running at a lower impedance

[blimblam 10+ year member]

whats the benefits of running an amp at 4ohm compared to 1 ohm? they are 2 different amps but one does 1000 @ 4 ohms and another does 1000 @ 1 ohm. yes, i know the one running at 1 ohm would usually be cheaper, but are there any other benefits? is there a less chance of the amp getting hot at 4 ohms than there is at 1 ohm?

im sorry if its a noob question but i was just wondering.

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[vipervin 10+ year member]

more efficient amp at 4 ohms.

 

[azimuth 5,000+ posts]

whats the benefits of running an amp at 4ohm compared to 1 ohm? they are 2 different amps but one does 1000 @ 4 ohms and another does 1000 @ 1 ohm. yes, i know the one running at 1 ohm would usually be cheaper, but are there any other benefits? is there a less chance of the amp getting hot at 4 ohms than there is at 1 ohm?
im sorry if its a noob question but i was just wondering.

mine runs at 4 ohms. class a/b amp. i swear i hear a difference between my ppi and the directed (class d) i used to have, which ran at 1 ohm. it may be all in my head, i don't care, i think it sounds better, therefor, it does. the class a/b amp pulls gobs of power from my trucks electrical system. alot more than my class d did.

 

[azimuth 5,000+ posts]

more efficient amp at 4 ohms.

i don't know. i like my ppi, but the directed seemed more efficient.

 

[vipervin 10+ year member]

i don't know. i like my ppi, but the directed seemed more efficient.

because the directed was class d. the circuit topology is more efficient than class a/b.

comparing within class, 4 ohms would be more efficient than 1 ohm

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

The difference in efficiency will probably not be that great assuming that both are the same circuit topology. Also assuming that the amp running @ 1 ohm was adequately designed to do so, it shouldn't run any hotter than the one running @ 4.

 

[SomeDonnieDude 10+ year member]

Is this a general question, or are there specific amps in mind?

 

[blimblam 10+ year member]

Is this a general question, or are there specific amps in mind?

technically, it could be general. but i currently have a cadence txa-1000d running @ 1ohm. but i was planning on getting the fusion NV-2500D or whatever and run at 4 ohm for my SSA Icon instead of the cadence.

 

[BukvaMan 10+ year member]

running lower impedance on AMPs usually has less controll over the cone since the damping factor drops dramaticaly but i belive it wouldnt be noticeable at high volumes since lets face it it sound shitty anyhow just feels good //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif. To me any subwoofer overpowered over the components at a song wich has faster beats and hits lets say, well sound really bad. Thats why rap works so good for big systems

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

The difference in damping factor when running the same amp at 4 and 1 ohms is not going to be audible. The difference that you hear is related t ocone breakup at high power and the sub itself mechanically distorting, not a "lack of control" from the amp.