Trying to understand ohms and wattage

[pacmannbass]

So the title says it all, I'm trying to understand amp and sub combos.

So right now I have 2 12 kenwood w12ps which are rated at 250rms and svc 4ohm subs. I read on the kicker wiring site that I can wire these parellel to make a 2ohm load(which Im at) and that I should look for a 2ohm or 1ohm stable mono amp(site didn't say but Im guessing 2 channel or mono just for my subs), so now here is where I have questions...

1. Having these wire to 2ohms would make a total of 500watts rms output correct?

2. If the case is 500rms, I would look for a 500.2 or 500.1 amp right?

3. What is the difference on amps when Im reading there output, and say it's 250x2@2ohm or 500x1@1ohm? In my mind I see the same being 250x2=500, but is that 250 to each sub?

Here is an example of 2 amps Im looking at, but im just trying to get the ohms and wattage readings to my knowledge so I understand

Kicker Audio DX500 1 DX Series Mono Block Car Amplifier 500 Watts Class D Amp | eBay

Hifonics Zeus ZRX500 2 500 Watt RMS 2 Channel Car Audio Amplifier Amp ZRX5002 0806576218524 | eBay

On the hifonics amp, it does say 500@4ohms.. Could you run a 2ohm load on that or will it send the amp in protection?

Thanks for the advice and sorry to ask so many questions in one..

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[pacmannbass]

Anyone? Anyone?

 

[dumple 5,000+ posts]

Buy a one channel amp that can do the power you want at the ohm load presented by your subwoofers ie 500rms@2ohm

Read this website bcae1.com

 

[soundstreamer 10+ year member]

The subs wouldn't have 500 watts output, they would have a 500 watt handling capability. Amplifiers have output ratings in wattage. Like dumple said, find a mono amp that is rated 500 watts @ 2ohms.

 

[pacmannbass]

So then running them together does handle 500rms instead of 250 each then? Just trying to understand...

If I was to get a 2 channel amp, would I still look for 500@2 ohms? Would it matter if it was say 500x2@2ohms or 500x1@2ohms?

 

[bumpasauras 10+ year member]

Ok here is the short answer what you need is an amp that will put out your desired wattage at 2 ohms and disregard the 1 ohm rating of the amp (for now). For example if the secs on a mono amp are 250 @ 4 ohm , 500 @ 2 ohm , and 1000 @ 1 ohm this amp will put 250 watts to each sub due to the subs being wired in parallel . Not say that you added 2 more 4 ohm single vc subs you could wire them to 1 ohm and the amp will put out 1000 watts giving each the same 250 watts per sub.

I would recomend getting an amp that will produce the wattage you are looking for at 2 ohms (500) and is also 1 ohm stable so if in the future you decide to upgrade your subs you have the ability to wire down to 1 ohm to get the most power out of the amp.

Think of electricity as a water traveling through a hose the hose diameter would be the ohms, the smaller the hose the higher the water pressure. Crude analogy but it may help.

There are plenty of YouTube tutorials on ohms law search around and see what you can find.

Hope this helps

 

[bumpasauras 10+ year member]

As far as the 2 channel amp question you would look for an amp that was 500 watts bridged at 2 ohms and yea in that instance you would be putting 250 rms to each sub.

A good budget amp that will do what you are needing it to do would be something like the ppi phantom 1000.1 it does something like 500 rms @ 2 ohms and 1000 rms @ 1 ohm . This amp will put out the desired wattage at 2 ohms and later on if you upgraded your subs to a dvc 4 ohm subs that could handle 500rms you could wire the 2 subs to a 1 ohm load effectivly doubling the output of your amp to 1000rms @ the 1 ohm load you would have.

 

[bumpasauras 10+ year member]

Also for ease of wiring look for mono (1 channel) class d amps such as the ppi phantom 1000,1 or the audio pipe apsm 1200.1 wich are both decent budget amps. Proper gain setting is a must but that's another thread lol

Good luck

 

[bumpasauras 10+ year member]

Yess when you wire the subs together whether in series or Paralell the amp sees it as a single load so the wattage would be split between the subs.

Just get you an amp that is mono class d and puts out 500 rms at 2 ohm and your done if its 1 ohm stable you have room to upgrade later.

 

[pacmannbass]

Perfect. I think i got it now and I know what im gunna do for my kenwood setup.

Now to confirm, in my other car im gunna be getting a 8in sundown sa-D2, dual vc 2ohm at 400rms. If i ran it at 1ohm, id look for a 800x1@1ohm or 400x1 correct?

 

[Side Show 10+ year member]

keep trying

 

[TrillGates2k6]

Man, this is the easiest way I can explain it to you; OHMS is Resistance; At different levels of resistance, the amp is able to output MORE POWER; But you have to have your SUBWOOFERS wired in such a configuration so you can tap into the LOWER OHM LEVELS; Lower Ohm levels always yield more MAX POWER. If you have an AMP that says 4000 Watts RMS MAX; you're only gonna be able to get those 4000 watts if your speaker configuration is wired to pull a 1 OHM load; Most AMPS are only stable at a 1 OHM LOAD; That's the maximum; A few claim to be stable at a 0.5 OHM LOAD, but not many; So as a rule of thumb, you can only get the MAX POWER out of your AMP if your speakers are wired in a 1 OHM Configuration; Now the next step is for you to learn how to wire your speakers so that you can achieve a 1 OHM or a 2 OHM load; I'm not gonna teach you that; You can research that part on your own.

 

[Side Show 10+ year member]

a duel 2 ohm woofer can be wired to either a 1ohm load or a 4 ohm load only.

 

[TrillGates2k6]

Here's what you need to understand. People usually buy AMPS first, and then they figure out what type of Speakers they need to buy (2 OHM) or (4 OHM); Single voice coil or Dual voice coil in order to achieve the maximum output from the amp. So you need to figure out if you want to buy a new amp, or do you want to buy new speakers; Because right now, you're stuck between a rock and a hard place; One of the 2 has got to go! Either the amp has to be replaced, or the speakers have to be replaced

 

[pacmannbass]

I understand what your saying trill and i know how to wire them but you still didn't answer my question regarding the sundown... Since it's 400rms dual 2ohm, if I run it at 1ohm would that still be at 400rms or 800rms, which means Id get a mono amp at 400x1 or 800x1 @1ohm. Answering that question would let me know I understand it.

Im asking about 2 diff setups because I have 2 cars. My accord already has the 2 kenwoods but theyre running on some bs 4channel amp I got for free, so im replacing that amp. My camry is getting the sundown. I know ppl usually choose amp first, but I like to get the subs I want then get my amp.