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Need help choosing the right amp!


19Cutlass94

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Its been a LONG time since Ive messed with any car audio. But basically this is my set-up. Im running a Pioneer head unit. The parts that will be running off the amp are a component set, with final impedance of 4ohms. Also one single sub with the same final impedance of 4ohms. Basically what I need is either a 2 channel or a 4 channel ( bridged.. right? ) with 4ohm's @ 150w x 2 of power.

 

This set up is not suppose to break records so please dont suggest any 8 million dollar amp. :lol: Ive looked at some infinity's and some JL's, but like i said, its been a long time since ive looked into anything car audio related. So any help would be great. Also, i would like to keep it under the $300 mark.

 

TIA!

 

--Jason

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matter o fact: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_19572_Boston-Acoustics-GT-4100.html

 

 

that's barely over $300. damn, stuff is coming down in price a LOT. unless mine is better quality previous generation of this amp. :shrug: I don't even want to tell you how much mine cost me in 2007.

 

it powered my 3 ways and 2 way components way good. compare the frequency response of all amps listed and notice how much better this boston is on the specs.

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Craigslist is a good place to check too. A lot of oldschool amps put some of the pricier new ones to shame, and can be had pretty cheap sometimes. I have an old PPI PC2600 from the late 90s that is a beast, got it for $75 and puts out 1200w Max (600w RMS) bridged @4ohm with 0.02% THD .. way underrated, clean amp. And these aren't bloated numbers like some newer amps have.

 

Even the older MTX thunder series is pretty nice, have a 4200x and a 225x I bought for under $100 that will be running the system in my Prix. Classic Punch amps are great little beasts as well. And I figure if they've lasted this long (15-20years) and still work perfectly, they'll last another decade easily if not stressed too badly.

 

Ultimately, you want to find an amp that comes pretty close to the combined RMS rating on your speakers.

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Do you just want to power the sub? The pioneer head unit if less than 10 years old will give you plenty of power for rear deck and door speakers. Leaving you with just the need for a mono or 2 channel sub amp. What Pioneer head unit do you have? I have the 4200UB in my gutlass with a 300 watt 2 channel powering my sub and it's very loud. Components in front and rear.

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I got the 3200 Pioneer. I was going to use the amp to power the sub(s)? and component set. But now Im not sure if I just want the amp to power the component set and get a diff amp for the subs. I guess it depends on how I need/want to wire everything up.

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Components sound better when they get a good bit of power IMO.

 

The 3200, is it a 2 or 4 channel? If it's a 4 you could run the comps off the front and your subs off the rear.

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Components sound better when they get a good bit of power IMO.

 

The 3200, is it a 2 or 4 channel? If it's a 4 you could run the comps off the front and your subs off the rear.

 

 

Sorry the 3200 is the Pioneer headunit.

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I would suggest getting a monoblock amp for the sub(s). You wont get much power out of a 4 Channel even when bridged.

 

Agreed.

 

I would VERY highly recommend going over to diyma.com and checking out their classifieds section. These are straight up guys and you often get very high end equipment at stupid good prices.

 

Also, take a look at the Boston Acoustics outlet store. They have some really sick deals on their GT and GTA lineup of refurbished amps, and they are excellent amps. This amp should fit your bill perfectly:

 

http://www.bostonacoustics.com/GT-24-Refurbished-P710.aspx

 

You can find the specs for that amp here:

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_3698_Boston-Acoustics-GT-24.html

 

 

When I get the Bonneville sold, I'm going to be picking up 2-3 of those for the new Regal.

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I was just looking at Boston Acoustics amps. But After thinking about everything, Ive decided to do this. Ive got a 4 channel amp which will be bridged for the component set. ( recently picked up at! ) and Ill be getting a seperate amp for the 1 12" sub Ill be running.

 

I was looking at this amp:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-UyI2GmzZb5E/p_065GTA802/Boston-Acoustics-GTA-802.html?tp=35757

 

Which would be a great match to this sub:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-PvTATtdXMMy/p_1081260W/Infinity-1260w.html?tp=111&nvpair=FFSize%7c%5brank9%5d12%22&nvpair=AG_Box_Type%7cFFSealed&nvpair=FFCustomer_Rating%7c%5brank1%5d5+stars%5bimg%5d&tab=features_and_specs

 

Power is right on par, and its got all the adjustments I need. And one 12" should be more than enough for me, for the vehicle its going in.

 

Any opinions?

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I would rather biamp the components (the mids off one pair of channels, the tweeters off the other) , or even run full active if your HU and amp will support it.

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I think we're both confusing each other :lol:

 

Now that I had some coffee and can think, you don't really need another amp. Run your components off the front 2 channel s of your amp, and bridge the back 2 to run your sub (with low tones like subs produce directionality really doesn't matter, hence the common use of monoblock amps.) That saves you the cost of a second amp.

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Yes but if he does that hes going to be VERY limited on what sub(s) he can get. And if hes bridging the amp he can really only run one sub rather then two.

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Thats why I decided to bridge the one amp for the comp set, and get another for the sub. I dont want to under power anything. This is by no means suppose to be a huge system, but rather something that would sound good for the vehicle its going in.

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Are Rockford Fosgate subs still junk?

 

If you're asking if there are much better subs for the money available, then the answer is yes.

 

Haven't heard anything good come out of RF in a long time.

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I would very strongly recommend you look at the dayton 10" HO and HF subs on partsexpress.com. They rival Image Dynamics IDQ's for sound quality and are very hard to beat for the price.

 

Sent from my HTC Awesome using Tapatalk

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I would very strongly recommend you look at the dayton 10" HO and HF subs on partsexpress.com. They rival Image Dynamics IDQ's for sound quality and are very hard to beat for the price.

 

Sent from my HTC Awesome using Tapatalk

 

Here, I'll make it easier.

 

HF for high fidelity. This one has a lighter cone for faster responses

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=295-460

 

HO for high output. This one has a thicker and more rigid cone for more output

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=295-462

 

Yeah, they don't have a fancy label or logo on the cone, but that doesn't matter if you care more about the sound than the looks.

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