2 x 10 s or 2 x 12 s

[Ben P]

Hi peeps, just wondered how different these would sound.

Obviously it would depend on the speakers/amp in question, but generally what are the sound characteristics of two 10" subs compared to two 12" subs?

I am thinking of getting either 2 Pioneer 10" TSW 254cs or 2 Pioneer 12" TSW 304cs

Probably power them with a 2x150-170w RMS amp like a Sony or Legacy competition.

Wanted to know coz my mate reckons the 12s will be louder but sound just like a thud whereas the tens would be more musical.

Cheers for any help

 

[Ben j]

10s sound nicer (crisper) 12s go deeper, its your preference. ive got twin 10s and they go deep enough for me and that running a bass test cd on too!

 

[Ben P]

Cheers mate, I think i will go for tens. They should be more than loud enough for what I need as well.

 

[rockport]

This depends if you have 6x9s on back shelf... if you have it maybe worth your while investing in a single 12inch.

i would think you would only be able to hear the 10inch being so close to the 6x9s!

 

[Ben P]

I have 2 pairs of 6x9s in my parcel shelf. (they are amped)

So you think 12s would be a better option for me then?

 

[theICEman]

What type of music do you listen to Ben? Because my advice would be if youre a dance nut, get 12"s in a sealed box for thudding bass, but if youre into music with more defined basslines (hip-hop, drum & bass, garage, etc.) and youre looking for clarity, get a ported box with 10"s.

 

[Ben P]

I listen to loads of different types of music from garage to Jamiroqaui!

But my aim is not overall volume, more to fill out the lower notes which I lose at higher speeds due to road noise etc.

 

[Ben j]

well all of my actual speakers are amped and on high pass filter, only my sub does bass in the car, and it sounds perrrrffect. and besides if i ran a base test cd itd blow my 6x9s if they had bass going through. not good. very deep bass.

 

[luke.B]

10" every time... beter more natural sound, take up less room and still give good volume of sound.... had twelves but they are to much of a compromise they vary so much between manufacturers. 2 tens or one 15" would be a fairer queston. everyone i know who want SQ goes with 10s me included.


luke

 

[OutKa5t]

3 15s

 

[Ben P]

Okay next question...

Say I had 2 subs and a 2 channel amp to power them.

Can somebody explain the differences/advantages/any other info on the following 2 ways of wiring it all up.

1.) Channel 1 of the amp is wired to sub number 1, and channel 2 of the amp is wired to sub number 2.

OR

2.) The negative terminal of sub number 1 is wired to the negative terminal on sub number 2 and then to the negative box terminal. The positive terminal of sub number 1 is wired to the positive terminal on sub number 2 and then to the positive box terminal. The amp is bridged and connected to the box terminal.

I dont understand what running in parallel or running in series is or what the differences/advantages are.

Is one way more powerful than the other? Coz a few people have suggested I wire them in different ways.

By the way I havent qactually bought anything yet, I just wanted to understand the general characteristics/differences.

Cheers

 

[derv]

if you have a two channel amp and wire the subs one in each channel they are in stereo, so sometimes one sub will do different things to the other one dependant on the song you are listening to, but if you wire the - of one sub to the amp and wire the + of the other sub to the other channel and connect the other + and - of each sub together you trick the amp into thinking that you have only one sub and is now running mono, which means the sound out the two subs is equall. I think this is right, anyone else confirm this?

 

[theICEman]

Youre right, but you can only bridge one 4-ohm sub at a time... you can connect 2 speakers/subs to one channel (in parallel) but you can only bridge a single speaker accross two channels (unless your amp is 1-ohm stable, and this is very unusual). If you try this and youre amps only 2-ohm stable, theres a chance of wrecking subs and amps from clipping damage. Be warned!!

 

[Ben P]

Right so say the 2 subs are 150w rms each and the amp is 2 x 100w rms would it be best to run them in stereo?

Thanks for the help

 

[theICEman]

I would definitely say so. 100W RMS is enough power for 150W RMS subs to be pretty loud. I used to run two 200W RMS subs through 1 channel each at 55W RMS (160W peak), and this was still loud enough to make my mirror move about 1" and shake my exhaust loose!!

 

[Ben P]

Thats brilliant.

From what you say, I reckon I might get away with the following:

2 x 300w max subs (I guess 150w rms each) and a 2 x 65w rms amplifier.

This would be a lot cheaper to do and when I consider that I am not after out and out loudness, this should be more than enough to improve the bass in my system. What do you think?

And thanks again for all the advice.

 

[Ben j]

yeah but id bridge the amp and run the subs in parallel. could be a bit quiet otherwise. plus itll still sound just as good.

 

[luke.B]

do you have a sub output on the head unit if you do you can run one off each channel, this can be good as it means the amp will still run at 4ohms although can be a little tricky to set up... two 4 ohm subs wired into one channel should only run at 2ohms.... if your amp can handel 2ohms stable then it should run louder this way..... I think..... Ice man???

 

[Ben P]

Yeah I have a dedicated sub out put on my head unit. (3 pre-outs)

Am a bit confused thought coz I dont understand ohms???

Can anyone explain

thanks

 

[luke.B]

Whats the difference between "parallel" and "series" wiring?

When you wire a pair of speakers in parallel, you connect the positive (+) leads of both speakers to the amps positive (+) terminal, and the negative (-) leads of both speakers to the amps negative (-) terminal.

If you parallel wire two 4 ohm speakers, the load from the amplifiers point of view is only 2 ohms. This lower resistance load (fewer ohms) draws more power from the amplifier, and causes it to run hotter. Amplifiers that can handle this additional heat build-up are considered 2 ohm load stable.

Series wiring works the same way as torch batteries; the positive end of one speaker is connected to the negative end of the other speaker. Wire from the positive terminal of the amplifier to the positive terminal of one speaker. Then wire from the negative terminal of the first speaker to the positive terminal of the second speaker. Finally, run a wire from the negative terminal of the second speaker to the negative terminal of the amplifier.

If you series-wire two 4 ohm speakers, the amplifier will see an 8 ohm load. This higher resistance load (more ohms) impedes the flow of current out of the amplifier. You get less power, but the amplifier runs cooler and is more stable.



You can run more than one speaker from a single amplifier channel by wiring the speakers in series or in parallel.

Series wiring will raise the load (resistance) that your amplifier sees, and parallel wiring will lower it. Be certain your amp is 2-ohm load stable before wiring 4 ohm speakers in parallel.


How much power do I need for my subwoofers?

That depends on what sort of bass impact you hope to achieve. If you just want to hear a bit more bass than your normal stereo speakers can put out, you should be satisfied with an efficient 160mm subwoofer driven by as little as 30 watts RMS. On the other hand if youre looking for really big bass sound, youll need a 250mm or 300mm sub and as much as 150 to 200 watts to drive it.

Be sure to use the proper box design and volume for the subwoofers you choose. This has a significant effect on bass response. A 250mm sub in the right box with the right amount of power will sound better than a 300mm sub in the wrong box with the right amount of power.



this was imorally stollen from

http://www.justkenwood.co.uk/editorial/faq_amp.asp

hope it helps explain some of the wireing principals.... sorry its so long


Luke

 

[Ben P]

Cheers mate thats brilliant.