Quick Question
04-18-2002, 10:46 PM
#1
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Quick Question
What is better to hook a sub up with...a lower ohm or a higher ohm....also what does ohm mean...thanks for your help...i know a bit about car audio just haven't figured out what ohm means...
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04-18-2002, 11:30 PM
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Lower
Lower you get more power. I don't remember why. It's been a while since i took physics, but i know lower has more power. Ask a science guy they know this stuff.
04-19-2002, 01:19 AM
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Ohm is a measurement for resistance. The more ohms, means higher resistance, meaning less current gets through. Since power is proportional to current, less current means less power. Therefore if you want more power, you go for lower ohms. But then you risk blowing out your stuff if it can't handle the power. Your call. 
04-19-2002, 03:41 AM
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hornyleprechaun:
What D73 said is sorta right. The whole current resistance thing is true...but power is also proportional to resistance...I^2*R, or V^2/R. In subs...where the voltage is held constant...a lower resistance sub means that the amp doesn't have to work as hard to push current through. That means for non regulated amps (most amps), you have a higher output with a lower resistance that it "sees". Nonregulated amps are meant to only handle only so low a resistance, since they're nonregulated they can outdo themselves with a low enough resistance...heating themselves up so much by producing so much current that they burn up. For mild cases...you could use a water/oil cooling system that I will be using on mine.
The other side is regulated amps (JL amps, other specialized amps). These keep the current constant by adjusting the voltage so that you see the same power no matter the resistance within a range. These are usually more expensive...and so only "better" for high resistance situations.
Now I have been saying resistance...that's not right...it's really impedance...resistance is the real version of the drag on current...you also have an imaginary portion...an x+i*y, where i is imaginary. Inductors...like the coils of your subs, have these. So impedance is the proper term.
So you're thinking...well lower impedance = more power...I'll get as close to 0 as my amp will allow. Not necessarily the best choice...with a lower impedance comes a worse Sound Quality (SQ)...so keep that in mind. If you get below 2 ohms, it becomes noticeable. This results from the materials and design of such low resistance subs, as well as the design of the MOSFETS (Oxide Silicone Field Effect Transistors) inside the amp, who have a lower noise margin with higher output impedance.
So it really depends on your application what to choose. The best thing to do is match the impedance of the sub to that of the amp, as it results in highest power. Now assuming you have choices...it depends. I don't run my subs lower than 2 ohms...period. Some subs are designed for 1 ohms...but not any I would recommend, and the mono amps to drive them have a very nonlinear performance as well...deriving from the switching power supply within them (class D amps).
Hope that helped.
Austin519
What D73 said is sorta right. The whole current resistance thing is true...but power is also proportional to resistance...I^2*R, or V^2/R. In subs...where the voltage is held constant...a lower resistance sub means that the amp doesn't have to work as hard to push current through. That means for non regulated amps (most amps), you have a higher output with a lower resistance that it "sees". Nonregulated amps are meant to only handle only so low a resistance, since they're nonregulated they can outdo themselves with a low enough resistance...heating themselves up so much by producing so much current that they burn up. For mild cases...you could use a water/oil cooling system that I will be using on mine.
The other side is regulated amps (JL amps, other specialized amps). These keep the current constant by adjusting the voltage so that you see the same power no matter the resistance within a range. These are usually more expensive...and so only "better" for high resistance situations.
Now I have been saying resistance...that's not right...it's really impedance...resistance is the real version of the drag on current...you also have an imaginary portion...an x+i*y, where i is imaginary. Inductors...like the coils of your subs, have these. So impedance is the proper term.
So you're thinking...well lower impedance = more power...I'll get as close to 0 as my amp will allow. Not necessarily the best choice...with a lower impedance comes a worse Sound Quality (SQ)...so keep that in mind. If you get below 2 ohms, it becomes noticeable. This results from the materials and design of such low resistance subs, as well as the design of the MOSFETS (Oxide Silicone Field Effect Transistors) inside the amp, who have a lower noise margin with higher output impedance.
So it really depends on your application what to choose. The best thing to do is match the impedance of the sub to that of the amp, as it results in highest power. Now assuming you have choices...it depends. I don't run my subs lower than 2 ohms...period. Some subs are designed for 1 ohms...but not any I would recommend, and the mono amps to drive them have a very nonlinear performance as well...deriving from the switching power supply within them (class D amps).
Hope that helped.
Austin519
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