Jump to content
Sundown Audio

Alpine SWT-12S4 What wire/amp to use with it.


Lukis

Recommended Posts

Hi, so I'm looking in to buying and installing a sub in to my car and I can't seem to find the right amp for this sub the sub is 300w rms at 4ohms and it's very difficult to find exact specifications amp for it so my question here is Is it better to go with something that outputs ~250w At 4 ohms or a lil bit higher. Also if I would use like a 400w amp for this 300w speaker would it burn out or something?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So yeah, without going into too much detail (I can explain it if you'd like), you'll be fine if you can find an amplifier you like that is between 300-500 watt RMS at 4 ohm. It's better to be a little over RMS, than under. You don't want to go too far over because then you will start to damage the sub. 

That being said, don't go for the cheapest amplifier you find. There are a lot of companies that have no problem lying to you about the output of their products. 

Is there any amplifiers you're already looking at? 

2011 Chevy Silverado under construction

My build log here. Check it out! 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok noted. So it will not damage the sub if i go like 100 w over the sub recomended rms power? I was mostly looking it to alpine and pionier production, saw a sale of the subwoofer that I mentioned earlier and was trying to find the right amp saw couple that could work in theory. Couple of the amps that I'am looking it to right now PIONEER GM-A5702 and GM-A6704 also Alpine MRV-M500 but it was quite expensive for my budget. All of those are like in 150-200Euros price range also the Alpine amp its quite hard to find in stock. Yeah please explain if you have the time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the alpine site it says that Alpine MRV-M500 is capable of running 300w rms at 4 ohm but it other sites it says that its running 150w x 4 ohm and so on. Also whats the diffrence between bridged and not bridged? And what's the diffrence between amps classes?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, you're sub, at rest, is 4 ohm. So you're amp hooked up to that sub will never see below 4 ohm. That is its impedance, or resistance of the voice coil. Now when the sub starts moving, a phenomenon happens called impedance rise, or some people call it box rise. What happens is the box actually acts as further impedance, or resistance, on the electrical system flowing though the voice coil. So in actuality, your sub will never see less than maybe 4.5 ohm, but usually, playing music, your amp will be running between 5-8 ohm. Because music is so dynamic, that value is constantly changing. That's why it's OK to go above the RMS of a specific sub because, even though the amp is rated, let's say 300 watts at 4 ohm, that amplifier won't ever see actual 4 ohms. 

As far as the amplifiers you look at being expensive, Alpine and pioneer amplifiers will do what you need them to. But yeah, you do pay a premium for the name and reputation of the brand. You wouldn't be unhappy with any of those amps. 

That being said, maybe there's a perfectly good, less expensive alternative. I'm not familiar with what brands you have access to though. So what brands can you get a hold of? 

2011 Chevy Silverado under construction

My build log here. Check it out! 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Lukis said:

In the alpine site it says that Alpine MRV-M500 is capable of running 300w rms at 4 ohm but it other sites it says that its running 150w x 4 ohm and so on. Also whats the diffrence between bridged and not bridged? And what's the diffrence between amps classes?

So, running a subwoofer, you want a single channel amplifier. That MRV-M500 comes in either single, or 2 channel. The single channel version does 300 @ 4 ohm, the 2 channel does 150 @ 4 ohm each channel equaling 300 watts total. 

Not bridging, you can run a single channel at whatever RMS is does. When you bridge 2 channels, that means you're getting the RMS of each separate channel, basically into one single channel. Usually, if the amplifier is rated at 2 ohm being the lowest impedance it can run on (like the MRV-500) than you wouldn't be able to bridge below 4 ohm or the amplifier would go into protect. That's really the only benefit to it, but if you can get a single channel version of the same amplifier, there's no reason to get a 2 channel and bridge it. Keep it simple. 

Amp classes- the 2 main classes are class D (digital) and class AB (uses switches). Trying to keep this explanation as simple as possible, AB is considered old technology, but still gets the better sound quality output between the 2. Usually they're bigger, more expensive, and less efficient than their class D counterparts. Class D amps are smaller, more efficient, but have more of a higher "noise floor" than class AB amplifiers. They are usually a considerable amount more inexpensive as well. That being said, on a small subwoofer like yours, and I'm assuming you're just trying to add bass to your stock setup, not going nuts with the sound quality, a class D amplifier will do everything you're needing to get out of an amplifier. You won't even notice the diffrence between the 2.

2011 Chevy Silverado under construction

My build log here. Check it out! 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It realy depends on the site there was brands that I never heard of but most of them are known. Ok so lets talk about the wiring my cars battery is in the front. So it would be like 4-5 meters from battery to the amp and I would be pulling around 75-100amps from the battery so what speaker and power wires I should be using?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whatever size the amplifier recommends as it's positive ins and grounds. Same with the subwoofer speaker wire. Are you also running any type of 4 channel amplifier for the door speakers? Or just a sub amplifier? 

2011 Chevy Silverado under construction

My build log here. Check it out! 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Lukis said:

It realy depends on the site there was brands that I never heard of but most of them are known. Ok so lets talk about the wiring my cars battery is in the front. So it would be like 4-5 meters from battery to the amp and I would be pulling around 75-100amps from the battery so what speaker and power wires I should be using?

If you list a couple brands you might also consider, I may be able to help you find a less expensive alternative that will still be a quality amplifier

2011 Chevy Silverado under construction

My build log here. Check it out! 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Who's Online   1 Member, 0 Anonymous, 244 Guests (See full list)

×
×
  • Create New...