amp selection

[clyde]

hey

to power my clarion sub:
Clarion PXW1252
1000 watts of maximum music power
500 watts RMS
Dual 4-ohm heat resistant voice coils

should i use:

1)
kenwood KAC-8103D
Class D Mono Power Amplifier

* Maximum Output Power 1000W

Rated Output Power (14.4V )
* 300W x 1 at 4ω (20-200Hz 0.5%THD)
* 500W x 1 at 2ω (100Hz 0.8% THD)

2)
pioneer GM-7300M
Mono Amplifier - 360Watts RMS x 1
# Mono amplifier suitable for 1 or 2 4-ohm (conventional) subwoofers.
# 500 Watts x 1 channel of Maximum output (EIAJ specification).
# 250 Watts x 1 of power (RMS) at CEA-2006 specification (US system).

3)
Precision Response Car Amp 2x150WRMS

Specifications:
Power / channel @ 4ohm 14.4V: 150WRMS x 2
Power / channel @ 2ohm 14.4V: 255WRMS x 2
Power / bridged @ 4ohm 14.4V: 500WRMS x 1

they are all around the 250 mark.

[JBDrifter]

You wanna wire up the voice coils in parallel to see a 2ohm load. Given this, you want an amp that is 2ohm stable at no more than 500Wrms.

*Kenwood - perfect specs if the 500W x 1 at 2ohm is referring to RMS wattage. Personal opinion opinion though, you can get much better than Kenwood, depends on your budget though.

*Pioneer - specs you stated are confusing. 360Wrms x 1 @ ??ohm. Don't want to comment too much without seeing proper specs but I think you can feed your sub a bit more than this amp has to offer.

*Response - This amp is only good for running in bridged mode if seeing a 4ohm load. Your sub will be a 2ohm load, hence asking for more wattage which the amp is not stated as being stable at.


Obviously out of these 3 I'd go for the Kenwood, with the specs you've posted here. But now that you know it'll be showing a 2ohm load you have a better idea of what you need to be looking for. You may also get better results from a better quality amp with lesser Wrms rating than an inferior quality amp with higher Wrms ratings.

[clyde]

i was also ofered a kicker amp at jb that was 400wrms. that was 350 bucks. a little out of my price range, but i think it might be better for me to hold off for a couple more weeks and mabye get the kicker.

[JBDrifter]

Yeah definitely wait and get the better gear. You'll be glad you did!

I would recommend Jaycar's amps as well (the Response amps), they are great value for money. When I can be bothered I might look up their amps to find one suitable for you, but basically look for one that's stable @ 2ohms.

[garfa]

depends what the kicker specs are.

the 4x100Wrms jaycar one would also do the job and probably have better SQ than the other because its class AB. but it would deaw a bit more current too.

[clyde]

how do you wire them up in paraell? i thought it was already done and all i had to do was plug the amp into the sub.

the kicke amp was the Zx 400.1

[Joe Peeps]

parallel wiring for a DVC sub

AMP + -----> VC1+ ----------> VC2+
AMP - -----> VC1- --------->VC2 -

[Joe Peeps]

You wanna wire up the voice coils in parallel to see a 2ohm load. Given this, you want an amp that is 2ohm stable at no more than 500Wrms.

Cant agree, headroom is goodtimes and better for the gear

[clyde]

parallel wiring for a DVC sub

AMP + -----> VC1+ ----------> VC2+
AMP - -----> VC1- --------->VC2 -

ill look at my amp 2morra when im home, but im pretty sure its only got 2 terminals on it

[clyde]

so you would wire it up like this:

[garfa]

you said dual 4 ohm coil.
never seen a DVC sub hard wired in series/parallel.

[clyde]

had a look at it today. i now understand what is going on.

so i think what i will be looking for is an amp around 400wrms @ 2 ohm.

i sappose mono block would be better for the sub?

[clyde]

has anyone had anything to do with coustic?

also i noticed with the jaycar 100x4 you get 380wrms @ 4ohm.
how would i wire my sub to use that amp or cant i?
i can only wire the sub to get 2omh or 8ohm impedence.

[JBDrifter]

Cant agree, headroom is goodtimes and better for the gear

What would you recommend then?? I certainly wouldn't be suggesting an amp >500Wrms hence overpowering the sub.

[garfa]

the 4x50 would work. 160Wrmsx2 channels at 4 ohms
the 2x150 could be as it says 1509Wrms x2 channels OR your could bridge it and run the woofer at 8 ophms and get around the 280Wrms mark. (better SQ from this last one probably, but not much)
thats about it from the jaycar range.
cant be bothered with anything else, you will probbaly just get something different anyways.

[Joe Peeps]

What would you recommend then?? I certainly wouldn't be suggesting an amp >500Wrms hence overpowering the sub.

For a 500RMS sub, i would personally utilise an amp that produced around 7-800RMS. Purely to allow for dynamic peaks in the music. Less stress on the gear IMO. However budget is a serious consideration here so i would get the best amp he can afford (this doesnt necessarily mean the one that has the most output listed on the box) and make sure that the system is set up properly and he is not asking too much from the amp he ends up buying. I have never compared the amps at this pricepoint so i cant comment personally. If it was me id look second hand - i just sold an alpine mrd605 for $250 for example.

[clyde]

what about the jaycar 1000wrms @ 1 ohm amp?

it will give me 600wrms @ 2 ohm
and if i ever want to upgrade to 2 subs i can run them @ 500wrms wired in para so its 1 ohm load?

what do you think?

[garfa]

mate how much do you want to spend on an amp.
the amps you suggested originally are a bit below the price range of the 100W jaycar.
make a budget then we might be able to help.

[clyde]

when i posted those i dont think i fully understood wtf was going on. think i have more of an idea here. i think it might be better to spend abit more and get somthing decent, with some options for expansion. besides i think i have a mate that wants to get one to so we should be able to get abit of a deal.