subs w/ amp

[atlbravesfalcs7]

when you have one subwoofer, you put the amp in bridged mode right? so when you get two subwoofers, does each woofer put out less power than one would in bridged mode? or is it the same?

[Ryan from Ohio]

The ONLY way to successfully wire your setup is to series both coils on each sub (4 Ohms) and run to each channel.

The rest for your purposes is meaningless as this is the only way you can run it.

[atlbravesfalcs7]

The ONLY way to successfully wire your setup is to series both coils on each sub (4 Ohms) and run to each channel.
The rest for your purposes is meaningless as this is the only way you can run it.

lol i would never run it any other way. that what im doing right now. i will run 4 ohms from each channel to the sub. i say this because i currently do not have two subs in my car. im getting the second sub for christmas.

i did successfully set the gain tonight. the knob went almost fully clockwise before it finally hit 29 on the dmm.

but is there a huge notable difference in bass when you have two subs wired to each channel rather than one bridged w/ both channels?

[Ryan from Ohio]

Depends on the power.

You only apply the DMM across the channels you are using.

For instance if you have it bridged, across the two bridging terminals.

If you are running two channels, then you just pick one channel.

The reason the gains so far up is because its a lower end amp- you are milking it for everything its worth.

[atlbravesfalcs7]

Depends on the power.
You only apply the DMM across the channels you are using.
For instance if you have it bridged, across the two bridging terminals.
If you are running two channels, then you just pick one channel.
The reason the gains so far up is because its a lower end amp- you are milking it for everything its worth.

alright this whole gain setting this is now getting me pretty damn confused. if i run one subwoofer with it bridged, you are saying that i should connect the positive and negative from the dmm to positive from left channel and negative from the right channel?

and if i have two subwoofers, what would be the correct way to do it then?

the "how to set gains with dmm" didn't make it really clear on where exactly you should hook up the dmm too. there are positive and negative on right and left channels.

and i cant see how the amp being lower end makes it not have enough power for the subs...i mean its only powering one 12 inch and there are reviews saying that the exact same amp is successfully powering 2 subs.

[Ryan from Ohio]

Well first off "due diligence" was never a part of this conversation.

You are not speaking on relative terms now.

You match amps up with the subs you have looking at power output into Ohms. Just simply looking at a review saying it can power two 12" subs is about like me saying my Yugo is a Ferrari because it has 4 wheels. Theres just WAY more to it that you having one or two 12" subs...

This is why you had to turn the gain almost all the way up to get the rated power.

It all depends on how you sub wired to the amp.

This concept is fairly simple. Maybe instead of trying to understand parts that dont apply to you we just work on what does apply to you?

[atlbravesfalcs7]

ok, i am just trying to figure this out. this picture shows exactly how my setup is wired right now. http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/ca/learningcenter/car/subwoofer_wiring/1DVC_2-ohm_2ch.jpg

on that picture, where the red and blue wires are connecting to the amp, is where i put the positive and negative from the dmm into the amp when i did the gains. since this is now a bridged channel, i think i was suppose to use the "bridged rms power" in my equation of ohms law. instead, i used the 220 watts x2 channels at 4 ohms.

so basically, i used the equation 220 x 4 = 880, then used the square root of 880 which is 29.6. this is what i set my gain to.

i think i was supposed to use the "bridged rms power", which is 560. so i think the correct way for me to set gains would have been 560x 4, then the square root of that.

but it all really depends on where i was supposed to place the positive and negative from the dmm. like i said, i placed it on the positive from the left channel and negative from the right channel.

some other things i noticed is that when the gain was already half way up on the amp, the numbers on the dmm didnt really even start to increse. i also saw that when you increase the lpf just a little bit, it dramatically increases the number on the dmm.

when i placed the positive and negative on the same channel on the amp, the number on the dmm really never went up, even when the gain was all the way up. i think the highest it got on the dmm was like 1. how can that be right..?

but if this will not work out, i will just take it to a professional to tune it after i install the other subwoofer.

[Ryan from Ohio]

Ok, well at first you said you had two subs, then it changed.

So the math will change also.

You will have to recalculate it for what you currently have. You will have to redo it when the time comes.

When you do this also, its the DMM on the needed amp outputs. No speakers.

[atlbravesfalcs7]

im going to best buy to have the amp tuned after i install the second subwoofer. already made the appointment. i didnt have much luck trying it on my own, and i will most likely return the dmm.

i think the amp i have will be fine powering two subs as long as i have someone tune it that knows what theyre doing. they tune by ear at best buy as well, and i would rather have someone that really knows what theyre doing tune it by ear than have myself try to figure something out that im struggling with.

thanks for all the help. i just don't want to ruin my system trying this on my own.

[Ryan from Ohio]

Actually if you follow along you wills tand a much better chance than them.

I would look to see if there is any members local to you that could help you out. This board is kinda small, so you may want to try a more populated board.