More Power out of my Kenwood?

[adblink182 10+ year member]

ok, i need to make sure I have this right before I ask this question.....if I'm wrong then dont even bother to keep reading //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif

Ok lets see if I have this right.....I currently have a Kenwood KAC-8101D mono amp....and I have a single Cerwin Vega HED 12" sub...

now running one sub, the amp is putting out "200W x 1 Continous Power Output (4 Ohms)" according to their site...

now as I understand it, if I added a second identical sub...the ohms would now be 2.....which means that amp would be doing "400W x 1 Continous Power Output (2 Ohms)"

now I have no intentions of adding another sub (want to use the money for other things).....

now my question is, instead of buying another sub, can't I buy some type of 2 ohm resister and just wire that in?.....because if I do, the amp would be doing...400W x 1....hell what about dropping it to 1ohm so the amp is putting out 500W

like there must be away to make more resistance to get more power not just by adding another sub?

is what I'm saying at all correct, or am I just dancing by myself out in left field?

Click to read more...

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

now my question is, instead of buying another sub, can't I buy some type of 2 ohm resister and just wire that in?.....because if I do, the amp would be doing...400W x 1...

Well, technically you can. However, the resistor will just waste that "extra" 200w the amp is now putting out as heat, and the sub will still only receive about 200w (just the same as it is now).

like there must be away to make more resistance to get more power not just by adding another sub?

Well, first, you'd want to make less resistance to get more out of the amp //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

But, regardless......

Stinger and Veritas made a device called the "Accumatch", which was supposed to have done just that, decrease the impedence and didn't just waste the extra power as heat, allowing the sub/speaker to receive more power. I beleive it was back in '95 that they got big......and it died that same year because the Accumatch was doing as much harm as it was good, and the program was for the most part discontinued (atleast by Stinger). Every once in a while they still pop up on egay though.

About the best thing you could do is sell your current sub (if it is the single 4ohm VC kind) and purchase either that same sub in the DVC 4ohm/coil flavor, or buy a different sub that would allow for a lower impedence.

 

[adblink182 10+ year member]

aaah I see what your saying...

so basically, even with a 2ohm resister and the amp putting out 400W......200W would be going to the one sub....and the other 200W to the resister as heat....

so even if I do get another sub, they both will be running at 200W a piece

and the RMS isnt affected by any of this? like my subs RMS is 250....right now is it running at 250? with or without a second sub?

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

aaah I see what your saying...
so basically, even with a 2ohm resister and the amp putting out 400W......200W would be going to the one sub....and the other 200W to the resister as heat....

so even if I do get another sub, they both will be running at 200W a piece

Yup

-and-

Yup

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[adblink182 10+ year member]

lol you were too quick, probably didnt catch my "edit" //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

"and the RMS isnt affected by any of this? like my subs RMS is 250....right now is it running at 250? with or without a second sub?"

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

The subs RMS has nothing to do with it. That's just a measure of how much power the sub can handle (and typically it's thermal power handling only, since mechanical power handling is box dependent). If your sub is hooked up to a 200w amp, then it's going to get 200w.

 

[adblink182 10+ year member]

hmmmmm ok I think I got it now //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif thanks alot man

and last question (lol)......so my sub is getting 200W.....according to teh cerwin vega site, it can handle "Maximum: 600 watts"....so does that mean right now I'm only running the sub at 1/3 the power it can really do?

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

and last question (lol)......so my sub is getting 200W.....according to teh cerwin vega site, it can handle "Maximum: 600 watts"....so does that mean right now I'm only running the sub at 1/3 the power it can really do?

NO!!

That "600w" is peak power handling. Promptly dispose of that information into file 13 and forget you ever read it //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif It's utterly and totally meaningless. The RMS on that sub is 250w, and that's all that matters.

Also, just incase you were wondering, the different between 200w and 250w is basically nonexistent. You aren't "losing" any performance by not having that extra 50w on the sub.

 

[adblink182 10+ year member]

*phew* lol thank god. I paid almost $350 for that amp, I woulda been pretty pissed if it was only doing 1/3 the job!

now you said the difference between 200 and 250 RMS is like nothing (btw, lol how do you know my sub is only getting 200 rms not 250?)....how about 250 to 350 RMS? Because I was looking at some new Phoenix Gold subs, and they have 2 out I was looking at....one was 250 rms and the other 350........price difference was almost $70-100. Would you then notice the difference (and would that kenwood be able to handle it anyway?)

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

btw, lol how do you know my sub is only getting 200 rms not 250?....how about 250 to 350 RMS?

Quite easily, because:

- 200W x 1 Continous Power Output (4 Ohms)

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

Chances are that amp isn't underrated by too much (if any)....it'll probably give you right around 200w.

Because I was looking at some new Phoenix Gold subs, and they have 2 out I was looking at....one was 250 rms and the other 350........price difference was almost $70-100. Would you then notice the difference (and would that kenwood be able to handle it anyway?)

You might notice some difference going from 200w to 350w....but I doubt the sub could handle it. And you definitely wouldn't notice a difference going from 200w to 250w....there difference in power is just too small. General (theoretical) rule of thumb is that doubling power gives you an increase of 3db (without taking into account power and Bl compression and such). 3db isn't a huge difference to the ear (i.e. it will sound louder, but not drastically louder). Increasing the power by 50w would at best yield an increase of less than 1db....which absolutely wouldn't be audible.

 

[adblink182 10+ year member]

thanks alot squeak, you helped me out ALOT man //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

thanks alot squeak, you helped me out ALOT man //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

No problem.....now, you just need to paypal me $150 for the consultation fee //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif