QuestionQUESTION: hi I got 2 Quantum Audio subs,each one of them have 1600 watts and 800 rms, now i have a profile baja 700 watts amp, it sounds good BUT I Want more bang. Do i what do i have to do. also do i need 2 amps or with one. please give sites or reference of affordable amp/amps something below $160/unless i need 2 amps then
ANSWER: You are asking the wrong questions!
You should ask if you have the speakers connected for the best power transfer from the amp to the speakers and if the sensitivity is sufficient for the amplifier you have already.
Since you did not give me model numbers (they are not all the same!) I can only give you generic information.
Most Baja amplifiers are rated to handle a 2 ohm load.
Most Quantum speakers come either dual or single voice coil but all the coils are 4 ohms each so far as I know.
You want to have a 2 ohm load on each channel of a stereo Baja amplifier.
The Quantum units are only around 87db sensitivity; quite low.
(Lecture time: Each 3db relates to twice power. If the subwoofers were changed out, for example, to ones that were 90db sensitivity the effect on loudness would be the same as if you doubled the power of the amplifier!)
If your amp is a stereo unit: Connect each woofer voice coils in parallel and connect one sub to each channel. That will give you maximum power transfer into the speakers.
If you wish to get more - after you have made certain you have the current configuration at optimum as explained above - then you have the choice of upgrading the woofers or obtaining another amp.
Since the Baja is not bridgable you would be wiser to get more sensitive speakers. But, if you want to add amplifiers you should upgrade to one with at least 2 times the power in order to get any noticeable increase in loudness.
Also, the enclosure the subs are mounted in make a huge difference. Optimizing the box can get another 2, 3 or 4db improvement - which is a lot.
Hope this helps you understand the options clearly. If you have more questions just fire away. I can give more detail if you need it...
C
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QUESTION: ok they are the series Qpp210 they will be on google, the amp i have is a monoblock subwoofer amp 700 watts (rms???) what i tried to ask is if the amp im using is enough to have the sound of my subs to its potential or do i need to upgrade to better amp/amps? also i wish if you would tell me some reference of a site with affordable amps(if i need to change amp) thanks
AnswerFirst, there is no such thing as RMS power. I know everybody uses it and it is common place even with the best grade audio equipment. RMS voltage times RMS current give average power, not RMS power. It is a definition thing and you can check it in a circuits textbook...... but that is not important.
What is important is the impedance matching of the amp to the speakers. If you want more power and you have an 8 ohm load on the amp you can get 3 or 4 times the power into the speaker load by just making the load a 2 ohm load. For example if your drivers are dual coil and you have them in parallel you will get 2 ohm load to the amp and maximum power transfer. If you have the coils wired in series or if they have only one coil of 4 ohms you are getting 3 to 6 db less sensitivity than you should be. Correcting the loading can make a bigger difference than increasing the power amplifier by 2 times!
The Baja amps are very inexpensive and you could do well with them. If you use two amps they should be bridgeable so you can connect one speaker to one amp in bridge. That way you will get a whopping transfer of power into the speaker load.
The best place to get amps, in my opinion, is crutchfield.com because they test their products and stand behind them. Stay away from the really cheap amplifiers. But, there are so many of them in the market that it is impossible to keep track of all the brands and models.
The speaker models you have come in both single or dual voice coils, so you have to look at them and determine which they are. If dual coils then you are in luck; put them in parallel for best power boost. If single voice coils then you would be best to put the two in parallel and purchase an amplifier that is bridgeable driving them with a one channel amp.
And so on.
C
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Further comments about sub systems. Pay no attention to the power ratings of the speakers. They are pretty much meaningless. Why? There is no universal standard whereby the manufacturer takes repeatable power measurements. They are mostly generated by a semi-intelligent marketing department (Those who don't know that there is not such term as RMS power!)
The thing to do is just use good judgment. If the current amplifier, once the impedances are correct for maximum power transfer, still sounds clean at the speakers when the amp is pushed to its non-clipping power level, then you can add more power. The thing you must know how to listen for is the difference between amplifier clipping and speaker cone overdrive. The amplifier when driven into clipping will have more "buzz" sounding distortion. When a speaker is overdriven it has either bottoming out - a sort of clapping noise - or just excursion of the cone overdrive and you can visually see it.
My suspicion is that an increase in amplifier power will not gain you much. Why? Because the speakers you have tend to have a little bit exaggerated power spec and they really don't handle effectively the power on the spec sheet and that pushed hard they will start to go into a form of speaker distortion that sounds ungainly with any more power from a good amp. That is my opinion, speaking honestly. The amplifier is the most sincere part of the sub setup you have; If you want more Punch in the sound you would be better off working with the speaker and their boxes. If you learn, contrary to my suspicions, the speakers really can handle much more power you will have to go to about 4 times the current amp rating in order to get a really noticeable improvement.
Hope this makes sense and helps you with a good design.
C
