Amp and Sub - I'm new at this...

[96s281]

Hey everyone, I'm sorta new at the install thing, so I have some newb questions some may think are elementary but would be a great help to me...

First let me tell you what I have...

Amp:
Kenwood 2-channel amp (KAC-7201)
- 800W peak power
- Bridgeable

Head Unit:
Kenwood Excelon Head Unit

Sub:
Kicker 10" Comp Sub w/ slim enclosure
- 300W peak power
- 30Hz - 500Hz

Now my questions if you don't mind...

1. Since the sub is reported at 300W peak power, does that mean that the amp I have is way too powerful for the sub?

2. Can the amp be bridged in this situation or does the sub not have enough power to have the amp bridged? Would it be wise to bridge the amp?

3. Based on the info given, are there any suggestions as to the best way to hook the amp to the sub? Should only one channel be used? If so, could the other channel be used to power another set of speakers in any way?

Sorry if these are dumb questions but I'm trying to learn about this stuff. I tried doing a search for some of these answers but it was difficult due to the specific nature of each situation.

Thanks in advance!!!
Bill

 

[kert0307]

First of all peak power means nothing, what is the rms power for each? and what is the resistance of the sub(number in ohms)? Is it a dual voice coil sub? What is the lowest stable resistance for the amp.

 

[96s281]

First of all peak power means nothing, what is the rms power for each? and what is the resistance of the sub(number in ohms)? Is it a dual voice coil sub? What is the lowest stable resistance for the amp.

Amp:
RMS power @ 4 Ohms: 150W x 2 @ 14.4V
Bridged RMS power @ 4 Ohms: 460W x 1 @14.4V

Sub:
Peak Power range: 300-799W
Impedence per Voice Coil (Ohms): 4
RMS power handling: 150W
High-temp polyimide film voice coil

This is off of the spec sheet from Circuit City's website. Not sure what the manual says since I'm at work. Hope that info helps.

 

[kert0307]

Is the sub dual voice coil?

If it is, I would not bridge the amp, and run one coil from each channel of the amp.

 

[96s281]

Is the sub dual voice coil?

If it is, I would not bridge the amp, and run one coil from each channel of the amp.

Honestly, I have no idea if the sub is dual voice coiled. I looked at the specs online as well as the booklet it came with and it mentioned nothing, unless there's another way you can figure it out other than them spelling it out for you.

 

[toypaseo]

A Dual Voice Coil (DVC) sub will have four leads on the back for wire connections...

A Single Voice Coil (SVC) will have two leads...

 

[Exploderpilot]

the advice on your sub above, is exactly right. if it's a dual voice coil, run each coil on it's own channel, and keep the gain on your amp about midway. you may want to think about a different box though, kicker comp subs like room to breathe.

 

[96s281]

the advice on your sub above, is exactly right. if it's a dual voice coil, run each coil on it's own channel, and keep the gain on your amp about midway. you may want to think about a different box though, kicker comp subs like room to breathe.

Thanks for the replies so far guys...I'm gonna have to pull the sub out of the box to check for the coils. As far as getting a new box, this is the box the sub came with. It's one of those sub/enclosure packages.

The thing I'm still confused about is if the sub has a peak 300W, why is it said that that's not necessarily the max power it could handle?

 

[Exploderpilot]

well, like the stats you posted said, 300-799 is the peak power range. there's a formula for rms power, which is peak times .707. that is rms power. so if you multiply 300 by .707, you get the nominal rms power that the sub will handle comfortably. the quality of the component also has much to do with it. a kicker comp sub is a fairly efficient speaker, meaning it can make a lot more air move with less power than some cheap walmart sub. also, the amplifier's output is affected by it's circuitry. a decent amp's 150 watts, believe it or not, is much better than a crappy amp's 500 watts. right now in my wife's ranger, i have one single voice coil JL audio 12, with 75 watts going to it from a little soundstream amp. it absolutely tries to blow the doors open at full volume. because it's an efficient sub, in a tuned box, with a clean signal running to it.
now, that amp you have will run at 460 watts constant without breaking a sweat. if i remember correctly, that thing is like 14 inches wide right? it's a big chunk of equipment. it has an external fan right? and the kicker comp subs are tough. really tough. is the one you have a VR model? does it have ridges on the rubber surround with stiching on it? either way, chances are if the box it came in only has one set of hookups on the back, the sub is already bridged inside if it's a DVC. i would open it up, run separate channels to each coil, and it will blast, without putting any unnecessary stress on the amp. WHEW! that was a mouthful!

 

[96s281]

well, like the stats you posted said, 300-799 is the peak power range. there's a formula for rms power, which is peak times .707. that is rms power. so if you multiply 300 by .707, you get the nominal rms power that the sub will handle comfortably. the quality of the component also has much to do with it. a kicker comp sub is a fairly efficient speaker, meaning it can make a lot more air move with less power than some cheap walmart sub. also, the amplifier's output is affected by it's circuitry. a decent amp's 150 watts, believe it or not, is much better than a crappy amp's 500 watts. right now in my wife's ranger, i have one single voice coil JL audio 12, with 75 watts going to it from a little soundstream amp. it absolutely tries to blow the doors open at full volume. because it's an efficient sub, in a tuned box, with a clean signal running to it.
now, that amp you have will run at 460 watts constant without breaking a sweat. if i remember correctly, that thing is like 14 inches wide right? it's a big chunk of equipment. it has an external fan right? and the kicker comp subs are tough. really tough. is the one you have a VR model? does it have ridges on the rubber surround with stiching on it? either way, chances are if the box it came in only has one set of hookups on the back, the sub is already bridged inside if it's a DVC. i would open it up, run separate channels to each coil, and it will blast, without putting any unnecessary stress on the amp. WHEW! that was a mouthful!

That was a mouthful, but very helpful. As far as the sub and the box, it does only have one set of hookups, but on the side. It does have ridges on the rubber surrounding the sub, not sure about the stitching though, it's not in front of me unfortunately.

The amp is about 11" x 13", so it's a nice size. It does have a fan as well. I just don't want too much bass to overpower my stock speakers. I'm mainly looking for some extra bass, but nothing crazy. The subs and amp were practically given to me so that's why I have something that can handle more power than I'm really looking for.

 

[Exploderpilot]

well, that's the good thing about the setup that you have, that you can run it at low power(considering what it's capable of) and not have to worry about cooking anything! that amp does get abnormally hot though, hence the fan. so don't be alarmed by that.

 

[Jason94sport]

Run the amp bridged. Connect the sub & leave the amp gains 1/2 way. You should be fine with that.

 

[96s281]

Thanks again for all the help. I'm more than likely trying to install this weekend, so I may have another question or two later on.

 

[96s281]

Well, the install lasted about 7 hours (various breaks included), but all in all the install went well. I planned on taking pics of the install process for some visuals for those who may need assistance in the future, but it took me long enough as it was, but I can take some shots of where the wires were run if anyone thinks that would be helpful.

I do have one last question...if the fuses on the amp are 30A (there are two side by side thatare 30 each), then should my main fuse going to the battery be 30 as well? I got a 4ga amp kit, so a 60A fuse was included, but a friend of mine said they should always match up with the amp fuses. Is that correct?

Thanks again for your help with this!!

 

[kert0307]

leave the 60, add the two 30amp fuses together.

 

[96s281]

leave the 60, add the two 30amp fuses together.

OK, dumb question -- how?

 

[kert0307]

What I ment to say was that since there are two 30 amp fuses in the amp, it would be ok to leave the 60 amp fuse that came with the power cable in.

 

[96s281]

What I ment to say was that since there are two 30 amp fuses in the amp, it would be ok to leave the 60 amp fuse that came with the power cable in.

Ahh, gotcha. I did put the 30A fuse in the holder though. The fuse makes no difference at all in terms of performance, correct? I'd imagine it's safer to have the smaller fuse anyway.

 

[kert0307]

There probably won't be much difference. You could check by seeing what the resistance difference was between the 30a and the 60a fuse was? The 30a fuse will blow if your amp pulls more than 360 watts rms. Which might happen if you have it cranked all the way up? You should be fine either way though. Just carry a spare fuse just incase your favorite song comes on.

 

[96s281]

There probably won't be much difference. You could check by seeing what the resistance difference was between the 30a and the 60a fuse was? The 30a fuse will blow if your amp pulls more than 360 watts rms. Which might happen if you have it cranked all the way up? You should be fine either way though. Just carry a spare fuse just incase your favorite song comes on.

Defnitely. I have the 60A fuse as well as a second 30A fuse on hand just in case. I don't think I'm even drawing anywhere near 360W RMS anyway, so I guess I'll be fine.

Thanks Kert!