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Old Jun 9, 2004 | 04:53 AM
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RMS Questions

I'm looking at a pair of Pioneer TS-C160R component speakers for the front. They are rated for 60W RMS with 250W peak. What kind of amp should I use to run them? Should I avoid going higher than 60W or is it OK to run more power to them? My head unit is going to be a Pioneer deh p6500 50x4. Thanks...
 
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Old Jun 9, 2004 | 05:35 AM
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You should not run anything higher than 60W RMS continuous to speakers rated at 60W RMS. If you do, the voice coils will over heat, and warp.....
 
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Old Jun 9, 2004 | 09:52 AM
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40 to 50 watt rms amp per channel would be about the sweet spot.
 
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Old Jun 9, 2004 | 05:32 PM
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Originally Posted by GotLift
I'm looking at a pair of Pioneer TS-C160R component speakers for the front. They are rated for 60W RMS with 250W peak. What kind of amp should I use to run them? Should I avoid going higher than 60W or is it OK to run more power to them? My head unit is going to be a Pioneer deh p6500 50x4. Thanks...

Many experts believe you can never have too much power. System design and user common sense go a long way. I know of a competitor who had 6 bridged Linear Power TO3 amps capable of over 1000 watts each running into six separate speakers, none of which was rated higher than 100 watts RMS. Were those amps producing 1000 watts just because they were capable of doing so? Of course not. Was the system more dynamic than if he had used 6 bridged Jensen amps capable of 100 watts each. Absolutely. There is a lot more to the equation than looking at RMS numbers, although it can be very important in the average everyday system for someone who likes to crank it up all the time.
 
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Old Jun 9, 2004 | 10:05 PM
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Pioneer also builds their speaker's capable of handling more than RMS continuously. I wouldn't put anymore than 100 watts continous, but 60 to 75 should be more than loud enough. If you're amplifying, deck power doesn't matter. I would amp those. Deck power won't be enough. Even if the deck claims 50 or 60 watts, that's peak power. RMS is 20-30.
 
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Old Jun 10, 2004 | 10:16 PM
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I'm looking at a Pioneer GM-X524. It's 4X50 or 2X120. Does that mean it will put out 50 or 120? Or is that peak only? If I win it, I'll try it out once I get the speakers. If it isn't enough, maybe I'll run it on the rear speakers.

Which amp would you run?
 
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Old Jun 11, 2004 | 03:03 AM
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Originally Posted by GotLift
I'm looking at a Pioneer GM-X524. It's 4X50 or 2X120. Does that mean it will put out 50 or 120? Or is that peak only? If I win it, I'll try it out once I get the speakers. If it isn't enough, maybe I'll run it on the rear speakers.

Which amp would you run?
It means you can run 4 channels at 50w each, or bridge into 2 channels to get 120w. Those are the RMS ratings. IMO, bridge 2 channels to each speaker and it should be fine.
 
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Old Jun 11, 2004 | 11:35 AM
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My speakers are 50 rms and my amp is 75 rms. I have my gains turned back a tad. I've always been told a amp performs better and cooler not at max gain. Mine sounds awesome and have had zero problems.
 
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Old Jun 11, 2004 | 04:32 PM
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Originally Posted by kens64
It means you can run 4 channels at 50w each, or bridge into 2 channels to get 120w. Those are the RMS ratings. IMO, bridge 2 channels to each speaker and it should be fine.

Thanks Ken, I should have rephrased that question. I knew it was 50X4 and 120X2, I just wasn't sure if those were peak or RMS ratings. Thanks for all the information guys. I just installed my Pioneer head unit and it is amazing the difference that that alone makes. I can't wait to get better speakers and some real power! If I win the 4 ch. amp, I'll hook it up 50X4 to the front and rear speakers to see how that sounds. If it's good then I'll start looking for subs.

Thanks for the education
 
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Old Jun 11, 2004 | 07:52 PM
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Originally Posted by stealth1
My speakers are 50 rms and my amp is 75 rms. I have my gains turned back a tad. I've always been told a amp performs better and cooler not at max gain. Mine sounds awesome and have had zero problems.
The only reason for an adjustable gain control is to allow you to MATCH it to a head unit's output voltage. Your amp will perform best when the gain is set where it should be in relation to the HU. With a given amp, max gain may be close to perfect for certain HUs, whereas 1/2 may be near perfect for other HUs. There are ways to set the gain properly, without guesswork.
 
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Old Jun 11, 2004 | 08:03 PM
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Originally Posted by stealth1
I've always been told a amp performs better and cooler not at max gain.
Exactly. The gains are meant to be set to match up with your decks output voltage. Turning the gain all the way up just overdrives the amp, it doesnt make it any louder.
 
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Old Jun 12, 2004 | 02:40 PM
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Originally Posted by kens64
Exactly. The gains are meant to be set to match up with your decks output voltage. Turning the gain all the way up just overdrives the amp, it doesnt make it any louder.
Turning the gain all the way up will not necessarily overdrive the amp if that's what the amp needs from the particular HU being used. You cannot make a general statement like that because each combination will be different. Your first sentence is correct. That's why your second statement is incorrect. Both remarks can't hold true when generalizing. Again, certain amp/HU combos may need the amp's gain be at or near max to MATCH properly.
 
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Old Jun 12, 2004 | 04:17 PM
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Youre right, I totaly mistyped that last statement. I didnt mean for all decks, I meant for systems that didnt require the gain to be turned all the way up.
 
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Old Jun 14, 2004 | 05:10 PM
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Couple of tips...

Too little power does more damage than too much power

To double db's (volume) you need 10 times the power!
 
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Old Jun 14, 2004 | 05:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Firewiz
Couple of tips...

Too little power does more damage than too much power
In most cases, this is not true!! It depends on the amp output DC component when it goes into distortion!!! DC
can destroy a speaker voice coil very quickly!!
 
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