sub rms wattage

[quins90lac 10+ year member]

i was wondering how bad it is for a sub if you run it at a higher rms wattage but below the maximum wattage its ratted for . like if you have a 800w sub that only ratted at 15w rms if you run it a say 400 rms would that be bad on a sub and how bad would it be

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[thevic24 5,000+ posts]

if the sub is only 15w rms then no but if its 800rms then yes as long as you dont clip the amp too much

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

I'm guessing you meant 150w rms, not 15. Forget about the 800w max rating - it's completely useless.

400w on a 150w speaker could EASILY be catastrophic especially if the amp's gain is used improperly. It would be a good idea to run the gain at its min, and be careful with the volume at the HU.

 

[quins90lac 10+ year member]

yeah sory its 150w rms and my amp puts out 360 rms . but the sub is rated a t 800w max and the amp only dose 760w max so could that be bad and if so how bad

 

[aturcotte127317 10+ year member]

once again, forget max ratings of everything!

it really depends on the sub, the way the gains are set, if the amp puts out a clipped signal, the enclosure

But in most cases i will not exeed %120 of a subs RMS

 

[KyleBechtold 5,000+ posts]

if you put the sub in a tiny sealed box way below specs you will be fine lol

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

even in its recommended enclosure 360w (RMS!) to a 150w rms sub will work fine. Just run the gain low (you should probably look up the DMM gain setting tutorial and use 150-200w), and use some common sense with the HU volume. If it starts sounding strange turn it down a little.