Members tama_drummer_73 Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 Which amp is ideal for running subs? (within reason). I am thinking about upgrading my single SP118 Subs to the SP218 subs. The 118's are great for fairly small venues, but you get larger rooms, the bass seems to die off somewhat, as one would expect. They will handle 2400 watts program 4800 watts peak. I've got the (2) CE2000 bridged mono that I will use for each sub, but in the future I'd like to upgrade. Any suggestions on amps? The I-TECH series are a TAAAAAAD outa my budget range. I don't mind older amps as suggestions either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gregidon Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 Ideal? I have heard very good things about the Crown Macrotech series on sub duty. Keep in mind, most amps will sound the same at lower levels. The differences really come out when they are pushed up to their limits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoadRanger Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 So, you're gonna run 2kw into each SP218 and want to upgrade from there? You don't really need to - 2kw is plenty to mess them up real good . What are you running your present SP118's from? BTW a good amp for the SP218's is a QSC RMX4050HD which would put 1300W into each cab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vinny D Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 I run a QSC RMX4050HD for a pair of EV QRX218s subs (1-per. channel) and it provides plenty of power.The SP218 Peavey would work well with that amplifier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 So, you're gonna run 2kw into each SP218 and want to upgrade from there? You don't really need to - 2kw is plenty to mess them up real good . What are you running your present SP118's from? I would tend to agree. What do you have as a HPF? Limiting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members turbocody Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 Crown K-Series, when it comes to powering subs, the higher the damping factor the better. You can find used K2's on ebay for a good price. I use them on my JBL SRX's and they sound very good. For example....You can hear the low end difference between a K2(3000 damping factor) and a RMX2450(300 damping factor I believe) I was really shocked at the difference it made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted January 12, 2010 CMS Author Share Posted January 12, 2010 Crown K-Series, when it comes to powering subs, the higher the damping factor the better. You can find used K2's on ebay for a good price. I use them on my JBL SRX's and they sound very good. For example....You can hear the low end difference between a K2(3000 damping factor) and a RMX2450(300 damping factor I believe) I was really shocked at the difference it made. While there may be a difference in what you're hearing, it has nothing whatsoever to do with the damping factor, unless you're running hundreds of feet of speaker cable to these subs. 300 is way more than sufficient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoadRanger Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 I once calculated that 10 feet of 12 gauge speaker cable gets you down to 200:1 all by itself even with an amp with a 1000000:1 dampening factor . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members turbocody Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 While there may be a difference in what you're hearing, it has nothing whatsoever to do with the damping factor, unless you're running hundreds of feet of speaker cable to these subs. 300 is way more than sufficient. I would agree that 300 DF is sufficient for mids&highs.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Coaster Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 oh boy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 The amp's damping factor has nothing to do with what you are hearing. As soon as you throw the DCR of the voice coil (the part that represents the overhang) which is in series with the active part of the motor, plus a little speaker wire, you have just reduced your effective damping factor to But the marketing folks would like you to believe otherwise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tama_drummer_73 Posted January 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 So, you're gonna run 2kw into each SP218 and want to upgrade from there? You don't really need to - 2kw is plenty to mess them up real good . What are you running your present SP118's from? BTW a good amp for the SP218's is a QSC RMX4050HD which would put 1300W into each cab. Right now I'm running a single CE2000 to each sp118. 1320 watts to each sub. This past Sunday they were HAMMERING. But, like I said before, when you get into a room with lots of cubic feet of air, 2 18's aren't enough. I'm thinking 1.95kw of power to a 2 18 cab should be sufficient. I want something that will hit you in the chest like a sledge hammer LOL! As far as the HPF goes I am running a Samson 3way stereo 4way mono x-over. Lots of helpful little tools on that unit. I like it alot actually. I am running it in a 2 way configuration ATM. If I had my choice I would run it 3 way, but with the number of amps that I have ATM kinda prevent that. In time I will migrate to a setup like that, but the biggest goal right now is to take full advantage of my amps. Thanks for the suggestions guys, keep em coming. I like lots of ideas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Coaster Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 buy a sledgehammer. i run a rig that has (4) double 18"s and about 12,000 watts available to them and in some rooms it can pound ok. (2) double 18"s with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoadRanger Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 Hey will HC 2.0 have an "I give up" smiley? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Coaster Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 You are headed down the road to disappointment. You are so far into power compression already that all you are doinmg is cumulative mechanical damage to your drivers. You will continue to do the same until youget enough speakers for your needs... power is secondary. Also, 12kW to 4 x 218's is not a good idea for exactly the same reasons. But, to each his own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoadRanger Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 Also, 12kW to 4 x 218's is not a good idea for exactly the same reasons. But, to each his own.Yah, my power mad friend was "only" using an iTech 8000 for that configuration of subs last summer and I thought that was whack . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tama_drummer_73 Posted January 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 You are headed down the road to disappointment. You are so far into power compression already that all you are doinmg is cumulative mechanical damage to your drivers. You will continue to do the same until youget enough speakers for your needs... power is secondary.Also, 12kW to 4 x 218's is not a good idea for exactly the same reasons. But, to each his own. Who? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Coaster Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 Also, 12kW to 4 x 218's is not a good idea for exactly the same reasons. But, to each his own. agreed. i think this rig could get similar output with about 1/4 of that (but its not mine) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 Have you ever thought about just calling crown. They are in elkhart indiana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted January 12, 2010 CMS Author Share Posted January 12, 2010 Who? You and Coaster, I believe. If you're bridging that CE2000 into an SP-118 right now, you're putting 1300w into a 600 watt driver. If you don't have HPF set and you're pushing them, it's only a matter of time before you're looking for some new Pro Riders. Applying power is not linear. Meaning that double the power does not get you double the volume. And after a certain point, you don't get more volume at all. The concept is known as power compression, and it works just like the compression we were discussing in the other thread. As the speaker reaches a certain threshold, output gains drop dramatically, and the speaker wears out mechanically...the spider loosens, the cone deforms, the pleats wear. The speaker will fail. Point being that you need more speaker, and you need to power the speakers conservatively and carefully if you don't wan tto invest in replacements within the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tama_drummer_73 Posted January 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 So basically, I've got twice the power that I need to my subs.... great.... Read up on it, and why the !@$ don't manufacturers just use RMS and PEAK. Much less confusing. Anyway, thanks for the tidbit of info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoadRanger Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 agreed. i think this rig could get similar output with about 1/4 of that (but its not mine) ... and if it smoked on your watch the owner would say it's your fault no matter what the cause . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoadRanger Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 Read up on it, and why the !@$ don't manufacturers just use RMS and PEAK."Peak" is BS too (as is "program"). Problem is none of the manufacturers want to admit that their stuff doesn't go to 11 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Coaster Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 ... and if it smoked on your watch the owner would say it's your fault no matter what the cause . nope. i've repeatedly warned him about it. he beats it worse than i ever would anyway, its held up for about 8 years this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.