I don't want a Junk amp so tell me whats good
 

i've got 2 12" kicker Comp VRs........RMS 400Watts and peak 800 Watts, DVC 2 ohms. I Need an amp and a new head unit now. I'm think i'll buy the amp now so that way I can at least listen to some music even if the head unit sux. I've been lookin for about 2 months or so for amps. I've ran across alot. Needless to say i'm not to sure whats good and whats not. I know SONY,LEGACY,VISIONEK are crap. I'm not sure about a few others. Another thing I don't understand is the WATTS ratting. EXAMPLE: amp says 1000watts, 230X2, 150X4........so where did all the other watts go? Would this be a crap unit? I forget what kind of amp this was. I bought a PPI PC4400 for $100 and sold it to a friend for the same price.......he still owes me $50 and says if I want the amp I can just take it back and keep the $50 the he already paid. The amp is just sitting at his house NOT being used. Should I take it back for now?

One thing I forgott to add......how many watts should I be lookin for with out hurting the sub, like blowin it because of clipping or over powered or what ever else would make it blow.

all the watts went to the land of peak power which means crap. You want to look at RMS watts. They are the watts that matter. PPI makes some nice stuff. If it still works I would grab that and save some money.

Brian

JBL
 

I've got a JBL 1200.1 powering two Solobaric 12s in the back of my Camaro. I am still yet to completely unleash it. :D

I would definately suggest a JBL amp, it is good affordable, reliable power.

Re: JBL
 

Do you have a pic? I want to see your setup with the Solobarics.

you might wanna try a directed audio amp. i have 3 of them ( 1-4channel and 2-sub amps )my best friend owns a stereo shop and one day last year when he got the directeds in he took a fosgate, kicker, and a alpine apart to compare the innards and you would not believe the quality of amps these directeds are. this guy has trophys all over his shop from winning major competitions. these amps have produced 173.1 decibles!!!. they arent cheap but you get what you pay for............

Here is the bump in the trunk... err hatchback:cool:

power is power, a 1200 watt amp is a 1200 watt amp, as long as it's not a BOSS or sort. DEI is great amplifiers, don't get me wrong, but many manufactures can do high decibles with their amps. I.E, we did 175 last year...are we the best? No, but on SPL, or db's, it's more install related than amp manufacture, or woofer manufacture.

your right polecat, i have a alpine 7977 and these amps are the perfect compliment to it, but speaker choice and placement is one of the more important items. unfortunately in my 88 gta i was somewhat limited to midrange speaker size and went with a set of 5 1/4 alpine r's 150 watt peak, 40 rms in the side panels. if you had identical systems in two different cars you could get a completely different sound out of one of them just by placing speakers at different angles or locations, so i stand corrected. by the way, my alpine is for sale if anyones interested.....thanks

You have a pm

As long as you dont get some cheap crap like bolt, i seen one of them amps at best buy, it was rated like 750 max but only like 40 rms!!!!?!?!?!?!?!?

I've heard people say good things about PPI, Rockford, and Kicker. I've also heard good about Alpine and JBL. I like the style that kicker has though. I just don't want everybody thinking i'm going with just one brand ( subs, and amp = same company ). I've already got a better head unit then the one I had before. I now have a Kenwood KDC-419. I like it so far.

what about zapco, helix, brax and mcintosh????? :D

I have recently been running thru the amps at the store that I work at and we have only one that will run steadily at 1 ohm...that was the Planet Audios...which I didnt see on your list. My personal JBL 1200.1 wouldn't do it right, kept messin up on certian frequencies, which really disapointed me, because I personally loved that amp. The Eclipse 7122 (I think) wouldn't do it, it would run thru the sine sweep fine, but wouldn't play music. The big *** Alpine MRD - 1000D wouldn't do it, it would work for a bit then get an E-3. I called Alpine and they said straight up that it won't run below 2 ohms. So my vote goes to PLANET AUDIO (and JBL as long as your not running 1 ohm). Hit 151.6 w/ 2 Eclipse aluminum subs and a TT1250D amp (Planet Audio). I have a TT2250D (2000x1....mmmm :D) coming. The JBL hit 148.3 on one Eclipse single voice coil...which apperently is pretty damn good. so ya, JBL or PLANET AUDIO, depending on your setup.

Planet audio huh...never heard of them but if they can run steady at 1ohm then they must be worth somethin. Whats the difference between 2ohm and 4ohm speakers?

And Phoenix Gold, US AMPS and ARC

DEI, PPI, Orion, Viper, and A/D/S are all made by the same company so they are basically the same amp internally. I voted for orion as far as quality goes, but kicker and JBL amps are also very good.

If you wanted the best deal i would be looking at a JBL.

If money wasnt an option you would probably be looking at other brands like the ones listed above: brax, helix, us amps, arc, etc

:huh: Wierd........Not a single word about Sony :lala: :lala: :lala:

I had too....Could not pass it up:lmao: :idiot: :hmmm:

Later

phoenix gold thats what i got very good brand
never had a problem and there stable at 2 ohm

this post is 3 months old........ :(

my sony mobile es states it is stable down to 1 ohm:)

many us amps are stable to 1/4 ohm some older orions too

amps
 

ok, basic rule of thumb, the more you spend in a higher end sterio shop, the better it is, for the most part!, lets put it this way, i have 3 jl audio 12w6's, powered by a 50 watt orion amp, i had it at a few db comps, and i hit a low of 145.6 and the best of 147.8, its more about how sound and tight your car is, and if the enclosure is the right size and tuned, it is going to sound better the more effort and money you put into install though, not just all about equipment. my orion is said to be stable at 1 ohm, and ive seen them below 1/2 ohm, mine is about 3/4 but they start to run HOT. i should mention it is an orion hcca 225r amp since ive gotten mine, orion has been bought by d.e.i. but i will stick by them

I don't know how any of the amps you listed sound but i have had many amps and the best ones a had where hifonics memphis and concept. don't buy anything from sony all the products i bougt from them s***k.

It has ran one ohm for about 3 months now and not shut off once. It has been a great amp and are actually a decent price. Im suprised you havent heard of them, they are a fairly popular USA built amp. the difference between 2ohm and 4 ohm speakers is basically wiring. With a 2ohm speaker, you can parallel it down to 1 ohm (if its a dual voice coil) or series it up to a 4ohm load. If it is a 4ohm sub, it can parallel down to 2 ohm or up to 8 ohm. So if you have 2 4ohm subs and wire them parallel that makes each sub 2 ohms. Then when you parallel them to the amp that drops them another ohm, making it one ohm.

You dont have the absolute best...

All I can say is Xtant

I did not here anyone mention that yet

Here is my setup w/ an Alpine CDA-7995 runnin' the show. JBL 80.4 on the right, JBL 1200.1 on the left. I get compliments all the time on the clarity and how deep and strong it sounds. I'm definately satisfied!

http://www.myimgs.com/data/hacka360/System.jpg

oooooh!! nice setup, those look like the 2000 series, nicely done

Yep, you nailed it. 2000 series. Very nice subs. Thanks for the compliment!

Anyone got any press on Interfire amps or Memphis. I guess alot of these things are regional. Different suppliers and different regions of the country that they serve.