Amps and subs...

[jamex101]

hey all
im currently looking at a 12" 1000w subwoofer (sony xplod) and i was looking at amps to run it off and its all a flurry of information really.
a 4 channel amp from soundstream tells me that i can only run it at a max of 320w at 2ohm (this is the soundstream tarantula amp TRX2.640)
does that mean im not gonna be getting even half the best bass out of it? or will the 320w be more than sufficient to pump out enough bass?
Any suggestions is great plus does anyone know if the sony xplod bass is any good? im looking for a best value for money bass really.
cheers in advance
James

[SMIT]

I wouldn't get sony explod full stop of you want something cheap and nice get an apline Type S cant go wrong. Also when sony says 1000 w, that means peak or the maximum power the sub can take but you will never run continuously at 1000w. The RMS figure is a the number to go off i suspect that particular sub will be around 300wrms without looking up the specs. Also i would reccomend getting just a monoblock amp if you want to just power a sub.

[holdenboy]

In short, Sony isnt the best value.....I would prefer Pioneer over Sony any day, and you could get the Pioneer 12 for around the same price.

Also remember that 1000w rating is a "max" power rating, not a RMS rating (more realistic). I would imagine the Sony would be around the 200-250wrms mark, and the Soundstream amp would be in rms, not max.

You need to consider the impedance of a subwoofer in relation to the amplifier too. The Sony will probably not have a final impedance of 2 ohm, more like 4 ohm. So in that case you need to look at amplifiers that produce 250wrms + at 4 ohm if you wanna get the Sony. Ideally you want a dual voice coil subwoofer, with 4 ohm voice coils. This is so you can get a final impedance of 2 ohm and maximise the output of the amplifier. If youre just after an amp to power a sub your better off looking at "monoblock" amplifiers, which are designed to run subwoofers at low impedances (1-2 ohm).

So in the end, look for dual voice coil (DVC) 4 ohm subwoofers, and an amp that can produce either the same or a little more power at 2 ohm. For example, you get a 300wrms 4 ohm DVC subwoofer, then look for a monoblock that produces 300-350wrms at 2 ohm impedance, if that makes any sense

EDIT - SMIT beat me to it haha.

[SMIT]

EDIT - SMIT beat me to it haha.

Yeah but you explained it better. lol.

[Slippy_Trippy]

It been gone over before that you are better off to save for a little longer and get some decent stuff. Wish I'd done so.

If you know what to avoid and what to look for second hand helped a friend of mine out to get a decent set up at a lower price. Just try cash converters but pick a good one. My favorite is a town nearby that is packed full of 'ricers' I beleive is the term, lots of doof. New stock comes in fairly often. Just find a town with the demographic.

-Slippy