[blckninja]

Alright I have a question about my wiring, Im still really new at this want to make sure i'm doing it right and not messing it up.


Right now I have the following setup:

Bridgeable Kenwood amp:

60 watts RMS x 2 at 4 ohms (150 watts x 1 bridged at 4 ohms)



Two SVC Kenwood subs:

power range (per sub): 50-200 watts RMS (800 watts peak power)

8 ohm


The first picture is how I currently have it, two separate wires that both have + and - running through them. Should I be leaving it like that or have it like the second picture and have one wire for + and one for -? Thanks!

 

[cubdenno]

Actually it ends up being the same. Option 2 just potentially saves you some wire. You are fine with your wiring. And to reaffirm, there is no benefit to changing it.

 

[blckninja]

Ok thanks. I just wanted to make sure my wiring wouldn't cause anything to go wrong.

 

[JMII]

What he said

I'll just add this note: keep in mind the power is divided by the total speakers, thus your 150 x 1 @ 4 ohm amp means each sub (8 ohms X 2) is only getting 75 watts. Some people think both speakers get the full 150 watts when wired this way... at least that's what I thought early on in my car audio days

 

[blckninja]

Right, of course because the 150 is total and has to split it between both the subs. Speaking of which, that leads me to another question.


Would it be better to use one sub or two, or is it just preference? Also, since my sub is 8-ohm, i couldn't use just one with my current amp correct?

 

[razel]



Quote:
Originally Posted by JMII /forum/post/20788332


What he said

I'll just add this note: keep in mind the power is divided by the total speakers, thus your 150 x 1 @ 4 ohm amp means each sub (8 ohms X 2) is only getting 75 watts. Some people think both speakers get the full 150 watts when wired this way... at least that's what I thought early on in my car audio days

I thought the same damn thing. I corrected that knowledge by asking that question here on avs. There still some good news to multiple subs close to each other... they reinforce one another by roughly 3db which is like doubling your power.

With a bridgeable amp and two subs it brings up another question of which is better. An amp running at 150w bridged pushing two subs at 75 each or an amp running at 60w pushing 60w. My lame knowledge is saying 150w since the amp has more headroom than at 60w. That means you can turn the volume up louder without clipping, but since that wattage gets split in half between the subs it's at 3db lower volume. However, since the subs are close together it gets reinforced 3db. So it's like 150w.


In the other case, it's 60 watts going to two subs. The two reinforce, so that's like 120w. It's almost the same in real life, but bridging still seems better since the amp is actually 150w and has more headroom. This assumes damping factor and lower impedance handling is the same bridged or not bridged.

 

[cubdenno]

Asside from space considerations, running multiple subs is always the way to go. reduced distortion, power compression. Increased output. It's a total win.


To expand a bit on Razel and JMII's posts,


Yes you divide the power between the woofers. This effect is ok though. It decreases power compression. Using razel example but altering it for my example(

):

2 8 ohm woofers vs a single 4 ohm woofer on your amp.

2 8 ohm woofers receive the 150 watts when wired parallel for a 4 ohm load means 75 watts per woofer


the single 4 ohm woofer receives the full 150 watts. It moves excursion wise more (let's say double for ease as it would at 75 watts) so linearity starts to suffer introducing more distortion. Plus the coil receiving more poer heats up faster introducing increased power compression (the coil resistance increases reducing output)


The two woofers will play cooler with the less power but should have slightly greater output. plus the cone excursion will be less so the distortion levels will be lower. Better sounding bass!!


Also that whole damping factor is a marketing term that amounts to nada. Especially now days when the output impedance of the amps are what they are. If damping factor was such an important thing why are tube amps so sought after as a holy grail of audio nurvana? They have damping factors that typically are single digit.


Also if you use just one of those 8 ohm woofers, your amp will only put out ~75 watts to that single 8 ohm load.

 

[blckninja]

Ding!


+2 INTELLIGENCE


Thanks guys for all your help!