Car Stereos: Amp and Sub Combo, mono amplifier, watts rms

Question
Hi i have a 12" Pioneer Premier Champion series Pro,DVC
4ohms each i believe 1000watt RMS, in a sealed box not much
bigger than the sub itself, and a Nitro 2ch 2000watt amp, i
just need the best way to run this system for maximum performance? So what should i run my Sub at 2 or 8 ohms?
and how should i hook it up to the amp? or should i just
hook up each voice coil to individually channels? Thanks

Answer
Hi Troy,

From your description, it sounds like you have a Nitro BMW-486 amplifier (or something similar).  While it's marketed as a 2000-watt amplifier, the actual rated RMS power output is 200 watts per channel at 4 ohms, 300 watts per channel at 2 ohms, and 600 watts bridged mono at 4 ohms.

There's no very good way to connect this amplifier to a single DVC 4-ohm subwoofer.  If I were doing it, I'd probably wire the sub for 8 ohms and connect it to the amplifier in bridged mode.  Typically, a bridged amp with an 8-ohm load will deliver about the same power as it does in stereo mode with 4-ohm speakers.  That means you could expect the sub to get around 400 watts RMS.  

There's no real benefit to wiring a voice coil to each amplifier channel.  It's more difficult to wire, and you wouldn't really gain any power.  In any case, subwoofers usually perform best with a mono signal.

Wiring the subwoofer for 2 ohms and connecting it to the amp in bridged mode might produce more power, but it may also result in blown fuses, overheating, and damage to the amplifier.

I'd try the 8-ohm bridged wiring and see how it works out.  If it produces enough bass for your needs, great; if not, you'll probably want to look for a mono amplifier rated around 1000 watts at 2 ohms.

Hope this helps!

Brian