Newbie questions about subs/amps

[Trendkill 10+ year member]

1. Would I have to worry about destroying a FI-Q 12" if it was getting used daily off of a SAE-1000D (1000w RMS @ 1ohm). Would be in a sealed box if that matters.

1a. Would the above setup rattle my brains in a camaro... or should I double up on each?

2. All other things being equal, does lower resistance for a sub mean more wear and tear?

3. Assuming I don't have my gain set at 100% am I ever actually putting out the full wattage of the amp? The reason I ask is because it seems like if a sub is rated for 500w RMS and I have a 600w amp powering it, but the gain is at like 50%, then I wouldn't really be going over the manufacturers rating for the sub. Or am I just completely wrong here?

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[SethPhillips 5,000+ posts]

1. Would I have to worry about destroying a FI-Q 12" if it was getting used daily off of a SAE-1000D (1000w RMS @ 1ohm).
2. All other things being equal, does lower resistance for a sub mean more wear and tear?

3. Assuming I don't have my gain set at 100% am I ever actually putting out the full wattage of the amp? The reason I ask is because it seems like if a sub is rated for 500w RMS and I have a 600w amp powering it, but the gain is at like 50%, then I wouldn't really be going over the manufacturers rating for the sub. Or am I just completely wrong here?

1. properly set the gain and i dont think it should

2. less resistance will allow the amp to produce more power. dont think it has any effect on the sub ( unless you wired the sub wrong.)

3.not really depends on amp/ power wire feed/ ect...

 

[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

1) As Fi's products aren't something I'm personally familiar with another member with a bit more knowledge about Fi's offerings will have to respond to that. Sealed boxes, though, normally will allow for a bit more power to be driven into the drivers contained within before damage occurs versus vented enclosures so that will help if the wattage you're using is pushing the limits of the sub.

1a) EVERYTHING is install dependant. In an appropriate enclosure for the sub it should. In a crappy enclosure with that same sub and power it might simply sound like poo.

2) Varying voice coil options simply allow for wiring diversity. That I am aware of there's no real correlation to subwoofer longevity assuming that they aren't used beyond their limitations.

3) The input sensitivity is not a volume control or wattage level adjustment for the amp. It matches the input on the amp to the output from the source unit.

Assuming that the input sensitivity is set correctly the factors that control how much output you get from your amp are the setting of the volume control on the source unit and the level at which whatever you are listening to was recorded.

Keep in mind that even if an amp will output X amount of wattage you will rarely (if ever) actually see that level of output when listening to music. Unless you drive around listening to 0dB test tones your 600w amp will, in reality, hardly ever output 600w.

 

[onearmedbastard 10+ year member]

1. No. the Q is rated at 1000W RMS which is perfect

1b. I don't think you know how much a Q can bang

2. Resistance is mostly for wiring options vs. your amp's power @ how you wire it

3. Never ever fully set your gain. Dont mess with the gain at all if its a 600W amp vs. a 500W sub. Would hurt to put the gain down a notch or two but its your call. That question is debatable because it depends on what amp your talking about. The lower quality but more known brands (Sony, etc) will sometimes mislead you on the wattage of an amp. When you buy one make sure you look at the birthsheet.

 

[SethPhillips 5,000+ posts]

my 2 12'' fi ssd's BANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love it!!