advice for amp purchase please...

[dgates12 10+ year member]

Hello -

I'm very new to car audio, so would appreciate any advice. We are looking at adding a subwoofer to our system. One that has been recommended to us is the Alpine SWR-122D, seen here...

Alpine SWR-1222D (TYPE R) (swr1222d) 12" Subwoofers Car Subwoofers Car Audio Car Audio, Video, & GPS Navigation - Sonic Electronix

We were thinking of adding in 2 of these subwoofers. My question is...1) What is a recommened mono-amplifier that would match up with these. and 2) Any recommened boxes to put these units in, I have no idea what to be looking at.

The main music listened to his hip-hop, pop, rap. This is for my son, so he is on a limited budget.

Thanks for any assistance!

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[DarkScorpion 10+ year member]

Well, what is your budget first off? There are a LOT of options out there, and we'll be glad to help you, but a few details like your budget and how much space you have available for your amp is a a good place to start.

 

[dgates12 10+ year member]

Well, we were hoping for an amp around $250 (or less, is that enough??), not really sure what this stuff costs. The space will be in an empty trunk of an '03 Honda Civic. When measuring the very back area closest to the rear seat, the clearance seems to be about 41" wide by 17" high.

Is 1 subwoofer enough, I don't understand why the kid would need 2. Unless this seems to be the "cool" thing to do.

Regards.

 

[dbeez 5,000+ posts]

i see an audiopipe amp in your future unfortunately

 

[CarAudioNewbie9 10+ year member]

There are better subs out there for the money. What kind of amp are you looking at?

 

[kr15 5,000+ posts]

250$ is a sufficient amount for an amp, especially if you go with one sub, but even with 2 subs, 250 is sufficient. Type Rs are good, not great. If he isnt completely sold on them, you may want to browse some other options. Dual 2s will give you a load of .5 or 2ohm also. Dual 4s give you 1 or 4. From that aspect, you get 2 wiring options opposed to one (unless you got a .5 stable amp of course) if you go dual 4s. And if he isnt concerned with trying to "impress" his young and unknowing buddies, there are many better brands out there with nice pricing then the the "mainstream" brands such as Kicker, JL, Fosgate, Alpine etc. Im not as well versed as some of the other people, but as the previous gentleman said, if u give the needed info, they can give u some nice setup options, and there is a good chance it will be on par or better than the "mainstream" options

 

[dgates12 10+ year member]

Thanks for the responses so far everyone!

No, I don't think he/we are sold on that particular set of subwoofers. He just got a new Alpine head unit, so he was just looking at Alpine subwoofers/amps thinking they would play nicely together.

I am all about getting the best "bang-for-the-buck", so needing to impress anyone with a brand is dumb, I'd appreciate any input for an amp and subwoofer setup. My son does like the 12" ones though, and seems to be what we've discussed with local car audio shops as the best size for the music he listens too.

As a parent, I'd like to see him get some impressive sound, without having to rattle windows or annoy the neighbors. I would say our budget for a mono amp, subwoofer(s), and box is around the $400 mark. I'd love to hear your ideas.

Thanks.

 

[SSS 18734 5,000+ posts]

If you're going for "bang for the buck," go with a single ported 15" sub and a 800-1000 wRMS monoblock.

Hifonics and audiopipe make solid budget amps. The Audioque 1200D isn't too expensive either. You really do have a lot of options - search the forums a bit.

 

[CarAudioNewbie9 10+ year member]

Well I would look at an Audiopipe 1500 then for a nice nice MONO. 160 NEW, you could find them cheaper on the forum. How many subs you looking at? How big? SQ or SPL? If you want a nice *** 15, I got some Cadence Wild Beast subwoofers for sale. 150 NEW shipped. 1000 rms, great SQ. You won't find a better deal for 150 bucks.

 

[dgates12 10+ year member]

I would say SQ; it's all about the quality of sound and good music...not thump thump thump IMO. My son has this vision of 2 subs at 12", any thoughts?

 

[DarkScorpion 10+ year member]

I would say SQ; it's all about the quality of sound and good music...not thump thump thump IMO. My son has this vision of 2 subs at 12", any thoughts?

Two 12" subs? Well, if he wants to be a "cool" kid, the Alpine Type-R is a great place to start. A lot of people on these forums bash them and say you can do better, but the fact of the matter is they are cheap, get loud, and since Alpine is a more well known brand, all his friends will be impressed. I'm personally running a single 12" Type-R myself, and I like it. But I'm moving on to bigger and better things, but the type-R is a great starter sub.

Now, for the amp $250 is a lot of money. You can get some nice amps with that, and don't be intimidated by a lot of the stuff you read on these forums. Most of the people here run expensive gear that pushes massive watts, so usually when a price range of $200-$250 is listed, they automatically assume low end. For $250, here are a few amps that are definitely good band for the buck:

Audioque AQ1200D

MB Quart DSC1500.1D

Audiopipe AP15001D

These are just three, but all three will DEFINITELY do their rated power. There are lots of threads in the forums discussing these particular amps, but overall all three will give out 1200-1500 watts to a pair of Type-R's @ 1ohm (so 600-750 per sub). Of the three, I'd go with the Audioque, most others will say the same. But the MBQuart is definitely a contender and at only $204, you're getting a lot of power for your buck.

Just make sure you get a pair of dual 4ohm subs so you can wire everything up to a 1ohm load. If you want to run a single sub, make sure it's dual 2ohm so the amp will see 1ohm.

Oh, and for the box size, a box that gives each sub 2.0 cu.ft. tuned to 32-34hz will be good. Type-R's do better in larger, ported enclosures tuned to about that frequency range.

 

[dgates12 10+ year member]

Thanks so much for the advice. I've got soooooo much to learn!!

 

[CarAudioNewbie9 10+ year member]

Two 12" subs? Well, if he wants to be a "cool" kid, the Alpine Type-R is a great place to start. A lot of people on these forums bash them and say you can do better, but the fact of the matter is they are cheap, get loud, and since Alpine is a more well known brand, all his friends will be impressed. I'm personally running a single 12" Type-R myself, and I like it. But I'm moving on to bigger and better things, but the type-R is a great starter sub.
Now, for the amp $250 is a lot of money. You can get some nice amps with that, and don't be intimidated by a lot of the stuff you read on these forums. Most of the people here run expensive gear that pushes massive watts, so usually when a price range of $200-$250 is listed, they automatically assume low end. For $250, here are a few amps that are definitely good band for the buck:

Audioque AQ1200D

MB Quart DSC1500.1D

Audiopipe AP15001D

These are just three, but all three will DEFINITELY do their rated power. There are lots of threads in the forums discussing these particular amps, but overall all three will give out 1200-1500 watts to a pair of Type-R's @ 1ohm (so 600-750 per sub). Of the three, I'd go with the Audioque, most others will say the same. But the MBQuart is definitely a contender and at only $204, you're getting a lot of power for your buck.

Just make sure you get a pair of dual 4ohm subs so you can wire everything up to a 1ohm load. If you want to run a single sub, make sure it's dual 2ohm so the amp will see 1ohm.

Oh, and for the box size, a box that gives each sub 2.0 cu.ft. tuned to 32-34hz will be good. Type-R's do better in larger, ported enclosures tuned to about that frequency range.

I would def get the Audiopipe. It is the cheapest and does RATED. 160 NEW on Egay.

 

[dgates12 10+ year member]

Just make sure you get a pair of dual 4ohm subs so you can wire everything up to a 1ohm load. If you want to run a single sub, make sure it's dual 2ohm so the amp will see 1ohm.
Oh, and for the box size, a box that gives each sub 2.0 cu.ft. tuned to 32-34hz will be good. Type-R's do better in larger, ported enclosures tuned to about that frequency range.

I know the original thread is about amplifiers, but a spin-off question would be about the subs you spoke of. But how do I calculate the ohms/watts of the subwoofer to be sure I have the correct amplifier. I know I'm supposed to look at the sub RMS and be sure its less than the amp wattage, but if I have 2 subs then do I double that?

As far as a 2 subwoofer ported box, is this something that can just be bought generically. So 2 subs would need 4.0 cubic feet inside, sorry for being so naive. Thank you though!

 

[CarAudioNewbie9 10+ year member]

I have two 10 inch CADENCE WILD BEAST subs for sale for 120 shipped. Way better than Alpine type ARRGGHH