Thread: jl audio subs

I know about ohms law and all the electrical relationships, however I do not know if there is a rule of thumb for how amplifiers handle their output. I've seen several different amplifiers with different 2 ohm/4 ohm ratios so it doesn't seem to have a constant relationship, so i don't know how I can determine the output for a specific resistance which is not listed. I also dont' know if 2/4 ohm output amplifiers are stable at 3 or 1.5 ohms.

On my first system (~8-9 years ago) I ran 2 10w6's off of an alpine v12 amp. Dual 6 ohm voice coils yielded 1.5 ohms (all wires run parallel). I didn't run it like this long as it was only because I had a sub blow on me and took a month or so to get a replacement. I did not notice any adverse effects on sound quality or the amp. Technically the amp was only stable to 2 ohms if I remember correctly. It probably wasn't a smart idea, but I didn't want to be without bass for my tunes. Technically if your amp is stable at 2 ohms, a 3 ohm load won't overload it, but most amps are not completely linear in their power from 1, 2, and 4 ohms. Outside of using a meter to actually test it, there wouldn't be a definitive way of knowing what kind of power you are yielding. You could theorize that it is somewhere close to the middle of the 2ohm and 4 ohm rating as a general estimate obviously.

The problem is the efficiency of an amp at varying loads. Some amps are designed to run better at certain loads (particularly sub amps). Ohms law is based on perfect conditions. Some amps would not be capable of producing (for the price) power that follows ohm's law. They are tailored to a specific load and handle the other loads just for flexibility (even if not truly intended uses).

Originally Posted by racerx3165

Googled Ohms Law
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Ohms+Law
First Link in google
http://www.the12volt.com/ohm/ohmslaw.asp

going by that link

watts=V2 Volts Squared/Ohms

14.4 squared = 207.36 divided by 3 ohms = 69.12

so take that for what you will

If you want more see this http://www.the12volt.com/ohm/page2.asp it is a law so........

Think about how what you just explained pertains the the question? All car amplifiers run at 14.4(12) volts, but they sure as hell dont' all put out 69.12 watts at 3 ohms.

I already said I know about electrical relationships. This still does not explain how much output a specific amplifier puts out at a certain load.

Like the person above said, it's not linear. Does anybody know if most amplifiers output follows any other type of non-linear regression? Or are they are just determined in the amplifier at design.

There is no sure proof way other than testing the output with a particular load. Regardless of whether the amps follow ohm's law to a t, it still should be somewhere in between (call it half) the 2 ohm and 4 ohm rating. Things get more interesting when you get into bridging though as most amps do not like to be bridged at anything other than 4 ohms (obviously there are exceptions).