I've always had the doubt on the ohms. What is the big difference, say 800 watts @ 4ohms or 800 watts @ 1 ohm. One sounds louder than the other one, less SQ, more SPL, which one helps my ALT more, or what is more recomendable. Please I would apreciate some insight on this topic since right now i am desiding what amp to get but im not sure if i want to lower my subs to 1 ohm or just stay @ 4.
Replies (2)
ttocs on 10/9/2003 01:02:25
most amps will increase in pwr as you decrease the ohm(impedence) load. noise is generally not given for each pwr rating as it is assumed to be a small change. You will increase the load on your alt as the pwr goes up, as your amp will be working harder. As it works harder it will get hotter, and you run the risk of overdriving your amp. Any good amp will have a protection circuit to protect it if it gets too hot. it is common to find an amp that is 2 ohm stable, but you need to be carefull how they word it. Sometimes they will say 2 ohm stable, but in a stereo configeration, not bridged. By bridging it to 2 ohms in that case, you will run the risk of letting the magik smoke out of it, and that is always hard to put back in. Even fewer amps are 1 ohm stable, and you will pay a premium to get them.
Another though to consider is that if you do bridge the amp to get the most pwr out of it, you will need to run thicker pwr wire($$$) to allow the amp to get the juice it needs.
Swez on 10/9/2003 09:30:16
Yep, ttocs covered it well... there are a few Class D Mono amps that can give you good 1 ohm performance and plenty of watts. They are efficient with power input VS power output and are pretty much used for subs only.
However, 800 watts @ 4 ohms is the same as 800 watts @ 1 ohm. Power is same, (800 watts) depending on the amps' design.
Finally, there are a number of Competition amps that are called High Current amps. These are usually 2 channel Class A/B amps that will take loads down below 1 ohm. Very expensive, draw large amount of current too. These are generally reserved for the big SPL machines.
A last thought... an 800 watt amp will draw a large ampount of current from your electrical, regardless of what ohm load it is rated for. Keep that part in mind as you shop for amps... HOW MUCH CURRENT WILL IT DRAW AT FULL POWER !!! (1 or 4 ohms)
Swez
Replies (2)
ttocs on 10/9/2003 01:02:25
most amps will increase in pwr as you decrease the ohm(impedence) load. noise is generally not given for each pwr rating as it is assumed to be a small change. You will increase the load on your alt as the pwr goes up, as your amp will be working harder. As it works harder it will get hotter, and you run the risk of overdriving your amp. Any good amp will have a protection circuit to protect it if it gets too hot. it is common to find an amp that is 2 ohm stable, but you need to be carefull how they word it. Sometimes they will say 2 ohm stable, but in a stereo configeration, not bridged. By bridging it to 2 ohms in that case, you will run the risk of letting the magik smoke out of it, and that is always hard to put back in. Even fewer amps are 1 ohm stable, and you will pay a premium to get them.
Another though to consider is that if you do bridge the amp to get the most pwr out of it, you will need to run thicker pwr wire($$$) to allow the amp to get the juice it needs.
Swez on 10/9/2003 09:30:16
Yep, ttocs covered it well... there are a few Class D Mono amps that can give you good 1 ohm performance and plenty of watts. They are efficient with power input VS power output and are pretty much used for subs only.
However, 800 watts @ 4 ohms is the same as 800 watts @ 1 ohm. Power is same, (800 watts) depending on the amps' design.
Finally, there are a number of Competition amps that are called High Current amps. These are usually 2 channel Class A/B amps that will take loads down below 1 ohm. Very expensive, draw large amount of current too. These are generally reserved for the big SPL machines.
A last thought... an 800 watt amp will draw a large ampount of current from your electrical, regardless of what ohm load it is rated for. Keep that part in mind as you shop for amps... HOW MUCH CURRENT WILL IT DRAW AT FULL POWER !!! (1 or 4 ohms)
Swez
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