testing xenon power claims

[iceberg65 10+ year member]

I have a phoenix gold xenon 400.1 powering a 10" type r Dual 2ohm in a ported box, and noticed that there is a rather large volume difference between the two (wiring in parallel and in series) when i was playing around. The amp says it puts out the same power regardless of the load so my question is: has anyone ever tested the amp at 2 or 1 ohm loads to see if it puts out more wattage.

this may seem like a silly thread, but i was just really curious....hurray for first post on the car audio forum

thx

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[gijoe 10+ year member]

I have a 600.1 and as far as I remember it doesn't claim 600 watts at any ohm, it claims at least 600 at any ohm. So basically you wont get 600 watts at 1-4 ohms, you'll get more at 1 ohm and at least 600 at 4. My birthsheet says 850.51 watts at 4ohms, I don't know if it'll be more at 1ohm, but I bought it expecting 600 watts, so anything extra is bonus.

 

[Canaan 10+ year member]

2 words:

Box rise

Your amp will see up to 3-5x's the nominal load (DCR) depending on the freq.

So, if wire that amp to 1ohm...you actually get more power on average. (across all freq)

 

[J31Rob 5,000+ posts]

2 words:Box rise

Your amp will see up to 3-5x's the nominal load (DCR) depending on the freq.

So, if wire that amp to 1ohm...you actually get more power on average. (across all freq)

if you're box causes an impedance rise.

different in every install dude.

 

[Canaan 10+ year member]

if you're box causes an impedance rise.different in every install dude.

Yes, but regardless....you will get box rise.

So, wiring that amp that does ~600wrms at 1-4ohm to 1ohm will give you more of a 'range' for the amp to give you that ~600wrms. You will get more power on average vs. wiring that same amp to 4ohm.

 

[sqhertz 5,000+ posts]

there was a bench test somewhere on the net that proves xenons make more power at 4 ohms than one. also they are all very underrated. i

 

[iceberg65 10+ year member]

I have a 600.1 and as far as I remember it doesn't claim 600 watts at any ohm, it claims at least 600 at any ohm. So basically you wont get 600 watts at 1-4 ohms, you'll get more at 1 ohm and at least 600 at 4. My birthsheet says 850.51 watts at 4ohms, I don't know if it'll be more at 1ohm, but I bought it expecting 600 watts, so anything extra is bonus.

wow 850.51 thats a pretty good bonus. my birthsheet for the x400.1 only said 423.XX (cant remember exactly)

I'm wondering about if anyone has bench tested the xenon amps too, get a better idea of the real power its presenting at 1 ohm

 

[sqhertz 5,000+ posts]

wow 850.51 thats a pretty good bonus. my birthsheet for the x400.1 only said 423.XX (cant remember exactly)
I'm wondering about if anyone has bench tested the xenon amps too, get a better idea of the real power its presenting at 1 ohm

there is a bench test somewhere on the net on the x600.1. iirc, it tested lower power at a lower ohm. not by much though. and even at 1 ohm youre still going to see over 600 wrms. my x600.1 benched 640something.

i think the models before whatever problem they had with that line benched more power (700-800wrms) while the new models benched less (600-700wrms) or vise versa.

 

[iceberg65 10+ year member]

cool i searched around a bit but came up mostly with forms where ppl are using a pulse generator to disable the xe. flow. or whatever the power regulation system was called. and get way more power out of the xenon amps, apparently they are overbuilt to handle the power ratings. Voids the warranty tho, plus my type r is plenty loud with whats goin to it. It's reverse mounted so its easy to go from 4ohms to 1 been mostly just keeping it at 4 tho, it's easier on the electrical system.

 

[thch 10+ year member]

Did you remember to re-set the gains when changing the wiring? after all, while the amp might be capable of more power, you probably need to set the voltage gain up to actually get the higher voltages the 4ohm load would need.

 

[hardhitta47 10+ year member]

wow 850.51 thats a pretty good bonus. my birthsheet for the x400.1 only said 423.XX (cant remember exactly)
I'm wondering about if anyone has bench tested the xenon amps too, get a better idea of the real power its presenting at 1 ohm

I'm guessing your birthsheet is the small white one (half-sheet of paper)? Your amp probably does over 500 W.

PG told me that the x600.1 amps are actually around 40 W less at 1 Ohm as opposed to 4. should be inaudible unless there's other factors involved.

 

[iceberg65 10+ year member]

ya it was off the small white sheet i was looking at, cant remember where i put the other one or what it said. I know it hits pretty dam hard compared to other 400w systems Ive listened too.

as for setting the gain for different loads, yes i change it when i change the wiring, i made small tics to mark where i want it for each setting it usually gets it pretty close then i just play it by ear to get it exact. havn't been changing it too often tho.

the amp really seems to power the Alpine type R perfectly, too bad winter is coming and amps dont really agree with the cold.