Suggest a sub amp

[NJ346]

Back again, the HU should be here tomorrow and now I'm looking for a sub amp. I don't want anything too drastic, and am looking to only spend $100 on the amp.(budget could go up if the Amp is that good). It will be powering a single 10 or 12 inch sub. What's out there?

[FlyingDutchman]

Where are you putting the sub/amp? Size restraints?

[NJ346]

Originally Posted by 97camaro

Where are you putting the sub/amp? Size restraints?

sub and amp will be under the back seat of my extended cab. Size really isn't an issue because I don't expect to get more than a 300 or 400 watt rms amp(if that's even in my price range)

[FlyingDutchman]

do you already have a sub box lined up or are you making a custom one yourself?

[NJ346]

Originally Posted by 97camaro

do you already have a sub box lined up or are you making a custom one yourself?

I will probably make one myself so that I can get maximum cubic ft out of it. I'm not sure if I'm going to make it down facing or up facing.

[FlyingDutchman]

Originally Posted by NJ346

I will probably make one myself so that I can get maximum cubic ft out of it. I'm not sure if I'm going to make it down facing or up facing.

Ok cool, sounds like you already have a sub from your OP? Or do you need that too? If you don't already you have a ton of options that will fit all sorts of price ranges. Main things you want to look for are rms wattage, cone material, how many voice coils (SVC [seires] /DVC [parallel/series]), its peak operating resistance (lower the resistance the better (1/2/4/8ohm etc), and sealed/ported volume requirements.

I would assume because of space restraints you would be doing a sealed box as opposed to ported which is what I did. Sound quality is great IMO, although a ported box would give you more idk 'sound' or 'loudness'. You'd have to compare some real setups yourself.

As far as amps go, I got a Alpine mono amp that puts out 500W rms @ 2ohm with a max of 1000W peak for about 140$ off ebay new. My sub takes full advantage of that as well. You can def get a decent amp within you price range that will make enough power.

[NJ346]

I don't have a sub yet, but I figured I would buy the sub after the amp, unless you suggest doing it otherwise. I have an extremely cheap sub that's brand new and has a peak power of like 800W so I was gonna mess around with that at first since I spent more on the HU than I expected at first.

[V]

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.