Advice Needed: DVC vs single (1 Viewer)

[Adam]

I think I am finally going to build a subwoofer. I am going with a tcsounds 15" driver. What is the easiiest configuration to work with, dual 4 Ohm voice coils or single 4 ohm voice coil? I would guess If I were using a plate amp I should use the single and If I am using a stereo amp I should go with a DVC? I will only be using a single driver. Can an inexpensive pro amp drive a single 4 ohm load if you run it bridged?

Also, can I get some suggestions for an amp to run a TC Sounds TC-2000 15".

Thanks,
Adam.

 

[bobbyg2]

Well, if you were going to go with a dual 4-ohm coil than the impedance will be either 8Ohms, or 2 ohms (depending on how you wire it) as with a single 4-ohm coil it gives you 4 ohms.

I'd rather get the dual 4-ohm and get a 2-ohm amp.

 

[Robert_J]

Choosing the proper amp/VC configuration is not that simple if you want to do it correctly. First you have to pick you your driver and model it in WinISD or Unibox. Find out how much power it takes to push it to the limits (which you will never do) and then buy an amp to power it.

It sounds like you already have a driver picked out. The TC-2K is a great choice and I've seen dozens of successful designs. It works great in very large enclosures (200L+) tuned very low (12hz to 14hz). If you want to go with something like that, I'd choose the SVC version of the driver and pair it with a Behringer EP-1500 or a Buttkicker (if you want the ability to add another sub later).

-Robert

 

[Adam]

I think I am going to go with the Single VC 15" tc-2000. Will this amp be enough to power it? http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-752.

 

[Robert_J]

That BASH amp will power it nicely but it will be on the lower end. You will also want to swap out a pair of resistors on the circuit board (you do know how to solder?) to change the SSF. The default setting is way to high.

What is your enclosure design? We can at least model your setup to see the simulated frequency response.

-Robert

 

[BryanDO]

DVC subwoofers provide more flexibility for installations using multiple drivers. It really doesn't matter which you chose as long as the amp is compatible with the speakers impedance. Amps that handle bridged 4ohm loads tend to be easier to find and are generally cheaper so either a 4 ohm single coil or dual 2 ohm would work.

Your best bet for cheap watts is a pro amp. Look on Ebay for QSC, Behringer, Crown etc... You'll easily find amps outputting thousands of watts for under 300 bucks. I just picked up a QSC USA 850 for 175 and a QSC MX-700 for 140. These amps are also built like tanks. For home use alot of people find the fans noisy, I've found it safe to simply remove them for home use with no ill effects.

 

[Paul Spencer]

I don't have experience with that driver and can't find parameters for it but I have a pair of older drivers that are probably similar in terms of amp requirements - AE speakers AV12 - 2 of them with 23mm xmax and manufactured by TC sounds. Mine have dual 2 ohm coils which I wire in series to get 4 ohms per driver. I consider this ideal as you get 4 ohms each driver. I don't see much advantage in 2 voice coils if you have a good driver an amp match and you choose both to work together, rather than buying the driver before deciding on an amp. The only advantage I see is where you are powering with a high power 2 channel amp which doesn't happen to provide bridging - then you can drive a VC with each channel.

I highly recommend the Behringer EP2500 as a great bang for buck amp for subs. It costs little more than its smaller brother, and has quite a lot of power. I've used my subs with 450w pro amps and they did tend to clip when I turned them up, but the extra power in this amp meant that I could turn them up to the same level without clipping. I've only ever driven to clipping twice ever.

What I like about this amp is that it's quite flexible. It will bridge into a single 4 ohm load, unlike most entry level amps. In fact many competing amps have a little less power, cost more and won't bridge into 4 ohms - they will only handle 8 ohms which is much less useful. This one will put out 2.4kw into a single 4 ohm load.

The only downside is the fan runs all the time and is quite loud. You would have to either install it in another room, or use another fan to live with it in the room. Having said that, it's not as bad as the Crown XLS with fan noise.

About that amp you linked. I noticed two things about it - firstly, it has a high min xo point at 50 Hz, which in certain situations may be less than ideal, depending on how you want to use it. What happens is that often the point you select will not often be the effective crossover point. You may set it to 50 Hz but in fact get an effective -3db point at 60 Hz. If you actually wanted to cross at 50 Hz it may not work in that way. Also, it appears to have no rumble filter, which for a vented design may severely limit your output. Supposing you tuned at 20 Hz and you get very heavy 10 Hz output, the driver could be pushed to its mech excursion limits, and this can cause damage. If this is a vented design for home theater, you really need either a rumble filter or a limiter.