Is under-powering an issue for me?

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da1nonly2008

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I have two pioneer shallow mount subs rated at 200 watts rms each/ 800 watts peak each(400 watts rms total) and one amp rated at 380 watts rms/ 760 watts peak. I want to know if both subs can be bridged into two of the channels the amp has, and if under-powering/clipping will be an issue for me? the subs are only missing 10 watts rms each, but I want to know before I hook the subs up in the trunk of my car.
the amp is 2 ohm stable. Bridge at 4 ohms it can get 190 watt at 2 channels. i got this link that shows the specifics of the amp if it is more help to get my answer.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_10299_Jensen+Power+760.html?utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=froogle
 
GOD PEOPLE!!! THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "UNDER-POWERING A SUB-WOOFER"... If there was... EVERY Car Audio buff with a sub would have a problem... Why? Because... Wouldn't turning down the volume on the system be the SAME EXACT thing as not letting the amp deliver as many watts as the sub can handle??? Under-powering a sub and Over-powering an amp is two different things... I do not think you will have any problems. :)

Just for the record I guess...; Over-powering an amp can be one of many things, but generally and most commonly (I think) is when your subs try draw so much power that your amp can keep up/supply that amount of power and it "overloads" and fries.
 
If the "380 watts RMS" is the bridged/mono power rating for a 2-channel amp, then you have a problem. Most 2-channel amps can't be used with a load impedance lower than 4 ohms in bridged mode, but your two Pioneer subs can only be wired for 2 ohms or 8 ohms. You can't combine them for a 4-ohm load, so you can't use the amp safely in "bridged" mode and expect to get the rated 380 watts.

Your best option with a 2-channel amp would be to wire one 4-ohm subwoofer to each channel, but then you'd just get the 4-ohm power rating. I'm guessing that your amp is rated at around 125 watts per channel in 4-ohm stereo mode.

Edit: Okay, I see; you have a 4-channel amp, and you're going to be operating it in 2-channel mode. That makes more sense.

That power level should be just fine for those subs. Using 190 watts for a sub rated at 200 watts RMS couldn't be considered "under-powering" by any stretch of the imagination. Go ahead and hook them up.
 
Power wise, you will be ok. Anyone can run into clipping if:

-the head unit volume is too high
-the gain on the amp is too high
-bass boost is too high
 
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