Autotek SM2-1200 Amp Questions

[252chevyboyz]

Hey whats up everyone? I was wondering if some might be able to confirm my RMS wattage as either around 1200w or 600w. I have each sub wired down to 2ohms and the amp says it is 600w x 2ch @ 2ohms and 1200w x 1 chan @ 4ohms. I have only been in audio really deep for about a year now so I am still learning. I havent yet bought a clamp meter so I can find my true RMS but I will have one soon hopefully. As for now I was wondering which it may be 600w or 1200w? I will post a few pics below of how I have everything wired up from the amp to the box and to the back of the subs. I really appreciate any help on this one. My voltage idles at 14.4 and drops to about 13.2 when at full tilt if that helps out any. I am just trying to get the most out of this system as I can because I am saving up to upgrade to a competition worthy system. I am open to any suggestions on changing the wiring or setup. BTW the amp is set to mono and not stereo.

Thanks for any help,

James

[donpablo]

I would say you are getting around 300 rms per a channel

[252chevyboyz]

Thanks for the reply. That is what I was thinking myself. I thought at 14.4V i was seeing maybe 600w off the amp split into 2 channels so it would end up being 300w per chan. Is there anything you can think of improving or changing that might get more out of this amp until I upgrade my system?

-James

[skittlesRgood]

sadly, those numbers seem to be max power ratings. a useless number only put there for marketing. in general, you could guess that RMS will be around half the max rating. so, like donpablo said, probably only 300w.

there is nothing you can do to the amp to get a sufficient increase in power

Edited May 1, 2012 by skittlesRgood

[252chevyboyz]

I really appreciate the quick answer to my question ya'll and this is just a budget system until I can get enough saved up to buy a decent system. The autotek amp is A/B class so I figured it wouldn't the most efficient but my next will be class D and no less than 1200-1500w RMS. Thinking about going with a Sundown SAZ-2500D or a DC 2K. Any thoughts on these 2 amps? or maybe preferences? I am going to upgrade the system in this order also (electrical, amp, then subs). Also who would go with 4 dc lvl 4 maybe lvl 5 12's and who would go with 2 DC XL 15's? I have narrowed my next system down to these and just looking for opinions and if there is something better plz let me know.

The autotek amp I will probably sell in the next couple months hopefully. 300w per chan isn't quite enough for me but I guess it's alright for a budget system.

Thanks,

James

[skittlesRgood]

thanks for not getting pissy when we told you your amp wont do the power it says it'll do. seriously, it was a relief from all the whiny kids we get here that cry over everything.

[252chevyboyz]

It's not a problem at all man. I'm a pretty level headed and understanding person. Life is too short to get mad or upset over the little things bro. Plus I am planning to stay an active member here in the community as long as the community stays up and running. I knew the amp wasnt the most efficient amp to start with but I just wanted to make sure I was right with the wattage on the amp. I appreciate all the help I have gotten in this community though. There are many great members here and I have learned more about audio from here than I have anywhere else. Anyway I know how people can be on the online communities as I am a Super Mod on Android.net and being voted to be a Mod on droidforums.net but people can be so immature and quick to judge. With android.net being a worldwide community there are a lot of problems that def will keep a moderator busy. Anyway I appreciate all the help everyone has given me here and I will be more than happy to return the favor anytime I can. I'm glad people here in the community are just straight up and honest about the limits of audio equipment. I know these audio companies are bad about putting the Max Wattage instead of RMS wattage just so they can move more products off the shelf.

Thanks again everyone,

James Horton

[252chevyboyz]

Kinda bringing back an old thread but figured it would be better than starting a new one. The question I have is how would y'all recommend me wiring these 2 Q Powers so I can run a 4ohm mono bridged load on my SM2-1200? It says I can achieve 1200w by wiring the amp to Mono Bridged @ 4ohms. I have it running 2ohm on 2 channels and it says 600w x 2chan @ 2ohms. I want to run the amp 1200w x 1chan @ 4ohms on a bridged load.

My box has two speaker terminals one for each sub. Should I wire the subs to 1 terminal or keep each sub on its on terminals? I got 2 speaker wires running to my amp with a 2ohm load on each.

I'm just wondering how to achieve a 4ohm bridged load on this amp? Let me know if I can upload any more pictures to help out.

Thanks for reading and any help is much appreciated,

-James

[252chevyboyz]

Would this wiring diagram be correct for 4ohms bridged on 1 channel?

with my box having 2 power terminals on the back would I just run both subs to 1 terminal and then run one power wire to my amp and bridge it on the amp? Just making sure I know what I'm doing before I start changing up any wiring.

-James

[252chevyboyz]

Do you think I would be able to tell any difference by ear going from "600w x 2chan @ 2ohms" to 1200w x 1chan @ 4ohms bridged"? I will be getting my system metered at my local shop soon and wondering how I can get the most out of this small system.

Thanks,

-James