JL 1000/1 Load?

[mikeyboc 10+ year member]

I have seen a few amps that put out the same power from 1 (ish) to 4 ohms. Is it better to wire to 4 ohms? Does it not hit your electrical as hard?

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[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

The amp will run cooler at 4 ohms. Current causes heat. More current at lower impedance.

 

[psych0ticnemes1 5,000+ posts]

The amp will run cooler at 4 ohms. Current causes heat. More current at lower impedance.

why would there be more current if the amp puts out the same power and either ohm? seems like the current would be the same...

 

[Dunerider5 10+ year member]

Ive always wondered about those amps too.

My guess is they are designed like that so they can be used no matter what kind of setup you have (# of subs, vc's). Not alot of people need more than 1000rms.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

why would there be more current if the amp puts out the same power and either ohm? seems like the current would be the same...

V=IR

P=VI

Solve for I with 1000w for 4 ohms and with 1 ohm.

About 32 amps on the output for 1 ohm and 16 for 4 ohms.

Twice as much current through the ouput stage and therefore twice as much heat as well. The power supply is running more current as well since it is running more current at a lower voltage as well. The input power will be pretty close to the same but it will draw a little more current at the lower load because more power is lost as heat.

 

[mobilesndfx 10+ year member]

By all means, if you can get the same power from 4 ohms as 0.5 ohms, go with 4 ohms. The closer you can get to 4 ohms, the less heat, the less stress on your amp= the longer the amp will last. Heat is the major killer of amps, the less heat, the longer the amp will last.