Changed wiring setup on subs...id like input

[Qxxx4]

So since day 1 ive always felt a decent punch from my subs but nothing too crazy. I always figured it was the sealed box, 10's instead of 12's, and my non-high-end brand amp were all factors..and the fact that i spent only $140 for everything, i wasnt complaining.

Well last week i blew my sub channel. My Boss amp has 1x1500W channel, and 4x350W channels. My clarion 10's are capable of 300W RMS and 600W peak, although i do believe the clarion numbers, the Boss numbers are definately peak values if even accurate at all.

The last week ive been driving with barely any bass and really was getting frustrated. I tried to convince myself that my direct connections to a 350W channel for each sub was giving me exactly half power, but my subs would barely move, and there was almost little noticeable additional bass (my deck allows me to turn subs off for comparison)

After investigating, I realized the previous owner of my subs/amp wired the subs in parallel to the sub channel (mono). Therefore i was getting 2ohms which apparently is ok to my subs specs, but its the minimum so I was pushing it hard, along with setting gain to max, of course it was inevitable that it would blow.

All day I was thinking of a better way to get more power from my 4 remaining 350w channels. I read the specs on my amp and found that i can bridge two channels together

EDIT ignore all the info i wrote here, it will only confuse you...
Modified by Qxxx4 at 8:20 PM 5/27/2009

[fueler]

Therefore i was getting 2ohms which apparently is ok to my subs specs, but its the minimum

Im not a car audio expert but i think you confused. SVC subs are either 2ohm, 4ohm, or 8ohm. There is no interchangability, nor is there a "minimum ohms" for subs. On a SVC sub its preset. In contrast, a DVC sub gives you a few ohm options depending on how you wire it. It's the AMP that has a minimum ohm rating. You manipulate the OHMs by what subs you use and how you wire them. Heres a wonderful link i keep in my bookmarks for subwoofer installs: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-d....html

[Qxxx4]

i know my subs are 4ohm rated, but if i wire them differently the amplifier sees them as a different impedance...ohms law right?

series......R1+R2parallel....1/(1/R! + 1/R2)

I see speakers as resistors thats how im thinking

btw i actually wired the subs in parallel with eachother...so i am in fact bridging at 2ohms...so it is pushing my amp hard i assume since for bridged connections it specifies 4-16 ohms...this is exactly how i connected them

http://akamaipix.crutchfield.c...o.jpg

the mono channel is just two channels bridged together right now for me

i def wont push my amp as hard as i used to and set the gain lower with this new impedance.

i tried doing this http://akamaipix.crutchfield.c...h.jpg but it appears that ch 1 and 2 dont work for subs, only 3 and 4, so hopefully those will last a while lol

[fueler]

if its bumpin (and not clipping) then youll probably be fine. But try to get a monoblock amp for the subs. In my opinion monoblocks are better for subs and 4 channels better for door speakers.

[K03sport]

Ch3(+) <--> + Sub1 - <--> (-)Ch4

this should give you 700W @ 4ohms if bridging CH3 and 4 this way doubles channel power

I then connected sub2 in series with sub 1

So it would look like this Ch3(+) <--> (+)Sub1(-) <--> (+)Sub2(-) <--> (-)Ch4. This will give you 8ohms. You are now getting 350W@8ohms into your two subs, where in the above case, you were getting 700W@4ohms into one sub.

So, from my understanding I have 8ohms of resistance, and approx 700W feeding the subs right?

Wrong. See above comment.

do you guys think my subs can handle this? their SVC with 300W RMS and 600W peak...i dont care about the amp but i love these subs.

I think your subs should be fine. Yes, they are rated to handle 300W rms, but 175W while in series isn't anything to sneeze at.

Also, when "tuning your gain", its best to use as little gain as possible. Find the spot where it sounds the best. Make sure your radio is set at "0" Bass when doing this. The idea is not to go above "70%" gain. In fact, no higher than "50%" gain is better, but each amp and car is different.

Once your gain is set, now use the radio EQ to fine tune the sound to your liking. Going back and tweaking the gain might be necessary, but only a small tweak should be all it takes.

Example wiring article --> Series vs Parallel
Modified by K03sport at 9:18 PM 5/26/2009

[Qxxx4]

thanks very much for clarifying, I realized i wired it in parallel afterwards, series didnt give me any power as it was in fact only 175w per sub, but the PARALLEL setup is what i have, i got confused since I have one sub into amp and other sub connected to the sub going into the amp, its parallel though so definately 700w total. It sounds great! i love it, sorry for my contractions in first post i wasnt too awake at the time lol

so, two SVC 4 ohm subs, connected in parallel, bridged to ch 3 and 4, thats my setup @ 50% gain (going to lower it though it sounds like there is a little bit of clipping)

[K03sport]

... I have one sub into amp and other sub connected to the sub going into the amp, its parallel though so definitely 700w total.

Actually, your amp isn't pushing 700W, it is pushing 1400W@2ohm load and each sub is seeing 700W, which is a bit more than what they are rated.

so, two SVC 4 ohm subs, connected in parallel, bridged to ch 3 and 4, thats my setup @ 50% gain (going to lower it though it sounds like there is a little bit of clipping)

Here are the possible configurations assuming the bridged Ch3/Ch4 gives you 700W@4ohms

Ch3+ > +Sub1- > -Ch4 = 700W@4ohmsCh3+ > +Sub1- > +Sub2- > -Ch4 = 350W@8ohms (Series)Ch3+ > +Sub1 > +Sub 2, Ch4- > -Sub1 > -Sub2 = 1400W@2ohms (Parallel)

If you are running them in parallel, then I suspect your subs won't last too long since both are being driven past their peaks. I guess your only saving grace will be to turn the gain down to 25% or less to keep the amp from getting too hot and slamming the subs with too much.

Could you only power one sub (700W) and leave the 2nd sub as a passive radiator (no power) or does your box have two separate chambers?

You could also try some 2ohm SVC subs in series with Ch3/Ch4 bridged. That would get you the 700W@4ohms and each sub would see 350W.

Or go with an amp that works the best at either the series or parallel configuration you want to run.

What's cheaper...a new amp or new 2ohm subs? You can sell your 4ohm subs to offset some of the cost of the new subs.

[Qxxx4]

FINAL.

turns out the reason why bridging ch 1 and 2 didnt work was because my RCAs were setup for ch 3 and 4, i changed it so that i have a mono signal going to one sub and another mono to another sub. Thanks for your help guys, i know have things properly connected and hopefully a longer lifespan for my components (and much better sound)

any reccomendations on speaker wire? ive got 4 gauge connected for 12V and ground, but what about my speakers what do you guys reccomend. I plan to "Tin" the tips of my connections for a solid connection like i did previously. Right now ive got crappy dollar store 18gauge wire from amp-subs and I want to upgrade to something better.

im so happy the q is boomin more than ever, i feel cool again.

[fueler]

ive used power cable for subwoofer wire before.... but now i got rinky dink little wires and it still thumps hard so i dont think speaker wire matters

[KyooX4]

^ Yeah, not as much as the people who sell the high grade wires would like you to think.

[K03sport]

Right now I've got crappy dollar store 18gauge wire from amp-subs and I want to upgrade to something better.

I guess 14AWG at a minimum, but with that kind of power, 12AWG or even 10AWG might be better, but price really jumps as you get bigger.