brociouz

iTrader: (65)

Is it worth the extra money to get a 1000 watt amp to run JL Audio's 12W6v2 subwoofer? The power chart says 500W is in the orange/red "danger zone" but peak power is at 1200W (warranty void past 600W). Will I be missing out on much if I only get a 500W amp? Is it bad to be running the 500W amp at full power all the time?

PS: In case it wasn't obvious, I'm an audion00b.

Percy

I'd be very surprised if you could run 500 watts at the subwoofer ALL the time. The power for the sub is mostly used in peaks or transients. The most critical part is the midrange, where we hear 90% of the real music.

The difference between 500 and 1000 watts isn't that much. Since our ears are logarithmic in nature, you would need 5000 watts to sound TWICE as loud as 500! 50 watts would only sound 1/2 as loud as 500.

Stick with the 500. It'll be plenty unless you're out to burst your eardrums. Your alternator will thank you too.

And no, you really don't need an outboard capacitor. I'd actually recommend against it.

brociouz

iTrader: (65)

Thanks for the advice!

Amalan

iTrader: (1)

Percy is right but if you do want the extra power, the w6s will take it. jl's ratings are conservative for warranty reasons but the w6 will take a good 800w rms without losing sound quality or damaging the driver. Running the 500w amp at full power wont do any damage as long as you're not clipping the sound (ie trying to push your stock hu at a higher volume than it will go) just make sure you set the gains correctly on the amp and you should be golden. You will be able to tell a difference with the extra 500w but also at the expense of your electrical system. IMO stick with the 500w amp unless you plan on upgrading to a gel battery (optima, kinetik, stinger etc.)

brociouz

iTrader: (65)

Expense of my electrical system? Will a 1000W amp damage it, or do I just need a gel battery to handle the load? Thanks.

Amalan

iTrader: (1)

yep just get a deep cycle gel batt and you should be fine. 1000W wont draw too much current unless youre running like a 60 amp alternator.

brociouz

iTrader: (65)

Hey guys, bringing this thread back to life. Do you think I'll need a new battery if I'm running an HD750/1?

PK_Celsior

iTrader: (18)

you probably wont!!!!! i ran 2 w6v2 on a 1 farad capacitor. if you want to run a back up battery i got all the stuff for it, and probably let it go for cheap!!!!!