Audio Systems: Can Sony Xplod XM-502Z run 900W SUBWOOFER ?, sony xplod, ohm model

Question
I just want to start with saying Hi to everyone :)

I don't have much knowledge about cars and sound systems Yesterday I bought 12 inch Sony Xplod Subwoofer which a guy said is 900W with Sony Xplod 250W XM-502Z Amplifier, Straight away it doesn't make sense to me how can 250W Amplifier can run 900W Sub but He said it will work so I am not sure what should I do please need some advice :) I am afraid if I install this it will blow up my car electric system or something

Thanks.

Answer
The main thing to consider is RMS (or average/continuous) ratings. Never use 'peak' ratings to design your system.
Secondly, that is not a 250 watt amp. it is 2x50
The 1000 watt Sony 12" (I cannot find a 900 watt one online to compare) is actually 350 watts RMS so you should be setup pretty well with 120 watts that amp will provide in bridge mono operation.
The enclosure design and rigidity/quality will have more effect (as to the subwoofer output) than the wattage will in most cases.

Here is the manual for the amp.
http://www.docs.sony.com/release/XM502Z.pdf
Though it says 250 watts 'max' it is actually rated at 50x2 @ 4 Ohms or 60x2@ 2 Ohms or 120x1 (2 4 Ohms) RMS.
So....If your speaker is an 8 Ohm model you will only get 100 watts in mono (the 50x2 added together). If the speaker is a 4 Ohm model you will get 120 watts delivered to it in mono.


That said, you may be wondering how well 100-120 watts will do (I do not know which you'll have because it depends on the impedance of the sub or voice coil(s) and you provided no model number).
I can tell you with great certainty that using a 250 watt RMS mono amp will only give you about three more decibels than using the Sony amp wired in bridged mono at 120 watts.

The speaker's wattage rating is only the amount of power it can safely receive from an amp. There is nothing safe or useful about using peak ratings to design a system.

There is much more data about properly setting the amp level once this is installed.
But in a nutshell:
The idea is to get RMS power from the amp when the deck volume is at or very near 100%.
*Setting the amp level any higher will not give you one additional watt of power and will only cause system damage (*amp and/or speaker failure due to clipping).

If you need more assistance do not hesitate to ask but please provide the model number of the speaker! ♫

Regards,
Jerry Mael