Thinking of purchasing a C500.1, but...

kstrike155

Hello all,

For those that don't want to read everything and want a quick-and-dirty question, jump to the bottom. For everyone else:

I have a 2001 Mustang GT Convertible fitted with the MMC6500 up front and MMC5250 in the rear, powered by a Polk C400.4. The headunit is an Alpine CDA-9857. I also have a JL Audio Stealthbox (before they discontinued them for this car). It had originally come with a (blown, I bought used) JL 10W6AE (Anniversary Edition) which was specially made for that enclosure. I then replaced it with a JL Audio 10W3V3-D4 which handles 300W @ 4Ohms. I did this as it just barely fit (depth-wise) and seems to have almost the exact same volume requirements as the 10W6AE.

Unfortunately, I'm running a Sony XM-2100GTX for my subwoofer. It is a 2-channel amp, rated at 250W RMS @ 4Ohms (bridged, obviously).

I can barely hear the subwoofer. It sounds terrible, and actually I think the amp is dying, or just can't handle the 10W3V3. The amp is just a leftover I had from when I was younger. The rest of the system sounds incredible, though!

I'm looking for an amplifier to power my 10W3V3. I have been contemplating the C500.1 as it produces 350W RMS @ 4Ohms. I'm worried, though, of overpowering the speaker. I know all of Polk's amplifiers are underrated, and I can vouch for that as my C400.4 (which is rated 75Wx4 @ 4Ohms) was measured at 93Wx4 RMS.

Would this be a good match for the 10W3V3? I'm debating between this and a JL Audio 250/1 (which would be underpowering the subwoofer a bit, which I would rather not do considering the money I have spent on the rest of the system and the kind of quality I want).

I would rather stay with Polk as I love the quality and the value of them, and the rest of my system is Polk. It would also look really nice in my trunk:


What is your take on this?

Thanks,
Brian

QUICK AND DIRTY QUESTION: What would be a better amp for a JL Audio 10W3V3-D4; a JL 250/1 or a Polk C500.1?

kstrike155

Anyone?

PolkThug

I'd go Polk C300.2 bridged to 460rms @4ohms.

kstrike155

PolkThug wrote: »

I'd go Polk C300.2 bridged to 460rms @4ohms.

Why would I do that when the sub can only handle 300W RMS? I don't want it distorting and I don't want it to fry the subwoofer...

1996blackmax

I would get the C500.1, just remember to set your gains on the conservative side. If you look on JL's website, they show a power range graph, you do not have to stay at 300 watts.

My JL 12w6v2 is rated at 400 watts RMS. It is a dual 4ohm sub wired for a 2ohm final load. My amp is rated at 1098 watts RMS at 2ohms bridged, the way I have it connected to the sub. My subwoofer sounds very good. It plays the bass information very cleanly. If I want it can also play pretty loud, and also maintain clean bass output. Granted I have backed down on the gains some, and I am conservative with the volume control (meaning I do not abuse the sub), but I am still giving the sub a whole lot more than 400 watts RMS.

What you are describing as distortion can also come from undepowering a driver, meaning that you are asking your amplifier to produce more power than in can cleanly.

People often pair up their speakers with amplifiers that produce more power than they are rated for because they want the extra headroom in their system. It is nice to have the juice available for musical peaks when it's needed, instead of your amp reaching its limits. My components are rated for 100 watts RMS, I am giving them almost twice this power. If you setup your gains correctly you should be ok.

kstrike155

1996blackmax wrote: »

I would get the C500.1, just remember to set your gains on the conservative side. If you look on JL's website, they show a power range graph, you do not have to stay at 300 watts.

My JL 12w6v2 is rated at 400 watts RMS. It is a dual 4ohm sub wired for a 2ohm final load. My amp is rated at 1098 watts RMS at 2ohms bridged, the way I have it connected to the sub. My subwoofer sounds very good. It plays the bass information very cleanly. If I want it can also play pretty loud, and also maintain clean bass output. Granted I have backed down on the gains some, and I am conservative with the volume control (meaning I do not abuse the sub), but I am still giving the sub a whole lot more than 400 watts RMS.

What you are describing as distortion can also come from undepowering a driver, meaning that you are asking your amplifier to produce more power than in can cleanly.

People often pair up their speakers with amplifiers that produce more power than they are rated for because they want the extra headroom in their system. It is nice to have the juice available for musical peaks when it's needed, instead of your amp reaching its limits. My components are rated for 100 watts RMS, I am giving them almost twice this power. If you setup your gains correctly you should be ok.

Sounds good, that's what I wanted to hear!

I'll set out to buy the C500.1 when I get back from England in June. Until then, I can only dream about it!

-Brian

1996blackmax

Let us know how it goes.