How Do I know If My Sub Can Handle 1ohm?

[Jxrdvnexe]

I have recently purchased a Soundstream R3.12, which is an 800 watt DVC 2ohm subwoofer, and I am really unsure on how to wire it. I am pairing it with a Clarion DPX 1500 amp which can handle 1ohm, but I'm not sure if the sub can handle it. Is it safe to assume that it can?

Thanks!

 

[kanewolf]

That speaker has an impedance of 2 ohms -- http://soundstream.com/product/r3-12/ Since the SPEAKER has an impedance has greater than what the amp can support (1 ohm) you are OK.

 

[Jxrdvnexe]

That speaker has an impedance of 2 ohms -- http://soundstream.com/product/r3-12/ Since the SPEAKER has an impedance has greater than what the amp can support (1 ohm) you are OK.

Okay so if I wire the sub to 1 ohm, it will stay at 800 watts and everything will be fine?

 

[BFG-9000]

The sub has dual 2ohm voice coils so can be wired in parallel to a 1ohm load. It's rated 800w when both voice coils are used.

The amp is rated 1500w into either 1ohm or 2ohms which by itself tells you a 2ohm load would likely be better as it has a higher damping factor.

If you want to stay at 800w to not exceed the input capability of the sub, you should wire the voice coils in series to a 4ohm load, because that amp is rated 800w into 4ohms.

 

[ko888]

Clarion DPX 1500 Mono Power Amplifier
1500W x 1 Into 1 or 2 Ohms

 

[Jxrdvnexe]

The sub has dual 2ohm voice coils so can be wired in parallel to a 1ohm load. It's rated 800w when both voice coils are used.

The amp is rated 1500w into either 1ohm or 2ohms which by itself tells you a 2ohm load would likely be better as it has a higher damping factor.

If you want to stay at 800w to not exceed the input capability of the sub, you should wire the voice coils in series to a 4ohm load, because that amp is rated 800w into 4ohms.

But in order to get the best performance would I not want to wire it to 1 ohms and set the amp to power it to 800 watts or less? or would it sound just as good at 4 ohms?

 

[BFG-9000]

It would sound better at 800w into 4ohms--with more controlled motion because the amp has more damping factor there.

It would be louder at 1500w though, and subs are fairly sturdy so it's usually fine to go well over the rating if the kind of music you listen to does not have enough continuous bass to overheat the voice coils. Unlike the amp which can greatly benefit from fan cooling, the sub's voice coil is deep inside a massive magnet so by the time the heat reached the surface the voice coil could already have been damaged by overheating.