 600 a piece and they did pretty well. The 3500 watts is a peak rating. The 1000 rms is what they're supposed to be able to take for longer periods. I wouldn't give it more than 600-700.....

 

[whitedragon551 5,000+ posts]

First off, you can't hurt a sub by underpowering it. Only by giving it too much power. And please do not have your gain and bass boost all the way up on your amp. You will blow your sub no matter how much you are giving it.

Untrue statement. You can hurt the sub underpowering or overpowering it. You can clip a signal even if your running at less than the subs recommended RMS. Depending on the sub you can also supply more power than recommended and not damage the sub if its a clean, unclipped signal.

 

[chris015 10+ year member]

Before you come back making a "my amp is 2000 watt max Like omg cool!" lol dont go by peak ratings. You need to go by the Rms. If the sub is 2 ohm,make sure the amp with tolerate a 2 ohm load with a decent rms rating for the best bang for the buck etc

 

[RehhSoSexy]

yea i was just looking mostly at the watts, its so easy to get on amazon and just look at all the watt numbers and start drooling at how big some are..haha

now i know that im supposed to be looking for a class D amp but i was thinking about going down to a reputable dealer in my town that has been open since the late 70s and see if they can hook me up with a power akoustic or memphis amp since D amps are kinda pricey.. How are those two brands? i know memphis makes some good subs.

the sub is 2ohm im pretty sure as well.

 

[Fi-brations 10+ year member]

yea i was just looking mostly at the watts, its so easy to get on amazon and just look at all the watt numbers and start drooling at how big some are..hahanow i know that im supposed to be looking for a class D amp but i was thinking about going down to a reputable dealer in my town that has been open since the late 70s and see if they can hook me up with a power akoustic or memphis amp since D amps are kinda pricey.. How are those two brands? i know memphis makes some good subs.

the sub is 2ohm im pretty sure as well.

Class D is a type of amp not a brand, you do Not want to use a class a/b amp on a subwoofer because of those amps are designed for your mids and highs. Class D amps are designed to optimize subwoofer performance and efficiency. What voice coil configuration is your sub? You need to know this when picking your amp...it is probably either dvc 2ohm or 4ohm, you can only wire your amp to certain ohms and they depend on your subwoofer's voice coil configuration. Your amp will make different amounts of wattage at different impedances.