Sub/Amp questions...

[stockvr]

Just a few questions and things im not sure bout...Im running 2 pioneer TSW306C 1000watt 400rms subs at the moment off a audioline 4chan 800 watt amp...planning to upgrade the amp asap when some cash comes around...

What amp i should look at, price is a major factor? Should i look at a monoblock 800 watt rms amp?
At the moment one sub is hooked up to the other then from that sub to the amp...Is that the best way to have it wired?
Also my boxes are pretty battered from my driving, should i look at getting the subs reboxed, and if so should i go each in a seperate box again or in a double subby enclosure, or a few bangs here and there dont really matter?

Thanks in advance.

[Joe Peeps]

No, your wiring is not optimal and could be dangerous! How many channels are you using? As Your running from one sub to the next then to the amp, two possible scenarios:

1.) your running two subs off a single channel -
or
2) bridged across two channels which i suspect is the case
If you have your subs wired in parallel (all + to +, All - to -) then that makes a 2 ohm load. I doubt your Audioline is 1 ohm stable = not good!
If in series, presenting an 8 ohm load which is safe, but again SFA power.

Ideally, bridge channels 1+2 to sub 1, then 3+4 to sub 2 if you can spare the channels or run a single woofer until you get your new amp.

If price is a major factor, then the jaycar is pretty much your only option unless your open to second hand:

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView...=&SUBCATID=595

Wire your two subs in parallel for a 2 ohm load and youll have 350 per sub but make sure you set your gains right

What Box are they currently in? Ported will be heaps louder if thats what your after. Single boxes or double will depend on how you want to install them but i'd go double personally, Only makes a difference aesthetically and in the build, not on the sound. Bangs are up to you. Do you care what they look like. And i suggest you try securing them: harder to steal and less potential damage.

[stockvr]

Im gunna make this sound even worse by telling you im also running 500 watt kenwood 7x10's off the same amp. Im planning to buy 6in splits for the front and run all my speakers off the audioline amp, but thats the longterm thinkin...

After reading your post I went and took a look at how it was wired and you were right, it was bridged across 2 channels. So for the time being I took out the 2 subs, and put in my old sub which was another pioneer 600watt 150rms sub, because i dont want anything blowing up, and theres only like 150rms running into them anyways so theres no point running them for now.

Whats your opinion of the jaycar amp? Im thinking now that maybe ill be better off saving a bit longer and buying some decent then going for the "safeway" brand...Is there a noticeable difference in the sound from the sub from a decent amp and and average amp? So what other amps should i be looking at that might be a bit more pricier?

Pretty decent bangs, and one of the subs has a drilled circle in the side, that was obviously used for the wire output bit but the wire output is actually on the other side now, so its just a decent size hole in the side of the box...this would be taking away from quality/loudness true?

I was reading up about ported boxes, is the loss in sound quality worth the gain in loudness, and also sorry if you already answered this but would a single or double ported box be better? whats your opinion of them? What kind of prices am i looking at for ported aswell?

This time round im planning to get it all installed professionally, so the wiring should be done right this time...

[Joe Peeps]

Iv'e personally never used a jaycar amp so i cant comment on real world performance, but there current lineup gets good reports. (I think Garfa uses one and could give a learned opinion) Noticeable difference? Yes and no, but how great the difference will depend on how much you wanna spend. Whats your absolute ceiling cost wise and then someone will be able to rec an amp.

Ported v sealed:
With those subs, if you go ported you'll get an increase in group delay (i.e the bass might sound laggy) but it should be within acceptable parameters. The plus side is your F3 rolloff will go down to ~33 depending on tune from the ~50 it is in the sealed box giving those bowel trembling lows... which is why we get subs in the first place! I think its worth it but others on this forum would never go ported if you know anyone with the same subs have a listen to their setup and judge for yourself.
Sealed are heaps easier to make and will cost less but if you build yourself then you should be sweet. Check out car audio australia if you wanna go down that path. Good luck mate

[Ocean]

Joey, nice advise.

Rockford Fosgate Offer the best Value for the Money, especially the Power Series e.g. t3002 rated 300 ..actual....838 wired down to 1 ohm, these guys are 1 ohm stable. The T3002 is about $480.00

A good deal is the P325.2 ($400.00)which usually has a 1100+ output, again depends on budget.

You can not go wrong with Rockford , Infinity Amps as that is what these two companies do, amps, sub and speakers only..


A very good choose would be the EFX HD5001 MONO 1200 Watts as can get one of these for about $380.00 -$400.00

As for your sub enclosure - like Joey has stated "PORTED", though depend on what you listen too, - I prefer Non-Ported Due to what I listen Too and what Subs I use, though again it is all an ear thing, you will need to look into. Plus it you are running Single Voice Coils then yes "Ported" all the way.

[garfa]

Plus it you are running Single Voice Coils then yes "Ported" all the way.

um... ok not too sure why a single VC makes you think ported.....
ok, i am running a 4x130Wrms jaycar and connected is a pair of nak splits and alpine type x splits. then 2x12inch carbon jaycar subs wired to 1 ohm and are powered by the 400Wrms monoblock (puts out 800Wrms@1ohm).
as for the 4 channel jaycar, i can't say i have had 1 problem or annoyance because of an absent feature. it has bass boost and a remote bass level controller for those who run sub/s off the rear channel. also something a lot of people dont consider until they realise how much of a pain it is that the jaycar has proper terminals with a decent sized grub screw instead of the shite screw down terminals like sony and a lot of other cheaper amps.
as for the monoblock, it is a very good amp but it will not respond to being pushed very hard at 1 ohm at near max power. this could be my fault but i feel that 2 ga power is more than enough for both amps, so its probably just the amp. having said that i hate 1 ohm and the only reason i have not fixed it by going for the newer monoblock is because i dont want to spend money on my stereo right now.
since your subs are single VC/4ohm VC (pioneer doesn't list the useful specs) your only real option is to run them at a total 2 ohm load. this will supply them with 350Wrms each.
now this is below the rating of the subs and could end up making the amp clip and destroy them. the ONLY way you could do this is if you dont set your gains properly.

also as a side note:OCEAN, just because a rockford amp amp was said to be 300Wrms and was 388 does not mean squat. that would have been 1 amp and you cant get a proper indication of the general power of the blah blah amp from only one sample. companies say their amps are XWrms and this will mean the majority are. a lot of people say that RF under rate their amps power. this is stupid. why would a company LOWER the advertised power? it just does not make sense.