basic question!! OHM

thebeen · #1 (**permalink**) 07-29-2003, 07:22 PM

hey guys..i feel dumb as I think this is very basic, but I keep getting confused.

What are the differences between 2 Ohm or 4 Ohm setups.

I am current getting 2 10" alpine type r's with a JBL amp (amp is rated
4 OHM: 600x1
2 OHM: 300x2

what are the differences and what will give me the best sound output + longest lifetime!

thanks guys

----- also what are other amps and subs in the same price range of this jbl amp ...

luvdabass · #2 (**permalink**) 08-09-2003, 09:03 PM

OHMs are resistance....its what resistance is measured in..........you have two subs and they are both 4 ohm subs....now, if you have a STEREO amp (2 channel) then you could hook each sub to ONE channel, and they would REMAIN at 4 ohms, or if you want a little more power out of your amp (assuming that it is stable at 2 ohms) then you could wire the subs in parallel (both of the + together , and both of the - together), and that would drop your ohm load to 2 ohms.....that way, when you hook them you your amp, your amp would be putting out more power (usually), and it would see a 2 ohm load.

bizlur · #3 (**permalink**) 08-16-2003, 06:32 AM

The best output would be the 2 ohm load (parellel wiring), but the best lifetime method would be be 4 ohm. 2 ohm will cause your amplifier to run hotter and this increases the chances of failure. I would recommend wiring your subs on 4 ohm mono. It all really depends on the quality of your stuff and if you are willing to pay to buy a new sub it one blows out or rips the cone from the rubber surround.

If it was me I would probably wire it 2 ohm to test it out, run the amp on a lower gain and check to see how hot it is after using it for a while. If you turn it up and they pop you are going to want to go to the 4 ohm way of doing it.

I used to have 2 JL W0's wired at 2 ohms to a Precision Power amp (800 watts) and it melted the wires in the sub that run from the connectors into the voice coil. One of broken wires fell across onto the other wire and shorted out my amp, smelled like burning sweaty shoes, luckily I was under warrenty. I then steped up to 2 W3's, wired at 4 ohms at 400 watts and it louder than it was on 2 ohms with the w0's. So it all kinda depends on they quality of your stuff. Sometimes going with the next step up will give u better quality sound and longer lifetime.

luvdabass · #4 (**permalink**) 08-16-2003, 07:49 AM

You seem to have your issues mixed up. Just because you wire a sub at a lower ohm, does not mean that its gonna blow. A sub blows because of :
Distortion, clipping and heat.

Not because of an ohm load. You can wire eight 4- ohm subs all in parallel to get a final load of .5 ohms, and they are not going to blow, its a matter of how much power you are sending them, and if your amp is capable of a ohm load that low.

As for your JL's....the W3's are not louder because you wired them at 4 ohm, and the W0 's did not blow because they were at 2 ohm........they blew because they had to much power going to them for too long a period of time, and the W3's are louder because they are a bigger, beefier sub, that is meant to play at louder levels.

bizlur · #5 (**permalink**) 08-16-2003, 10:00 PM

luvdabass - "You seem to have your issues mixed up."

you seem to not have read my post...

luvdabass - "Just because you wire a sub at a lower ohm, does not mean that its gonna blow."

bizlur - "2 ohm will cause your amplifier to run hotter and this increases the chances of failure"

I was talking about the amp....not the subs. And no it does not mean it is gonna blow at a lower ohm, but yes it does increase the chances of it blowing.

luvdabass - "the W3's are not louder because you wired them at 4 ohm"

bizlur - "I then steped up to 2 W3's, wired at 4 ohms at 400 watts and it louder than it was on 2 ohms with the w0's."

No shit they weren't louder on 4 ohms than 2, read the rest of the sentence.

luvdabass · #6 (**permalink**) 08-17-2003, 04:20 PM

I read your post... and you still seem to think that running them at two ohms is a bad thing. Its only a bad thing if you have an amp that is not CAPABLE of an ohm load that low. I have an amp that is stable at 1 ohm, and I can run it all day long on full volume, and not blow my subs, or fry the amp. If you are "popping " your subs at 2 ohms, then you are feeding them to much power, or else they are getting a clipped signal (gain to high). As for your best "lifetime method"...what the hell? If you want to run your subs at 2 ohms, then you buy an amp that is stable at 2 or 1ohm....and as long as you set the gains right, you shouldn't have any problems.

As for the W3 on 4 ohm vs the W0 on 2 ohms....its apples and oranges man. The W3 is better sub...it plays louder, lower, handles more power, etc. The reason I brought that up is because your comparison of the two subs is irrelevant...they are two totally different subs, getting different amounts of power at a different ohm load. There is NO comparison.