Audio Gurus- DVC question

[moombahighrider]

Hey experts (or anyone else who might know this),

When looking up dvc subs, there is usually only one rms power rating for the sub. Is this the total power that should be sent to both coils, or is this power 'per coil'?

Example- Polk MM1240DVC- specs state dual 4 ohm voice coils, under power is states 425 WRMS.

Thanks in advance,

Simon.

[MLA]

The RMS spec is per sub, not coil. 99.99% of the time, both coils are wired together in either series or parallel and wired to the either a single chnl or bridged on 2 chnls. In very rare occasions would anyone wire each coil to its own chnl.

So for your example, you would wire those two coils in parallel to = 2 Ohms, then find a mono amp that will deliver 400+ watts RMS @ 2 ohm.

[moombahighrider]

The RMS spec is per sub, not coil.

That's what I needed to know, thank you very much.

[Brianinpdx]

Don't get hung up with sec, dvc, which is better etc... I never forgot a time I was at a retailer and I heard a guy come in the store with a price shopping thing and the retailer said, "well that 299 is a good price.... but how many coils did it have? Was it a dvc?" the poor consumer was dazed and confused. I interjected , "who cares!!!" but I got the evil eye quickly from the guy behind the counter.

My point is this.... SVC, DVC, DVC dual 2, dual4, these are all just tools in your tool belt to do ONE thing. Marry the correct woofer, to the correct amplifier. It's that simple. Any other talk on the subject is just tech speak.

So to answer the question of the OP, what I would say is... "You need an amp that is capable of 425W of output at either 8ohm (unlikely), or 2 ohm(more likely) for that DVC woofer. If your amplifier is running at 4 ohm, then I'd switch over to the polk model that is SVC4ohm. And presto, you've got a solution that works within the mfg's parameters.

Hope that makes sense.

-Brian
Exile Audio

[moombahighrider]

Yeah, Brian, that does makes sense and kinda where I was going with it (although I did not question that specifically, I realize). The thing of it is, in all the years that I have been working with car audio, that little detail of how a svc or dvc is rated has been a question. It seemed to me to be one of those insider secrets. In reality, I have always chosen an amplifier and subwoofer combo that works well together (i have a very good understanding of electronics and car audio in general) and have mated the appropriate products, relative to their rms rating (dvc or otherwise). It was just one of those questions that came up today in my research and I knew that you guys could get me an answer in a relatively short timeframe (apparently, i am not that patient!). I do appreciate what you guys do and how willing you are to impart knowledge. It is nice to know that we have a place to go where people are willing to help...

[Brianinpdx]

Rider - No sweat. It's funny because it comes up again and again and again... especially in the realm of car audio. Same thing with master / slave amplifiers. Holy heck, lets not open that can of worms. Your a step ahead of you stay the course you mentioned. Look at the maximum (reliable) cont power deliver on the amp 4/2/1/0.5 ohm etc and pick a woofer(s) that hits that load. Golden every single time :> -Brian