Hey new thought... If the output from the amp to the sub is set at 2 ohms, then the wiring splits between the VCs cuts it to 1 ohm wouldn't the load remain the same on the output from the amp??
My example and I may be lacking coffee this morning - but if I have the amp output connections wired as bridged, the amp should output the same amount based on the settings, volume, limiter, etc. Even if I split the signal I am just cutting my watts in half after output. So if my amp is rated at 1600w @ 2ohm, I should just be limiting myself to 800w per VC (actually shared)? I don't think it would create a 3200w draw. So my 1ohm wiring would only cause an issue on the sub since I am rated to 1200w and I will most likely blow the cone or fry the coil. My amp should be safe on this set-up.
I have run this in cars at 2ohm into a sub box to 2 subs which would have the same effect in my current setup.
...I am confusing myself, no idea which way is up anymore.
You are miles off base!
Here are you amp specs: -
8 ohms: 200 watts x 2 chan.
4 ohms: 400 watts x 2 chan.
Bridged, 8 ohms: 800 watts x 1 chan.
So each amp is rated at 400 watts per channel 8 ohms.
Now when you bridge an amp you must double the impedance.
So in bridge mode the map must see 8 ohms, and not less.
Now if you put two 2 ohm coils in parallel you get one ohm, and each half of you amp will see 0.5 of an ohm. Heck, a lot of speaker runs have more resistance than that. It is a virtual short circuit, and certain to send your amp into protection and if you keep doing it destroying it.
The only way you can use that amp is to unbridge it. Put the two sub voice coils in series to get four ohms, ans just use one channel of the Ashley amp, which will give you 400 watts. You can not make that amp deliver 800 watts into that sub. The good news is that the difference between 400 watts and 800 watts is only 3 db. To really improve on 400 watts you need 4000 watts because of the relationship between sound pressure level and power is not linear but logarithmic.
You do need to use the LFE output as if you do not you will miss the flags to the LFE channel, during explosions and other effects.
Now you need to get out a physics book and not let random oscillations build to destructive crescendos in your brain.
So lets give you a simple physics, lesson, although it gets more complicated than this.
First ohms law. Voltage = Current X Resistance. So Current = Voltage divided by resistance.
Now Power = Voltage X Current. So Voltage = Power divided by resistance.
Now your amp delivers 200 watts into 8 ohms. So your amp can generate a maximum voltage at output of 25 volts.
So the current delivered into an 8 ohm load is 3.1 amps.
Now if we give your amp a four ohm load, the voltage is still 24 volts, but the power is 400 watts now, so the current is 6.2 amps. From the spec. you have to assume this is the maximum current your amp can safely provide, otherwise they would give a 2 ohm rating.
So if you connected your amp to a 2 ohm load it would try to deliver 12.4 amps and 800 watts which it can't.
So we know know the maximum current draw from your amp's power transistors is 6.2 amps. Remember that number.
Now lets bridge the amp. When you bridge an amp one amp channel provides the voltage for the positive deflection of the output wave and the other the negative side of the deflection.
Now you have 50 volts maximum across the speaker terminal of your bridged amp.
So divide 8 ohms into 50 volts and we get your amps max current draw of 6.2 amps. Now if you gave it an 4 ohm load it would try to deliver 12.4 amps, if you gave it a 2 ohm load, 24.8 amps, it you gave it a 1 ohm load, which it is with your subs voice coils in parallel, then a whopping 49.6 amps. This is bound to trigger protection and or destroy your amp.
If your amp could manage to deliver that current it would be providing 2,500 watts!
So you see you have created and absurd situation.
Now it gets more complicated, because a speaker never has a uniform impedance with frequency. The rating is average, in parts of the curve it will be higher than rated and at parts lower. Worse speakers are inductive loads, and voltage and current are not in phase.
When the phase angles are negative, then in that region you have to multiply the current calculations above by the cosine of the phase angle, to find the actual peak current draws. In technical terms there is a power gap between the apparent power and true power delivered. When voltage and current have negative phase angles the apparent power is higher than the true power. The bad news is that the amp has to have enough current reserve to supply the current for the apparent power demand.
By the way bridging in general is not to be highly recommended and a good way to destroy amps. It is much better to have an amp that provides enough power without bridging.
Your best solution is to buy a two channel amp that can provide the power you need into two ohms and connect one channel to each voice coil. The other is a mono block, that will provide the power you need into four ohms, with the voice coils in series or one ohm with the voice coils in parallel.
