Subwoofer questions/help!

[bert400]

Ok so I got this package a while back and Im kinda new to the whole sub thing..I know how to hook up everything but I know there are different ways to hook it up to get the most power. I want the most power...
Heres what it is:
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o55/bert400/speakers.jpg


Heres how i have it hooked up right now...

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o55/bert400/SUBDRAWING1.jpg

Could someone help me out and show me how to wire it up to get the most power...its bridgable too but I believe I have to wire it up a different way to bridge it?

[fasterblaster09]

IF im not mistaken, to bridge, you put negative from one sub and positive from other sub on one channel, and vice versa on other channel

[lonnie1977]

Is the amp able to take a 4 ohm bridged load?

[muddy400EX]

hookin up subs depends on what ohms your subs are, and what the lowest ohm the amp can go is

[muddy400EX]

btw, to bridge it you would hook up ONE sub to the amp. negative to one channel, and the positive to the other channel. then your other sub, you will connect to the sub that is hooked up to the amp

[banker30]

not to bust anyone down but im big into car audio... to bridge it you will run your positive and negitve to the opposites on the amp.. say you run your positive on channel one positive and your negative to channel two negitive.. this wil get the most power out of it. by the way kenwood is a great set up! good luck...also bigger power wire gives you more power also

[muddy400EX]

Originally posted by banker30
not to bust anyone down but im big into car audio... to bridge it you will run your positive and negitve to the opposites on the amp.. say you run your positive on channel one positive and your negative to channel two negitive.. this wil get the most power out of it. by the way kenwood is a great set up! good luck...also bigger power wire gives you more power also

werd^ but make sure you amp can go to the ohm that your subs will put out when bridged

[MAaudioX10]

That amp does 150 watts RMS x 1 @ 4 ohms mono. Likely, the subs are, at least, 150 watt RMS each and, are likely single 4 ohm drivers.

That being said, you don't have enough amp for those subs. By bridging the amp in parellel, you will run it at 2 ohms which is too low of an impedence and will harm the amp. If wired in series, the amp will be at 8 ohms. Theoretically, at 8 ohms that amp will put out 75 watts. Which will not make it any louder.

The size wire needed is dictated by how much current the amp draws and, how long the run is. 8 gauge would suffice for a 150 watt amp, mounted in the trunk of a car....i.e. 15-17 foot run.
Installing a 4 gauge wire will not benefit nor hurt your stereo.

Also, another thing to consider is, when running an amp at its lowest recommended impedence decreases the damping factor. The lower the damping factor, the less the amp is able to control the subs. This translates into sound quality.

If your looking for bass, looking into an amp that is 2 ohm stable and puts out at least 300 watts RMS. Then, evaluate your enclosure. A properly tuned and spec'd ported enclosure can produce as much as a 4 db gain.

Of course, this is all assuming your subs are single 4 ohm subs.

Let me google that for you (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=sub+amp+wiring+diagram)

[fasterblaster09]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by banker30
not to bust anyone down but im big into car audio... to bridge it you will run your positive and negitve to the opposites on the amp.. say you run your positive on channel one positive and your negative to channel two negitive.. this wil get the most power out of it. by the way kenwood is a great set up! good luck...also bigger power wire gives you more power also [/QUOTE

are you saying the same thing I said? im confused... btw. idk what ohms is lol:o

[bbender85]

Originally posted by MAaudioX10
...Of course, this is all assuming your subs are single 4 ohm subs.

that was going to be my first question too.

assuming they are... the way you have it wired in the diagram is your best bet.

[bert400]

So the way it is shown in the pic I drew is the best way to set it up is what you're saying?

[Kickstarts-suck]

Get the model # off the subs and amp for me and ill get you a wiring diagram.




Originally posted by banker30
not to bust anyone down but im big into car audio...

Neat o

[bert400]

The number is:
KFC-W112S

[bbender85]

Originally posted by bert400
The number is:
KFC-W112S

yep, leave it wired as is. as stated, that amp is only 4 ohm stable in mono, so wiring the speakers together (parallel) will be too low impedance (ohms) for your amp. it only puts out 60w RMS per channel @4 ohm stereo... but its better than nothing i guess.

[slightlybent47]

Ohms are the amount of resistance the speeker has. The lower the ohms the greater the resistance.
Two 16 ohm speekers in parallel would be a 8 ohm load.
Two 8 ohm speekers in parallel would be a 4 ohm load.
Two 4 ohm speekers in parallel would be a 2 ohm load
Two 2 ohm speekers in parallel would be a 1 ohm load.
0 – ohms is a dead short, just like shorting the speeker wires together.
That’s why the low ohms amps are so expensive. Larger power supply to handle the low ohms loads.

I agree your amp won’t run a two ohm load in bridged mode.
With that set up you have it would be best to just run it in stereo mode.
And 12ga wire is fine for your set up, the runs to the amp are short enough that a large gage wire wont help you any. It won’t hurt but it won’t help either.

Check the ohms on the speekers and see what they are rated for. Subs are usually 4 ohms but not always.

If they are 8 ohm then yes you can run it in bridge mode, that would give you a 4 ohm load.
When you run it in bridge mode run sprat wires to the amp. Don’t go from the amp to the first speeker and then from the first speeker to the second. That will cause the first speeker to get more power then the second one. Run the wires to both speekers all the way back to the amp.

With it in stereo mode it is still putting out the same amount of power as with the bridge mode. The only deference is the dampening factor will be less in stereo mode.
It is still the same power just less dampening. Bridge mode gives you more dampening but it also increases the distortion x 2 over stereo mode.

You would be trading distortion for dampening.

[banker30]

what kind of deck do you have and how big of power wire are you running to your amp?

[slightlybent47]

Back in the mid nineties a stereo magazine put out the results of a test they did concerning wiring on high end stereo systems. They gathered a bunch of high end critics that had reported on how well the high end, high dollar speeker wire and line in wires are so much better then standard wiring.
They set up a bunch of equipment on a sound stage and ran there test with all the critics listening in. They all made there observations and after compiling all the data. The amazing thing was they all picked the low end wire as sounding the best out of all the other they tested. Plane old zip cord was the best out of them all.

Kind of makes you wonder if spending the money on the high end wire is worth it.

Think of it this way. If a test shows a 000.05 loss in the distortion, compared to 000.10 in distortion. The human ear can’t hear the deference any way, it can be seen on a graph but you won’t be able to here the deference. Save your money and just use 12ga zip cord on the speekers.
I wish I still had the article so I could post it, it was a very interesting article.

[bert400]

This is what I found on crutchfield.com. I think im gonna wire it like this?

http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/ca/learningcenter/car/subwoofer_wiring/2SVC_8-ohm_2ch.jpg

Oh and its hookin up to a mustang factory head unit

[Scro]

As long as your subs are single 8-ohm, you should be able to wire it like that.

[bbender85]

like i said... leave it like your first diagram. your amp can't handle a 2 ohm mono load that wiring it like the way you just posted would create. the speakers in that diagram are 8 ohm, yours are 4.

[ben300]

Originally posted by slightlybent47
Ohms are the amount of resistance the speeker has. The lower the ohms the greater the resistance.

everything your saying is correct, accept this....the higher the restistance..or more ohms. means the more resistance the system will have to electrical current, meaning hte higher the resistence, the less electricity is alloud in a system..

when yhou wire things in parrellel, for say 2 4ohm speakers in parallel, you are creating a 2 ohm resistence load....this means that more current is alloud to the speakers through the amp at the same voltage level at a 2 0hm load than would be alloud at a 4ohm load..becuase you have increased your current, adn kept the same voltage level, you have increased your total power of the system....

some aplifiers, like JL audio's slash amplifiers, run the same voltage adn power at 4,2,1,.5 ohm loads do to their special circuitry...this way you can run many different subs, in many different wiring configurations with out having distortion, clipping, or thermally harming your amplifier and subs.

[bert400]

bbender85 -
These speakers I have are 8 ohm, thats why i figured itd work better with the second wiring chart I posted...being bridged.

This is what crutchfield says:

KAC-5204 2-channel amplifier
60 watts RMS x 2 at 4 ohms (150 watts x 1 bridged at 4 ohms)
built-in low-pass filter (80 Hz fixed, 12 dB/octave)
preamp (RCA) and speaker-level inputs
MOSFET power supplies
CEA-2006 compliant
9-1/8"W x 2-5/16"H x 8-3/4"D
warranty: 1 year
Want more peace of mind? Extended Service Plans Available


KFC-W112S 12" 8-ohm subwoofers
injection-molded polypropylene woofer cone with high-roll urethane surround
black stamped-steel basket
power range (per sub): 50-200 watts RMS (800 watts peak power)
frequency response: 28-800 Hz
sensitivity: 90 dB
top-mount depth: 5-9/16"
sealed box volume: 1-1/4 cubic foot
ported box volume: 1-1/2 cubic feet
warranty: 1 year

[bbender85]

well shoot.... do it up! swore i read someone said they were 4 ohm, but if that's the case, put those motha's in parallel! :cool:

[bert400]

Will do then! Thanks for all the help guys!! :cool:

[slightlybent47]

If you do go mono wire each speeker all the way to the amp. Don’t go from the amp to the first speeker then from the first speeker to the second.


Do it like this.


http://i47.tinypic.com/2wr2fyq.jpg

[banker30]

looking at that pic actually your going to want to put the positive from one sub to the the pos on the amp on channel one and the neg on channel 2..same with the other sub..

[Kickstarts-suck]

Wow yall are making this too complicated

http://www.the12volt.com/caraudio/woofer_configurations.asp?Q=2&I=81

I might just happen to have a little Kicker 400.1 amp forsale that would be perfect for your setup...
:chinese:

[slightlybent47]

Originally posted by Kickstarts-suck
Wow yall are making this too complicated

http://www.the12volt.com/caraudio/woofer_configurations.asp?Q=2&I=81

I might just happen to have a little Kicker 400.1 amp forsale that would be perfect for your setup...
:chinese:

If the wire is large enough then it don’t mater ether way. Tomato – Tomoto


Think of like this. I think we all agree that a larger wire will carry more currant. So think of the wire like a water hose the larger the hose the more water will pass through.
Think of the amp as being the water faucet and you run one hose to a sprinkler and from that sprinkler to the next and so on.(Daisy chain) As you get farther down the line the pressure drops off and the sprinklers don’t spray as far.
Now run a separate hose to each sprinkler from the water faucet(Parallel) and all the sprinklers will have the same presser and will spray the same. Witch means there all equal.

The same theory can be used for the speaker wire. I hope that makes sense.

that may be true but the gauge of wire does make a difference. If you're running 2000 watts 12 gauge is not going to get all the power through.


Originally posted by slightlybent47
Back in the mid nineties a stereo magazine put out the results of a test they did concerning wiring on high end stereo systems. They gathered a bunch of high end critics that had reported on how well the high end, high dollar speeker wire and line in wires are so much better then standard wiring.
They set up a bunch of equipment on a sound stage and ran there test with all the critics listening in. They all made there observations and after compiling all the data. The amazing thing was they all picked the low end wire as sounding the best out of all the other they tested. Plane old zip cord was the best out of them all.

Kind of makes you wonder if spending the money on the high end wire is worth it.

Think of it this way. If a test shows a 000.05 loss in the distortion, compared to 000.10 in distortion. The human ear can’t hear the deference any way, it can be seen on a graph but you won’t be able to here the deference. Save your money and just use 12ga zip cord on the speekers.
I wish I still had the article so I could post it, it was a very interesting article.

[slightlybent47]

Originally posted by Nova
that may be true but the gauge of wire does make a difference. If you're running 2000 watts 12 gauge is not going to get all the power through.

2000 watts Well duh!!!! And yes we all agree the bigger wire will carry more load. He only has 150 watt so 12ga is fine. And he is probably only going to run the wire 3-4 feet.
He can use a bigger wire if he wants, that won’t hurt anything.

[muddy400EX]

Originally posted by slightlybent47
If you do go mono wire each speeker all the way to the amp. Don’t go from the amp to the first speeker then from the first speeker to the second.


Do it like this.


http://i47.tinypic.com/2wr2fyq.jpg


i hooked mine up amp to sub, and sub to other sub. tried both ways, sounded the same and the one sub hooked up had less wires hanging around. but whatever you like better. my amp puts 580w bridged, and my subs are only 150 rms, so there gettin a little much, but theyve been good for like 3 years:cool:

[slightlybent47]

Originally posted by muddy400EX
i hooked mine up amp to sub, and sub to other sub. tried both ways, sounded the same and the one sub hooked up had less wires hanging around. but whatever you like better. my amp puts 580w bridged, and my subs are only 150 rms, so there gettin a little much, but theyve been good for like 3 years:cool:

Yeah it accomplishes the same thing and you have less wire to run. That’s called a daisy chain and I do it all the time with my PA system.
He wanted to get the most out of what he has so two wires will get him the max out of it.
I prefer to run them separately but ether way will work.
.