HT Kenwood Amp & new subwoofer [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums


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07-07-2006, 06:29 PM
I have a 100 x 6 watts Kenwood 5.1 set up in my home.I replaced my old passive subwoofer speaker w/ a cheap CAR subwoofer speaker.Here is my question.My kenwood has a 100rms peak channel for the sub I, went & bought a speaker which calls for 150 rms w/ a 300watt peak.The system keeps going on standby when the sub hits a low db rating.Why? I used 10ga. sp. wire & gold plated hook ups, my ported box has 0.67ca space & the sub calls for a ported 1.75ca space box.Is that why the kenwood rec.keeps turning off?

N. Abstentia
07-07-2006, 09:26 PM
Because the Kenwood can't drive all your speakers PLUS a subwoofer. First off, it's nowhere near 100 watts x 6. It might be 30 x 6 if you're lucky.

Secondly, since it's a car subwoofer it's 4 ohms. That, plus all the other speakers = too much for your Kenwood.

I suggest buying a proper powered HOME subwoofer. Either that or buy a standalone amp for the subwoofer that can handle a 4 ohm speaker.

Mr Peabody
07-07-2006, 09:44 PM
Your problem is you are using a driver made for car audio which is 4 ohms at the most and could be 2 ohm. The Kenwood receiver doesn't produce enough current to drive this type of low impedance speakers. It's also not good for sound quality to put a driver in a box smaller than recommended size. The port is also very important, they come in different lengths and diameters which both effect the frequency response. It has nothing to do with driving it really, it just won't sound right or as good as it is supposed to.

Your best resolution is to buy a powered home sub and connect it to a subwoofer preout (LFE) of your receiver. There are very few passive home subs and they are usually pretty expensive. The next option, really not recommended by me, is to use a 8 ohm driver in the box. The reason I don't recommend it is because there is a lot to pay attention to in order to get everything correct on a home made sub. If you are going this way, get the correct sub for the volume of the box and get it 8 ohms. I'd also go with a sealed box. It may not play as loud but you have eliminated all the port factoring and I personally think sealed sounds better. With a sealed box, just get the cubic feet spec of the driver to match the size of the box. If no perfect match, make the box larger opposed to smaller.

I had a 10" aluminum cone sub in a sealed box driven by a Precision Power amp in a Malibu sedan. You couldn't hear it coming from blocks away but it hit like a sledge hammer.

07-07-2006, 10:52 PM
Thanks Mr.Peabody ! After I wrote my question,I went back to using the sub which came w/ the box.Even though it's bass sucks.It's more of a bint than a bass boom or thud.