Anyone have an Audiobahn amp?and I need some advice on how much power for my amp....
10-21-2002, 04:09 PM
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Car: '87 Z
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Anyone have an Audiobahn amp?and I need some advice on how much power for my amp....
I was just at this local car audio place and he said (well everything but just tell me) I shouldn't get an Audiobahn amp. He said there stuff just doesn't last that long. My friend has went through like 4 audiobahn 12's(2 at a time) but I don't think he treats his system nice either. The guy was telling me about the Phoenix Gold Tantrum 200.2 I think it is. I looked up the specs and it says 50X2 at 4 ohms I think. I have a pair of Lightning Audio 12's that are 300watt 4 ohm(yeah yeah, but I want to start on something that I won't be pissed off about when it blows out). Would this amp really have enough power to make it beat really well? I don't really know alot about subs and amps and stuff. How much wattage should I be looking for in am amp to run these subs really well, but not soo much that it'd blow them out really easily? And is Audiobahn really that bad? I want to have a system that is nice looking, more show then sound I guess(I still want it to beat well though), so I liked the look of the chromed flame Audiobahn stuff. Thanks, I know that was really long, lol... babbling...
10-21-2002, 09:10 PM
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First of all, are your subs 300 watt RMS or Peak? If that is peak, I would suggest getting some cheap amp. If it is RMS, then I would get a better amp. The 50@4 will not power the 300@4 well at all. I am not an expert or anything, but I would recomend something more towards 200@4, maybe even 250@4. You really don't ever want to power the subs at their max.
As for what that shop said about Audiobahn, it is not true. I have had my amp for a year now, and subs for 2 years. No problems what so ever. I am only powering my subs at 56% (560 watts) of there rated RMS (500 each). Even though they really aren't being powered by a whole lot, they are loud enough to vibrate everything in my car, and around my car. Here is a pic of mine.
As for what that shop said about Audiobahn, it is not true. I have had my amp for a year now, and subs for 2 years. No problems what so ever. I am only powering my subs at 56% (560 watts) of there rated RMS (500 each). Even though they really aren't being powered by a whole lot, they are loud enough to vibrate everything in my car, and around my car. Here is a pic of mine.
10-21-2002, 09:42 PM
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Well like mentioned aboved you gotta tell us if thats rms or not? Whats the bridged 2 channel power of that amp? 100w?
powering 300w with with 100 would sound pretty crappy. When its audiobahn subs powered by an audiobahn amp just match it 300w sub to 300w amped power. If you were mixing brands it would be different. Say for example if you had a sony xplod sub (probably over rated rms) and a kicker amp (definately under rated rms) then it would be wise to under power it (by manufacturers judgement, in reality it would be a match).
greg
powering 300w with with 100 would sound pretty crappy. When its audiobahn subs powered by an audiobahn amp just match it 300w sub to 300w amped power. If you were mixing brands it would be different. Say for example if you had a sony xplod sub (probably over rated rms) and a kicker amp (definately under rated rms) then it would be wise to under power it (by manufacturers judgement, in reality it would be a match).
greg
10-21-2002, 09:55 PM
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Car: '87 Z
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Just dug out the spec sheets of them, it's 100 RMS. I'm not really sure as to the specs of the Phoenix Gold amp, I just saw a few numbers on the PG website, didn't really say anything specific.
5.0L1992RS: What model is your amp? Where'd you get your Audiobahn stuff at, a local shop or off the net? If you got it off the net, could you link me a site? Thanks.
Also, how do the ohms affect the subs? Like, if I were to run it at 200@4 versus 200@2 or something? I don't know much about the whole ohms thing...
5.0L1992RS: What model is your amp? Where'd you get your Audiobahn stuff at, a local shop or off the net? If you got it off the net, could you link me a site? Thanks.
Also, how do the ohms affect the subs? Like, if I were to run it at 200@4 versus 200@2 or something? I don't know much about the whole ohms thing...
10-22-2002, 12:53 AM
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Car: yy wife, crazy.
Engine: 350, Vortecs, 650DP
Transmission: TH-350
Axle/Gears: 8.5", 3.42
Yup 
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to UNDER POWER a sub. Well more like under power your ears. Here's why........
If you're gonna go with two 12" subs, you're gonna expect them to pound hard right? Well that 50 x 2 amp isn't gonna have enough juice to make those subs do what you expect them to. You'll keep turning up the bass and the volume a little more every day, trying to get it to sound like you want....... then one day....... POOF!!!!!! there goes the speaker(s).
WHY? You pushed your amp until it started to clip. Clipping sends a 'constant' signal to the speaker which QUICKLY melts the voice coil. Trust me, I know.
It's actually a little better to over power your subs because even if they're gettting a little more power than they're rated for, at least it will be CLEAN power.
AJ
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to UNDER POWER a sub. Well more like under power your ears. Here's why........
If you're gonna go with two 12" subs, you're gonna expect them to pound hard right? Well that 50 x 2 amp isn't gonna have enough juice to make those subs do what you expect them to. You'll keep turning up the bass and the volume a little more every day, trying to get it to sound like you want....... then one day....... POOF!!!!!! there goes the speaker(s).
WHY? You pushed your amp until it started to clip. Clipping sends a 'constant' signal to the speaker which QUICKLY melts the voice coil. Trust me, I know.
It's actually a little better to over power your subs because even if they're gettting a little more power than they're rated for, at least it will be CLEAN power.
AJ
Last edited by AJ_92RS; 10-22-2002 at 12:56 AM.
10-22-2002, 08:39 AM
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Originally posted by Hg
5.0L1992RS: What model is your amp? Where'd you get your Audiobahn stuff at, a local shop or off the net? If you got it off the net, could you link me a site?
5.0L1992RS: What model is your amp? Where'd you get your Audiobahn stuff at, a local shop or off the net? If you got it off the net, could you link me a site?
Originally posted by AJ_92RS
It's actually a little better to over power your subs because even if they're gettting a little more power than they're rated for, at least it will be CLEAN power.
It's actually a little better to over power your subs because even if they're gettting a little more power than they're rated for, at least it will be CLEAN power.
-Kevin
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10-22-2002, 11:58 AM
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Car: yy wife, crazy.
Engine: 350, Vortecs, 650DP
Transmission: TH-350
Axle/Gears: 8.5", 3.42
I went to www.rockfordfosgate.com and did a Search in the Tech section and this is what I found.......
AJ
What is "clipping"?
Question
I've seen several references to "clipping" involving amplifiers. What does clipping mean?
Answer
The term "clipping" refers to the amplifier's electrical condition when driven beyond it's maximum "clean" output level. All amplifiers have positive and negative "rails" in the power supply, and depending on signal conditions and levels, some or all of this rail voltage is used. When asked to deliver more power than the amplifier is normally capable of producing, it will "clip off" the top and bottom of the signal. This appears as a waveform that is somewhat flat at the top and the bottom of the sine wave when viewed on an oscilloscope. The clipped output has two distinct undesirable properties: Distortion and excessive power.
While the distortion produced by clipping doesn't cause any damage to either speakers or amplifiers (it is just "dirty" or "sloppy" sounding), the excessive power produced when driving the amplifier to that level can cause speakers to fail quite easily! A heavily-clipped amplifier will develop up to 2 times it's rated power, and will draw excessive amounts of current through the amp's power supply as a result. Over time, this will begin to damage both the amplifier and the speakers that are connected to it. Some keys to recognizing an amplifier that is clipping is to remember that if the amplifier shuts down regularly and runs very hot to the touch, it is probably not set up correctly and is heavily clipping as a result.
Question
I've seen several references to "clipping" involving amplifiers. What does clipping mean?
Answer
The term "clipping" refers to the amplifier's electrical condition when driven beyond it's maximum "clean" output level. All amplifiers have positive and negative "rails" in the power supply, and depending on signal conditions and levels, some or all of this rail voltage is used. When asked to deliver more power than the amplifier is normally capable of producing, it will "clip off" the top and bottom of the signal. This appears as a waveform that is somewhat flat at the top and the bottom of the sine wave when viewed on an oscilloscope. The clipped output has two distinct undesirable properties: Distortion and excessive power.
While the distortion produced by clipping doesn't cause any damage to either speakers or amplifiers (it is just "dirty" or "sloppy" sounding), the excessive power produced when driving the amplifier to that level can cause speakers to fail quite easily! A heavily-clipped amplifier will develop up to 2 times it's rated power, and will draw excessive amounts of current through the amp's power supply as a result. Over time, this will begin to damage both the amplifier and the speakers that are connected to it. Some keys to recognizing an amplifier that is clipping is to remember that if the amplifier shuts down regularly and runs very hot to the touch, it is probably not set up correctly and is heavily clipping as a result.
10-22-2002, 12:01 PM
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Car: yy wife, crazy.
Engine: 350, Vortecs, 650DP
Transmission: TH-350
Axle/Gears: 8.5", 3.42
Here's another.........
AJ
How do speakers get blown? Why do they sound distorted?
Question
How do speakers get blown?
Why do they sound distorted?
Answer
Speakers can sound "distorted" or be "blown" in a few different ways. They can sound distorted due to a broken/failing amplifier, a source unit that's got the volume turned up too high, or they may be improperly mounted. They can get broken or blown by incorrect use (wrong enclosure, wrong mounting location, too much amplifier power, amplifier/source unit clipping, etc.) or even by physical abuse (pushing too hard on the cone, puncturing the cone, etc.).
For subwoofers, the enclosure the woofer is loaded into has some impact on the way that a subwoofer performs, and too large of an enclosure can make more problems than too small of an enclosure. As a general rule, always try to stay within 25% larger or smaller than the manufacturer's recommended enclosure to ensure best performance. If the enclosure for the woofer is too large, the subwoofer's output will suffer, causing most people to turn the volume up higher to compensate for the lack of bass output. When this happens, sometimes the amplifier connected to the subwoofers will "clip", and begin causing other problems (see below).
Another way speakers get broken is by applying too much power or "clipping" the amplifier that is connected to them. If you have the settings on the amplifier incorrectly adjusted or have too low an impedance on the amplifier, the amplifier will cause the speaker's voice coil to burn when it's input gets over-driven. (For more information about this topic, see our RF Tech FAQ section and search on the keyword "clipping".) Essentially, if you hear distortion, turn the volume and/or equalizer settings down on your system to keep the speakers in your car from blowing.
Question
How do speakers get blown?
Why do they sound distorted?
Answer
Speakers can sound "distorted" or be "blown" in a few different ways. They can sound distorted due to a broken/failing amplifier, a source unit that's got the volume turned up too high, or they may be improperly mounted. They can get broken or blown by incorrect use (wrong enclosure, wrong mounting location, too much amplifier power, amplifier/source unit clipping, etc.) or even by physical abuse (pushing too hard on the cone, puncturing the cone, etc.).
For subwoofers, the enclosure the woofer is loaded into has some impact on the way that a subwoofer performs, and too large of an enclosure can make more problems than too small of an enclosure. As a general rule, always try to stay within 25% larger or smaller than the manufacturer's recommended enclosure to ensure best performance. If the enclosure for the woofer is too large, the subwoofer's output will suffer, causing most people to turn the volume up higher to compensate for the lack of bass output. When this happens, sometimes the amplifier connected to the subwoofers will "clip", and begin causing other problems (see below).
Another way speakers get broken is by applying too much power or "clipping" the amplifier that is connected to them. If you have the settings on the amplifier incorrectly adjusted or have too low an impedance on the amplifier, the amplifier will cause the speaker's voice coil to burn when it's input gets over-driven. (For more information about this topic, see our RF Tech FAQ section and search on the keyword "clipping".) Essentially, if you hear distortion, turn the volume and/or equalizer settings down on your system to keep the speakers in your car from blowing.
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