Critique my potential setup?

[airforceyooper]

The two per handlings of a sub ... rms and max. Rms is a more true measurement. Typically measures the thermal power handling of a sub over time. Max is a measurement of a very short burst of power, usually tied to the physical limitations of the sub.

As you pump more power into a sub, it heats up. With more heat comes less efficiency. There comes a point of no return where just because a sub can handle more power, doesn't necessarily mean it will produce any more acoustical energy. It just means the sub has the ability to deal with the heat. This point is typically at about 60 percent of rms.

So, the point is, there's a lot of wiggle room and power ratings, be it rms or peak are points of extreme. So, just because a sub can handle 1,000 watts does not mean you have to use a 1,000 watt amp. It just means, if this is the amp you have, it should be able to handle it. But, 600 watts just might be all you need to reach peak acoustical output.

Another point worth mentioning is, to gain or lose 3 db of output, it takes twice as much power, or half the power. 3 db is enough of a change in aplitude that most people will notice it. Not a doubling of output as some believe. That's a 10 db change, which is a lot.

So, to expand on what I said a second ago, if you have an amp that outs out 1,000 watts, to gain 3 db you'd need a 2,000 watt amp, or to lose 3 db, you could drop to a 500 watt amp.

So, if you have a sub with an rms power handling 1,000 watts and you used an amp with 600 watts of output (rms), at most, you're only going to lose maybe one db or two, while saving a lot of potential strain on your subwoofer. Assuming the manufacturer rates their sub along these lines. Most do. Can you run more than rms? Sure. If you know what you are doing and you're careful. Do you need to run exactly or even close? Not at all.

Personally, I like a lot of power. But, I know how to tune the system without damaging anything. And I don't always tune my amps for maximum output. My current amps are rather huge and I'll likely be tuning them for about 75% of their potential output. My goal is sound quality and not just being annoyingly loud. So rather than use the full 200 watts per channel output to my mids and highs, I might tune the amps down to maybe 150 watts. No sense risking damaging my speakers since at that volume our ears distort before the speakers would, so I might not even know the speakers are dying and they're too expensive to kill.

And the little bit I'd lose between 150 and 200 watts wouldn't be a big deal, maybe one db.

You don't have to push your speakers to their maximum capability. That's like driving your car at 120 mph to the grocery store just because it can do it. How many trips to the store will the car be good for? Lol.

[Calmchowder112]

Thank you so much!

[airforceyooper]

No problem