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[Philip Angell]

Hi,

I've been researching the UCS1 subs on this Forum and other sites.  Have found a wealth of info. 

I'm still confused a little bit about the power handling of the subs.  The Yorkville site says 1,200 watts PROGRAM, which I interpret as 600 RMS.  The QSC amp selector tool is showing the sub as needing 1,000 watts (I've always assume that site is in RMS), and its recommending amps up to 1,200 watts RMS. 

I've also read here that they are 15 inch drivers with 3 inch voice coils and can't take that much wattage.  I've also read you need to get into the 1,200 to 1,500 watt RMS range to really make them thump.

Part of my confusion is probably the whole RMS/Program measurement and people using them interchangeably, and perhaps incorrectly.

I'm looking for some to cut through the confusion with some expert advice on what is really recommended in terms of power for these subs.

Thanks and have a great day!

[Corey Scogin]

Yorkville says 1200W Program which usually correlates to 600W RMS.

Personally, I would use an amp capable of somewhere between 1000W and 1400W.  A couple hundred Watts less or more won't be noticeable. 

PS: This belongs in the Lounge.

[Corey Scogin]

PPS: Here is a good read on amplifier and speaker power ratings:
ftp://ftp.eaw.com/Technical_Papers/AmplifierPower.pdf

[Philip Angell]

Yorkville says 1200W Program which usually correlates to 600W RMS.

Personally, I would use an amp capable of somewhere between 1000W and 1400W.  A couple hundred Watts less or more won't be noticeable. 

PS: This belongs in the Lounge.

Thanks, Corey.  So why 1,000 to 1,400 watts RMS if Yorkville recommends 600?  Headroom?

[Corey Scogin]

Thanks, Corey.  So why 1,000 to 1,400 watts RMS if Yorkville recommends 600?  Headroom?

The general recommendation is to power a speaker with an amplifier that can provide around 2x the continuous (or RMS) power rating. You'll get different recommendations from different sources but 2x is usually near the middle of the recommended range.  This is because a speaker can generally handle peaks of 6dB over it's RMS power rating. 

There have been long discussions about this on this forum but they may not be easy to search for.
Here's more recommended reading from another manufacturer:
http://www.crownaudio.com/how_much_power.htm

[David Allred]

Hi,

I've been researching the UCS1 subs on this Forum and other sites.  Have found a wealth of info. 

I'm still confused a little bit about the power handling of the subs.  The Yorkville site says 1,200 watts PROGRAM, which I interpret as 600 RMS.  The QSC amp selector tool is showing the sub as needing 1,000 watts (I've always assume that site is in RMS), and its recommending amps up to 1,200 watts RMS. 

I've also read here that they are 15 inch drivers with 3 inch voice coils and can't take that much wattage.  I've also read you need to get into the 1,200 to 1,500 watt RMS range to really make them thump.

Part of my confusion is probably the whole RMS/Program measurement and people using them interchangeably, and perhaps incorrectly.

I'm looking for some to cut through the confusion with some expert advice on what is really recommended in terms of power for these subs.

Thanks and have a great day!

The QSC selector uses program power. The UCS1 used to be rated 1000w Program, and is now rated 1200W program.  No driver change or upgrade.  Yorkville lowered their standards a bit, to compete with others not long ago.  They still rate a little more strictly than others though.  QSC is likely still using the old rating.  This info is not my own, but what has been previously discussed here.

[Philip Angell]

So the QSC selector is matching RMS watts from the amp to Program ratings of the subs?  Is that to account for Corey's 2:1 amp to speaker ideal power rating?

[Scott Wagner]

So the QSC selector is matching RMS watts from the amp to Program ratings of the subs?  Is that to account for Corey's 2:1 amp to speaker ideal power rating?

Yes, exactly.

[Martin Primus]

Just from personal experience, the 1k - 1.4k watt suggestion is about right.  A rig I put together utilized a QSC PL6 to power 6 cabinets (3 perside in stereo, sometimes 2 per side).  We had nothing but great experiences with this configuration, basically giving just north of 1k watts per box, occasionally light clipping with nothing but rock solid performance.

[ProSoundWeb Community]