Voltage vs. Current - Which is louder?
 

Assuming 2 indentical model subs from the same manufacturer, just different impedances.

A 4ohm sub getting 60volts from an amp...
60v*60v/4ohms=900watts (15amps)

OR

A 1ohm sub getting 30volts from an amp...
30v*30v/1ohm=900W (30amps)


The current and voltage change in each example, but the wattage remains the same (Volts x Amps = Watts)...

So the question remains... What makes a speaker louder?
More current? or more voltage?

Seriously?

go back to school

a watt is a watt. the more current the bigger the wire has to be. that's why the electric companies have in the thousands of volts. so that the wire can stay small. If you try and feed a city at 120v, the wire would be a foot thick(my estimate only). the more current and voltage you have the more power your gonna get. I heard that the alma gates bronco modified their amps so it would run on a 16-18v charging system. more voltage more power.

...
 

all else equal it doesn't matter either way however a 4ohm sub and a 1ohm sub will not be identicle, and neither will actually operate at the imedance listed there is impedance rise and a variety of other factors that would totally make this comparison not work but in the simplistic example both would be the same.

Not this again. This horse has been beaten, gutted and is currently rotting, yet you are still trying to bring it back to life.

Look at it this way...

A speaker voice coil can be thought of as an electromagnetic motor (similar to a reversed solenoid). The magnetic field that is generated is proportional to the number of ampere-turns through the voice coils. The magnetic field is what propels the voice coil (and the cone) in opposition to the static magnet's magnetic field.

For example, consider that each voice coil has N turns. The series wired dual voice coils would have 2N turns with 15 amps through it (2N turns * 15 A = 30N ampere-turns). The parallel voice coils would each share half the current provided by the amplifier (2 * N turns * 30 A /2 = 30N ampere-turns).

The result is that either wiring generates the exact same ampere turns in the speakers “motor” therefore creating the same excursion and the same SPL. The voltage is not a factor in the equations.

IMHO, if I had a choice of the two amps I may be inclined to go with a four ohm wiring as it may be a more stable system overall....

Ya know I have never heard a volt or an ampere, I just dont know which is louder or sounds better or is less filling

Lets assume that the subs are single voice coil subs only.

How is one sub made with a lower impedance than the other?

Does that mean that the sub with less impedance (1ohm) has 1/4 the amount of wire or turns?

Correct Answer: Who cares.