Super Quiet Cooling Fan

[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

I have an Alpine PDX 1.600 running 2 10" Polk Subs in parallel meaning the load is 2 ohms vs. the standard 4 ohms which means more heat from the amp. I've installed a Radio Shack 3" cooling fan but it is not quite as quiet as I would like. Does anyone have any recommendations for a super quiet 3" cooling fan? 12V DC obviously...thanks!

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[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

In case anyone is interested, I purchased an "AcoustiFan DustPROOF Premium Quality Ultra Quiet Computer Fan - 80mm AFDP-8025B" from Quiet PC USA (http://www.quietpcusa.com/AcoustiFan-DustPROOF-Premium-Quality-Ultra-Quiet-Computer-Fan---80mm-AFDP-8025B-P64C66.aspx) and it is very quiet! I also have it wire to a rotary pot so I can increase and decrease the fan speed. I set it lower when I don't have the tunes cranked.

As an FYI as well, I've noted that most likely the big reason my Alpine PDX 1.600 is heating up so much is the fact that I have my 2 Polk MM2104 10" subs wired in parallel, thereby showing 2 ohms to the amp and not 4 ohms. Obviously this increases the current output of the amp and therefore the heat. I have located 2 JL Audio 8 ohm 10W1v2-8 10" subs for about $80 a piece and have ordered them. Their max RMS rating is 300W per subwoofer so wired in parallel with my 600W amp that will use the full output wattage of the amp per sub and provide it with 4 ohms so the current draw should be less, thus reducing the heat.

 

[cj407]

um smart guy that amp is made to run at 4 or 2 ohms...

600 watts RMS x 1 at 4 ohms (600 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms)

now if you dont have atleast a 4 gauge wire running from battery to it , or if you have gains maxxed...those could lead it to heating so high....but not because its wired to 2 ohms....the amp is 2 ohm stable.

 

[x1le 10+ year member]

I'm gonna have to agree with CJ. If your amp is overheating, then something is wrong or you have it in a poorly ventilated area.

 

[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

The amp is not overheating...at least it has yet to go into protect mode. It was getting pretty warm to the touch but with the installation of the fan and backing the gain off some that made a big difference.

As far as the output wattage and the ohm rating, yes, I understand that this is a mono amp that can handle either 600w X 1 at 4 ohms or 600W X 1 at 2 ohms. But it is my understanding that when wiriing a pair of subs in parallel, with each sub rated at 300W max, the amp is still seeing 600W X 1 but that if each sub is rated at 4 ohms, the parallel wiring causes the resistance to be halved, or 2 ohms. And because the subs are wired in parallel, the 600W output should be split evenly between the 2 subs or 300W max each. Do I have this wrong?

 

[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

Oh, I forgot to mention that yes, I have 4 gauge wire running to this amp for both power and ground.

I do know that this amp is "stable" at 4 or 2 ohms, but it still seems to stand to reason that pushing out more current at the lower 2 ohms is going to generate more heat?