help matching amps with speakers/sub

[freestylerfalcon]

ive recently purchased an alpine type S 12 inch sub, (SWS 1242).. dual 4ohm voice coils..

now im trying to search for a suitable amp to power it..

due to tightarse budget.. ive been looking at 2nd hand amps..

ive found a guy whos got a Pioneer GM-7100M monoblock and Boss BA-4400 4 channel amp for sale..

the mono is
Output Power (4 Ohm, <=1% THD) 250 Watts x 1 (RMS)
Output Power (2 Ohm, <=1% THD) 360 Watts x 1 (RMS)

would this match alrite with my sub (300W rms) ??

i was tihnking of wiring it up at 2ohm but i dunno if the 360W is too much for the 300W sub??
also i dunno if 250W is too low.. ??



also.., the boss amp is 4 * 100W rms..

i plan on some cheap splits for the front now..
and maybe upgrading rears later when i have cash lying around so i figure having a 4 channel amp would save me the hassle of getting another amp later..

but it seems all the speakers in my budget tend to be 50-75 watt rms..

so.. this amp would be too powerful???




im a first timer when it comes to all this so i dont know much..

some advice would be greatly appreciated ^^

cheers..

[micka]

The mono would be fine for the sub... run the sub's voice coils in parallel configuration to present a 2 ohm load to the amp. The amp won't be "too powerful" for the sub if you set the gains properly, and are sensible with the volume knob.

Personally, I'd avoid boss. In the entry level gear the alpine v-power stuff is possibly worth a look, although there are some other options :)

[integraz]

Where did u get the Alpine Type-S?

Cause in the Alpine Winter Catalogue, which started a few months ago, u can get the Alpine Type-S 12inch with an Alpine MRP-M450 for $450.

Ive got this package, and it goes good.

I would recommend the MRP-M450. --> $350 rrp

But depends on your budget as well.

[newmski]

pretty sure if you look in the for sale section you will find a nice alpine amp for sale *hint hint*
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50510

[shinji112]

pretty sure if you look in the for sale section you will find a nice alpine amp for sale *hint hint*
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50510

hehe i was gonna point to that! hehe but yeah the mono block amp for $250 would suit the type S very nicely since ur sub is rated at 300w rms.. coz the mono block is rated at 350w rms so u could get the most out of the amp without putting too much on the amp. plus its alpine too!!

[freestylerfalcon]

i got the type S at some shop in artarmon sydney for $170..
didnt know about that package deal >.<

so does anyone else reckon boss should be avoided??

is the power rating for the boss amp not too high for cheapish speakers??

[integraz]

do not go for boss, it'll either start a fire in your car, blow up, and die on you easy.

Whats the point of spending 100 or so and then it blowing up and dying and having to spend more money, do it once, do it right.

Also boss amps are overrated, ie even if it says it has 1000W max power, and 250WRMS, its likely to be less than that- maybe 100WRMS

That Alpine Amp would suit it very well, and is also underrated, its tested to have 400WRMS.

Very loud setup as well.

Try to go for more reputable brands. even if u have to spend that extra amount of money, it'll save u in the long run.

[freestylerfalcon]

so if the alpine amp is underrated and actually gives out 400 rms.. wouldnt that blow my 300 rms sub??

[integraz]

umm, no it wont, because when u turn on ur headunit and say play it at volume 10-15, u aren't giving out 400WRMS straight to the sub, ull be maye only giving it 100W or less.

But say if u were at volume 40, yes could get up to 400WRMS, but then u won't be playing that volume daily etc.

And also if u set your gains properly or to a min, your sub is ever so likely to even see that power.

The type-S can handle a fair bit of power ive got one running at 500W nothings wrong, cause i set the gains properly, and also not using bassboost or loud button which may induce clipping

[muhhan]

Freestylerfalcon, from the research that I did when I was selecting parts for my sound system it appears that most subs die from a lack of power, believe it or not! This is because with an under rated amp power output as you turn the volume up and reach the max power output of the amp it does not produce anymore power to make the speaker move, known as clipping, but this is when the speaker requires movement as it is this movement of air which provides cooling to the voice coils. When this situation is reached overheating can quickly occur and cause damage to the sub. That is a really crude and simplified explanation I have just given. Bottom line is, though, the amp is required to be quite powerful to adequately run the speaker.

Most, if not all, the power ratings that are given from manufacturers are not accurate representations of real world power. Incar Entertainment magazine's Dave Traino, issue 74 pages 44-46, ran an article about selecting the right amp for your sub and how to tune it properly with the gains and crossover. The information they gave goes a little like this:

When selecting an amp for a sub, given a sub power rating (eg. 100WRMS) you should allow 20% more power from the amp. The reason for this being that, as I've mentioned above, the manufacturer ratings are generally carried out under situations that don't normally exist in the car environment. So with an amp rated 20% higher than your sub you'd be looking at an amp with 120WRMS output. It is also important to keep in mind the overall resistance of the speaker circuit you plan on running and the amps output in bridged mode (if you're running it in bridged mode), and for a given resistance when calculating the correct power output required from the amp.

Once you've selected the right amp for your sub most amps will come with instructions on how to set the sensitivity, or gain.

Essentially, you turn off any equalisation, turn the gain down to minimum (0V), turn the volume on your head unit up just until you hear distortion then turn the volume down 1 notch, and then turn the gain up slowly until you here distortion. And there you have the sub and amp with basic tuning.

Hope that helps and thanks for reading!

[ACTI0NMAN-1]

i agree with staying clear from BOSS subs. i have a 10inch that died in 1 month. Sounded good but didnt last.. Didnt even bother taking it back for replacement warranty because what would i do with another s**t sub.