Subwoofer plate amps

[Tube Radio]

I am looking for a 500 watt subwoofer plate amp and was wondering which would be the best choice.

I can get these plate amps

Dayton Audio SPA500 500W Subwoofer Plate Amplifier http://www.parts-express.com/cat/subwoofer-plate-amplifiers/332 which according to the manual is not rated for a continuous 500 watt output.

Bash 500W Digital Subwoofer Plate Amplifier http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-752 Which may require some resistor changes to alter or remove the boost.

Yung SD500 500W Class D Subwoofer Plate Amplifier Module No Boost http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=301-512 Won't have to do anything to make it work good and can run continuously at 500 watts, but am not sure of the brand.

Which one would be best?

I like the Dayton Audio sub amp, but not being able to do a continuous 500 watts concerns me. I think it is more for home theatre use than anything else.

The amp will be used mostly for music reproduction and occasionally for PA work.

 

[Poultrygeist]

The class D plates are compact and run much cooler. I have two Yung SD300's each of which is incredibly powerful with excellent sound. Can't imagine needing the power of the SD500.

One of my Yungs died recently but P.E. replaced it under warranty. With the Yungs you can't turn off the bass boost so IMO it's better to get one without it. I can not speak for the longevity of the Yungs and they are new on the market. I do not care for the glue like substance spread over the internals to keep everything in place but it doesn't seem to affect performance.

The Bash is generally more expensive but has a longer track record.

 

[Tube Radio]

So the bash would be my best choice then?

I checked on the bash amp and stock it doesn't have any boost.

I will be using it with this sub http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=295-464 in a 1 cu ft sealed box.

My plan is to integrate it with this amp http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-797 using the balanced line out in such a way as to keep the line out balanced so I can daisy chain more of those amps if needed. How would I go about doing that? I've also seen a review that said the balanced line out is inverted.

Also if I use the line out route I will need a high pass crossover between the onboard mixer and power amp. What would be the best way to do that?

I could also use an external 2 way crossover, but I want the ability to use the onboard mixer (two mic inputs one line input) if needed.

Reason for the 500 watts is to ensure there is enough headroom for all music types.

I found this which should work to provide an unbalanced out while still keeping the balanced output http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/cr/B003S7T49K/s=sd/ref=mw_dp_cr?qid=1370792676&sr=8-3

 

[johnr66]

If you have the room, that driver would do better in a 2 cu ft box. lower F3 and more gentle roll off. Qtc of .71 calls for a 2.7 cu ft. box.

 

[Tube Radio]

I'd have to buy the box. I'll try the 1 cu ft box and see how the sub sounds. If I find that I do need a bigger box I'll look at getting a 2 cu ft box.

I have two of those subs in a sealed box of slightly less than 1 cu ft per sub in my Honda CRV and they seem to do very good. That particular sub does take time to break in and doesn't sound quite right until it does break in.

EDIT: My mistake. It is this sub http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=295-466

 

[johnr66]

If you have the box, you might as well try it. Be sure to use plenty of stuffing inside. I ran the driver through WinISD and it should sound okay in a 1 cu ft box. If you are into deep bass, the 2.7 cu ft box (Qtc .7) will require 1/2 the amplifier power to play a 30Hz tone at the same loudness as the 1 cu ft box.

 

[Tube Radio]

That was the second sub you ran through WinISD, right?

I may borrow one from my car and put in the 1 cu ft box just to see how it sounds. That way if it don't sound right I won't be out any money.

If the Dayton Audio sub won't work in that box I know a JL 12W6 will, except it would have to be wired for 8 ohms which would require me getting a higher powered bash plate amp.

Main thing here is portability.

 

[Tube Radio]

I did a frequency response test and see what ya meant about that sub in the 1 cu ft box.

I have a JL 12W6 that has a small tear in the foam surround. Is it possible to patch that with RTV or would I need to send it off to get repaired?

 

[johnr66]

The second sub (295-466) is a poor choice for sealed boxes. In 1 cu ft, it is 3db down at 57Hz. Too weak for a sub. It is actually very good for a vented cab. The first one is 3db down at 40Hz. Much better and can be equalized easier for deeper bass.

If the tear stays closed on its own (not a gap) and is no more than around 1/2", you can seal it. Otherwise you can order a re-foam kit.

 

[Tube Radio]

I saw some re-foam kits on Ebay.

I think initially the first one was recommended to me when I wanted to use a pair in my car, but would have required a bigger box than the second sub would have required.

Using the JL 12W6 now and it seems to integrate very well with the rebuilt column speaker. Here's the thread on the rebuilding of that speaker http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=223076&p=1866197#p1866197

From what I saw in the specs of the JL sub it really wants a 1.5 cu ft box as an optimum sealed enclosure.

I like the JL, but if I do build more of the column speakers the subs can get quite expensive.

I would need a lower cost sub that will go down to at least 25 Hz.

EDIT: One thing I just thought of provided the subwoofer plate amp has an input that bypasses the crossover is breaking the signal chain at the preamp out and power amp in and just using an external active crossover.

If I go with an internal crossover it would need to provide a gain of one.

I recently Emailed Dayton Audio asking if they would design a version of the full range plate amp/mixer I am using to have a selectable high pass filter or high and low pass filter for use with a powered sub and haven't gotten a reply back yet.