Wiring, Stereo & Electronics Audio Components | Radars | Alarms - and things that spark when they shouldn't

sub wiring questions

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Sep 9, 2010 | 02:27 AM
  #1  
idformula's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Regular
 
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 481
Likes: 0
Default sub wiring questions

I just have a quick question on what is the best way to wire my subs with my amp. My amp is a boss 1800w 4 chanel amp, the specs I could find are:
Max power 2ohms 450x4
Rms power 4ohms 180x4
Max power briged 4ohms 900x2

The subs are memphis 4ohm dual voice coils rated at 500w peak and 250w rms.

I have two of the channels wired to the rear monsoon panels on the high pass filter.

I'm kinda confused on how to wire them so they will hit hard and sound good, do I wire them for 2, 4, or 8ohms?
Reply
Old Sep 9, 2010 | 04:03 AM
  #2  
gta3uzi's Avatar
On The Tree
 
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 197
Likes: 0
From: Huntsville, AL
Default

Wire them up so that the RMS on the amp is as close to the RMS on the sub as possible. "Max" or "Peak" power ratings are worthless and are only used for advertising.

From what I have read, realistically, "peak" power is going to be double what RMS is going to be for both subs and amps despite what marketing is going to tell you, so if you match RMS wattage you'll most likely match peak wattage, thus getting the loudest hit with the lowest chance of blowing **** up.

EXAMPLE

I had two subwoofers in my Maxima. They could handle 500w RMS each for a total system power of 1kw RMS. They had dual 2ohm voice coils. I had an amp that would do 500w RMS @ 4ohm, 900w RMS @ 2 and 1 ohms.

Wire the subs to 4 ohms each, and run the amp in parallel. This gives me 2 ohms at the amp.

The amp produces 900w RMS / 1800w peak @ 2ohms, the subs can handle 1kw RMS / 2kw peak. I ran this setup for two years and never blew anything up even at full power which was more than enough to bounce quarters off of my roof, rattle my eyeballs inside of my head, and literally make my doors separate from my car body enough to see through the gap into the car.

DISCLAIMER

If your amp starts to "clip" or distort the signal because you're trying to play it too loud for the amount of power it can pump out you WILL damage your equipment NO MATTER WHAT. Just like we can't make 800hp on a stock internals ls1, you can't expect your 250w RMS amp to blow the doors off of your car.

Also, run a properly sized box. Whatever sub you run, look up the recommended box size and use whatever they tell you to run. Anything else and you will kill your efficiency / loudness / quarter bounce ability.
Reply
Old Sep 9, 2010 | 06:46 AM
  #3  
98legendws6's Avatar
Launching!
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 221
Likes: 0
From: Sophia, NC
Default

http://www.the12volt.com/caraudio/wo...s.asp~Q~2~I~42

By all means DO NOT wire it to a 1 ohm load. You will have an unhappy amp. Actually you will have an unhappy paperweight, cause it wont work as an amp for long.
Reply
Old Sep 9, 2010 | 05:29 PM
  #4  
idformula's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Regular
 
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 481
Likes: 0
Default

Thanks for the responses, I will probably run them in the parrlell/series for 4ohms, but I got one more quick question, would I just run them with one channel, or would I bridge the 1/2 channels?
Reply
Old Sep 9, 2010 | 08:40 PM
  #5  
gta3uzi's Avatar
On The Tree
 
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 197
Likes: 0
From: Huntsville, AL
Default

Originally Posted by 98legendws6
http://www.the12volt.com/caraudio/wo...s.asp~Q~2~I~42

By all means DO NOT wire it to a 1 ohm load. You will have an unhappy amp. Actually you will have an unhappy paperweight, cause it wont work as an amp for long.
This is not true for all amps. Only run the amp at the ohm loads that it is rated for. My amp was rated from 4ohms down to 1ohm. Some are rated down to half an ohm.
Reply
Old Sep 9, 2010 | 08:42 PM
  #6  
gta3uzi's Avatar
On The Tree
 
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 197
Likes: 0
From: Huntsville, AL
Default

It would be best to bridge the channels and run the subs on the same channel. This means they will both see the exact same electrical current completely eliminating any possible cancellation.
Reply
Old Sep 10, 2010 | 12:16 AM
  #7  
idformula's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Regular
 
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 481
Likes: 0
Default

Alright thanks guys that answers all of my questions.
Reply
Old Sep 10, 2010 | 12:55 AM
  #8  
pdasterly's Avatar
TECH Resident
15 Year Member
iTrader: (4)
 
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 844
Likes: 0
Default

boss and memphis dont go in the same sentence
Reply
LS1 Tech Stories

The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time

story-0

Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-2

Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

 
story-5

Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

 
story-9

10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Sep 10, 2010 | 01:45 PM
  #9  
idformula's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Regular
 
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 481
Likes: 0
Default

They do for me,lol.
Reply




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:17 AM.

story-0
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

Slideshow: This heavily modified 1971 Camaro mixes classic muscle car styling with a fifth-generation Camaro interior and modern LS3 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:06:42


VIEW MORE
story-1
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

Slideshow: From wobbling harmonic balancers to failed EBCMs, these are the issues that define long-term C5 ownership and what repairs typically involve.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-07 18:44:57


VIEW MORE
story-2
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

Slideshow: A modern Camaro transformed into a retro icon, this limited-run "Bandit" build blends nostalgia with brute force in a way few revivals manage.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:57:02


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

Slideshow: Cadillac didn't just crash the high-performance luxury vehicle party, it showed up loud, supercharged, and occasionally a little unhinged...

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-16 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

Slideshow: Top ten most powerful Chevy trucks ever made

By | 2026-03-25 09:22:26


VIEW MORE
story-5
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

Slideshow: Hennessey has turned the Silverado ZR2 into a 700-hp off-road monster with supercharged V8 power and a limited production run.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-24 18:57:52


VIEW MORE
story-6
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

Slideshow: A one-off sports car that looks like a vintage Italian exotic-but hides a C6 Corvette underneath-just sold for the price of a new mid-engine Corvette.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-23 18:53:41


VIEW MORE
story-7
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

Slideshow: A heavily reworked 1972 K5 Blazer swaps its off-road roots for a low-slung street-focused build with modern V8 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-09 18:08:45


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There are thousands of used Camaros on the market but we think you should avoid these 10

By | 2026-02-17 17:09:30


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

Slideshows: Which one of these myths do you believe?

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-28 18:10:11


VIEW MORE