4 ohms, or 2 ohms

[TORQUE THIS]

I am looking for a 12" sub for a JL Audio Stealth box. The only one anybody has in stock is a 4 ohm sub. The one that is supposed to be in there is a 2 ohm sub. What is the difference??

 

[K_Arts]

I'm not sure how much you know about power and resistance, but the Ohms value is just a measure of resistance.



Unless you plan on putting multible subs in, I would not reccommend a 2 ohm sub, unless you have an Amplifier that can handle that type of load.



If you go to this site. It explains speaker resistance and how to wire them, pending on the load that your amp can handle.



What kind of amp are you running/planning on running?



Kev

 

[C. Harlan]

go with 2-8 ohm speakers, bridge them to make it 4, and you will be impressed! 2 ohm load is very unstable, and sounds very poor. Just a few cents worth. I have a ~1200 watt stereo in my truck... but I have done all the work myself, and also with the help of Custom Sounds, San Antonio TX (Though I have no affiliation with them)... I hope this will help you out!



-Chris-

 

[Chipstien]

Torque this, If this is the box that fits under the center seat than it is Dual voice coils. I believe it comes with a 12W3-D4. In other words it comes with a speaker that has dual 4 ohm coils. If you parallel the two coils it becomes a 2 ohm speaker. Thats probably why it says 2 ohm. Almost any amp you buy now will be 2ohm stable so you will want to go with a 12W3-D4 speaker to get the impedance you want. The decreased damping factor by running at lower impedances is not noticeable to the average ear. Besides at 4 ohms you will get half the power than at 2 ohms.

I am running 4 dual 2 ohm 10's to two BD1000's. Each amp is seeing a 2ohm load and puts out over 1200 watts continuous each.

 

[Gray Ghost]

Each amp is seeing a 2ohm load and puts out over 1200 watts continuous each.

Chipstien

You are going to be like me when you get older.

$5K for hearing aids. Trust me on this.

 

[Weidner]

JL AUDIO 12" SUB

I picked up a used JL audio 12 dual voice coil speaker, how can I tell if it is a dual 2,3,or 4 ohm sub? I don't see a model # on it. I would like to run it in a 2 ohm load off of a mono sub amp. Any advise? Chipstien?

 

[Chipstien]

Re: Each amp is seeing a 2ohm load and puts out over 1200 watts continuous each.

Originally posted by Gray Ghost

Chipstien

You are going to be like me when you get older.

$5K for hearing aids. Trust me on this.

Funny thing is I was born with a hearing loss. Am 50% deaf in both ears.



Weidner, The easiest way to check would be to get a multitester and measure the impedance. It will either be 2, 4, or 6 ohms per side. If it uses a huge flat magnet with a vent in the center than it is probably a 12W6,( 6ohms per side). If the magnet is stepped up in the center and has no vent than it is a 12W3. However 12W3 are availiable as dual 2, 4, and 6 ohms. If I had to make a guess than it is a 12W6 since the W3's should all be marked accordingly. The W6 series are one of the best speakers JL make but with a single woofer you will only get a impedance of 3 ohms if you parallel the voice coils. They were designed to run in sets of three's. Hope I helped.



Edit: If it is a really old 12 than it could also be a W4 or a W5. I can't remember whether these were availiable in dual voice coils though. We are talking 10 years old or so. Hard to believe they have been around that long.