a_german_named_hans

I've heard different things from different people so I wanna get this straight. I got a Kenwood 8104D mono block amp running a W3011 sub @ 4 ohms. Now @ 4 ohms my amp puts out 300 watts. @ 2 ohms it puts out 500. My question is, when this 12 gets boring, and I get another 12 that runs @ 2 ohms rather then the current 4 ohms. Will it hit harder?

BZinn1

Well lets see.......if you are running a 12 at 300w and replace it with one that will run at 500w.......if that is the question I am seeing here.......the answer is yes.

I went from 3 10s gettign 175w each to 2 10s gettign 275 each and they hit harder but my volume is about the same,but hard to tell with out a decible reader.

Eltaco

Sound is interesting when you speak about it in terms of watts. Basically for a human being to hear a difference in volume not db you would have to double your wattage. 250 watts to sound louder you would have to go up to 500 watts to hear a difference. One way I would not go is producing more wattage based on an Ohms drop, 4 to 2. Most amplifiers increase their THD with speakers at low Ohms.

a_german_named_hans

That's what I thought. So technically by dropping the ohms i could make it louder but its not recommended.

nodsetse

Using the same sub, the difference in output between 300w and 500w would only be 2dB, considering the additional power only. However, many subs start to run into power compression (output doesn't remain linear with increased input wattage) at such levels, so the actual increase in output might only be 1dB.

So would it be worth it to you to trade in your 4-Ohm sub for the same except being a 2-Ohm version? No, not in my opinion because you'd only get 1-2dB more output, plus the amp would be producing more distortion & heat.

If you're happy with the way it sounds now, leave it alone. If you feel it's lacking in some way, then more info is needed to determine appropriate resolution.

Eltaco

My favorite setup ever was some MTX 12's 4 ohm in a 3.5 cu ft box. The box took up my entire trunk of my Prelude. I was pushing them with a Kenwood 820 amp. 80 x 2 RMS and that much sealed volume in my box, I was rattling the windows at a movie theatre from across the parking lot. With that setup I wouldn't win any SPL contest as the "in car" volume really wasn't that loud, but the bass sure did travel well without loosing it's punch.