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Adding another Sub??

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Old Sep 17, 2008 | 11:46 AM
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Default Adding another Sub??

Hi,

I am just about to buy an Alpine 10" Sub and Amp (Type R and M500), for a stealth box enclosure.

If I decide later on to add another 10" Sub on the Passengers side, would I need to change the Amp to accomdate the extra Sub??

I will proberly just stick with the one Sub, but would like to know I can easily add another Sub later on, if I want too.

Thanks for helping out a lost newbee.

Last edited by taws6; Sep 17, 2008 at 11:47 AM. Reason: spelling
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Old Sep 17, 2008 | 12:28 PM
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You don't have to but you;ll probably want to get a new amp. Also, if you run 1 sub you will want to get 4ohm dual voice coils so you can wire them up as a 2ohm load and get the full 500W from the amp. If you run 2 subwoofers you'll want to get 2ohm dual voice coils so you can wire them in series to produce 4ohms per subwoofer and then wire those in parallel to get back to 2ohms. But with 2 subwoofers you will only be getting half the power to each, so 250W per subwoofer.
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Old Sep 17, 2008 | 12:46 PM
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Woooowwww, here, was that even English??! Sorry dude, your far superior knowledge and terminology went right over my head!!

So you're saying the Amp (M500) will only work with one Sub at full power, or two subs at half power.

Can I get a amp that will work well for 1 sub, and also work well with 2 subs if I decide to add another later on? If so which one would you surgest?

I guess I may need to decide now if I will get the extra sub, to help chose which amp I should get?

I think I follow what your saying, but I dont quiet understand the lingo yet.

Thank you for the help,

Paul.
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Old Sep 17, 2008 | 01:28 PM
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Originally Posted by taws6
Woooowwww, here, was that even English??! Sorry dude, your far superior knowledge and terminology went right over my head!!

So you're saying the Amp (M500) will only work with one Sub at full power, or two subs at half power.

Can I get a amp that will work well for 1 sub, and also work well with 2 subs if I decide to add another later on? If so which one would you surgest?

I guess I may need to decide now if I will get the extra sub, to help chose which amp I should get?

I think I follow what your saying, but I dont quiet understand the lingo yet.

Thank you for the help,

Paul.
let me try to see if I can make what he said a little easier to understand.

if your amp is 500w and you have 1 speaker that speaker can use all 500watsts but if you have 2 speakers then they will have to share the 500watts making it 250watts per speaker.

yea you can get a bigger amp with more watts.

so lets say each speaker is 500watts then you can get a 1000watt amp and that way each speaker will get 500watts.
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Old Sep 17, 2008 | 01:46 PM
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if your amp is 500w and you have 1 speaker that speaker can use all 500watsts but if you have 2 speakers then they will have to share the 500watts making it 250watts per speaker
I understand.


yea you can get a bigger amp with more watts.
So if I get a 1000 watt amp, can I use it for just one 500 watt sub?
My guess = ??
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Old Sep 17, 2008 | 02:13 PM
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Originally Posted by taws6
I understand.



So if I get a 1000 watt amp, can I use it for just one 500 watt sub?
My guess = ??


I would say that you guessed that right.

Generally speaking, if you buy an amp that's TWICE as powerful than the speaker you have, you're gonna BLOW the speaker MUCH sooner than later...unless your amp has a a way to detune itself, or lessen the output, and even then, I don't think there are a lot of sub amps out there that can lessen their output by 50%, does that make sense?
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Old Sep 17, 2008 | 04:24 PM
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you certianly need to decide now rather then later if your going to run a single or dual sub setup. if you run a single now and want the dual later then your going to have to purchase another amp
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Old Sep 17, 2008 | 04:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Carlos01SS


I would say that you guessed that right.

Generally speaking, if you buy an amp that's TWICE as powerful than the speaker you have, you're gonna BLOW the speaker MUCH sooner than later...unless your amp has a a way to detune itself, or lessen the output, and even then, I don't think there are a lot of sub amps out there that can lessen their output by 50%, does that make sense?
Well if a mono 1000w amplifier has a rating of 1000w @ 2 ohms, and he wires a single dual 2 ohm voice coil sub to it and wires both voice coils in series, then the amp will "see" a 4 ohm load and will only have a 500 watt output. Then, when a second identical 2 ohm VC sub is added, both subs can be re-wired in paralell, then in series to each other so the amp "sees" 2 ohms and will put out 1000w, so both subs will share the 1000w.
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Old Sep 17, 2008 | 05:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Snootch
Well if a mono 1000w amplifier has a rating of 1000w @ 2 ohms, and he wires a single dual 2 ohm voice coil sub to it and wires both voice coils in series, then the amp will "see" a 4 ohm load and will only have a 500 watt output. Then, when a second identical 2 ohm VC sub is added, both subs can be re-wired in paralell, then in series to each other so the amp "sees" 2 ohms and will put out 1000w, so both subs will share the 1000w.
Exactly what I was going to say. Get a 1000W amp and the Alpine Type R in 2ohm DVC and you will be set for a second sub if you need one.
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Old Sep 17, 2008 | 05:16 PM
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I would say that you guessed that right.


I thought so.

It sound like it is possable by what Snootch is saying, but mabey I'm jumping the gun a bit here, as I've never had a sub / amp set up before.

you certianly need to decide now rather then later if your going to run a single or dual sub setup
I am guessing that 1 sub will be enough to satisfy my ears as a newbee.

I just like to check I'm going in the best direction before I start out.

Thanks for the help and advise guys, I'll buy this setup tomorrow.
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Old Sep 17, 2008 | 05:24 PM
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Hmmm, after just reading vjo90rs8 post, mabey I'll be better off getting the 1000 watt amp and the type R in dual 2 coil, and wire it in series, I could then later add the extra sub if I wanted and wire both of them in paralell.

OMG, I think I am finally begining to understand the tech lingo stuff!
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Old Sep 17, 2008 | 08:11 PM
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Originally Posted by taws6
Hmmm, after just reading vjo90rs8 post, mabey I'll be better off getting the 1000 watt amp and the type R in dual 2 coil, and wire it in series, I could then later add the extra sub if I wanted and wire both of them in paralell.

OMG, I think I am finally begining to understand the tech lingo stuff!
Remember, the amp has to be able to do 1000w at 2 ohms, not 4.
Example: http://www.gooddeals18.com/product/06ZX1000?meta=FRG

Also, if you are going to be running another amp for your mids & highs, you probably are going to need a high output alternator. The amp above can pull 100A, plus whatever the current draw is from other amps you have running. I used to run 1200w total in my car, and have a 200A alternator, and 0 gauge wire running from the battery back to the amplifiers. Running that much power is more expensive than just the cost of the amps due to all the accessories you need to do it. Just like adding a supercharger to your LS1, not only do you need the supercharger kit, but also injectors, clutch, rearend, etc.

Last edited by Snootch; Sep 17, 2008 at 08:22 PM.
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Old Sep 17, 2008 | 10:30 PM
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I just installed a Kicker ZX400.1 amp rated at 480W, a 10" Alpine TypeR sub (4ohm DVC) and a stealth box and I think it sounds great, definitely enough sub for me but it is all preference. It would just suck to spend all that money on a 1000W amp and then let most of that power go to waste if you decide one sub is enough. Maybe go with a 600-750W amp and a higher output subwoofer. Are you running the stock head unit or aftermarket?
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Old Sep 18, 2008 | 01:17 PM
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Are you running the stock head unit or aftermarket?
Just the stock Monsoon, for now. I will proberly change for a diiferent one sometime with a Ipod feature.

It would just suck to spend all that money on a 1000W amp and then let most of that power go to waste if you decide one sub is enough
I agree. I will probably be happy with just the one 10", and I could spend the extra money on something else.

If I do decide later on to add another sub, I will be happy knowing I looked into it first before I bought them, and I can always sell the M500 to recop some of the funds.

Thanks so much for the advise guys. Getting good advise like this from the forum makes spending hours searching and asking questions worth while.

Here's to ya....
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Old Sep 20, 2008 | 10:41 AM
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I wouldn't run a type R in a stealth enclosure. Those subs NEED a ported box and do terrible sealed. There are a ton of other options that would be a way better use of your money.
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Old Sep 20, 2008 | 11:06 AM
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That amp will run two subs without a problem
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Old Sep 20, 2008 | 09:30 PM
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yes i strongly agree with the statement above alpine subs need a ported box
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Old Sep 20, 2008 | 09:57 PM
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This is the first time I ever heard that the Alpine 10" Type R subs need a ported box, I have two 10" type R's right now with the subthump drivers side and passenger side stealthboxes, and in the Alpine site it says the 10" Type R's require .6 space and the stealthboxes are either .6 or .65, so explain to me why the Type R's require a ported box?

Right now I have only one sub running right now, gotta wire up the other 10" the proper way for my PDX 1.1000 amp.
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Old Sep 21, 2008 | 12:12 PM
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They were designed for use in a ported box, but in order to appeal to more people Alpine is pretty much forced by their marketing department to offer an alternative sealed size. While the size sealed they recommend works as well as it can for that sub (actually larger would be better) the sub was designed to work in a ported enclosure and doesn't fare well at all in a sealed one.
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Old Sep 21, 2008 | 02:36 PM
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Uhmmm, okay, so what is a ported box??
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