I have been looking at a few Alpine and Fosgate subs at Crutchfield, but I dont know what kind of amp I should be looking for.

Now if I went with lets say two Alpine 12" dual 4-ohm voice coil 300 watts RMS (150 watts per coil) sub, what kind of amp should I look at?

If I wanted a Fosgate Punch Stage 3 dual 4-ohm voice coil sub or an Alpine dual 4-ohm voice coil sub, both are 500 watts RMS, what kind of amp should I be looking for?

Im confused when looking at amps as none of them seem to have adequate rms power ratings at 4-ohm, but they do at 2-ohm. Are the dual voice coils both 4-ohm or is each one 2-ohm?

Its been a few years since I looked into this stuff so Im a little rusty.

 

Assuming you will also be looking at Fosgate/Alpine amps, my suggestion is for the Alpine M605. Don't waste your time or money on anything that says Rockford on it.

And by that I mean whether you go with the (2) Type-S or the (1) Type-R.

Those Punch series whether it's the 1,2 or 3 series I have seen come back because the brittle cone cracks because people would put them in sealed boxes (also happened with ported ones but more common to the sealed) and they would start developing slices in them and eventually cracking.

 

Yo, you should go with Kicker Solo B for speakers and Kicker Amps - they are awesome. They also have the full set for tweets, mids etc. And they could really shake you out of the car!

 

Ill check into kicker also.

What would be a deceant sub and amp combo for about $800? I like a lot of deep, powerful bass.

Should I go for 1 higher powered sub and mono amp or a 2 channel brigded amp?

 

Ok when you say sub/amp combo do you mean subs and amp for $800 or do you mean... Subwoofers, amplifier, wiring kit, harnesses, enclosure, installation, etc.? What brands do you have available in a local store/shop? Or were you thinking about buying online?

 

$800 for just the sub(s) and amp and maybe enclosure(s). The $800 isnt a set figure, as I dont know when exactly Ill be buying this. Im planning on doing this in the summer, but I have to wait and see what all goes on first. Im just trying to get an idea right now so I know what I need to aim for and save. The stereo system is only one of several things I want to do to my car this summer, but I have to figure out how much each is going to cost so I can plan when to do what. So if I need to throw a few more bucks in Ill just wait and save up a little more.

I would be buying on-line most likely. Havent really went to the shops around here yet, at least not for a few years.

 

about your first post, if you have a 4ohm sub and an amp that gives the maximum rms at 2ohms you can wire the amp to the 4ohm sub at 2 ohms to get the power you want. also if you are buying online it's easy to get great deals but make sure you know what your getting. like if you are buying a sub online check to see if it's new, used, open box, or renewed, so that you know you won't be disappointed.

 

If I buy online, it will be from a major retailer such as Crutchfield.

I thought the ohms had to match. E.x. an amp that is rated at 125watts rms @ 4-ohm per channel (250watt @ 2-ohm), paired to a sub that is 4-ohm, will power the 4-ohm sub at 125watts (its 4-ohm rms). Now from what I take from your post, is there a way to wire an amp to a 4-ohm sub using the max rms @ 2-ohm? If there is could you explain it to me?

 

on an amp that is rated at 200 watts at 4 ohms itll do 400 at 2ohms and like 6-800 at 1ohm if its stable that low and those are just figures for learning and may not be actual. but when your looking at subs you have choices wether it is a single voice coil or dual voice coil or quad coil. if you have a single VC that is 4ohms thats the only way you can wire it unless you have more than one. if you have a dual 4ohm VCs you can wire it to 8ohms or 2ohms with just one sub and you can wire it the same way with 2 single vc 4ohm subs.

but to get back to what your looking for i would say get 1 RE audio SX15 in a custom made sub box tuned to like 28hz and what it kick your *** with low bass. and get a hifonics amp off ebay cause they are extremly cheap i would say a BX1605d would be a good choice for you. all that should run you around 800 and kick the crap out of anything kicker has to offer and sound better too.

 

Is there somewhere I can read up on some of the wiring options and how you can accomplish them?

Now should I get 1x sub that is like 500-600watt, or get 2x subs that are 200-250watt?

1) So if I got 2x Rockford Fosgate Punch Stage 2 12" 4-ohm single voice coil subs , and paired it with a Rockford Fosgate Punch P5002 amp, I could wire it so each channel is 250watts @ 2-ohm, right?

2) Now if I get a Fosgate Punch Stage 3 dual 4-ohm voice coil sub or an Alpine dual 4-ohm voice coil sub, and pair it with a Rockford Fosgate Punch P5002 amp, I would just wire one channel to each voice coil and both channels would run at the 250watts @ 2-ohm, right?