Car Amplifiers - Different Types? Pls Explain !! Going To Buy One

[satish536]

What is the difference between driving a 12 inch car sub woofer by a monoaural subwoofer amplifieror by bridging maybe a 2 channel or 4 channel amplifier ??

I have a Infinity 12 inch subwoofer rated at 300w Rms, I settled in for a cheap amplifier a pioneer 4 channel amp which puts in 60w Rms<two of the channels were bridged to drive my sub, so 120w Rms>. I was not satisfied with the bass i was getting, so im gonna chip in and get another nice amplifier as i sold this to a friend whose gonna use it to drive a smaller 10 inch pioneer woofer . I am planning to go for a mono Subwoofer amplifier as im a big bass freak. How much better are these over a regular two or four channel amp?What are the advantages or disadvantages apart from one being that i ofcourse cant use the mono amp for my speakers !!

Thanx y'all
Any help, comments, info will be appreciated

 

[Doug917]

In one word "distortion"

 

[jaxvon]

You should always drive a subwoofer with a monoblock amp. ALWAYS. Low bass needs a ton of power and you need an amp to do it. Don't worry about getting a bigger amp than your woofer is rated for. A 500w amp will drive your sub to the fullest without distorting and straining. Also, make sure that your car's alternator can handle the extra current. And lastly, if you decide to add more stuff, be sure to add a stiffening capacitor of 1 Farad/1000W of amplification (or more to be safe).

 

[Francious70]

Ok, heres the difference:

Most mono amps are meant to be driven to high power levels at a low ohm load, such as 2 ohms.

Most 2 or 4 channel amps are ment to be driven at higher ohm loads for less power. Most 2 channel amps are "bridgeable" meaning you connect the speaker leads to the + of one channel and the - of the other. Most 2 channel amps are NOT meant to be bridged at 2 ohms, as this would lead to a thermal meltdown.

I take it you have an Infinity Kappa sub which is either single or dual coil. If it is a single coil, you can go with either the 2 channel OR a mono amp. Make sure these amps put out 300 watts x 1 @ 4 ohms.

If you have the dual coil that means you can either have a 2 OR 8 ohm woofer. You can get a mono amps that puts out 300 watts x 1 @ 2 ohms, or a 2 channel amp that puts out 600 watts x 1 @ 4 ohms.

NOTE: None of these power figures are max, they are all RMS.

Here is what I think you should get

http://cgi.ebay.com/PHOENIX-GOLD-XENON-X400-1-CAR-AUDIO-AMP-AMPLIFIER-NEW_W0QQitemZ5825373879QQcategoryZ18797QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

You won't be dissapointed.

*EDIT* And stiffining caps are the biggest marketing gimmick since that rock that you set on you amp for better sound. CAPS ARE WORTHLESS!!!

 

[jaxvon]

*EDIT* And stiffining caps are the biggest marketing gimmick since that rock that you set on you amp for better sound. CAPS ARE WORTHLESS!!!

Never said it was about better sound. It's about not drawing as much juice from your car's electrical system on big transients. Unless this has proved to not do anything, then I'll gladly eat foot.

 

[mulester7]

Unless this has proved to not do anything, then I'll gladly eat foot.

.....hahaha....with fries?.....

 

[jaxvon]

.....hahaha....with fries?.....

Nah, I'm trying to lay off the grease. With a side of carrot sticks.

 

[satish536]

Thanx for the detailed replys guys

I have an Infinity 1230w Reference Series Automotive Sub Woofer, I stay in India,Asia so im gonna buy an amplifier in the united states and carry it back with me when i come to india.

I have a couple of clarifications

1. So a Mono Subwoofer Amplifier is much better than a regular 4 channel amplifier for clean, deep, powerful bass ?? A significant Difference

2. These Mono Amplifiers are compatible with all car stereos which are compatible with other regular 4 channel amps ???

3. What is a Car Altenator ? How do i determine wether it can handle the power the amp requires??

Sorry for all the noob questions, but greatly appreciate all your help

 

[Francious70]

1. So a Mono Subwoofer Amplifier is much better than a regular 4 channel amplifier for clean, deep, powerful bass ?? A significant Difference

No, an amp is an amp is an amp, it could even be a potato amp. As long as the amp can produce the power that you need into the impedance you're running, it'll work.

2. These Mono Amplifiers are compatible with all car stereos which are compatible with other regular 4 channel amps ???

Yes.

3. What is a Car Altenator ? How do i determine wether it can handle the power the amp requires??

You're running ~300 watts, even a Honda civic's stock alt could support that. Don't worry about it until you start running more power. And I say more because you'll eventaully want more. It's an addiction that has gotten a hold on you.

 

[GlocksRock]

I'm running close to 1000 watts RMS in my civic with all stock electrical components, and I have no problems. I also have two 1 farad caps, but I'm not sure if they help or not, but they didn't cost me anything so I said why not use them.

 

[zilla]

You didn't really ask for recommendations as to brands to look for, but nevertheless I'm gonna mention a couple that I used to love when I was into car stuff. I HIGHLY recommend amps by both Arc Audio and Tru Technology. They're not cheap, but they're among the finest made in car audio for the $$. They're generally conservatively rated for power, and efficient as hell.