Five questions about speaker, sub & amp matching/suggestions.

If a car is going to have front & back speakers and 1 or 2 subs.

1. If I got two subs, will these need 1 or 2 channels on an amp.

2. Is it better to have one 4 channel amp for the speakers and a separate amp for the subs. Or is it better to get a 5 or 6 channel amp. Or is there no difference ?

3. Is it better to match the speaker/sub watts to the sub. Or is it better the have the speaker/sub watts greater than the sub. Or is it better to have the speaker/sub watts lower than the amp then tune the amp down ?

4. What are some good makes of AMPs. I've looked previously at 5 channel amps such as JL, Alpine and Soundstream. But I really don't know my stuff here.

5. If you had to design a 4 speaker + 1 or 2 subs + 1 or 2 amps. Decent quality, great sound, loud enough that you don't need the head unit turned up full to get duff duff, but not super ear blowing either, what would be your choices?

P.S. My headunit is a Pioneer DEH-P1Y.
Some of the specs...
Built-in 60W X 4 channel high-power MOSFET amplifier
High-voltage Preout (6.5V)
3 RCA preouts: (front + rear + subwoofer / front + rear + non-fading)
Supertuner®IIID

normally if you have two 12's you should be able to wire them together so all you'll need is a mono block amp to rum them.
if you buy a 4ch for your speakers and a mono block for your sub then you should be fine.
alpine make good amps, if you have decent high power speakers then finding an amp around the same rms or alittle under and you should be right
all you need for a good system is some good splits and some good speakers at the rear with a decents 4ch to run them. 1 or 2 subs are good but if you have two you need a decent mono block with a high rms rating

Five questions about speaker, sub & amp matching/suggestions.

If a car is going to have front & back speakers and 1 or 2 subs.

1. If I got two subs, will these need 1 or 2 channels on an amp.

2. Is it better to have one 4 channel amp for the speakers and a separate amp for the subs. Or is it better to get a 5 or 6 channel amp. Or is there no difference ?

3. Is it better to match the speaker/sub watts to the sub. Or is it better the have the speaker/sub watts greater than the sub. Or is it better to have the speaker/sub watts lower than the amp then tune the amp down ?

4. What are some good makes of AMPs. I've looked previously at 5 channel amps such as JL, Alpine and Soundstream. But I really don't know my stuff here.

5. If you had to design a 4 speaker + 1 or 2 subs + 1 or 2 amps. Decent quality, great sound, loud enough that you don't need the head unit turned up full to get duff duff, but not super ear blowing either, what would be your choices?

P.S. My headunit is a Pioneer DEH-P1Y.
Some of the specs...
Built-in 60W X 4 channel high-power MOSFET amplifier
High-voltage Preout (6.5V)
3 RCA preouts: (front + rear + subwoofer / front + rear + non-fading)
Supertuner®IIID

1.You can have 1 or 2 channels depending on what sort of independence you want!
2.If i were you i would run fronts and rears off H/U (unless you have splits or top of the range speakers)!
3.really it dosn't matter on what type of 6"x9"s you have just make sure thay are a good brand that can stand a thump and make shure i dosn't have a foam ridging. otherwise get somthing that can stand heat because you may leave you car out in the sun for to long and the foam goes brittle.
4.ok mate i dont kno about you but i dont like to mix brands up so i would stick to all pioneer and buy a pioneer 800w mono block about ($300+) and that should set you up reall nice possibly if you want get a class D responce amplifier and you can run speakers off this aswell.
5.well i would build a custom sub box to fit around inside of boot and 6"x9" boxes in the sub box for the 6"x9"s to stop them from gettin the absolute sh*t kicked out of them and i would use all pioneer or alpine

hope ive awnsered all of you questions . if you have any more questions just p.m me

cheers mate

Thanks for the responses guys.

...1 or 2 subs are good but if you have two you need a decent mono block with a high rms rating
...
4.ok mate i dont kno about you but i dont like to mix brands up so i would stick to all pioneer and buy a pioneer 800w mono block about ($300+) and that should set you up reall nice possibly if you want get a class D responce amplifier and you can run speakers off this aswell...
see-ya, I was looking at these Pioneer Subs (see attached pic). But to be honest, I liked them because they're blue (sounds weak huh, but my interior is blue) - I haven't seen or heard one yet.
Pioneer TS-W301R
12" - 800 Watts Max. - 150 Watts Nom. - 91dB Sensitivity - 20Hz 4kHz - 4 Ohms

Mr_Roberto, You said to go higher with a mono block if I get two subs. What RMS Rating would you recommend with 2 of these? Is it as simple as division.
ie. If I have one sub I can run an AMP at something like a 150w RMS amp (150w x 1 at 4ohms)
...and two subs would need a bigger amp - something like a 300w RMS so it can run 150w x 2 at 4ohms

Also, is two subs better than one sub or one bigger sub?

personally i havn't seen those sub's before but look red hot how many watts are they?

cheers mate

Thanks for the responses guys.

see-ya, I was looking at these Pioneer Subs (see attached pic). But to be honest, I liked them because they're blue (sounds weak huh, but my interior is blue) - I haven't seen or heard one yet.
Pioneer TS-W301R
12" - 800 Watts Max. - 150 Watts Nom. - 91dB Sensitivity - 20Hz 4kHz - 4 Ohms

Mr_Roberto, You said to go higher with a mono block if I get two subs. What RMS Rating would you recommend with 2 of these? Is it as simple as division.
ie. If I have one sub I can run an AMP at something like a 150w RMS amp (150w x 1 at 4ohms)
...and two subs would need a bigger amp - something like a 300w RMS so it can run 150w x 2 at 4ohms

Also, is two subs better than one sub or one bigger sub?
Have you looked into some jaycar gear? They sell pretty good amps at a great price (just contact megatron on these forums for a good deal).
those subs don't look that great to be honest, 800w max and only 150wrms? They won't go as loud as others.
As for amps, to get a good quality 5-6 channel amp will be around the $1k mark, that's retail though so maybe abit cheaper. To be honest it will be alot cheaper just to get a 4 channel for the speakers and a monoblock for the subs.

personally i havn't seen those sub's before but look red hot how many watts are they?

from what I can find out...

Some websites say:
800 Watts Max.
150 Watts Nom.

But the Pioneer Aus. site says:
1000 Watts Max.
400 Watts Nom.

:confused:

normally when you wanna buy only one sub you will go for a 4ohm sub, so then this can be wired up as a 2ohm which will give you more power out of the sub
if you wanted 2 subs then make sure that each sub is a 2ohm so that they can be wired up together to give you 2ohms
2ohm rating is double the watts that it say for 4ohm, if you were to get 2 subs then the rms would double.
normally the amp would have to have equal or more rms than the subs to run them at full power, but if they run under power but by only alittle then you shouldnt have any problems

if you have 2 subs and have an amp that can provided them with the correct amount of power than yeah your car will be shaking that much that all you can hear is the boot rattling at a low volume. i had one 12" which went pretty hard and sounded awsome, i have now gotten another 12" and it sounds just as good but puts out alittle more bass. all i need to do is buy a bigger amp.

...As for amps, to get a good quality 5-6 channel amp will be around the $1k mark, that's retail though so maybe abit cheaper. To be honest it will be alot cheaper just to get a 4 channel for the speakers and a monoblock for the subs.

Do I need to buy a monoblock amp for subs or can I run a 4ch amp bridged to the two subs. I only ask this in case I was to find a good priced amp secondhand. Or is secondhand to risky.

But first thing I suppose I've gotta do is find these subs and work out what RMS they really are as the websites seem to conflict each other (as in my earlier post).

Anyway, thanks for your help guys - it's off to the sound shops next for me. To buy or at least to find out more info and maybe hear some amps/subs.

normally when you wanna buy only one sub you will go for a 4ohm sub, so then this can be wired up as a 2ohm which will give you more power out of the sub
if you wanted 2 subs then make sure that each sub is a 2ohm so that they can be wired up together to give you 2ohms
2ohm rating is double the watts that it say for 4ohm, if you were to get 2 subs then the rms would double.
normally the amp would have to have equal or more rms than the subs to run them at full power, but if they run under power but by only alittle then you shouldnt have any problems

if you have 2 subs and have an amp that can provided them with the correct amount of power than yeah your car will be shaking that much that all you can hear is the boot rattling at a low volume. i had one 12" which went pretty hard and sounded awsome, i have now gotten another 12" and it sounds just as good but puts out alittle more bass. all i need to do is buy a bigger amp.
Why not just get 2 4ohm subs and wire them up as 2ohm? :P.

GRDPUCK - A monoblock will almost always play bass better than the equivilant powered/branded 4 channel. In saying that if a 4 channel is bridgeable to 2 channels and has a LPF, it's possible, and will still sound quite good (is the way i have mine setup).
2nd with amps is alright as long as it hasn't had a hard life. Pretty hard to tell though.

Why not just get 2 4ohm subs and wire them up as 2ohm? :P.

GRDPUCK - A monoblock will almost always play bass better than the equivilant powered/branded 4 channel. In saying that if a 4 channel is bridgeable to 2 channels and has a LPF, it's possible, and will still sound quite good (is the way i have mine setup).
2nd with amps is alright as long as it hasn't had a hard life. Pretty hard to tell though.

you can also do it that way, but it is normally done if you want each sub to have its own amp. you cant have two 4ohm subs and then wire them up together cause in this case it will give you a 4ohm rating. there is a way to join two 4ohms together to give it a 2ohm rating when it gets to the amp. you have to wire each sub so that they are 2ohms and have a terminal for each one, then connect one terminal to the other on the outside of the box then run the wire to the amp. mono block amps are more designed to just run subs which will be better off for your sub when you are tuning it in

For starters you have a decent HU so thats good.

1. Why 2 subs? I would buy one decent 12" in a good enclosure and spend the rest on some better splits for the front. But if you buy 1 or 2 subs you would run them from a single monoblock amp. The amp should be a bit more powerful than the subs so its not running flat out all the time, you just turn the gain down a bit so you dont fry the subs.

2. Better and cheaper to get a single monoblock for the sub/subs and a 4 channel for the rest of the speakers.

3. Again, the amps should be rated at MORE than the RMS power rating of your speakers and sub/subs. Turn the gain down on the amp to protect your speakers. This way the amp will have some headroom or breathing space and will last longer as its not being run at full capacity all the time.

4. The Response amps from Jaycar are great value for money. Megatron can help you there. Alpine make some nice amps. There are heaps of brands, see my link below.

5. That totally depends on your budget. Give us some indictaion. Are you going to be installing it yourself?
I would go:
A single good quality 12" sub in a sealed box
Decent 6.5" splits up the front ($200-$400)
Decent 6.5" or 5.25" coaxials or splits up the back ($200-$300)
A monoblock for the sub (Response 800W)
A 4 channel for the speakers (Response 4x100W)
See this link for FHRX's suggestions of brands and give him a call, he is VERY helpful!
http://www.fastfoursforumscarclub.com/temp/fhrxstudios/faq.asp#0
Go to the section what is the best system I can get for XXX dollars.

Hope that helps. But yeah give us an indication of your budget cause there is HEAPS of choices but it all comes down to money. Dont forget you can do it slowly over time and buy better stuff.

Cheers
Pete

dude, all subs are 4 ohms they all run low. you can run it through a 2 ohm amp

cheers mate

depending on the subs you want, single voice coil can be run through a 2 channel amp if you are looking for price, 2 subs or dual voice coil requires a monoblock to run properly. make sure you set your gains right on the amp so you dont blow your sub. amp needs to be higher RMS than sub but again, make sure your gains are set right. also, you can control speaker bass and turn it down and let your sub/s do all the work with 3 RCA outputs. dedicated amps will always run better than a 5channel to run your whole system. make sure your alternater doesnt suffer from too much power..

dude, all subs are 4 ohms they all run low. you can run it through a 2 ohm amp

cheers mate

mate NOT all subs are 4 ohms and your amp will only run at 2 ohms if it has a 2ohm load meaning your sub/s config MUST be at 2ohms

there are many different subs eg earthquake magma are dual 1.5ohms
many of the 90series DD subs come in 1.0ohm even 0.5 ohms and they can come in dual or quad coils

For starters you have a decent HU so thats good.

1. Why 2 subs? I would buy one decent 12" in a good enclosure and spend the rest on some better splits for the front. But if you buy 1 or 2 subs you would run them from a single monoblock amp. The amp should be a bit more powerful than the subs so its not running flat out all the time, you just turn the gain down a bit so you dont fry the subs.

2. Better and cheaper to get a single monoblock for the sub/subs and a 4 channel for the rest of the speakers.

3. Again, the amps should be rated at MORE than the RMS power rating of your speakers and sub/subs. Turn the gain down on the amp to protect your speakers. This way the amp will have some headroom or breathing space and will last longer as its not being run at full capacity all the time.

4. The Response amps from Jaycar are great value for money. Megatron can help you there. Alpine make some nice amps. There are heaps of brands, see my link below.

5. That totally depends on your budget. Give us some indictaion. Are you going to be installing it yourself?
I would go:
A single good quality 12" sub in a sealed box
Decent 6.5" splits up the front ($200-$400)
Decent 6.5" or 5.25" coaxials or splits up the back ($200-$300)
A monoblock for the sub (Response 800W)
A 4 channel for the speakers (Response 4x100W)
See this link for FHRX's suggestions of brands and give him a call, he is VERY helpful!
http://www.fastfoursforumscarclub.com/temp/fhrxstudios/faq.asp#0
Go to the section what is the best system I can get for XXX dollars.

Hope that helps. But yeah give us an indication of your budget cause there is HEAPS of choices but it all comes down to money. Dont forget you can do it slowly over time and buy better stuff.

Cheers
Pete


100% agree with above statement

i've taken the above info and info given by the guys here... and im on my way with my system.... except im still using 6x9's in the back cos it's easier


one thing i've heard is no mater how good the subs amps speakers the sound will only be as good as the source!!! so i've ditched the ebay special and that idea... getting a better h/u with 5v pre outs and sub and some other crap control etc... better than the 1 rca out on the ebay thingy,, lol

and i got me one of them Jaycar mono's the 820w @ 1ohm and.... did some looking around and they rated it 820w rms @ 1 ohm at only 12. something volts and if it was able to be measured at 14.4v love the rate most other amps it will have made 1000w...

got mine super cheap brand new too...

dude, all subs are 4 ohms they all run low. you can run it through a 2 ohm amp

cheers mate

You're an idiot!

Never make statements that you don't understand...why would you give some-one advice on a subject you clearly have no grasp on at all???