Help on finding an amp.

[Reid97VS]

Hey guys. Just bought a Clarion SRW1243 600w 12" sub from a mate I work with. Brand new, but a few years old (never been opened).. He recommended looking into something with a minimum of 1000w to get maximum power out of the sub. I don't know a whole lot about amps and subs but could someone give me a bit of info as to what a decent setup would be to get this thing sounding alright? I am not looking to spend a whole lot, I just want something decent.
Thanks, Reid.

[holdenboy]

OK firstly amplifier. The sub is single voice coil 4 ohm, basically this means you'll need an amp that produces a good amount of power at 4 ohms. Most monoblocks(dedicated subwoofer amplifiers) are designed to run at a lower impedance (i.e. 2 ohm) so you'll be wasting your money on buying a monoblock. My suggestion is to go with a 2 channel amplifier.

If you want to go brand new (warranty) you have a few options, generally i would go with a name brand, you could always buy a cheap Ebay amp but in my experience they are very hit and miss, sometimes you get a good one but most of the time its crap and lucky to last 3 months, plus its a pain to get warranty.

Theres plenty of decent (and fairly cheap) options for you. Brands like Clarion, Sony, Kenwood, Pioneer and even Fusion nowadays make some pretty good stuff for the money.

Honestly for around $250 that should get you around 300-500wrms+ (600-1000w peak). You also need to factor in wiring (power/earth and RCAs mainly) and installation if you dont want to do it yourself.
Youve also got the option of going with a second hand amplifier, sure you wont get a warranty but usually you'll get a better brand and/or more power than buying brand new. Its fairly common to see a good 2 channel amplifier for sale second hand for $100-$150.

Also you'll need a subwoofer enlosure, you can either build one yourself or buy a prefab one. The benefits of building one yourself includes the fact you can build it to the dimensions of your boot (fits much better) and you can cover/paint it with whatever you want. Ofcourse you'll need to buy the wood and have the required tools etc.
Whichever way you go i'd say a sealed box is the easiest to build or the most readily available at shops.


Hope i didnt confuse you too much, but if you have any questions dont hesitate to ask

[Reid97VS]

You didn't confuse me. Thank you, that was really interesting to read. Of course I still don't know the whole mumbo jumbo but I have a fair idea and you have cleared a lot up for me. Going to a few car audio dealers tomorrow so I have a bit more of an idea what they'll be talking about thanks to you.

Cheers.

[holdenboy]

Ahh, good to hear you got most of that stuff. I do tend to ramble on a bit....but as long it was useful thats the main thing.

Let us know how you go at the shops.

[acarmody]

I'd just take the sub into whatever store and say I want something to power this. Just go to multiple store and compare the results.

[Reid97VS]

Well I went in today, got a price of $298 for a 300w rms 800w amp.. I think that is right?

But it's an Option Audio or something like that.. Any thoughts?

[holdenboy]

OA are a good amp, do you have a model number or anything?

If not was it a 2 channel amp?

[Reid97VS]

OAX801. 800W RMS Monoblock. Turns out my sub is only 300w according to everything I've found on it, except on the sub itself which reads 600w on the magnet, but 600w max peak or whatever on the box.