amp selection

[spicer81]

I just recently got into wanting to know about car stereos and all that good stuff and I have a 12" Alpine Type-R and Two 10" Alpine Type-E Subs I wanted to know how much amp power would I need to push these speakers and what would be the best brand at a good price? If anybody could help me with this I would really appreciate it. I heard Rockford Fosgate was the way to go. Is that true?

Spicer

[sdoom]

Want something new or used ?

[jol50]

There are a lot of good amps out there, what kind of power in rms are they good for? Also running different subs together may not be a good idea if you don't run them at separate frequencies....but I have seen it work. Also need to know what ohms the ones you will run are and single or dual VC.

Personally most of my amps I get used, but that is up to you. I like older amps, but don't care so much on subs because I like the lower power draw of class D amps for that...and quality is not as much an issue with subs for me if there is a difference. Then again I will try anything just about.

[spicer81]

It doesnt matter to me if its new or used as long as it work good with my subs. I was gonna get two different amps for the subs one for the 10's and one for the 12. The two 10's run at 250rms and 750 peak a piece, the 12 runs at 500rms and 1500 peak.

[spicer81]

the 12 is 4ohms and dual vc, the 10's are 4ohms and single vc

[XxGoKoUxX]

uhh... i dont think it's a good idea period to run different types of subs in the same trunk (correct me if i'm wrong)

[spicer81]

why do you think im asking? Im trying to get info............

[jol50]

The two sets of subs will have a different response curve, what can happen is they cancel each other out at certain frequencies. It would work if you say, ran the 12 at under 40Hz and the 10s over 40 for example. Otherwise, you can try it and see but it is hard to say how they will interact without testing. Even the same subs in different boxes can do this. Sometimes it can come out good and work fine, but in general it is not recommended just so you know.

So you could run a 1Kw amp at 1 ohm, or something at 4 ohms or 2 x 2ohms for a 2 channel but most 2ch are class AB that take more power to run. I have three 1kw at 1ohm amps but not selling any just yet. If you like alpine there are an assortment of old to new 350-800w amps on ebay. I have some to try in my car but too cold to do that yet. Or like you said two 2 ohm amps would work, I tested a newer M450 on the bench and it seemed to work nice (400wrms), but they are smaller economy type amps compared to old ones. They are small in size and class D. I have a couple older ones I want to try, the mrv class d type. If they don't get it I will drop the 1kw in and not worry about power on my 4 12s IB. They should not need over 600wrms but the current 420 is not quite enough if I keep these same subs.

Or, you may not need that much power depending on your use/needs. You don't need to go to max rating, also the enclosure can affect how much they can handle. Sealed you can run them hard, ported you may need subsonic and they will put out more sound. I would say a 500wrms sub would run good on anything over half that, unless you want to see how much you can get out of them. I want to try a bigger amp on my IB subs because they can have more control and sound different, it has tons of bass for my use. Its a kicker on there now.

As far as brand, many make good amps including RF. New amps tend to not be as durable in vibration and abuse depending on quality, and are not as easy to fix inside with miniature components. Few amps are made in US anymore, most in China and some Korean.

[spicer81]

o, okay. I appreciate the info, I have also looking into getting two Hifonics ZXI1006 amps they have the needed rms power. Im just gone be using the subs for my own personal pleasure.

[jol50]

Just note that is a class AB and may take a little more power if you have any issues with small alternator/etc and want to push them.