Car Stereos: sub and amp, watts rms, bridging an amp

Question
i have a mtx 1000xd  will that be good for running my solo baric l7 4 ohm (or should i use 2 ohm) and should i bridge it for just the 1 l7?

Answer
Hi Fred,

I'd need a little more information to give you an accurate answer to your question.  The L7's power rating varies with different sizes, and also with the type of box: you'd want to reduce the power somewhat if you were using a ported box, for example.  Also, it's not possible to choose 2 ohms or 4 ohms with the same subwoofer.  If you have the dual 4-ohm version of the L7, you can wire it for 2 ohms or 8 ohms; a dual 2-ohm L7 can be wired for 1 ohm or 4 ohms.

If you have the 15", dual 4-ohm L7, used in a sealed box of the recommended size, it can handle up to 1000 watts RMS.  In that case, the sub could be wired for a 2-ohm load to get 1000 watts RMS from the 1000XD amplifier.

The other L7 sizes have lower power ratings than 1000 watts.  If you have a 12" or smaller subwoofer, then your best option is to wire the sub in a 4-ohm configuration so that the amp produces 500 watts RMS.  The only way to do this is to use a dual 2-ohm L7.

The amplifier may or may not be a good match for your subwoofer, depending on the size and impedance rating of the sub.  However, the 1000XD amplifier is a mono amp; by definition, it can't be bridged. ("Bridging" an amp means combining two channels into a single mono channel).

Hope this helps!

Brian