Subwoofer Amp UPGRADE Advice really needed.

[bgowdy 5,000+ posts]

I suppose I should retract that suggestion on the Obsidian 15, since I have personally not tried one yet, and it would be "outside the perameters" you set in post #7 , but thy have been praised so far. The Kicker subs you mentioned earlier can be bought in 3 of the 5 pawn shops in my town, sitting right next to AudioPipe, Fusion and Boss...'don't know if that is a good thing or not. It makes me shy to try them for myself, but I see plenty using them. As for durability, I have been using Powerbass XL series subs for 5+ years daily. You might find a pair of 12 2XL's for less than 200 ea if you have a local dealer. My wife beats the crap out of her 15's everyday on a Hifonics 1200 watt brutus @1 ohm..and she's been doing it for 6 yrs. I use the AQ 2200 @ 1 ohm and it has been wonderful for the last 5 yrs on a pair of 3XL 15's. I have noticed PB changed the perameters on the newer XL lines, so what I just said may be null and void on a new pair, but the construction appears the same. The Pioneer HU I mentioned may lack in one area over another, but the variability in x-over section and parametric eq makes it a winner for my system, + the power outs will make a set of tweets sound pretty dang good.

I have one of these Dayton Audio TIT320C-4 12" Titanic Mk III Subwoofer 4 Ohm 295-404

and have heard these Dayton Audio RSS315HO-44 12" Reference HO DVC Subwoofer 295-467 neither disappoint.

ill back you with the Obsidian 15s. you say you haver never used one but they are very legit for what they are and i know first hand. help a teammate install one and for the price, they get down and sound nice if they are put in the right enclosure

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

First thing. Don't ever look at the peak, it don't mean anything. Second thing. The box you have is more then likely a prefab? Your going to need a real box if you want to reach the next level no matter what equipment you choose. Third thing. Move those tweeters, you want your sound stage in front of you. It's ok for subs cause those frequancies are omni directional.

ok, u brought it up..What is the difference between "Peak" and "RMS"? I mean really? RMS is how much power you can continuously feed on a specific Sine signal for hours on end, Peak is meant as the maximum power it can withstand for minimal durations before mechanical failure, peak is commonly 3x RMS on actual drivers that state their proper ratings. "Program", or "continuous" is the power it can withstand over long durations on music.

All that said, I do understand the reasoning for car audio sub manufacturers to stick with RMS, although it can be as misleading as Peak, depending on how they faniggle the numbers. It helps to keep down on warranty issues due to shipping and build times and the need to compensate for the variances in amplifier RMS ratings, cause we all want an amp that puts out more than rated, right?

Op, to answer your question, I would still refer the AQ1200D, if you plan to run it @ 1ohm.

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

ill back you with the Obsidian 15s. you say you haver never used one but they are very legit for what they are and i know first hand. help a teammate install one and for the price, they get down and sound nice if they are put in the right enclosure

You like that Soundstream?

 

[Jaguar 10+ year member]

Ok so I know people will be disappointed in me but I bought some Kicker CompVR 400RMS/800Peak subwoofers. They were only about a hundred dollars each, and well I have a lot of credit at Brandsmart and am trying to build my credit so being that technically they are the next step up from the standard Kicker 12" Comp 150RMS/300Peaks subwoofers I had, I bought them. Walked out the door with them for nothing. 6 months to pay them off. Anyways, the problem is while i was replacing the standard 150RMS/300Peak Kicker Comp 12"s for the CompVR'S I noticed there were four plugs in the back to hook up the wiring instead of two.

I was told only to hook up the plugs with the dots and leave the other two alone because my amp would not be able to take the pressure, but my first instinct was to

add additional wire from within the box and hook up the other two via a splice. Again, I was told these are Dual-Voice-Coil speakers. They sound better than the standard Comp 12"s I had already without the additional plugs being attached. I need advice on what I should do next though, I really want to hook the speakers up all the way.

Any advice? What would happen if i tried to get the additional wiring and connect the other two outlets on either outlets not being used via the cables in the box?

Do I need to get a new amp or change the settings on the one I have.

The specs of my amp are Kenwood Kac-7204 1000w (RMS X2 at 4 Ohms)

Kenwood KAC-7204 2-channel car amplifier 170 watts RMS x 2 at Crutchfield.com

 

The specs on the new Kicker CompVR subwoofers are

CompVR | KICKER

Size (IN.,CM) 12, 30.0

Impedance (OHMS) 2 or 4 DVC

Max Rec Amplifier Power (WATTS PEAK/RMS)* 800/400

Sensitivity (dB 1w/1m) 86.9

Frequency Response (Hz) 25-500

 

 

Not sure what to do next, but if you are not positive please don't offer advice if you are taking a guess. If I have to upgrade my amp any suggestions of which one I should get? Thanks, I've been researching everything you guys have said so far. Thanks so much.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Ok so I know people will be disappointed in me but I bought some Kicker CompVR 400RMS/800Peak subwoofers. They were only about a hundred dollars each, and well I have a lot of credit at Brandsmart and am trying to build my credit so being that technically they are the next step up from the standard Kicker 12" Comp 140RMS/300Peaks subwoofers I had, I bought them. Walked out the door with them for nothing. 6 months to pay them off. Anyways, the problem is while i was replacing the standard 150RMS/300PeakKicker Comp 12"s for the CompVR'S I noticed there were four plugs in the back to hook up the wiring instead of two. I was told only to hook up the plugs with the dots and leave the other two alone because my amp would not be able to take the pressure, but my first instinct was to

add additional wire from within the box and hook up the other two via a splice. Again, I was told these are Dual-Voice-Coil speakers. They sound better than the standard Comp 12"s I had already without the additional plugs being attached. I need advice on what I should do next though, I really want to hook the speakers up all the way.

Any advice? What would happen if i tried to get the additional wiring and connect the other two outlets on either outlets not being used via the cables in the box?

Do I need to get a new amp or change the settings on the one I have.

The specs of my amp are Kenwood Kac-7204 1000w (RMS X2 at 4 Ohms)

Kenwood KAC-7204 2-channel car amplifier 170 watts RMS x 2 at Crutchfield.com

 

The specs on the new Kicker CompVR subwoofers are

CompVR | KICKER

Size (IN.,CM) 12, 30.0

Impedance (OHMS) 2 or 4 DVC

Max Rec Amplifier Power (WATTS PEAK/RMS)* 800/400

Sensitivity (dB 1w/1m) 86.9

Frequency Response (Hz) 25-500

 

 

Not sure what to do next, but if you are not positive please don't offer advice if you are taking a guess. If I have to upgrade my amp any suggestions of which one I should get? Thanks, I've been researching everything you guys have said so far. Thanks so much.

 

Wow. You really are a waste of time.

 

[bgowdy 5,000+ posts]

You like that Soundstream?

yea so far i do.... saves me some space lol... why do you ask

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

Ok so I know people will be disappointed in me but I bought some Kicker CompVR 400RMS/800Peak subwoofers. They were only about a hundred dollars each, and well I have a lot of credit at Brandsmart and am trying to build my credit so being that technically they are the next step up from the standard Kicker 12" Comp 140RMS/300Peaks subwoofers I had, I bought them. Walked out the door with them for nothing. 6 months to pay them off. Anyways, the problem is while i was replacing the standard 150RMS/300PeakKicker Comp 12"s for the CompVR'S I noticed there were four plugs in the back to hook up the wiring instead of two. I was told only to hook up the plugs with the dots and leave the other two alone because my amp would not be able to take the pressure, but my first instinct was to

add additional wire from within the box and hook up the other two via a splice. Again, I was told these are Dual-Voice-Coil speakers. They sound better than the standard Comp 12"s I had already without the additional plugs being attached. I need advice on what I should do next though, I really want to hook the speakers up all the way.

Any advice? What would happen if i tried to get the additional wiring and connect the other two outlets on either outlets not being used via the cables in the box?

Do I need to get a new amp or change the settings on the one I have.

The specs of my amp are Kenwood Kac-7204 1000w (RMS X2 at 4 Ohms)

Kenwood KAC-7204 2-channel car amplifier 170 watts RMS x 2 at Crutchfield.com

 

The specs on the new Kicker CompVR subwoofers are

CompVR | KICKER

Size (IN.,CM) 12, 30.0

Impedance (OHMS) 2 or 4 DVC

Max Rec Amplifier Power (WATTS PEAK/RMS)* 800/400

Sensitivity (dB 1w/1m) 86.9

Frequency Response (Hz) 25-500

 

 

Not sure what to do next, but if you are not positive please don't offer advice if you are taking a guess. If I have to upgrade my amp any suggestions of which one I should get? Thanks, I've been researching everything you guys have said so far. Thanks so much.

 

oh boy....let me get this right..the Kenwood is 170x 2@ 4ohm, 250x 2 @ 2ohm and 500x 1 @ 4ohm.

Did you buy the dual 2ohm or dual 4 ohm subs?

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

yea so far i do.... saves me some space lol... why do you ask

I have used Soundstream in the past and loved them..the older Reference series...clean amps

 

[bgowdy 5,000+ posts]

I have used Soundstream in the past and loved them..the older Reference series...clean amps

this is the first soundtream amp ive owned/used. i got it on a trade deal for it from a friend for a planet audio bb2400 tho the pa is rated higher at 1 ohm i saw a difference in the power as soon as i hooked the ss dtr up.. lol..

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

IMO, u deff got the better end of that deal.

 

[Jaguar 10+ year member]

[quote name='quackhead']oh boy....let me get this right..the Kenwood is 170x 2@ 4ohm, 250x 2 @ 2ohm and 500x 1 @ 4ohm.
Did you buy the dual 2ohm or dual 4 ohm subs?[/QUOTE]

Thanks quackhead for helping me, I really appreciate your experience with this. How can I tell if they are dual 2ohm or 4ohm? The specifications state either or.
Here is the link CompVR | KICKER Can you check it. If you click on the 12" option it will give you the specs.

@quackhead
Impedance, on Kickers website state (OHMS) 2 or 4 DVC, for these subwoofers. I'll go and look at the paperwork and see if I can find the specific information you are asking for, but it is possible it's either or?

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

Subwoofer Wiring Diagrams

Did you research the Theale Small perameters to verify the internal enclosure calculations would be an exact match the new subs? you do know that in some instances of using a sub in an improper enclosure could mean certain death for said sub?

ps..the difference between ignorance and stupidity is that the ignorant don't know any better and the stupid know better and do it anyways

....good luck

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

ps..it will either be 2 ohm DVC or 4 ohm DVC..ie. either a 2x2 or 4x4...not both

 

[Jaguar 10+ year member]

@quackhead

The literature states Verbatim: Nominal Impedance [ZN], ohm 2 or 4 DVC.

This is what the back of these subs look. I was advised to hook the regular Kicker Comp "12 wiring to the connects with the dots only. At least until I found out what the ohms are. Quackhead with the specifications in the clear, would it be dangerous to try and do parallel or series wiring? I would of course like to try to hook the speakers as they are intended asap, however I will wait if I am advised.

As far as the sub enclosure goes, the sub enclosure I have housed my last two standard Kicker comp 12"s.

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

I missed your last post and now I feel bad for being sarcastic.. You are welcome for the help and I will help you further. As I said, earlier, I have seen kicker on the shelf, but not paid that close attention. On the boxes, they are usually marked...what is the model name word for word?...maybe on the back of the magnet structure?