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V · 03-04-2011, 12:41 PM

100 for a good amp is really tough. but if you only want 300-ish watts then a basic amp maybe be available.

keep in mind that the advertised rating is almost always NOT what you'll see. most are only stable down to 1 Ohm, and suggested to run at 2 Ohms speaker setup. Ive ran a soundstream at .5 Ohm but it was a class A amp, not the more common class D.

ive had many amps and installed countless setups for friends.. these are some of my personal experiences and opinions...
kicker... good value, basic sound adjustment controls
pioneer.. i like their HUs, but their amps never pleased me
rockford fosgate.. like kicker, but too "played out" for any of my builds
sony.. i would never run one of these pieces of garbage
orion... back in the day were great, i have an old one i want fixed
soundstream, just like orion, but changed ownership around 2001 and is now finally making a comeback.
alpine... love em
JL... love em also(what i run now)
kenwood... cheap on sound quality but able to hit hard and thermal protection comes in handy

avoid "cheap" brands like...
lanzar
jensen
pyramid
etc.

Also a big debate issue is about amp power vs speaker RMS. From my experiences and reading etc, having a 500w rms (say a 4 ohm svc )sub and using a 500w 2ch amp is underpowering it by a lot. And i believe that you want an amp MORE powerful than the sub, that way it controls the Voice coil more precise than one that just hammers it up and down. Trick is not to run too low of an Ohm load or max the gain out. All that gets adjusted during setup and you can hear once sub distortion occurs, thats when you realize you have it up too much etc.

Cars stereo systems, like amps subs speakers etc etc are a highly debated issue. A lot of experts will say one thing, and others will say another. Hence why i said everything i've posted if from my experience, not undisputed fact.

In my CTS, I have a JL 12w7 powered by a 800w mono JL amp, and i know i am underpowering it. I have a 1500w Alpine 2 channel that once fixed by alpine will get bridged and replace the JL. That apline will put out around 1200max for the 12w7.

03-04-2011, 12:41 PM	#8
V Stalker Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 12,082 iTrader: (12)	100 for a good amp is really tough. but if you only want 300-ish watts then a basic amp maybe be available. keep in mind that the advertised rating is almost always NOT what you'll see. most are only stable down to 1 Ohm, and suggested to run at 2 Ohms speaker setup. Ive ran a soundstream at .5 Ohm but it was a class A amp, not the more common class D. ive had many amps and installed countless setups for friends.. these are some of my personal experiences and opinions... kicker... good value, basic sound adjustment controls pioneer.. i like their HUs, but their amps never pleased me rockford fosgate.. like kicker, but too "played out" for any of my builds sony.. i would never run one of these pieces of garbage orion... back in the day were great, i have an old one i want fixed soundstream, just like orion, but changed ownership around 2001 and is now finally making a comeback. alpine... love em JL... love em also(what i run now) kenwood... cheap on sound quality but able to hit hard and thermal protection comes in handy avoid "cheap" brands like... lanzar jensen pyramid etc. Also a big debate issue is about amp power vs speaker RMS. From my experiences and reading etc, having a 500w rms (say a 4 ohm svc )sub and using a 500w 2ch amp is underpowering it by a lot. And i believe that you want an amp MORE powerful than the sub, that way it controls the Voice coil more precise than one that just hammers it up and down. Trick is not to run too low of an Ohm load or max the gain out. All that gets adjusted during setup and you can hear once sub distortion occurs, thats when you realize you have it up too much etc. Cars stereo systems, like amps subs speakers etc etc are a highly debated issue. A lot of experts will say one thing, and others will say another. Hence why i said everything i've posted if from my experience, not undisputed fact. In my CTS, I have a JL 12w7 powered by a 800w mono JL amp, and i know i am underpowering it. I have a 1500w Alpine 2 channel that once fixed by alpine will get bridged and replace the JL. That apline will put out around 1200max for the 12w7. Last edited by V; 03-04-2011 at 12:44 PM.