Is it better to overpower of underpower a car subwoofer?
Here’s the deal…I have a car amp that outputs 1200 watts rms max…..I can either get a pioneer sub that has an rms output of 1000, which would overpower the speaker a little but I would turn it down of course to get the optimal sound….or I can get a similar sub that has an rms wattage of 1500 watts, which I wouldnt be able to turn up the amp all the way. Heres my dilema…..if I got the sub with the 1500 watts rms it would be underpowered by 300 watts, and I am afraid it wouldnt sound good because the speaker is not reaching its optimum level of output…so which is better to have, slightly overpowering a sub or slightly underpowered?
My amp is 1200 watts rms at 1 ohm stable…..it doesn’t give a max wattage……its a hifoniks zues or something like that…..
It’s better to underpower. The RMS rating is also known as the thermal limits of the sub.
The problem with Javin M’s answer is NO amplifier will have a 200 watt swing from the gain.
The purpose of the gain is to match the signal volts RMS of the source (CD player, etc.) to the input of the amp.
Here is a guide to help you set the gain correctly:
http://www.datafilehost.com/download.php?file=6d26c621
You’ll need Microsoft Excel, a multi-meter (AC volt meter) and a way to burn an audio CD from an MP3.
If you don’t have Excel let me know and I’ll send you a condensed version. sparky3489@yahoo.com
See my site for more info http://spkrbox1.spaces.live.com
___________
"if you under power it you will tear your voice coil leaving you with a blow woofer."
Hmmm…so the mere fact that I turn my volume down, I’m doing damage?
This is another example of some people holding on to a myth or lack of facts.
Here’s the scoop http://www.bcae1.com/2ltlpwr.htm
__________
"In most cases an amplifier that is not capable of producing enough power to move the sub sufficiently will get the gain and the bass boost cranked up to the point of distortion and will destroy the sub."
This is only true if the user "cranks the gain"…
_______________
To Javin M,
What your suggesting is the gain on the amp can have a 200 watt swing on it and this certainly not true.
The watts RMS of a driver is also it’s thermal limits. Exceeding the thermal limits is a bad thing.
Headroom is actually having a higher rated speaker than the amp.
It is FAR better to underpower a driver with the gain set correctly than to overpower it.
6 Responses to “ Is it better to overpower of underpower a car subwoofer? ”
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frist of all rms is the highest level your speakers and or amp can get to, it wount always be pushing at that level, soo underpowering wouldnt be bad, but overpowering can ruin your speakers
References :
RMS MAX is not a rating. It is either RMS, or MAX (which is meaningless, go by RMS ratings).
Either way would be fine. Make sure you set the gains correctly (e-mail me) or damage can result to the amp and/or speaker in either configuration.
*Go by RMS ratings. *Set gains right.
Overpowering a sub will just make it sound better. Underpowering just won’t let it sound as good as it can.
Go with the better quality sub, it’s worth it in the long run.
Have Fun!
References :
http://www.the12volt.com
JoinTheProsToday!
It’s better to underpower. The RMS rating is also known as the thermal limits of the sub.
The problem with Javin M’s answer is NO amplifier will have a 200 watt swing from the gain.
The purpose of the gain is to match the signal volts RMS of the source (CD player, etc.) to the input of the amp.
Here is a guide to help you set the gain correctly:
http://www.datafilehost.com/download.php?file=6d26c621
You’ll need Microsoft Excel, a multi-meter (AC volt meter) and a way to burn an audio CD from an MP3.
If you don’t have Excel let me know and I’ll send you a condensed version. sparky3489@yahoo.com
See my site for more info http://spkrbox1.spaces.live.com
___________
"if you under power it you will tear your voice coil leaving you with a blow woofer."
Hmmm…so the mere fact that I turn my volume down, I’m doing damage?
This is another example of some people holding on to a myth or lack of facts.
Here’s the scoop http://www.bcae1.com/2ltlpwr.htm
__________
"In most cases an amplifier that is not capable of producing enough power to move the sub sufficiently will get the gain and the bass boost cranked up to the point of distortion and will destroy the sub."
This is only true if the user "cranks the gain"…
_______________
To Javin M,
What your suggesting is the gain on the amp can have a 200 watt swing on it and this certainly not true.
The watts RMS of a driver is also it’s thermal limits. Exceeding the thermal limits is a bad thing.
Headroom is actually having a higher rated speaker than the amp.
It is FAR better to underpower a driver with the gain set correctly than to overpower it.
References :
A.A.S. degree in Electronics/Industrial Electronics with 25 years in the mobile audio/consumer electronics field
is your sub a pioneer premier? what kind of amp is it? if the amp is 1200 rms watts you will instantly blow your sub but if it is 1200 max watts it will be ok. rms is the constant output that your amp will do, max is the maximum that your amp will do. it is better to overpower your sub than to under power it. if you under power it you will tear your voice coil leaving you with a blow woofer.
References :
best buy reps
Is it better to overpower of underpower a car subwoofer?
Neither.
Underpowering a sub…. In most cases an amplifier that is not capable of producing enough power to move the sub sufficiently will get the gain and the bass boost cranked up to the point of distortion and will destroy the sub.
Overpowering a sub…. Like sparky said, will exceed the thermal limits of the voice coil and cause it to fail.
The right thing to do is to set the gain on the amplifier properly. Sparky’s method is easy and foolproof.
If the amplifier is weaker than the sub can handle, with the gain properly set, the sub will not produce its full potential in volume. If the amplifier is stronger than the sub can handle, with the gain properly set, the sub will reach its full potential, AND the amp will run cooler, produce cleaner sound, and last longer.
References :
Boy randy, you have no idea what a controversal question you asked.
Here is my Take on it.
Fist the direct answer, go with the 1500 watt sub.
My experience comes from the mobile DJ industy, but the principles are the same. RMS power is a constant power. well guess what music is not constant. This means that a typical musical program can have peaks in the music that are high and areas where the output is lower.
While Dj’ing i had a amp that was twice the RMS of the speakers. I had no issues, and i did run the amp near full capacity. I had good meters to monitor the output. and i would often have peaks that were around 800-900 watts going into a 500 watt speaker from a amp that was rated at 1000rms. and the sound was very clear and never blew a driver. however i had a partner with the same speakers and the same setup, meters and all except he got a 500watt rms amp. he played at only 700-800 watt peaks, well not only did it sound worse he blew drivers on a number of occassions. so why is that? the lower powered amp blew the speakers and the higher one did not? hmm…. Honestly i can not explain it, I always looked at it like this, higher power was instantaneous with its deleverance. the smaller one stumbled and distored, and somehow that caused excessive heat. All i know is what i witnessed. But i would not recomend overpowering to a extreme, because i was walking a thin line. i could have easily blown those speakers and the sound would not even be distorted, giving no for warning, at least my partner had a clue it was getting to loud.
Also keep in mind that ratings are just that ratings. they choose a place in the power band to pull specs from, a amp may produce way over the rated RMS power, just at the expense of extreme distortion and undesirable sound quality. meaning you can blow that 1500watt speaker with a 1200 watt amp if your stupid about it..
for a in depth explanation sparky has a abundance of info to browse thru. although, i disagree with the statment that the amp gains cannot swing the 200 watts. hmm. my gains will decrese the volume tremendously. i’m guessing at least to 20% of the total volume. i had them set way down prior to getting a sub and utilizing the factory sub. it can lower it and on those amps 200 watts should be easy.
References :