i have just bought a pair of pioneer subs ina a pioneer sealed box
they are 12 inches
the power ratings for this sub are 400w rms and 1000w max
the guy down at jb told me that i should get 2 of their audiobahn 800w mono amps to power these subs
will that be too much power
i have them hooked up to a cheap 4ch amp for now and they dont sound too bade

nobody knows

hehe dude you only gave ppl 45mins to reply b4 u responded we arent that quick...

As to amping yeh they will run obviously underpowered which be careful as that can be worse for your woofers than overpowering them....what nominal rating ( RMS value) is each channel outputting on the 4 channel ?

The JB guy is just doing his job,doing sales...its correct information but not really the best info.

You will get adequete power supplied from a single mono without needing 2....saves money on distribution, extra wiring etc etc.

To get the max from your subs all you need is an amp that will output 800w RMS from a single channel..... then you'd wire both the 12"s in either parrallel or series depending on the amp you go with and the specs of the subs.

This is easy to explain and easy for you to do.... Do you have the model of the subs or know whether they are SVC (single voice coil) or DVC (dual voice coils - which Id say they are) ... and wat resistence rating the coils have - will be expressed as 2 or 4ohms....This info is important when determining the appropriate amp for the job and how to go about wiring them up.

I keep an eye out for your response over the weekend unless someone beats me to it

the subs are TS-W 306C PIONEER 12 INS SUBWOOFER
there are 2 of them in a pioneer box
and i am pretty sure that these are the amps jb wants me to buy
AUDIOBAHN 8000T 800w monoblock amp
i only have 175w going into each sub right now is that ok
jb told me that if i used 2 amps instead of one it would help with distortion
will using both of these amps blow up the subs

So 2x 306C's in the one sealed enclosure yes ? or they in separate enclosures. And are you sure they are the C model...so 306C and not 306DVC ... just need to know for wiring...the C means single coil.

These are 4ohm coil/coils ... if they are DVC each sub will have 2x sets of positive and negative terminals...if it is indeed the 306C it will just have the one set of red n black terminals...

The wiring for both these subs up to a single monoblock amplifier which is all thats needed is as follow. If its the DVC model it can be wired in parrallel for a 2 ohm load or in series for an 8ohm load. The C model with the single 4ohm coil can be wired in parrallel for a 1ohm load or in series for a 4ohm load.

The audiobahn amp you could get away with just one fine BUT only if its the 306DVC ... as you can use the wiring in parrallel for a 2 ohm load to get the full 800w RMS @ 2ohm from the amp....as this amp does 400w RMS @ 4ohms and 800w at 2ohms.... for these subs since each is 400w RMS nominal....you need an amp that can provide 800w RMS to get the most out of those subs.

You have 175w going into the subs now ? is that each sub or the two together? is that 175w RMS ? ... what amp are they connected to a 2/4channel....At the moment you are underpowering the subs...so long as you arent trying to run the system at full volume it should be okay. However underpowering subs can be more deadly to their durability then overpowering.

2x amps for distortion is bull ... what he/she's trying to say is by wiring down to lower impedences (ie the ohms ratings) more power can be achieved by lowering the resistence....this can make the signal more susceptable to induced noise but with a decent amp that aint an issue...

Big speel but I hope it helps...let me know if theres anything more you have concerns about or helping pick the right amp for the job...or if ya need me to clarify any of the above

Cya Kev

thanks for the help
it cleared up a lot

the subs are TS-W 306C with only one set of red and black terminals
ther are also in ine sealed box but it is divided in the middle
does that make any difference
i dont really want to blow my subs up by overpowering them

ok well as I said for your 2x subs in the single enclosure, "The C model with the single 4ohm coil can be wired in parrallel for a 1ohm load or in series for a 4ohm load" ... so when shopping for an amplifier to get the most for your money you need an amp that will produce say 800-1000w RMS @ 1 or 4 ohms....

Preferably if you can get one that can make that power at 4ohms would be better....as most amps that claim to go down to 1 ohm dont really run it very well...can get heat problems and suffer from becoming over sensitive and get induced noise (distortion/static) far easier.

Depends on your budget for an amp - what do you realistically have to spend on an amp to run these ?

Having separate sealed sections within a single enclosure is fine and isnt an issue.

And dont worry too much about overpowering with the right sub and setting the amplifier gains correctly and safely there wont be any issues....that and if you dont go driving round with the head unit on full volume hehe...

i have around $1000 to spend on amps for these subs
i might just get the audiobahn ones they seem like a good brand

Sorry Big Kev but the last time i checked 2x4ohm in parallel is 2ohms. Micheal i just picked up a JL Audio A1400 class D mono block amp (with remote sub control) today from JB. Its rated at 500W @ 2ohm wich would be sufficient for what you are powering (2x4ohm subs in parallel = 2ohm load)

Hey dude lol nah its kool if you see my entries above the ratings I supplied depended on whether or not he had the 306C or 306DVC model subs...as load would obviously change with the wiring configuration.

And hes running 2x subs not one...so 500w RMS yes will run them but not to their max. (Their 400w RMS each).

Its cool i just read the part of single 4ohm voice coil in parallel being a 1 ohm load (didnt make sense), but if was a dual 4ohm voice coil in parallel its 2 ohm load and if 2 subs at that in parallel its a 1ohm load that would make sense . I have the JL dual 2 ohm voice coil sub running in series as its only 1ohm in parallel and unfortunately this JL amp isnt recommended for those loads as its running too hot so to speak.