Matching Speakers to Amps

[TT4U2NV]

The Following info in for the Amp I have.

Fahrenheit 400x2 Power Amplifier
Power Acoustik Fahrenheit Series

· 2ch · High level input · Cross over selectable · Var/Sub 40Hz - 300Hz · Var/High 40Hz - 300kHz · Var. 40Hz 18 dB bass boost · Stable to (stereo): 2 Ohms · Mono: 4 Ohms · 4 Ohm Rms: 400 x 2 · 2 Ohm Rms: 480 x 2 · Mono Rms: 960 · Bridged Max: 1800 · Tri Mode Ohms: (left) 4, (center) 8, (right) 4 · Frequency Response: 10 Hz - 30 kHz · THD: 0.02% · S/N Ratio: 97 dB · Dimensions: 27" x 2.3" x 11



My Questions are....
What can you tell me abou this amp?
Good or Bad?

Explain the specs to me in a manner that a person with little knowledge of stereo equipment can understand.

It states 2 ohm Stable. Does that mean I mean to find a 2 ohm speaker or run a 4 ohm speaker and risk burning it up?

I would like to run 12" speakers. Preferably 2 of them.

Anything else to add to this would be greatly appreciated. (wiring size, ect. ect. ect.)
Thanks in Advance.

 

[elcaminov6]

Just because an amp is said to be stable to two ohms doesn't mean it's a good idea to run it there. An ohm is a measure of resistance to current flow (impedance). If you lower that resistance, you'll get more power to your speakers but you also add a lot of un-needed heat into the amp, definitely shortening it's life expectancy. I personally like tight, accurately reproduced, musical bass, which is a good target to shoot at for just about any music except rap. My reccomendation would be to run a pair of twelves made for a sealed enclosure in a sealed enclosure. Wire both speaker positive leads to the left positive out from the amp, and both speaker negative leads to the right negative out from the amp. This is called parallel wiring and running from one channel's pos. to the other channel's neg. is bridging the output. This setup will give you a 4 ohm mono load that will be very easy on the amp, and give you lots of good clean bass.

 

[GNandTTA]

This setup will give you a 4 ohm mono load that will be very easy on the amp, and give you lots of good clean bass

But running an amp in bridged mode is the same load impedance as running each channel at 2 ohms.

But I'd still run it in bridged mode. Less bass cancelation between the woofers.

 

[elcaminov6]

It's been a while since I designed a system from scratch, and you are right. I think my speaks in my current system are 8 ohms...they are JL Audios in a sealed box.

 

[TT4U2NV]

So. I don't need to look all over for some speakers that are rated at 2 ohms then if I wire it up that way?
I'd be happy to run it at 4 ohms. I just didn't wanna take a chance on blowing them up.

I may just go with my Lanzar amp and existing box.
I just wanted to get some answers as to what I needed to run the Farenheit amp.
Also.
What 12" speakers do you recomend?
I'm not heavy into cranking my Music up ALL THE TIME.
But I do want it to be respected though.
Any preferences or suggestions?????

Thanks.

 

[elcaminov6]

I use a JL Audio enclosure with a pair of 10 inchers in it. When it is wired parallel like I advised in the earlier post my amp sees a 4 ohm load, so the speakers must have 8 oms of impedance each. The bass gets loud enough for me, and I'm sure that twelves would hit real good. The key to being happy with the speakers you get is to make sure they are designed for the application you use them in. I'm talking deciding what kind and size enclosure you are going to use before you buy the speakers. You can have the best speaks in the world and if the box is wrong you won't be happy.

 

[TT4U2NV]

Ok. Thanks. I have a box already. As soon as I can get you the specs on it.. I will.
That way you can tell me whether the box seems to be an ok size or to small.

Any recomendations on speakers?
I have a set of 12's but I don't know who made them.
No name on them.
There is something on the top of it though.
Not sure what it says as I haven't paid any attention to them in awhile.
Thanks again.

 

[elcaminov6]

I like my JL Audios really well, but it's been a while since I put a system together from scratch, and I'm sure there are many good brands ou there. The thing to do is find out whether your box is ported or sealed, bandpass etc., and the internal volume of the box. Then buy a speaker that is designed to work in that size and type box.

 

[Chad Oliver]

My system hits extremely hard. I run 1 12" cerwin vega w/ 6" polk seperates. Alpine head unit. Monster cables. 2 mtx 2150 amps. The key to a good sound is 1. get a decent receiver (doesn't have to be expensive but must have a high signal to noise ratio) 2. make sure all wires are nice and the ground(s) have good contact (sand the paint off if necessary). 3. make certain you know what kind of box your speaker needs (ported or sealed) and the cubic feet required inside the box, I built my own because I couldn't find one for the proper dimensions that I liked. I would suggest a setup like elcaminov6 - two tens have more range and are easier to blend than two 12"'s. I am a musician (bass player) and have used 8's, 10's, 12's, 15's and other combos. 8's and 10's are what most musicians use, most musical amplifier speakers are made by jensen or a subsidiary believe it or not. 10's aren't as muddy sounding as 12's. But my system sounds better than any of my friends ever had, hits harder than most too. Check out Crutchfield they have great advice and products. When it comes to car audio cheap sounds cheap. I'd avoid Best Buy. Circuit City isn't bad but a bit pricey. The G body acoustics aren't going to be that good. The stock mounting positions give probably the best imaging you can get in that car.Good luck and remeber if it's too loud your too old.

 

[Sinister86]

my advice for matching speakers to amps is make sure your amp is of the same quality as your speakers. my last install in my firebird had an infinity beta amp to a pair of pyramid 12's. i didnt buy expensive subs because i spent most of my money on the amp, hey you cant make good speakers sound good with a bad amp but you CAN make bad speakers sound good with a good amp. hope that isnt confusing... but anyway, yea it SLAMMED for about 2 months and then the voice coils burned up. the speakers had an advertised 300 watts RMS power handling but it seems they just couldnt handle the raw power of 100 real infinty watts. the moral of the story... the cheap brands cant handle real brand power. my infinity amp would blow away any 1200 watt power acoustik (dont hate me for saying that if you have p.a. stuff, i know it can hit just not as clean and hard ) so i went out and got some jbl gt's and they hit so hard it was ridiculous. (of course they were dvc wired in a 2-ohm load so they got about 200 watts RMS instead of 100 and they had a much higher spl to begin with) one of the best advice i heard on buying an amp is if it doesnt cost close to 1 dollar per watt of RMS power than it isnt worth your time. just some words of wisdom, good luck, Taylor

 

[TT4U2NV]

Originally posted by elcaminov6
I like my JL Audios really well, but it's been a while since I put a system together from scratch, and I'm sure there are many good brands ou there. The thing to do is find out whether your box is ported or sealed, bandpass etc., and the internal volume of the box. Then buy a speaker that is designed to work in that size and type box.

I didn't get the dimentions of the box yet.
But I can tell you that it was at 1 point in time a ported box.
It's sealed now.
1 box with 2 chambers.
It has some mid range and tweeters in there but they are not hooked up.
I hear JL Audio's got some good stuff.
I'm not looking to outdo everybody.
But am willing to spend $150 or so per 12"speaker.

By the way. How much does a Pioneer 50 + 1 CD Changer cost?
Just curious. Thanks.