Sub power question...

[mattldm 10+ year member]

I will be using an Arc Audio ARC12d2 sub in a sealed box. I can either wire this sub to one ohm or 4 ohm (RMS power handling 350w)...

Here is the question:

Given that an amplifier is 1 ohm stable, Would you (or should I) run this sub at 4 ohm

at around 300-500 watts or run it at 1 ohm with 1000 watts?

What would be the benefits or drawbacks of either scenario?

With it running at 1 ohm the gain would be turned way down compared to 4 ohm right?

which way would offer the better SQ?

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[TeoTorriatte 10+ year member]

I will be using an Arc Audio ARC12d2 sub in a sealed box. I can either wire this sub to one ohm or 4 ohm (RMS power handling 350w)...
Here is the question:

Given that an amplifier is 1 ohm stable, Would you (or should I) run this sub at 4 ohm

at around 300-500 watts or run it at 1 ohm with 1000 watts?

What would be the benefits or drawbacks of either scenario?

With it running at 1 ohm the gain would be turned way down compared to 4 ohm right?

which way would offer the better SQ?

It will depend on whether or not running at 4-ohms will get you the output you want without exceeding the limits of the amp.
Regarding 1-ohm operation... whether or not you will be able to turn your gains down far enough will depend on your HU. If it has high preout voltage and no subout volume control, then you could run into issues with maxing out your sub within the first few clicks of the main volume control. But if you have a subout volume control, you should be fine.

With regards to SQ, distortion will no doubt be mentioned... full power @ 1-ohm will have higher THD than full power @ 4-ohms. But since you wouldn't be running full power at 1-ohm, distortion would actually be slightly lower. This is kind of a moot point anyways though, since you probably won't be able to hear the difference in THD anyways.

 

[mattldm 10+ year member]

It will depend on whether or not running at 4-ohms will get you the output you want without exceeding the limits of the amp.
Regarding 1-ohm operation... whether or not you will be able to turn your gains down far enough will depend on your HU. If it has high preout voltage and no subout volume control, then you could run into issues with maxing out your sub within the first few clicks of the main volume control. But if you have a subout volume control, you should be fine.

With regards to SQ, distortion will no doubt be mentioned... full power @ 1-ohm will have higher THD than full power @ 4-ohms. But since you wouldn't be running full power at 1-ohm, distortion would actually be slightly lower. This is kind of a moot point anyways though, since you probably won't be able to hear the difference in THD anyways.

My headunit (Eclipse CD8445) has 8volt preouts, and a subwoofer level control.

 

[TeoTorriatte 10+ year member]

My headunit (Eclipse CD8445) has 8volt preouts, and a subwoofer level control.

Then you should be fine either way. I'd suggest trying 4-ohm wiring first, unless switching your wiring config. is big pain in the butt... then I'd just go with 1-ohm wiring from the start and turn the sub out volume (and your gains) way down.

 

[mattldm 10+ year member]

Then you should be fine either way. I'd suggest trying 4-ohm wiring first, unless switching your wiring config. is big pain in the butt... then I'd just go with 1-ohm wiring from the start and turn the sub out volume (and your gains) way down.

At this point I can wire it either way, I havent built the box yet! LOL //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[trebor 10+ year member]

The 1ohm wiring with 1000w is easily the best best way to go for SQ, having all that headroom available is nice, keep your gain low.

 

[mattldm 10+ year member]

The 1ohm wiring with 1000w is easily the best best way to go for SQ, having all that headroom available is nice, keep your gain low.

OK, so I am thinking of going with a Sundown 1000D and wiring my Arc sub to 1 ohm. Sound like a good combination?

 

[mattldm 10+ year member]

OK, so I am thinking of going with a Sundown 1000D and wiring my Arc sub to 1 ohm. Sound like a good combination?

OK, so I just ordered a Sundown 1000D!!! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif