What subwoofer power?

[jawnn]

I have a Boss car stereo that runs two 8" 40 watt speakers. But I want to add 'one' sub-woofer in simple box.

what do I look for?? A dual coil sub-woofer?

And what kind of wattage ?? are the watts listed on the speakers the max it will take or should I look for an 80watt woofer??

I think this must be the one????

Boss Audio 12" Dual 4-Ohm Voice Coil Subwoofer (One Subwoofer)

but it says:

•Power peak: 2300W

•RMS: 1150W

or should I get one that says:

•8" subwoofer

•800W max, 400W RMS

I do not want to add another amp. I live off grid in the back woods of Quimper penninsula, and power is scarce. So do I have to keep it down to 80 watts for both chaennels??

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[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

normally you dont ever buy boss when it comes to car audio, they false advertise and their products is known to not last very long, especially their subwoofers, they have a tendency to fail on the spot after a few days. Their amps say they make big power but when you test it in real life, they only make 1/10 of their power they claim.

You look for RMS ratings which is continuous power(actual power). Peak ratings are ****, they mean absolutely nothing and should be erased from your vocabulary.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

you sound like your going to use this for home audio purposes though, here's a site, you should use subwoofers meant for home audio purposes, most of these woofers dont need high amounts of power for them to get loud. Pair it up with a 100 rms plate amp and you should be fine.

Home Audio Woofers, Midranges & Tweeters in the Speaker Components Department at Parts Express | 13

thats the general site for home audio purposes.

Dayton Audio SD270A-88 10" DVC Subwoofer 295-486 this one should fit the bill for you.

you dont want a subwoofer that says it can handle thousands of watts, it just means you need thousands of watts for it to do its job of getting loud and sounding good.

 

[jawnn]

How do I connect two channels to one woofer?