ohm?

[Wiked RuffRyder 10+ year member]

what the difference of having your at 1 ohm then at 4 ohms. is there a sound differenece or what. any pro or cons.

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[Randy Savage 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by Wiked RuffRyder what the difference of having your at 1 ohm then at 4 ohms. is there a sound differenece or what. any pro or cons.

Generally, you will get more power at 1 ohm than with 4 ohms, but thats if the amp is 1 ohm stable. The distortion will most likely be higher at 1 ohm then at 4 ohms as well.

 

[Wiked RuffRyder 10+ year member]

so with 1 ohm you get more power than 4 oh, im still kinda lost with this ohm stuff

 

[Randy Savage 5,000+ posts]

thats if the amp is 1 ohm stable. The load that an amp receives is based on the impedance of the subs, and how they are wired. Example, if you take dual 4 ohm subs and wire them in parallel, thats a 1 ohm load, but if you wire them in series, thats a 16 ohm load I believe.

 

[Wiked RuffRyder 10+ year member]

if your amp is 1 ohm stable, would it sound better and give more bass than 4 ohm

 

[Randy Savage 5,000+ posts]

More bass, most likely, sound better, probably not, but I don't think the SQ would have a drastic change, but that all depends on many factors.

 

[2theMaxx21 10+ year member]

An Ohm is a measurement of resistance. The lower your Ohms, the more power will flow through your speakers. But your amps can only handle so much power output.

Different Ohm ratings doesn't make your speakers sound better or worse. It just controls how much power your amp puts out to the speakers. See what the lowest ohm rating is that your amps can handle, then add the correct speakers to your system to try and match that ohm rating.

If you go lower than your amp's minimum ohm rating then your amp will put out more power, but it will probably shut itself down or get real hot.

An amp that puts out 500 watts at 1 ohm will sound the same as an amp that puts out 500 watts at 4 ohms. 500 watts is 500 watts. The only difference is that an amp that is 1 ohm stable is more flexible with how many speakers you have hooked up to it. A 1 ohm stable amp should be able to power more subs than a 4 ohm amp. It all depends on how you wire the subs together.

 

[Randy Savage 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by 2theMaxx21  

An amp that puts out 500 watts at 1 ohm will sound the same as an amp that puts out 500 watts at 4 ohms. 500 watts is 500 watts.

This is incorrect. As resistance decreases, distortion increases.

 

[MikeofTulsa Moderator]

true...however i doubt you would be able to hear the difference in .05%thd and .6%thd.....

 

[evo2k3 10+ year member]

Originally posted by snova031 This is incorrect. As resistance decreases, distortion increases.

Originally posted by Goddyd4me true...however i doubt you would be able to hear the difference in .05%thd and .6%thd.....

I agree with both....however, you will notice the difference more with amps running to mid and high range drivers than you will to subs.

 

[2theMaxx21 10+ year member]

The THD totally depends on the brand, and if it's a class A or D.

Unless you have some really old amps with old technology, even someone in a SQ competition wouldn't be affected by the small amount of induced distortion from modern amplifiers.

Don't get confused. Just ignore the whole THD issue that snova031 started. If you want the most power out of your amp, put a low ohm load on the amp, as long as you don't go lower than its operating limits, whether if be 1 ohm, 2 ohms, or 4 ohms.

 

[Wiked RuffRyder 10+ year member]

so if 1ohm gives more power why would anyone want to wire it to 4ohm, i have my sub wire to 4ohm right now, should i wired them to 1 ohm?

 

[2theMaxx21 10+ year member]

ignore snova031

 

[Randy Savage 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by 2theMaxx21 ignore snova031

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[o-j]

ok dudes tell me something, i have Alpine MRV-F400 amp, i'm using my IT 12" with 2 channels bridged, now how do i know that i can go under 4 ohms and if yes HOW?