Do I need a better subwoofer or not?

[Woollie]

Hi all,

I have searched and haven't found an exact answer for my question. I'm sure if I searched all day I would find it but I'll ask anyway and see what responses follow.

I have a Kenwood mono amp which is 300w rms @ 4 ohm and 500w rms @ 2 ohm. Max 1000w. I have that powering a Kicker Comp series 4 ohm svc subwoofer which is 150w rms, 300w max. Is this sub being overpowered or not?

Would I get better sq if I was to get a dual 4 ohm sub rated around 500w rms and wire it in parallel to create 2 ohm at the amp? Would it be much better than what I am already getting from the Kicker sub?

I am running this in a sealed box 1 sqf

Cheers

[sweefu]

Hi mate,
Your subwoofer is not being overpowered, provided your gains are set correctly. What is the gain set at? I can't say myself, but you would want it to be quite low. Your amplifier has 'headroom', meaning it does not have to work as hard, and it won't get as hot, because it does not have to try as hard to power your subwoofer.

If you were to have a 2ohm sub, and run your amplifier at 2ohm, I think you would find a more 'dynamic' sound, it will be louder, and probably more responsive than your current setup.

If you were to go for a new subwoofer, what would your budget be? There are plenty of good affordable SQ subs out there which would love 500wrms @2ohm in a 1sq.ft sealed box.

[Woollie]

Thanks for the info. I found out that my head unit RCA mod puts out around 1 volt which I have matched to the amp 1 volt gain. Whether this is correct or not I'm not too sure but if I was to turn the gain down more than that then I probably wouldn't even hear the sub.

Seeing I only paid around $140 for the Kicker sub I would probably spend around $300 - $400 for a better one if I needed to.

Any suggestions on a sub?

[sweefu]

The list price on an Image Dynamics ID12V.3 12" Subwoofer is $389, you could get less for cash / bit of bargaining etc. This is a very well rounded sub, offering very good SQ without being down on volume. Will play down to a flat 20hz without too much worry, though your box is a little small, and amp is a little weak for this sub, the results would still be very very pleasing.

[Woollie]

My other option was to buy a dual 12" sealed box and get another Kicker sub and wire them in parallel to 2 ohm. Would this be a better option or a better sub?

[sweefu]

More entry level gear is just that, more entry level gear, doesn't make it any better. Buying the Image Dynamics sub is a much much better option, 1000000% better than 2 entry level kickers mate. If you haven't heard a nice SQ/SQL sub before it will no doubt be very impressive.

[Woollie]

Sounds like the way I'll go then. Will have to start shopping

[sweefu]

Awesome choice mate. Where are you located? May be able to suggest somewhere to buy the sub.

[Woollie]

Up in Sydney near Campbelltown

[sweefu]

FHRX Studios = Unit 11, 70-72 Captain Cook Drive, Caringbah, NSW, 2229. Bit of a drive I know, but you will get the best deal, not to mention the best service and future advice. Ask to talk to Marty.

[Woollie]

Thanks for that mate

[sweefu]

Not a worry mate, hit back if you need anymore advice or have any queries. Its nice to see someone taking advice from a forum for once haha.

[MAG00]

+1 to talking to Marty, fantastic bloke, needed a fuse and he expressed one to me free of charge.

As for setting your gains, you can't just match it to the headunit voltage. Music is dynamic, so the actual RCA voltage from the headunit is never a constant 1 volt. This guide is great for gain setting: Tutorial - Amplifier Gain & Crossover Adjustment

[Woollie]

I printed out all of that info when I set all of my gains and stuff but I'm still not sure if it's spot on. With the VE IQ system, it has a distortion setting where it will detect any distortion and not let you turn the volume up anymore than that. I have trouble hearing distortion at all when I turn the volume right up so it's hard for me to set the gains spot on I think. I rarely have my volume turned up more than 3/4 of the way when listening to music so I don't think I would ever get the amp to work at 100% of it's capabilities if you know what I mean.