Amp System Configurator

Build the system on paper before you buy or wire anything. Every number on this page updates live as you move a control.

How to use this page: pick your signal source, set up the main amp and crossovers, then set up the sub. Read down from there: the channel map shows what plugs in where, the driver rows show how power actually divides across music, then loudness, quality factors, electrical, and the wire and fuse to buy. Hit Copy Build Summary at the bottom for a spec sheet you can text or paste into a quote.

Step 0: Signal source

Select your source type. This sets the expected output voltage range and drives gain-setting guidance.

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Step 1: Main amp (highs, mids, midbass)

Channels on main amp 10 ch
Power per channel (RMS) 150 W
Amp damping factor ?Damping factor = speaker impedance divided by amp output impedance. Once DF is above roughly 50, the voice coil and speaker wire resistance dominate, so bigger numbers stop mattering audibly. Very low DF (under ~20) acts like added series resistance and can slightly change woofer response. 200
Amp THD+N at rated ?Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise at rated power. Class A/B: often under 0.05%. Class D: 0.05-0.5%. In a moving car, anything under about 0.5% is effectively inaudible. Treat this spec as a design-quality signal, not a tone control. 0.10%
?Estimated here at ~1.7x per-channel rated power. Real bridged output varies by amp (often 2-3x the 4-ohm per-channel rating). Use the manufacturer's bridged spec when you have it, and confirm the amp's minimum bridged load.

Source signal in

Input volt.
Amp gain 50%
Gain range

Tweeter (HPF only)

Sensitivity
Impedance
HPF 3,500
Band: 3,500 Hz +

Midrange (bandpass)

Sensitivity
Impedance
HPF 350
LPF 3,500
Band: 350 – 3,500 Hz

Midbass 6.5" (bandpass)

Sensitivity
Impedance
HPF 80
LPF 350
Band: 80 – 350 Hz

Rear fill (bandpass)

Sensitivity
Impedance
HPF 350
LPF 8,000
Band: 350 – 8,000 Hz

Main amp gain position vs signal voltage

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min1/41/23/4max

Ballpark guide only. Final gain gets set with a 0 dB test tone and a DMM or oscilloscope, not by knob position.

Step 2: Subwoofer amp & array

Sub amp channels 1 ch (mono)
Sub amp power (RMS) 500 W

Source signal in

Input volt.
Amp gain 50%
Gain range

Sub array

Number of subs
Voice coils
VC imped.

Wiring & load

VC wiring
Array wire
Amp sees –

Sub speaker & filters

Sensitivity
Sub Qts ?Qts = total Q at resonance. Low (0.3-0.45) tight/accurate, prefers ported. Mid (0.45-0.55) flexible. High (0.55+) warm/boomy, prefers sealed.
Enclosure
LPF (high cut) 80 Hz
Subsonic HPF 25 Hz

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Band: 25 – 80 Hz

Sub amp gain position vs signal voltage

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min1/41/23/4max

Ballpark guide only. Final gain gets set with a test tone and a DMM or oscilloscope, not by knob position.

Channel map

What each driver sees from music content

How loud will it play? (Max SPL estimate)

Listening distance 1.0 m

Estimated max system SPL

–dB SPL

Headroom rating

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80 dB100 dB120 dB140 dB

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Sound quality & bass quality factors

Damping factor ?Above roughly 50, wiring and voice coil resistance dominate and DF differences are not a day/night audible change. Treat high DF as a sign of low output impedance, not a bass-tightness dial.

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Amp distortion (THD+N) ?Lower is cleaner on paper. In a moving car, THD under ~0.5% is effectively inaudible. The spec mostly signals design quality.

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Bass character (Qts × box) ?Tight bass = clean, accurate transients (best for music). Warm/boomy = more weight but less accurate. Matching Qts to the enclosure type matters more than either number alone.

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System efficiency ?Average sensitivity of all main drivers. Higher = louder per watt = more dynamic headroom. Compare specs measured the same way (2.83V/1m at the same impedance).

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How to get more dynamic headroom from this system

Dynamic headroom is how much louder your system can get on transient peaks (drum hits, orchestral crescendos) before clipping. More headroom = punchier, more lifelike playback. Specific tips for this build:

Electrical headroom

Total system RMS

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all amps combined

Peak current draw

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at 14.4V, class D eff.

Min power wire (OFC)

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to main fuse block

Main fuse at battery

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ANL, within 18" of battery

Step 3: Power wire, OFC vs CCA

OFC carries more current per gauge than CCA. CCA has roughly 60-65% the conductivity of solid copper, so go up 1-2 AWG sizes to carry the same current safely.

Power wire run length ?Battery to amp rack, one way. Longer runs mean more voltage drop. The calculator sizes wire to keep drop under 0.5V at peak draw. 16 ft

Full gauge comparison, OFC vs CCA (under 20 ft run)

Current loadOFC gaugeCCA equivalentNotes
Up to 40 A8 AWG6 AWGSingle small amp
40 – 60 A6 AWG4 AWGOne mid-power amp
60 – 100 A4 AWG2 AWGTwo-amp systems
100 – 150 A2 AWG1/0 AWG1,500-2,500W systems
150 – 200 A1/0 AWG2/0 AWGHigh-power builds
200 – 300 A2/0 AWG4/0 AWG or dual 2/0Competition-level
300 A +4/0 AWG or dualDual 4/0 Not recommendedExtreme, OFC only

Build summary: copies a plain-text spec sheet (source, amps, crossovers, sub wiring, SPL, wire & fuse) for quotes, texts, or install notes.