Amp recomnd for TC2+ @8ohm

[hrbngr]

hello,

I was looking to build a sub w/the TC2+ 12" driver, but I am unable to find a decent, cheap amp that has good power ratings at 8ohm. Since the TC2+ is a 4ohm DVC, I need to find an amp that will run the speaker well. Most of the plate amps available run ideally at 4ohm, so any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Of course and amp that runs well at 2ohms would be just fine too, but i am not expecting that I will be able to find one of these!!! :T

[JonMarsh]

With it's nominal sensitivy with series voice coils of 87 dB/2.83VRMS (1 watt at 8 ohms), 250 watts should be good for 111 dB at 1 meter. This isn't including room gain; add another 6 dB or so.

You should get in the ball park with a good 250 watt plate amp, though 350-400 watt wouldn't hurt. Remember, the most linear range of this driver is +/- 10 mm; while there's about 16-18 mm on tap, that should just be for peaks.

This amp will do the job. Unfortunatley, a "good, cheap sub amp" is something of an oxymoron. Pick any one of two.

If you have excel, download Unibox and model it for your enclosure; that will give you a good idea of the ideal power range. Keep in mind that doubling 250 watts only gives you 3 dB more output. Just may not be worth it. But similarly, the 150 watt at 8 ohms plate amp here may work fine for you 95% of the time- and the price is pretty reasonable.



For the really long throw 12" drivers, like Adire's biggest monsters, or the BPD1203, the combination of lower sensitivity AND more Xmax makes 600-750 watts worthwhile- but you don't need anything like that for the TC2+. You're just more likely to toast it if you have that much power on hand and get carried away, depending on your box design.

Regards,

Jon

[hrbngr]

Jon,

thanks for your recommendations. I noted that the PE amp does 273w@8ohm and costs about $300, would this amp be a good alternative? Rythmik 350

For $160, the Rythmik does 245w@8ohm, plus it seems real difficult to find an amp that puts out major power at 8ohm...alternatively are there any plate amps that will run at 2ohm instead?

Oh, one other question, would a larger enclosure help the amp drive the speaker more effectively? ex. 2 ft3 vs 3 ft3 sealed

[JonMarsh]

The Rythmik plate amp would work fine.

It's very rare to find a plate amp that deals comfortably with 2 ohm loads; takes too many transistors, and a big power transformer and heatsink- i.e., expensive. That's why folks buy Brystons and Aragons for many systems.

Also, 2 ohm loads deteriorate damping factor. Not normally the way to go.

How did you arrive at your enclosure design? O-Audio recommendations? Unibox? I really recommend getting a downloading Unibox (it's free) and modeling the options with sealed and ported boxes. IF you want maximum LF extension and power handling, you'll probably want a moderately large ported design. For the tightest bass on music, a sealed box with Q of 0.5 is what I'd recommend.

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