I just bought some Infinity Reference Series 1230w 12" subs from Circuit City Friday. I need some recommendations on an amp to go with. I'd like to stay around 100, but at most 200 dollars. I want something that will give me a good thump, but it doesn't have to be compitetion quality. I listen to mainly rap.

 

How many watts RMS are you looking for?

 

a JBL 600.1 will put out just over 600 watts with a good electrical system and should power them perfectly. Sounddomain has them for $220 with warranty ebay has them for $178. JBL amps are generally considered one of the best bang for the buck you can get

 

Yup yup.

 

All right, so far it seems to be the JBL amp. Any other suggestions?

 

I was looking at the Sunday paper and I saw that Best Buy has a Rockford Fosgate 600w amp for $199. Which would be better, the JBL or the Rockford?

 

RF

 

find out what model RF amp it is.

jbl makes a damn good amp, and fosgates recent stuff is kind of a joke.

 

check out www.millionbuy.com look into the soundstream and visonik amps they have on sale

 

yup , id go with the JBL

 

i would take the JBL for sure...with the newer rockford stuff you never really know how much power its going to produce. JBL is pretty accurate with their power numbers some of their amps put out more than rated power if they have a healthy electrical system

 

I assumed he was comparing a comparable RF amp.

So what's the model #?

 

The model number is P2002. I went and looked at it tonight. Sounded pretty good on the subs they had hooked up in the store.

 

Thats a 50x2 amp. Not nearly enough for some 12"s. I honestly don't think you'll be able to get much for under $200 unless you buy off the internet. If you don't mind buying online, check ebay.

 

Yeah, I think there is a misprint in the Best Buy ad because they are advertising it as a 600watt amp, but the Rockford Fosgate website says otherwise.

 

600 is max power. RF does RMS x 3.

 

Yeah RF has this approach when it comes to max power.

"well if you clip the hell outa it it'll do xxx wattage!"

 

I'm a newbie to all this car audio stuff. What is the advantages and disadvantages of getting a 2-channel amp or mono amp when using it to power just two subs?

 

Just to keep it in perspective; I've heard this argument about Rockford Fosgate since the mid 90's! So what are we considering recent?

PontiacRacing, it depends on what amps you're looking at. It's more of a flexability option. If you run two subs off a stereo (2 channel) amp, that's all you can run- two subs. (Unless you spent $1000 on the amp!) If you get a mono subwoofer amp that's "stable to 1 ohm", you could actually run more than two subs off the amp! Basically it all comes down to "how much is in your wallet", that's all. Look for other features like a low-pass crossover, or bass-boost.

 

Also on the same note your gonna want to remember that the subs you have are single voice coil 4 ohm subs. So with that you will have to wire the system for 4 ohms. If you bought a mono amp you will have to wire both subs to the single output, in a series parallel format so that your impedance stays at four ohms. If you get a two channel amp both outputs will be at four ohms (in most cases anyways) so you would just hook up the subs directly. like this....

 

except you wont want to run your subs in stereo most people will want them mono

 

Thanks for that diagram. If I got a mono-amp, I definitely would have wired my subs incorrectly.

 

No problem

 

i wouldnt buy anything after the 2002 model year stuff.

 

I still haven't got my amp. Everyone was recommending JBL amps, so I found this on eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3089897184&category=18797

Would that be too much power for my subs?

 

Anyone?

 

good choice! That will work good.

 

Hopefully my income tax check will come soon so I can bid on that amp. I really like it.

 

Well, my check just came in today. Anyone know of any good deals going on right now on amps?

 

 

I also agree JBL makes some good amps for the price. I own 2 bp1200.1s As long as you're using the amps on subs in a sealed box and not ported (no subsonic filter) you should be pretty happy with it. Main advantage of using these amps is that they give the same output at 2 OHMs as at 1 OHM, which gives you a little more wiring alternatives.