Audio Question

[1972ChevyGuy]

Ok, I broke down and bought myself a CD player and some speakers for christmas....They were a MAJOR upgrade from my old supertunerII SINGLE SPEAKER!! fm radio. Had them for about a month and now I got my kicks out of them and I want to push them more. I have 4 6x9 225 watt sonys under the seat along with 2 120 watt 6.5s. I want to get 2 subs and also use them but I'm stuck on buying an amp. Wally world has the X-plod 444 watt amps for like 80 bucks, but I have been looking on ebay and seen some I want also. So the question is...is this brand/model amp any good? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=4950 ...Ok, it doesnt give a RMS power so I'm completely dumbfounded.

Kind of new to the whole "audio" scene. My player pushes 45x4 watts. My next question is.... Why is the wally world amp so much more expensive and almost 4x less watts?

I notice that 10-12" subs are pretty cheap, will the subs in that ebay set sound good with that amp and my player? I have two old 1000 watt subs around here but I would rather buy some new ones.

I'm not looking to shatter my glass or anything, just want a little heart pounding thump when I crank up my Tim McGraw or Lynyrd Skynyrd beside that ugly ricer with plexiglass shatter proof windows. Sorry for the lengthy post - Jeremy

[djracer]

power ratings don't mean much.(noone regulates what they advertise) It looks like the ebay amp has a 15 amp fuse. If that's all the fuse it has it puts out very little power. Your radio and every other radio on the market is extremely overrated on power. I tell folks that they are rated ISL (if stuck by lightning). I would buy a nice 4 channel amp and use half of it to run the highs and half to run the subs. You also need to make sure the subs you buy will work in a really small box unless you don't have a gas tank in the cab!

Let me know If I can help

I've been in the stereo business since 1986

[1972ChevyGuy]

Thanks djracer, any preferences to brands/models?

[70c10]

1972ChevyGuy, I have a nice Kicker 4 channel amp for sale. Never been out of the box. PM me if interested.

[69c10stepside]

Just like djracer said, best way to factor the power on an amp is amp x volts = max watts. So for instance 12 volts x 30 amps = 360 max watts. Its good to use as a base guide because rms is never true from one to the other EVER

[shadetree]

The best car audio site I've ever seen, http://www.bcae1.com/ this site rocks. You can get an awful lot of information there.

[J]

I would stay away from the X-plod stuff, I have a couple of buddies that ran the x-plod decks and the amps and you are better off to pay a little more and get something nice (they are really cheapo).
djracer is right about the 4 channel and how to set it up. Hitting the high notes will make it sound really good.
I hate setups that all you hear is bass. Tweeters and crossovers can help you there too. Also think about running only 1 really good 12", it has worked for me because it will give you some much needed punch but will not drown everything out in an all metal cab.
Good luck.

[cheatham]

Power ratings don't mean anything as far as I am concerned. With car audio equipment you get what you pay for. My favorite setup for bass has always been a PPI amp with JL subs. about five years ago I had a cheapy 1000 watt amp running 2 JL 12w3 speakers and thought it sounded great. I borrowed a friends 550 watt PPI and in about 15 seconds it blew a 20A inline fuse and made the 8 ga. wire VERY warm.

The sound for that 15 seconds was so impressive that I bought the amp and ran a 4 ga. wire with 60A fuse. That with the Alpine head, MB Quartz front and rear speakers (separates) running off of 2 small Alpine amps (one front, one rear) was amazing.

Well, I typed all crap just to say that you get what you pay for with amps and subs.

[69c10stepside]

I my old stereo setup, i ran two usamps vlx400's.. I had 2ga wire run with a 240 amp main fuse and two 140 amp fuses that branched in the truck on two seperate 4ga wire's to the amps.. each one ran one of these subs i have posted.. dual voice coil digital design subs could handle 1000 watts rms to each coil, I had an enclosure that was eight (8) cubic feet in total air space with a port that i dont remember the dimensions of heres the first pic.. each sub weighs in at 45 pounds. The best I did at a sound comp was 152.6 db.

[69c10stepside]

And if anybody wonders, I had a 180 amp alternator running to my main battery which had 2 ga wire run to two optima gell cell batteries in the bed of my truck.

[69c10stepside]

Maybe they were vlx800's I cant remember, it has been four years now that I had the setup If anybody likes the subs, their website is www.ddaudio.com they have way updated models now compared to these.. I do believe now though that the carbon fiber cones are standard on the high end models.

[Hooter]

just another thing to make note of, unless you are taking out your gas tank, there isnt going to be any room to put two tens into your truck. And some insided info, JBL is changing all thier amps in 2004 so all the 80.2's 150.1's 300.1's 180.2's etc... are going to be going on crazy sales at car audio stores..

This is my setup
2 ADI 6 inch subs, a kenwood 4 channel amp, Kenwood components and a panasonic deck
I'd get a pic but it looks like www.myoldtruck.com is down

[67chevemall]

4 channel amps are sloppy!
Just get a deck with a built in cross over(pioneer)
two mids w/ tweeter MB Quarts! running off the deck!!

2 channel amp AUTO TEK BASS TRUST 7150/7300(if you can find one)bridged with a 12 " JLAudio between the buckets
or where the old tank was!

Good wire kit!

And this is all you need

Best Quaility and awsome sound for low $$$
|
Cheers

[Locutus]

In my camaro, I had 2 RF Punch HLC 12's a Punch 360 Amp(supposed to be 400 watts) for the bass, I had 2 kenwood 6x9's and 2 kenwood tweeters running off a kicker 200 watt amp. I never competed but it would rattle my brain and you could hear it a mile away.

Its all going in my truck as soon as I relocate the gas tank.



Mike

[miket]

If you want subs get some 8's.

On the amps, you get what you pay for...we all would be suspicious of a 450hp small block for $595. and another for $2995.

You can get nice 4 channel amps but they will cost you more than you may want to spend.

I would use 6.5's with tweets and a set of 8's with a nice box under/behind the seat. You should be able to find a nice amp for the subs no problem.

I have just a head unit in my truck with 6.5's and tweets...but my caprice runs head unit, 1/2 din graphic/dsp combo to a 12 channel active crossover to a PPI A1200 and an ADS 860 mx 8 channel.....two 4X6 Infinity References, two 6X9 Infinity References...two 10's in the trunk...

some geat websites to get info from are car stereo dot com
and 12 volt dot com

[MMGOODIE]

Originally posted by miket
[.

On the amps, you get what you pay for...we all would be suspicious of a 450hp small block for $595. and another for $2995.


[/B]

well said.

[1972ChevyGuy]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the responses. I guess I will look around a bit more - Jeremy

[69c10stepside]

If i remember right, Tracy Focht works for kicker so if you get a response to this.. their might be a one sided view Kicker has a good line up of small enclosure type subs that could (depending on depth) could work under you seat.. and they even have some free air applications that used to work great for me as in installer. Just more ideas

[djracer]

67chevemall
I can't believe you would reccomend someone buy very nice speakers like mb quart and run them on a headunit!

I'd prefer good factory speakers and an amp over mbquart and headunit power!

Also most 4 channel amps are just like 2 2 channel amps in one heatsink and easier to wire up!

[67chevemall]

2 amps and some 4 chan need alt. upgrades and more wiring
sterio's are over rated keep it simple!
besides new head units have very clean amps inside!

[mrein3]

Originally posted by cheatham
My favorite setup for bass has always been a PPI amp with JL subs.

My favorite setup for bass has always been a carolina rigged Zoom lizard, green pumpkin. Fished behind a 3/8ths ounce Lindy no-snagg walleye sinker.

Sorry guys. It was -21 Fahrenheit this morning and fishing season seems like a million years away.

Talk about cabin fever.

[67chevemall]

Now thats quick thinking!

Bass season is July 1st up here~!

[lewi]

Well you guys don't have anything on me! My stereo consists of the wind whistling by my truck and an occasional squeeky sound pasing into the cab. While my opening in the dash is uncut, it is also wide open with nothin in it.

[67chevemall]

lewi lewi oh lewi lewi
Ah we gotta go now!

[1972ChevyGuy]

Ill get a pic of it soon, last summer I snagged a 11lb bass at the pond behind my house. Rattlesnake floating pink worms, can't beat em :P With a stick