I was always wondering. How do you pick an amp. I'm really not good at this so SPL or who ever, teach me. Until now, I always thought higher the watts the louder it was.(loud ment good) Now I started reading/studying about amps and found out that watts are not the important part when picking amps. Once upon a time when I had my system(now stolen) I had a buddy who had a crappy looking amp, I don't remember anything about brand or nothing, that he said it was 400W amp and paid a lot of money for. When I hooked my sub to it, it sounded as loud as my 1600W ebay amp. I know my amp wasn't good, but I though 1600W is better than 400W. I never really thought about it till now. I'm currently looking into buy a decent amp. Just wondering what and how I should look for when picking an amp. Of course, cheaper the better. Give me some pointers guys!
#9831, "RE: How to pick an amp" In response to Reply # 0
the thing is different companies rate their amps differently. A good manufacturer such as Phoenix Gold, Alpine, or JL will accurately rate the "RMS" wattage (which is what actually counts). Other companies like Rockford Fosgate and Boss or the eBay special amps will use "peak" power, which depending on who you talk to is either the RMS power x 1.35 (the accurate way of determining peak power according to most sources), x 2, x 3, even x 4 or they might just pull a number completely out of their ass and slap it on the amp (like the new 1,500 watt 300 watt Rockfords). What you need is a good amp by a reputable manufacturer -- look into Phoenix Gold Octane R, older Rockford stuff (like a 1000BD or 1000a2, which can be had for $300ish brand new), or Alpine amps (really cheap good power). A budget favorite are the JBL BP amps. They all do their rated power and sound great and are probably more reliable then the eBay brands.
#9837, "RE: How to pick an amp" In response to Reply # 1
I would get something at a local shop for two reasons. You can hear it before you buy it. I know it doesn't sound the same in the shop but you can compare it to different amps and it's better then never hearing it at all. And two, if anything goes wrong there is no problem with returning it under warrenty. Make sure whatever you get is covered, just in case. I would stay away from real cheap stuff; Boss, Sony and the new Rockford Fosgate stuff. My personal favorites when it comes to amps are JL and Xtant (made by the same company) but they can both be pricey. Good luck.
97 RS- Runs, but never driven 2000 Subaru Outback- Daily Driver
#9841, "RE: How to pick an amp" In response to Reply # 4
i agree with all the above. i will add this though: read through some car audio forums to get an idea about what amps are good and bad (and within your price range). that will also help you decide what will work (ohm wise) with your system, what features you need, etc. generally you will look at:
1) price 2) build quality/relaiability 3) features 4) (accurate) wattage
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