Car Audio Questions

[sevin7]

I am upgrading my sound system in my car this summer. I currently have one rockford fosgate punch level 3 10inch sub. I have been looking at many subwoofers and i am wondering, is a subwoofer that has 2 ohms vioce coils better than one with 4 ohm voice coils? the Rockford fosgate subs all have the option of the 2 ohm model or 4 ohm model, but they both cost the same, why is this? Is one better than the other? Ive knowticed most amps put out more power @ 2ohms than 4 ohms. does lower impedance lower sound quality? One other thing, i am looking at the Audiobahn immortal series, the 10 inch ones are only ~$200 online, and they are 1500watts rms, have quad 2ohm voice coils, and amazing specs, but they seem to good to be true for this price? Are audiobahns really crappy subs? How can they be so cheap compared to the other subs with the same specs, also is there a difference between these audiobahn subs with quad voice coils and dual voice coils? i know dual is way better than one, so im assuing quad owns dual?

[N. Abstentia]

Sounds like you need to visit your local high end car audio shop for some advice (not a Best Buy/ Circuit City).

Dual voice coil does not make a subwoofer better. Dual voice coil simply gives you more wiring options.

[eisforelectronic]

You get what you pay for.

[sevin7]

im not visiting any audio shops becuase they are dumb asses and they want to rip me off.

[This Guy]

You're ripping yourself off if you don't have much knowledge of car audio. Do some more reading up. Do not spend $200 on an audiobahn woofer. The only reason woofers have multiple voice coils is so there are more wiring options. Say a woofer has two 4 0hm voice coils. You can wire the two coils in parallel and you'll end up with a 2 ohm load for your amp. Or you could wire those two voice coils in series and end up with an 8 ohm load. And with the rockford, they are different because some amps can handle lower impediances. You could get two 4 ohm speakers and wire them in parallel. The amp would see 2 ohms so it would put out more power. If you got two 2 ohm speakers, you could parallel them and get 1 ohm load to the amp. This would put out even more power because the resistance is cut in half. Some amps can't handle the 1 ohm load and over heat. Look at some good subs at partsexpress.com Dayton is a great brand they sell there.

[topspeed]

Keep in mind, a 2 ohm driver will be harder for your amp to drive than a 4 ohm driver. Therefore, while the amp may put out more wattage at lower ohms, it sure isn't enjoying it and will let you know by running hot and eventually shutting down.

I cooked my RF sub about 6 months ago. Not being much of a car audio guy, I wrongfully presumed that RF was the same reputable company it was years ago. As I found through talking with installers, somewhere over the last 5 years or so they lost their way and lost ground to the competition. My dealer carries RF, Audiobahn, and JL Audio among others. According to them, RF is a good budget sub, Audiobahn looks great and performs at the same level as RF, and JL is the killer. I can tell you that after replacing the RF with a JL, the difference was astonishing. The JL hits much harder and plays cleaner while going lower. It's simply a whole different class of sub. Check them out.

[Motoracer5]

Sounds like you need a Koda from Adire audio. Havent heard the koda's but i have heard the Brahma 10 and it is the best car audio sub i have ever heard, liked it more that the JL W7 10 and MTX thunder 9500 10 inch. All in small sealed enclosures. The koda is based of the same tech as brahma. One of my buddies just got a 12 inch from Elemental Designs, it kicks a$$ too. There's my vote for online companies

[vr6ofpain]

Dual voice coil simply gives you more wiring options.

Exactly :cool: