Stupid question regarding subs and their power

[AzzKicker 10+ year member]

OK, subs need a lot of power right but components dont.

So say you have a component set that takes 100watts RMS. Why have a subwoofer that takes 600+ watts RMS ? Isnt this too much of an off balance? I always that if your front stage is 100watts rms that the back should be around the same if not just a tad more say 150 - 200 rms.

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[Spr0ket 10+ year member]

You should take into consideration audio dynamics. For example, 200W is not going to be twice as loud as 100W rather only 10% difference in loudness. If you want something to be twice as loud as 100W, you would need to apply 1000W to it. Next up is distance and barriers. The front stage will offer a very open and direct line to each of the speakers, this is done for staging effects. More often than not the speakers are visible with a small glance left or right. The subs on the otherhand are generally pushed into the very back corners, under seats, inside center consoles, or even spare wheel wells. They have quite a bit to push through to get to the listening stage. This is why many people are using 500+ watts (RMS) for their amps vs 75W per channel from 300W. It's possible to not have enough balance though, too much bass here or not enough bass there. It's a fine line to really master. I'm by no means an expert in this area, so I'm sure I'll be corrected.

 

[AzzKicker 10+ year member]

no that makes perfect sense.

 

[PatFitz9 10+ year member]

how much power a speaker takes compare to another isn't a good way to compare volume. if you hooked up 400 watts to a 400 RMS watt sub it would be louder than a 1600 watt RMS sub at 400 watts. and components are usually smaller so they don't need as much power to get loud. not to mention the fact that subs play at lower frequencies with can be harder to hear. in short, don't use wattage to just loudness

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

It also depends on the music. Jazz is some of the most difficult to make sound natural, due to the way the upright bass blends right around the bottom end of midbasses, and the top end of subs. So, you have to tune your setup accordingly. Currently I have 2 soloabric 8's getting 200w (2ohm load) from my amp, though yesterday I tried out a DLS MW110 in a sealed box, and with 100watts (4ohm load) it actually sounded more detailed and blended in better than my 8's, thoughit didn't have the kick in the back of the head punch of my Kickers. A bigger amp can always be turned down, but you have to realistically look at your needs, because it's easy to waste money on too much amp. For me, my Xtant 403 is the perfect answer, 50w x2 into4ohms for the components, & a sub channel that does 100-500w x1 (depends on load) all in one amp. Several manufacturers are making amps like this now, and I think it rules for an all in one solution.

 

[SAG3 5,000+ posts]

more watts for the sub for more bass

 

[SSS 18734 5,000+ posts]

1. efficieny

2. location

3. poor human ear sensitivity at bass frequencies

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

1. efficieny2. location

3. poor human ear sensitivity at bass frequencies

and bingo was his name-o!