Would you run a class a/b amplifier on you woofer/s?

[mrogowski 5,000+ posts]

no one can hear the difference FYI.

WHAT?!

Dem's fighten woords //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/viking2.gif.35c13a457368016b956ccf693af31291.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/ready2go.gif.6557fa3d88b9eaca9c7b8efb9cbd02ed.gif

Actually, you probably won't with subs but increase the frequency and you will..

 

[tez4life Premium Member]

Ive done it recently, swapped a Kicker 750.1 for a Rockford Fosgate 25th to Life Punch 150.

Both amps birth certificates put them at around the same power, (Kicker did it at 2 ohm, RF at 4 ohm bridged mono, but I ran it at 2 ohm bridged mono)

I heard a difference between the two amps, but honestly it had nothing to do with the Class A/B vs Class D, more or less the RF was putting out more power since it was running at a lower ohm load and a little bit harder than the Kicker was.

A more fair compairison would be the Kicker at 1ohm vs the RF at 2 ohm but I doubt it would be significint.

Sub was a SS RL-p 15" 4 cubic feet @ 28hz, DVC 4.

I honestly dont think there is a sound difference between class A/B and class D that can be precieved by the "average user", maybe one of the hardcore SQ guys can tell the differences because they are not listening as loudly lol.

 

[FoxPro5 5,000+ posts]

If you say so.

And what he says is backed by current understanding in sound and physics.

If you can hear the difference between amp topology [NOT the artifacts of the amplification - noise, distortion, etc] I really think you need to give a psychoacoustics lecture series at an Ivy league university or something.

Your speakers don't care which amp voltages them. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[PioneerSPL1990 10+ year member]

Glad someone finally pointed out that they usually run a little hotter working them at there minimum rated impedency. i used to have a 550S and a 351S running in my car one on a Cerwin vega V-maxx15 and the other on an MTX 12 4500. they put out a little heat after about 30-45 minutes turned up. i doubt you'd want to try SPL comp with an AB amp on a sub.

 

[FoxPro5 5,000+ posts]

Actually, you probably won't with subs but increase the frequency and you will..

Nor any speaker for that matter. If you *think* you're hearing the topology/design, you're not.

Maybe I'll design a high efficiency PWM based amp and then add an orange tube to the heatsink. YOu know, warm up the SQ a lil.

 

[goingdef 10+ year member]

high power A/B amps are real current hogs I tried it a couple times and could not keep the voltage up so I went to B/D class instead

 

[bonesninja 5,000+ posts]

WHAT?!
Dem's fighten woords //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/viking2.gif.35c13a457368016b956ccf693af31291.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/ready2go.gif.6557fa3d88b9eaca9c7b8efb9cbd02ed.gif

Actually, you probably won't with subs but increase the frequency and you will..

bingo....i was waiting for someone to pick up on that. But I don't think its actual topology thay people are hearing

 

[bonesninja 5,000+ posts]

high power A/B amps are real current hogs I tried it a couple times and could not keep the voltage up so I went to B/D class instead

definately...class d is reAlly the way to go IMHO in high power systems

 

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

Class a/b amps do seem to sound a good bit better than class d. As said you trade effeciency for some sq. Also the a/b runs a lot hotter, which may be a problem for some people.

Well, you basically just repeated yourself.

Less efficient electronics will always run hotter.

But, in terms of efficiency, I think the average A/B has an efficiency between 50-60%, but I'm not really sure, while the efficiency of a normal class D is 80%.

 

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

WHAT?!
Dem's fighten woords //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/viking2.gif.35c13a457368016b956ccf693af31291.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/ready2go.gif.6557fa3d88b9eaca9c7b8efb9cbd02ed.gif

Actually, you probably won't with subs but increase the frequency and you will..

I think they've ran a bunch of double blind tests, and in each, no one could hear the audible difference between A/B and D amps with subs. A lot of people can't even heard distortion when it comes to the frequencies subs perform in.

Nothing wrong with that. It just takes a trained ear.

I wouldn't waste my money on a class A/B amp for my subs, unless I was competing in an SQ comp.

 

[letchcore 10+ year member]

JL's new HD line of amps are class D and full range. I have yet to hear one but Ive heard the rival class a/b in sq?

I have about 10 old Audio Art amps that are all class a/b they sound great but like someone already stated you need a really good electrical system to run them. They get hot at there lowest rated impedence and draw a ton of current too. Especially the 100HC. That thing sucks current hard:crazy:

 

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

JL's new HD line of amps are class D and full range. I have yet to hear one but Ive heard the rival class a/b in sq?
I have about 10 old Audio Art amps that are all class a/b they sound great but like someone already stated you need a really good electrical system to run them. They get hot at there lowest rated impedence and draw a ton of current too. Especially the 100HC. That thing sucks current hard:crazy:

Uhh...

That just means they're cheap.

Class D's don't have a limited range... they just forfeit THD for Efficiency.

AKA There will be a higher distortion level.

 

[cleansoundzz 10+ year member]

Well, you basically just repeated yourself.Less efficient electronics will always run hotter.

But, in terms of efficiency, I think the average A/B has an efficiency between 50-60%, but I'm not really sure, while the efficiency of a normal class D is 80%.

Actually when at full blast the efficiency between class A/B and D amplifiers is almost the same. When playing at lower volumes is when the efficiency between class A/B and D amplifiers is much greater. However at lower levels the class A/B amplifier will not generate as much heat.

 

[letchcore 10+ year member]

Uhh...That just means they're cheap.

Class D's don't have a limited range... they just forfeit THD for Efficiency.

AKA There will be a higher distortion level.

If thats the case then why do they go out of there way to advertise that they are full range? The HD's are .03% THD. So they are not giving up much THD for efficency anymore. Im not argueing just learning.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif