What's cheaper 1kW @ 1ohm or 1kW @ 2ohm

[dan7532 10+ year member]

Okay, so eventually when the money gods are friendly to me again, I am interested in purchasing two RSD12s. Now here's the choice. I can get them in 4-ohm SVC or 4-ohm each DVC. If I've learned my math right here at CA, I determine that allows me a final resistance of 1 ohm or 2 ohms, depending on what voice coil configuration I purchase.

Quesion 1: I hear these woofers can handle pretty much any amount of power you want to throw at them (stories of up to 2kW per woofer). SO ... how much wattage do you think a poor old '94 mazda 626 can handle? I don't plan on extra batteries, caps, or an aftermarket alternator. But the big three looks pretty simple, so I might do that if necessary.

Question 2: For said amount of wattage, what is cheaper: an amp that can do that rating at 1 ohm or an amp that can do that rating at 2 ohms (assuming amps that are 1-ohm stable cost more than those that are not stable at 1 ohm).

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[dipitydoo 10+ year member]

A1: Depends on how much voltage drop and dimming you can tolerate. For music, I'd say a typical factory electrical system can handle somewhere between 1k - 2k before you run into major problems. Not sure about your car specifically.

A2. Neither is necessarily cheaper. A higher impedance is inherently more efficient, all things being equal. However, I doubt you would really notice any small differences.

 

[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

One more wiring option you've forgotten is wiring a pair of DVC 4 Ohm drivers to a nominal 4 Ohm load.

Like so:

So that complicates things even more for you, eh?

So - find whatever you can find that makes 1kW at either 1 Ohm, 2 Ohms, or 4 Ohms that fits your budget the best and then buy the appropriate VC configuration subwoofers accordingly once you've sourced an amp. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[blimblam 10+ year member]

the 1k @ 1 ohm would be cheaper. it also depends on the brand and quality.

 

[dan7532 10+ year member]

One more wiring option you've forgotten is wiring a pair of DVC 4 Ohm drivers to a nominal 4 Ohm load.Like so:

So that complicates things even more for you, eh?

So - find whatever you can find that makes 1kW at either 1 Ohm, 2 Ohms, or 4 Ohms that fits your budget the best and then buy the appropriate VC configuration subwoofers accordingly once you've sourced an amp. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Ah-ha! This is true. You speak words of wisdom. Thank you for your imput.

Everyone else: you rock too, this post just grabbed my attention. Thanks for the help.