CAN I RUN A SUB WHICH HAS 250W RMS WITH A 200W AMP?

Question

I WANTED TO BUY A ROCKFORD FOSGATE PUNCH 2 SUB WHICH COMES WITH A 200WATT AMP. THE SUB RUNS AT ABOUT 250W RMS. WILL THIS SETUP WORK AT ALL? AND IF IT DOES, HOW MUCH BASS COULD IT PUSH? THANX!

Answer 1

if both wattage specs are RMS it will work but since you are a little under the higher of the RMS wattage then you run a higher risk of having your gain set incorrectly with will cause the sub to play distorted and distortion is the main cause of speaker damage (not over or under powering)

you should be safe as long as you set your gain (input sensitivity setting) correctly, remember its not volume or power but its used to maximize clean signal strength from your amp

here's how

Set the input sensitivity controls of your amplifier to their minimum level (counter clockwise).

Put in a CD and turn the receiver's volume control up (you might have to raise the amp's gain just a bit to hear the music).

When you hear distortion, stop. Turn the volume down until it disappears. As much signal as possible is passing from the receiver to the amp. This maximizes the signal-to-noise ratio, and leaves your system less prone to engine noise problems. Keep the volume setting here.

Now turn the gain controls on the amplifier up until it's as loud as you'll play it. If you hear distortion, slightly decrease the gain settings.

Now you've optimized the amp's output with the receiver's volume set near maximum. You can turn the volume almost all the way up and not damage your speakers or amplify distortion. If you're hooking up a subwoofer, a test disc (or bass-heavy CD) is helpful for making final adjustments.

Answer 2

Subs dont "have" wattage. The RMS numbers listed on subs is their power handling. Ie: how much they can take. Usually you can drive subs much higher than their RMS handling as long as your gains are adjusted properly.

To answer your question directly, that will work fine as long as it is a 200 RMS watt amp (NOT peak). Turn your gains up. The type of box and volume within the box also affect the type of sound it makes and loudness. Sealed boxes will be the punchiest while band-pass boxes have crazy low end bass extension. Ported boxes are a nice "middle of the road" and you can tune them to any frequency you like depending on how you build it. If you listen to mostly rock/techno, go with a sealed box. If you ONLY listen to rap, go bandpass. You get the idea.

Check the instructions that came with the sub or contact Rock Fos for box specs.

Answer 3

That sub/amp combination should work fine.

Answer 4

Well the sub and amp will work together but not efficiently. Once you turn it up too any type of volume level the sub will start to distort. the rms rating on stereo equipment is the minimum requirement of constant power required for optimum performance. when you buy the amp you should also look at the rms for each channel of the amp. Keep in mind that a 200x2 amp is actually 100watts per channel. as for the bass, that depends on the size of the sub. The more surface area the deeper the bass. the wattage just helps how loud it will go. Good luck

Answer 5

is that amp a mono? 200w rms or peak?