So this doesn't have to do much with the w124...but i thought you guys might be able to help me out. I'm thinking about getting the MTX T5515-44 sub along with the TA4501 amp. The sub is a dual voice coil and is 4 ohm. Is it true i can wire the sub in parallel (since its dual coils) and have it then be a 2 ohm?

 

i wouldnt go with mtx..

 

a dual voice coil sub that says it's 4 ohms actually means that if you wire in parallel, it will be 2 ohms. If you wire it in series, it will be 8 ohms. So yes, that's true. do a little google search and you'll find everything you need.

 

I think ur backwards....series should give 2 ohms and parallel gives you 8 ohms...

 

Jr what do you not like about MTX? I've been very impressed with them.

Here is what i found on Crutchfield about wiring the 4ohm dual coil sub.

 

Yeah, What's wrong with MTX?

I'm running a MTX Thunder series amp for my subwoofers and it runs absolutely great. I love how MTX amps perform more power than they are said to do.

 

im running an infinity kappa 202a....the crossfire amp i had was way too powerful...my subs are hollywood excursion series...sounds ok for now...

 

Chris...i see u have the type S. I had 2 12's in my old 190e powered by a Sony "1000w" amp. It was alright, but then i switched to an older MTX amp (a 420D or sumthin) and the difference in sound was INCREDIBLE!

It was a completely different sound system after getting MTX. Comparing it to Sony isn't really fair, but considering that the amp was only a little one, it was still VERY powerful. The TA-series amps from MTX seem like they are pretty sweet. I've done alot of research on the different brands and prices, and i think MTX is the best way to go for subs and amps.

Anyone else want to put in a word about their experience with various brands?

 

Oh yeah, well MTX and Infinity are weak, I'm Rick James B!TCH!!!

 

I hope your not serious...lol..u got an eclipse amp...MAN F.UCK UR COUCH!!...LOL...I'm just kidding....I just say whatever amp/subs you have if your happy with them it dosen't matter what brands they are...

 

My car came with MBQuart q-series (the best) speakers all around with a phenoix gold amp to power each one. Unfortunately one of the speakers in the rear was not producting the bass (not sure what causes that). So i ended up replacing those with Infinity reference. The Mb Quart's in the front go out now and then(ive checked connections), so i have a pair of infinity's ready to go in when they do go out. I gotta say tho the MB Quart are top notch. However, for the type of listening i'll be doing, i don't think i'll be needing "top of the line" speakers.

 

most of the time anything will do

 

if your going to get mtx you might as well go with lightning audio forlike $100.00 +++ cheaper and get the same quality.

 

have you heard/used lightning audio? How do you know they are the same quality? I'm going to buy my amp sub from ebay, so the price is reasonable.

 

i dont know whats wrong with my subs. i got 2 10s in one box hooked up to a 1500 watt rockford amp. the way i figure it, my bass should be booming. but it isnt, even if i turn it up all the way. someone even took out the first aid kit and put 2 holes under it to help the bass get through. its still not great. anyone else got this problem? ps, sorry if im hijacking your thread

 

I'm pretty sure parallel cuts ohms in half and series doubles it. I just researched it further and I appear to be correct. Not big deal though. Benzbro, just make sure you research how to do it before you do.

You also need to make sure that your amplifier will support the ohms. Remember that dropping the ohms by half will double wattage. So make sure your sub can handle the double wattage and that the amp can support 2 ohms.

 

oh yeah parallel does cut it in half, i get confused sometimes lol....if your going to install two or more subs i would suggest parallel since series will lower the ohms to a 1ohm load on the amp with two 4ohm dvc subs.....this would be good if you have a 1ohm stable mono d class amp...any a/b class amp should see a 4ohm load on the amp...lowering the ohm load using series wiring on the amp will give you more power but can damage it unless it's capable to handle those loads....

 

I don't recall the specs on the amp, i'll have to check on that and see if wiring the sub in parallel will be ok. Thanks for the help and i'll let you know what the amp specs are when i get a chance to check it out (busy doing HW right now).

CRR, my friend actually had the same problem that you have. Try checking the RCA's and make sure they are all hooked up right from the back of the deck to the amp. I'm not really sure what caused the lack of power in his system, but i'm pretty sure it was the connections of the RCA's being switched. Also, check to make sure the pos and neg are lined up on everything. If that doesn't work, i'd go into a car audio store and ask them and have them listen to it. Good luck.

 

yea, ill check the wiring. being that it was wired before i go the car, that might be the problem. if that doesnt work, i got a friend who is good with this stuff...i think. tell you guys how it turns out. thanks again

 

you will have to pull the sub(s) out of the enclosure(s) in order to determine how it's wired, just FYI.

 

- First make sure you have a nice and strong ground connection. your ground connector must be touching bare metal from the body and bolted down nice and tight. You can have the amp come on but if the ground isn't good you won't get enough amperage coming through = less power.
Other connections to check would be your speaker wires, these can easily come loose especially where they connect to your box, make sure these are clean and strong connections. sometimes it helps when you make these connections to strip the wire a little longer and fold it in two or for then insert it into the connection lean, this increases the surface area for connection.
And as already mentioned make sure your RCA's are in good shape.

- Second check your speaker configuration. I think (not quite sure) your amp is rated 1500 watts bridged (meaning two channels are bridged into one channel) most likely at 2 ohms or 1 ohm. check that in the specs. What are your subs? dual voice coils or single? this is very critical because configuring these speakers can mean the difference between no bass and getting the full potential of your amp. There are many different configurations you can try depending on your speakers and your amp ratings. Why don't you tell me more specs and i'll let you know the best way to set these up. what I need to know is this

Subs: single or dual voice coil, wattage rating rms and max
Amp: Model, rms power rating, there should be a list that tells you how many watts, stereo or bridged and at how many ohms.

Here are a few ways you can wire subs:
If your amp can handle 2 ohms and you have two DVC speakers with 4 ohm voice coils you'll have to wire it in stereo. you put the voice coils of each sub in parallel (- to - and + to +, 4/2 = 2 ohms) and then connect each sub to one separate channel.

If your amp handles 1 ohm in bridged mode you can get even more power:
put the voice coils in parallel like mentioned above and put the two speakers in parallel as well. so all -'s connected together and all +'s together (this gives you a 1 ohm impedance) and connect this to the bridged channel. Make sure your amp can handle this as if it can't it'll heat up and go into protection if it has any otherwise you'll kill the amp. This causes the amp to run hotter due to high current so make sure it's in a place where it can dissipate heat. Once I have a better clue about your system I'll be able to tell you specific configurations you can try.

Another important thing is your box, a ported box will be more efficient than a sealed box.

 

Well here are the specs i think you'll need to determine how to hook up my system. If it isnt enough, i've also included the specs. I know quite a bit about this kind of stuff, but i know there are those of you who know better. So any ideas of how to wire this will help.
I'm thinking wire it in parallel and just not turn the power up all the way. Another thing to consider is that 250w is still a lot of power(especially for MTX) and will probably be just fine for a sub rated at 300 RMS.

MTX TA4501 Amp
@14.4VDC
4ohm 250w
2ohm 500w

MTX T5515-44 Sub
15" Sub
Dual 4ohm
19-150Hz
RMS 300w
Rec. RMS Amp power 150-300

Wired in parellel= 2ohm load
Wired in series= 8ohm load

 

Just to be sure, if you wire it in parallel, you'll be sending 500 watts to your 300 watt RMS sub. So the question is, of course, whether the 500 watts @ 2ohms as stated by the amp manufacturer is RMS or Peak.

If it's peak, just make sure your sub's peak watt-handling coincides. I'm guessing you're aware of this issue since you said you just won't turn it up very much. You can always adjust the gain on your amp (or input sensitivity), also. That might help protect the sub.

What kind of enclosure do you plan on using? If you're gonna be running an amp with higher RMS power than your Sub's RMS power, it might be a good idea to run a sealed box. That also helps to protect the woofer.

 

i checked the wiring and my bass is a bit better now. the polarity was reversed somewhere along the line. anywa, i still think i shoudl have more bass with the system. the amp for the sub is a Punch 501x(specs here)
and the subs are Punch XLC's(specs here) they are both Rockfords. also i have a parametric eq, a DEI EQ4000(review here) the head unit is a Clarion of some kind. sorry but i dont have my manuals or anythign, so this is the best i can do for specs. what do you guys think. thanks again. also, not that it matters, but my other amp is a Series 1 4060x hooked up to 2 sets of JL Audio component speakers.

 

no offense, but you're really jacking Benzbro's thread.