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IS 400w headroom enough for running bass??

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Future-House View Drop Down
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    Posted: 08 November 2017 at 8:15pm
is 400w Headroom ok for running bass? 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hemisphere Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 November 2017 at 8:27pm
"How long is a piece of string?"

How many cabinets, what kind of cabinets, how big is the crowd and what type of event, what type of program material, indoors or outdoors?

Generally speaking though, 400w of bass is suitable for pub gigs, wedding functions etc, and may struggle even for those if using inefficient cabinets outdoors.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sirius Sounds Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 November 2017 at 8:36pm
Headroom is less important for bass compared with the higher frequency bands.

I'm only learning myself but basically power compression is more of a factor and so extra power doesn't yield as much additional SPL as you'd expect.

My kicks are only 400 W anyway so 400 W headroom is double RMS, which is what they get.

However for my subs, I'm not even hitting the RMS rating.. Going for approach of more drivers instead of putting lots of power into fewer drivers.

If you are talking about cheap switch mode digital amps though, you will need to have a closer look at their specified rating as they cannot sustain their rating for long bass notes.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Future-House Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 November 2017 at 8:49pm
iv got 2.2k of amp power want to run 1.8k of bass that leaves 400w headroom is that ok?

Wbin + HD15 


Edited by Future-House - 08 November 2017 at 8:50pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Conanski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 November 2017 at 12:44am
Originally posted by Future-House Future-House wrote:

iv got 2.2k of amp power want to run 1.8k of bass that leaves 400w headroom is that ok?
That is fine.. or maybe it's not. It depends if your speakers are 1.8k RMS, Program, or Peak, and if this system is being used for bass heavy recorded music or live bands.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Elliot Thompson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 November 2017 at 11:36am
If your speakers are rated 200 watts RMS at an 8 ohm load and the amplifier is 400 watts RMS at an 8 ohm load, yes.

If your speakers are rated 1200 watts RMS at an 8 ohm load and the amplifier is 1600 watts RMS at an 8 ohm load, no, based on not having enough headroom for musical peaks.

It is best to have a minimum of +3 dB (two times the power) of the RMS rating of the speaker at the given load.

Best Regards,


Edited by Elliot Thompson - 09 November 2017 at 11:37am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Future-House Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 November 2017 at 3:20pm
brilliant thanks for your help 

much appreciated 
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