The first thing you need to know is that there are two main types of amps, Multi-Channel and Mono. Multi-channel amps have multiple outputs while mono amps only have one. Multi-channels amps area good if you are going to be combing a lot of subs or if you are going to also be powering the rest of your speakers, but if you are just powering one or two amps then you they can over complicate the system. The better option for simpler systems is to go with a mono amp because they offer a much more straightforward set-up.
(Click here for a more in depth discussion on amplifiers)
The first really technical thing that you need to do is calculate the resistance of your system. So you can figure out how many watts of power you need in your amp.
The first step to calculate the resistance is figure out what kind of voice coil your Sub[s] has and your only options here are Single Voice Coil (SVC) and Dual Voice Coil (DVC). SVC subs have one set of connectors a positive (+) and a negative (-) and a DVC has 2 sets because it has 2 coils. There is not a much of a difference in the sound that comes from these 2 types of speakers but the DVCs give you more wiring options by allowing you to use 2 different ohm levels so they allow you to optimize your system.
The last step is if you are going to wire your speakers in Parallel or in Series and this has a big impact on the total resistance of your system because it affects how you calculate the resistance. When your speakers are in series this means that they are connected end to end, positive (+) to negative (-) to positive (+) to negative (-). When they are in parallel all of the positives (+) are connected together and all of the negatives (-) are connected together.
The way that you calculate how much power you will need to get the most out of your system (assuming that you are using subs that all have the same resistance and RMS power) is to calculate the resistance of the system then multiply that by the RMS power rating of the subs. This is because actual power that your subs will receive is the power of the amp divided by the resistance of the system and if you have a lot of resistance you are going to need more power to get your system moving.
To calculate the resistance in ohms of a System In Series, all you have to do is add up all of the resistances of the speakers so if you wire your speakers this way the resistance can add up very quickly but it can be easier to wire and works well if you have power to spare. So if you have two 500watt 2ohm subs and you wire them in series they will have a resistance of 4 ohms and you will need a 2000watt amp to get the most out of this system.
For a System in Parallel, finding the resistance is a little more complicated. You take the resistance of one speaker (again assuming that all of your subs have the resistance) and divide it by the number of (+)(-)connector pairs that you have in your system (so DVCs count as 2). For example if you have two 500watt 2ohm subs wired in parallel then you will have a resistance of 1ohm and need an amp with 500watts of power which is much less then when they were wired in parallel.
Where DVC vs. SVC comes into play in this scenario is you can combine wiring setups and connect the two DVC connectors in parallel and the rest of the system in series. So, a DVC sub with two 2ohm voice coils can act as a 4ohm speaker if its connectors are in series or as a 1ohm speaker if its connectors are wired in parallel.
You are probably thinking well why wouldn’t I just wire everything in parallel every time so I will have the least resistance possible? And the answer to this question is that systems with less resistance are cheaper to optimize because you can get a smaller amp but a system with a higher resistance have a higher dampening factor and produce a cleaner crisper sound.
If you are planning on making a more complicated system I highly recommend have a professional installation.
Feel free to call our help line (302) 526 – 0999 or leave a comment for any questions or clarifications.
To calculate the resistance in ohms of a System In Series, all you have to do is add up all of the resistances of the speakers so if you wire your speakers this way the resistance can add up very quickly but it can be easier to wire and works well if you have power to spare. So if you have two 500watt 2ohm subs and you wire them in series they will have a resistance of 4 ohms and you will need a 2000watt amp to get the most out of this system.
For a System in Parallel, finding the resistance is a little more complicated. You take the resistance of one speaker (again assuming that all of your subs have the resistance) and divide it by the number of (+)(-)connector pairs that you have in your system (so DVCs count as 2). For example if you have two 500watt 2ohm subs wired in parallel then you will have a resistance of 1ohm and need an amp with 500watts of power which is much less then when they were wired in parallel.
Where DVC vs. SVC comes into play in this scenario is you can combine wiring setups and connect the two DVC connectors in parallel and the rest of the system in series. So, a DVC sub with two 2ohm voice coils can act as a 4ohm speaker if its connectors are in series or as a 1ohm speaker if its connectors are wired in parallel.
You are probably thinking well why wouldn’t I just wire everything in parallel every time so I will have the least resistance possible? And the answer to this question is that systems with less resistance are cheaper to optimize because you can get a smaller amp but a system with a higher resistance have a higher dampening factor and produce a cleaner crisper sound.
If you are planning on making a more complicated system I highly recommend have a professional installation.
Feel free to call our help line (302) 526 – 0999 or leave a comment for any questions or clarifications.
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Posted in Car Amplifiers
Car Subwoofers
Marine Amplifiers
Marine Subwoofers
By
Shane Thomas (Audio Jam)
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