Sub power handling equal to amp output, problem?

[SaturnScott 10+ year member]

Hey guys, I'm new here and I'm doing my first install, so I have a few questions.

First, can anyone point me to a site that explains RMS, ohms, etc.? I'd hate to pester anyone here //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

And second, I have a Jensen 500 Watt amp and will be using it to drive a 12" Jensen subwoofer (525 watt peak power handling). Since the subwoofer has a maximum power handling of 525 watts, and my amp will be bridged for a full 500 watts, will I damage the sub? I've heard before that you should use a subwoofer with a significantly higher handling rating than the amp's output. Can anyone verify this?

Thanks guys,

Scott

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[dr. no 10+ year member]

RMS is the continuous ouput rating for an amp and is the only rating you should ever worry about. Max ratings can pretty much be ignored. If your jensen amp says something like "500 watts max" on it that isn't the rms rating. rms is probably half that. Your sub is probably a single voice coil with 4 ohms resistance. You should try to pretty much match the rms output of amps and the rms rating of subs

 

[SaturnScott 10+ year member]

Here's the info on my amp:

Jensen XA2125

2 Channel

RMS Power Per Channel @ 4 ohm 125x2

RMS Power Per Channel @ 2 ohm 175x2

RMS Power Bridged @ 4 ohm 350x1

So, bridged, I will only have 350 watts? Isn't that a bit small? I thought I would get a full 500 watts -- but then again, I'm new to this, so...

Also, the sub I was planning on getting is 525 watts peak, 175 watts RMS... which means I would definetely damage the sub, right?

 

[natem33 10+ year member]

You wouldn't deffinately damage the sub. Most subs can handle much more power than their RMS rating as long as the signal power is clean and distortion free. However, I blew half a dozen Jensen subs by trying to put 250 watts RMS into a 100 watt RMS 10. Thank goodness for extended warranties. I would get a sub that can handle at least 250 watts RMS for that amp. preferably a sub that can handle 300 watts RMS. According to your specs, your amp will supply 350 watts RMS bridged to one sub. It will be up to you to determine if this is enough power for your taste. Some people consider a 500 watt RMS amp to be too small. Some people don't like the bass power that comes with a 250 watt RMS amp. If you're looking for a system with a mirror rattling boom, your amp will be minimal in that power category. If your just looking for a good low end sound to add to your music, then you should be alright.

 

[dr. no 10+ year member]

Actualy your combo is matched just fine. hook it up!

 

[SaturnScott 10+ year member]

Natem,

Before this system, I had a 8" Koss 200 Watt Bass Tube, Self-Amplified. A real cheapy, I know. But it gave me some decent low end when I had it positioned correctly.

I suppose that the Koss only gave 100 watts RMS, or even less?

So can I expect a huge jump here? I was expecting this system to really hit me; nothing extremely hard, I knew that much, but more than enough to really feel it in my car. Or should I be expecting less?

Like I said, this is my first installed and first experiment with amplifiers. I just hope I haven't been taken on this one. I assumed that a 500 Watt amp would really pound for a daily driver, not a hardcore basshead.

And as for the sub to use, should I go for a 12" Pyle BlueWave, 1000 Watt? They seemed decent when I heard them at a shop before.

Thanks bud.

 

[SuckMikeHawk23 10+ year member]

stick with that jensen system you have. it will do better than ur old bass tube and i'm sure u wont be dissapointed. 350 watts is actually quite loud. not competition worthy, but you'll have to turn down ur volume to speak and u'll definetly have some rattling windows.

 

[SaturnScott 10+ year member]

Okay... that's what I needed to hear //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Thanks guys,

Scott