is it better to over amp a subwoofer??

[Steveopevo 10+ year member]

a lot of people tell me that you want to match an amp to a sub by staying in between rms and peak with out going over and then leave the gain setting very low. this supposed to alow the amp to run cooler but I've heard this can potentially blow you sub.

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[revrider1 5,000+ posts]

All depends on ur sub and setup. Some subs can take more, some cant even take the rated power.

 

[Johnny Law.Lulz 5,000+ posts]

it can defiantly blow the subi t you dont know how to set gains. Say i have a sub that is 1000 RMS Dual 2 ohm, If it was me i would get the Hifonics 1608 or the 1208 ( i think thats it ) - that either 1600 or 1200 @ 1 ohm and my gains would be set lower, that leaves room for upgrades and if i feel like pushing my subs. Some poeple might do differently but thats what i do.

 

[Steveopevo 10+ year member]

I just want a little bit of bass for my car so I was thinking of 1 kicker comp. dual 4 ohm and wire it parallel to run at 2 ohms off of a class D mono. but I was worried about it overheating due to under powering or 2 ohm operation.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

There's no such thing as "underpowering", let's clear that up...

 

[Supergumby5000 5,000+ posts]

i personally buy amps that have a little more power than the subs rated RMS. Just for the sake that many amps will not realistically do rated power (an amp rated for 1000RMS may only actually do 800RMS).

The same goes for subs, they are usually not rated perfectly (my Type-R's are rated for 750RMS, but i give them around 900-1000RMS each).

Just be patient and careful with what you're doing. If your sub is rated at 500RMS, you dont necessarily need an amp that does 500RMS. Learn to correctly set your gains, take your time, and find where you'll get the best output while not damaging your equipment.

 

[Steveopevo 10+ year member]

I appreciate all of you guys for clearing that up for me