Upgrading my amp

[Rocky91890]

Well as luck would have it the last 2 weeks I managed to get more then 80 hours of work in between the two(amazing when working in fast food and in college)

I am really looking at upgrading my amp from the 1000watt sony xplode to something a little better to use with my 2 ma audio 700watt subs...right now my budget is $150 as I want to still be able to bank some money. most likely the amp will be bought over ebay, just because 99% of the time it is cheaper on there, but the reason why I am asking you, CC, is because I really dont know what are good brands for amps.

Any positive help is appreciated, and I thank all who contribute in advance.

 

[imfromdade15]

this is the amp i have in my car pushing one 10 inch kicker L7. is pretty good

http://onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/p_20664_Pioneer_GM-5400T.aspx

 

[Mugenn_civic]

hey bro, i would say check out Realm Of Excursion... its a car audio forum, all they talk about is that crap, they know all those underdog companies that compete with the high rollers... i would say scan and maybe post a thread on there for more in depth advice..... btw, there possibly gunna be talking about ohmz and all that so be ready for all of htat super techy advice..

http://www.realmofexcursion.com/

.

 

[Mugenn_civic]

OH... imo i wud go hifonics

 

[Rocky91890]

Lol just from trying to read some of the stuff on that sight i feel very lost. I guess the only thing to do is to compare the specs. of my amp to others to see if they are better or not.

 

[Rocky91890]

oh and idk if this matters but here is a link to what my subs are

http://www.maaudio.org/ma-audio-ma120xe-12-inch-700-watt-car-sub-dual-voice-coil-subwoofer/

 

[Mugenn_civic]

LMFAO trussst me man haha i almost s**t my self reading what some of these people have to say....
all this spl ohm resistance da da da da daaah godd... all i know is you put the subs in the box, wire them up and ta da... BOOM BOOMM...

 

[eskateboarding7]

oh and idk if this matters but here is a link to what my subs are

http://www.maaudio.org/ma-audio-ma120xe-12-inch-700-watt-car-sub-dual-voice-coil-subwoofer/

It definitely matters what your subs are. If your subs do have that voice coil configuration, you will ideally need either:
1. A 1Ω stable mono amp
2. A mono amp that puts out around 700+ RMS at 4Ω
3. A 2 channel amp that puts out around 350 RMS at 2Ω

Unfortunately options 1 and 2 are typically found on amps well out of your price range. Option 3 is a much more doable goal. Beware of cheap amps, what you are paying for is reliability. If you cannot find a reputable amp in your price range, I would suggest finding a good quality used amp as long as it has been tested and/or you are confident it was taken care of. Your best bet is to find one on a car audio forum such as DIYMA.com where most of its members are professional installers who know how to take care of equipment.

 

[eggyhustles]

are they dual 4's? dual 2's?

 

[albertc86]

LMFAO trussst me man haha i almost s**t my self reading what some of these people have to say....
all this spl ohm resistance da da da da daaah godd... all i know is you put the subs in the box, wire them up and ta da... BOOM BOOMM...

Exactly. Spare me the specifications and stats; I just wanna hear my system bump.

 

[Motaw]

OH... imo i wud go hifonics

For sure, a hifonics amp around 700 amps is not expensive, and hifonics brings out the best in your subs, it's a huge step from a sony xplod. it's like, a pair of batman sneakers from payless to wearing a brand new limited edition pair of jordans

 

[eggyhustles]

For sure, a hifonics amp around 700 amps is not expensive, and hifonics brings out the best in your subs, it's a huge step from a sony xplod. it's like, a pair of batman sneakers from payless to wearing a brand new limited edition pair of jordans

um, no it's not

hifonics is as entry level as it gets

 

[Motaw]

um, no it's not

hifonics is as entry level as it gets

HAH! yea right, go watch youtube videos and see what amp everyone uses for their Kickers and solobarics, you definetly don't see any sony explode crap on their subs, they all rock hifonics.

 

[eggyhustles]

because youtube videos dictate what a good setup is..........

 

[civicSIcoupe]

HAH! yea right, go watch youtube videos and see what amp everyone uses for their Kickers and solobarics, you definetly don't see any sony explode crap on their subs, they all rock hifonics.

they all "rock" hifonics because they spent so much money on their sub they couldnt afford a decent amp

because youtube videos dictate what a good setup is..........

word. listen to eggyhustles.. unlike you he actually knows about car audio LOL

 

[eggyhustles]

The best "budget" amps out now are crunch, mb quart, and some hifonics amps.

crunch amps are decent if u have a nice electrical system to back them up, since 99% of us are driving civics with puny electrical systems, crunch is not the way to go..same goes for hifonics. an hifonics amp will suck the life out of your electrical system. that's why they're "cheap"

Look for an amp that'll do it's rated power @ 12 volts. stay away from any amp that claims it does more than 600 watts for less than 120 dollars.

 

[Rodek]

I have a 5 channel HiFonics amp for sale 150 shipped. Adult owned. Not abused... I've been doing car audio since the mid 80's....

PM if interested.

 

[Billy.]

It definitely matters what your subs are. If your subs do have that voice coil configuration, you will ideally need either:
1. A 1Ω stable mono amp
2. A mono amp that puts out around 700+ RMS at 4Ω
3. A 2 channel amp that puts out around 350 RMS at 2Ω

finally somebody with some sense. just need to clarify why

are they dual 4's? dual 2's?

^^best question asked thus far


I looked up your subs. They are dual voice coil 4ohm impedance woofers. Each woofer draws 2ohms when the coils are wired in parallel. Since you have a pair, you would be running 1ohm in a full parallel configuration of 700watts nominal (350 each), which significantly cuts down your options

i'll explain. basically, because you have 2 woofers that both have (2) 4ohm coils, they will be running either 1ohm in full-parallel configuration (very efficient but not all amps can handle 1ohm), 4ohms in a hybrid series/parallel config (common setup for 2 channel amps), or 16ohms in a full-series config (which is obviously very inefficient).

when you start shopping around here's what to look for:

• If you use both sub woofers you need either a mono or 2 channel amp that can handle around 700watts RMS, aka nominal, at 4ohms resistance (the 2 channel amp would need 700watts RMS bridged across 1 channel). Your woofers will run nominal 700watts at 4ohms in hybrid series/parallel config. This is a less common setup, and would be relatively expensive.
• Find a mono channel 1ohm stable amplifer that will handle around 700watts RMS at 1ohm and peak around 1500watts. Your woofers would have to be wired in full parallel configuration.
• If you use only 1 sub woofer you can find a mono channel amp that pushes around 300-400watts RMS at 2ohms resistance. Your single woofer will run 350watts at 2ohms with both voice coils wired in parallel config. This would be a very innexpensive amplifier and would maximize the potential of the sub. Not to mention the extra room in the trunk!

don't even worry about what the peak power rating for the amp is. if you get the RMS rating close to what your woofers draw they will sound their best.

 

[eggyhustles]

He doesn't need to give the subs they're rated rms

underpowering is cool, as long as you're not clipping the signal.

audiopipe has some cool budget amps

This will work fine
http://cgi.ebay.com/AUDIOPIPE-AP-3002-1500W-2-Channel-Car-Audio-Amplifier-/390192371079?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Car_Amplifiers&hash=item5ad9471587

Just make sure to do the big 3, and get a battery down the line.

Wire each sub in parallel since the amp does 320 @ 2 ohms.

 

[lowlife9]

The best "budget" amps out now are crunch, mb quart, and some hifonics amps.

crunch amps are decent if u have a nice electrical system to back them up, since 99% of us are driving civics with puny electrical systems, crunch is not the way to go..same goes for hifonics. an hifonics amp will suck the life out of your electrical system. that's why they're "cheap"

Look for an amp that'll do it's rated power @ 12 volts. stay away from any amp that claims it does more than 600 watts for less than 120 dollars.

crunch, mb quart and hifonics are all made by the same company called maxxsonics and are garbage it breaks my heart because mb quart use to make some of the best components you could get they were hand made in germany and were bought out by maxxsonic so those days are over. i would recommend alpine or kenwood for your amplifier.