Kenwood X1200M
Amit1591
Posts: 33
I recently just ordered the Kenwood X1200M...its 1200watts at 2 ohm, 800 watts at 4ohm and 1 ohm stable...I have 2 Polk SR124DVC's and im going to wire them into a 1 ohm load... Is this amp a good amp for the job and will it give good bass?
Post edited by Amit1591 on
Comments
-
Hi Amit,
Whenever you are matching any amp to speakers / subs, pls match based on RMS ratings. Most amp's and speakers are advertised / sold based on peak ratings which are misleading. Hence your amp is rated at 1200 wattsx1 at peak but 800wattsx1 @ 4ohm or 600watts x2 @ 2ohms RMS. The SR 124DVC are rated at 700watts RMS
If you hooked up two subs to the amp, they would present a load of 2ohm and each sub would get 600 watts. However with your gains set at about 12'oclock the subs would each see about 350-400 watts. If you increased the gains beyond this you would get more watts but higher distortion levels.
Now to answer your question:
1. 400 watts rms per sub would not be enough for the sr subs.
2. Since you have already bought the amp I would suggest that you only hook up one sub so that it gets about 4-500watts, with your gains set at half. This will sound better than 2 subs getting 300 watts each.
3. These subs are SQ subs and work best in sealed enclosures. Recomended size is 1.2cuft for the enclosure. However since we are feeding the sub only about 60% of its RMS capacity (Sub rms = 700 watts, setup would give about 0 watts) you can compensate by making the enclosure slightly smaller. -
Alright I understand what your getting at but im going to be wiring the 2 subs as a combined 1ohm load so shouldnt the amp put out atleast 600 watts to each sub?
-
yes, but when u turn the gains down to half each sub will get around 300. Take one sub, connect its coils in parallel and then hook up to the amp. The amp will now see a 2 ohm load and you will get say 800 watts (check your manual for exact figure). Turn the gain down and ure getting 400-450 watts.
-
Oo okk I see where ur getting at....overall what amp would u recommend tho...the Kenwood X1200M or the Polk Audio PA1200.1?
-
I thought u had already ordered the kenwood. However if you have a choice between kenwood and the polk its a no contest. While kenwood makes some decent equipment, Polk wins hands down. Kicker is another brand that makes good amps. Kicker speakers are SPL oriented and not my cup of tea, but they make good amps.
Can u share some details on the rest of your set up and overall what you want your setup to deliver, i.e.
1. A nice set up to listen to tunes.
2. Pure SQ setup : Clear and pure sound. Clarity over loudness. Imaging / staging / balance are critical.
3. SPL : 'Louder is better'
Whichever direction you take you will prob build / upgrade your setup over time. -
A quick rider. While explaining the issue on amp gain, I gave a laymans explanation so that you would understand the concept. The explanation below is to set the record straight.
The gain control basically matches the voltage pre-out of your HU to the input sensitivity of your amp. Hence if your HU has a pre out of 4 volts rms you want the amp to be at the same sensitivity. By turning the gains down you get the same watts but at lower volts hence it sounds like you're gettting lesser power / watts. Here is a thread if you want to know more in detail.
www.bcae1.com/gaincon2.htm -
Yes I did order the Kenwood but I was just wondering what you would consider better...I'm just looking for good bass as well as nice SQ as well which I know the SR's are def capable of. As of now I have the Kenwood
X1200M which is on its way, a 4 guage wiring kit which im looking to upgrade to a 0/1 guage, 2 Polk SR124 DVC's, and a standard factory Bose head unit. -
1. While building your setup, it is very important that each purchase decision is well thought out. I.E. What you need (not want) vs what you are buying. Hence while the Polk mono block may be better than the Kenwood, fact is that you have bought the Kenwood and it will do. You have a great sub and a decent amp, your sub bass is set. Dont waste more $$$ on buying another mono amp. Spend the $$$ on other items.
2. Next, you need to fix a budget i.e. how much are you willing to spend lets say over 6-8months on building your set up? and then buy step by step.
It seems you are going with the stock HU and speakers for now. You should also deaden your front doors. Stuff like dynamat, rammart etc. Hook up the mono amp and the sub to your stock setup and see what it sounds like. If this serves your purpose fine. If not:
95% of stock equipment (yes, even with the bose badge) is lousy in sq terms.
If this is what your ears tell you as well, then you would need to get a good Speakers + Amp + HU. However lets take it one step at a time.
BTW what vehicle is this setup in? -
Its in a 04 Nissan Maxima.
-
ok. Once you have hooked it all up, would be interested to hear your feedback.
