Running a Proton D1200 in 2 ohm stereo...danger? [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

PDA

View Full Version : Running a Proton D1200 in 2 ohm stereo...danger?



Weister42
01-10-2004, 01:09 PM
I'm running an 8 ohm Kicker Comp 12" sub with this amp(8 ohms bridged) for my home theater, and I'm planning to replace it with something waaay more powerful, like a pair of high power 15" or 18". Most of the subs I checked out has a dual 4ohm voice coil, so I'm planning to run them in parallel into 2 ohms with the amp running in stereo mode(I have an older Proton D1200 with a bridging switch). I saw the lab measurments for this amp and it puts out around 1800watts per channel into 2 ohms on a peak and 350watts RMS, and I would rather not settle with the weaker 8 ohm specs(if I wire the subs into 8 ohms each). Is this a good idea, running this amp into 2 ohms stereo for daily use? What precaution should I take, such as cooling fans, AC stabilizer, etc.? I would rather go for the knife edge because I like to take my equipment to the extreme, what's the point of having a few kilowatts on tap if you're not even going to use it? Unless I can find a single subwoofer that can take all the power this amp is capable of without bottoming out, the 2 ohm stereo idea will have to do...

Mr Peabody
02-01-2004, 06:35 PM
I would not recommend what you are about to do. The impedances you are looking at are nominal. The impedance will swing up or down and there isn't much down left at 2 ohms. I seen a D1200 roast trying to drive an Infinity Kappa 9 which are legendary for wild impedance swings. They are decent amps but I don't think they will take the 2 ohm load for long. You can get a Velodyne SPL 1200 for a little over $1,200. with a 12" woofer and 750 watt digital amp. They make a 15. These will shake your foundation. REL is also very good but I think they start at around $2,500. I shouldn't think you would have bottoming out problems if the sub was set properly. The gain should be left somewhere below 12 o'clock in order to leave the amp plenty of headroom.

Weister42
02-01-2004, 08:13 PM
Ya I've been thinking about this for awhile and your advice is probably a better idea, don't want to start a fire in my listening room or anything of that nature.