I have a kenwood head unit and upgraded speakers in the car, the previous owner had a pretty nice stereo system in the car but took the subs and amp when he sold it, I have a box with 2 12"s in it but I need an amp I was wondering if the 900 watt lightning audio amp would be any good its only 69 dollars, or am I just wasting my money, I just want something thats going to make the subs work pretty good, I don't turn my music up to much Im just looking for a little boom on a budget till I can finish the performance mods.

 

Waste of money. You get what you pay for in this industry, sad thing is there isn't an actual real RMS on the amps. Some companies under rate them, meaning they say they make say 1200 watts but in reality they make 1300 to 1400+ RMS. Others over rate them like saying they make 900 watts, but really you're lucky to get 400 out of them. Just depends on the company that's why it's pretty critical to stick to brand name stuff and always do research before making a purchase. Even Sony is a big brand name and they make crappy amps.

If you're on a budget you might check out JBL BP series they usually go fairly cheap on ebay (80 to 150 bucks used). JBL replaced them with the new GTO series so lots of people are selling there stuff to upgrade now.

What are the subs (brand, model, size, ohm)? Is the box ported or sealed?

 

Its ported but I have no idea what brand the subs are I took them out to check and they don't have any markings, I tested them out and they sound pretty good hooked up to my home system . Its 2 12"s

 

Ok for a ported box you need a subsonic filter. Most amps offer them, sadly the JBL bp series does not. Basically you'll just need to do some research on amps. I've heard hifonics make alright amps, but I've never owned one. Maybe someone can speak up and recommend a decent brand for a low price. Not really worth dropping 350 bucks for a kicker amp or some other big brand name for a budget build like this.

 

you can get some nice hifonics amps on ebay for cheap buy it now... I have heard some good things about them... avoid lightning audio if you can... they are what you would find in a pawn shop because people don't know about car audio... for a cheap system, I'd go with any name you know.... sony jl jbl fosgate hifonics etc...

niblet posted this site that has a good price on an amp you might want, but I can't vouch for anything here, as I have never owned one... they claim they are the RMS ratings...

here are the numbers he gave us

(courtesy of nibleT)
"13kv.2
150/550WRms. - 0.6/1.1cF Sealed - 1.2/1.5cF Vented

eD NINe.1

RMS Power @ 1Ohm Bridged 1200x1 (@13.5v) - .5%THD
RMS Power @ 2 Ohm Bridged 900x1 (@13.5v) - .5%THD
RMS Power @ 4 Ohm Bridged 450x1 (@13.5v) - .1%THD

eD NINe.2

RMS Power @ 4 Ohm Bridged 400x1 (@12.5v) - .5%THD
RMS Power @ 4 Ohm Stereo 100x2 (12.5v) - 0.05% THD
RMS Power @ 2Ohm Stereo 150x2 (12.5v) - 0.05% THD"


you can look here... the prices are the cheapest $/watt I've seen in a while, (that's not on ebay, of course )

http://www.edesignaudio.com/miva/mer...mv?Screen=SFNT

 

That is pretty cheap for an amp of that "supposed " power rating.Lightning audio is fair stuff (made by fosgate BTW) but there is much better quality stuff on the market for about the same price.I have sold and installed Lightning audio products for several years and had decent luck with them,but if you can swing some extre $$ I would do it

 

Actually it's the non-brand-name stuff you want to look at, especially if you are looking for bang-for-buck. If you ask the average consumer if they have heard of Adire or Elemental Designs, they'll probably stare at you like you are weird. But you can buy subs from them for the same prices as the "name brand" guys do, but the lesser known brands often put their money towards quality of design instead of flashy grilles and shiny cones.

That doesn't mean Road Gear is good stuff.

 

or lightning audio