Alpine MRP-M500

[locomike1219]

First time sub/amp buyer here, so bear with.

Anyway, i just want to get a few second opinions from people more experienced than i on this amp/sub combo i am poised to buy.

I think i found a good deal on this alpine v-power (http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500MRPM500/Alpine-MRP-M500.html), and i just want to make sure it can handle the subs i also want to buy (http://www.crutchfield.com/p_575P2L212/Rockford-Fosgate-P2L-212.html)

All in all, im going for simple, and relatively inexpensive, so thats why i chose the pre-enclosed sub package.

So my questions are: firstly, are these rockfords good quality for the $ i will be spending?

Is there anything wrong with the amp powering those subs?

and finally: are there any better values out there? i know crutchfield usually has pretty good prices, but is there maybe a cheaper amp that can do the job?

Thanks a bunch

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[Chris Z 10+ year member]

I'm no expert but I've certainly done some shopping around. Crutchfield is a great company - but generally their prices are a bit higher than some other places such as onlinecarstereo.com, sonicelectronix.com and some others. I'd recommend looking at those other sites I suggested before you buy anything on Crutchfield. Also - people here in the forums sell their equipment and you can generally find some pretty good deals. In fact - I got that amp that you're buying from another member for $150 with 4 gauge wire - so I would do some shopping around the forums also. As far as the subs go - it's good to know that there's someone else here that likes Rockford Fosgate! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif I myself have 2 10" P1S410s and I love them - I just need my friend to finish my box so I can hook them up to my amp but I've tried them out on some other amps and they're awesome. I would personally recommend you buy the subs separately and either make yourself a box or get someone to build one or just buy a cheap prefab box. You can usually save a good amount of money if you buy everything separately. I got my subs for $99 from Crutchfield though - they were BOGO free, so that was awesome. Yeah...basically do some more shopping but I think that those subs would definitely be powered pretty well with that amp

 

[jer_hong 10+ year member]

I'm pretty sure there's a couple of those amps on the classifieds here. Might've been a different forum. Try taking a look at the classifieds, you'll find good deals pretty often. Of course, if you'd rather buy new for whatever reason, that's your choice, but you could definitely save some money by shopping used. The warranty is reassuring though.

Also, crutchfield is a good site, but the main reason people love them so much is due to their customer service. They're always very willing to help, and for the most part, are pretty knowledgeable about whatever you need. They're even willing to do the install with you over the phone, step by step if that's what you need. I believe that's why many people buy from them, but as the previous poster said, there are definitely better deals for new equipment out there, you've just gotta go find them.

Regarding your sub choice, there are some who swear by RF, and others who don't. Some say that their newer stuff isn't as good as their older stuff, but of course that is mostly just opinion. IMO, I think you can get a better sub-stage for around the same price as those. Is there any specific reason you're going for a dual 12 setup versus a single 12? For that price, you can get a single 12 that will probably hit harder and sound better than both of those together. You should read up on the various sub choices available by going to the subwoofer sub-forum. You can probably find a cheap enclosure on here, or maybe your local craigslist, as well.

Lastly, that amp miiight be a little weak for those subs. I'm not sure if the specs posted on crutchfield are for EACH sub, or both of them, but that would make a big difference. I myself am new to car audio, but from what I see, those subs are 4 ohm, and the rating for the amp at 4 ohms is only 300x1, meaning 150w would go to each sub. If i'm completely wrong, anyone feel free to correct me.

 

[locomike1219]

What i think i read is that the entire package of the two 12'' subs requires an RMS of about 200-400, so if that means that one would need 200-400 watts to power both subs, i think i could live with the 300 watts rms that the amp gives.

lve always been wanting dual subs, mostly for the looks, and because ive heard firsthand testimonials from people using both dual and mono subs saying how dual is usually better. The package itself also seems like a good buy, at only $230 for a new and $190 for the scratched and dented.

Anyway, thanks for the sites and the classified advice, ill definitely look around there for, hopefully, a more powerful dual channel amp, because the only thing really holding me back from upgrading the amp is the price. The entire package, if i bought from crutchfield, would total around $400, which isnt tooooo terrible, considering i will be installing it myself, but is at about the maximum im willing to shell out in one sitting.

 

[ronny.brite]

You're not going to go wrong with the MRP-M500 or the Rockford's. The final load to the amp with the subs in parallel will be 2ohms and the Alpine is 500 watts RMS into 2ohms (at 14.4V 20-200Hz).

 

[406er 10+ year member]

You're not going to go wrong with the MRP-M500 or the Rockford's. The final load to the amp with the subs in parallel will be 2ohms and the Alpine is 500 watts RMS into 2ohms (at 14.4V 20-200Hz).

its says right on the site that the total impedance is 4ohms

all that being said with the MRP500 youll be 100 watts shy of the 400 ya need (300watts at 4ohms) the MRP500 is a nice little amp, and if you fine with underpowering the subs a bit then go ahead, but DO NOT over gain the amp as youll fry the subs

perhaps a bigger 2ch amp would be better for ya. for to resons,

1 it will produce its max power at 4ohms bridged

2 when you get tired of the weak sauce 400watt amp powering weaner subs you can use the amp to power your front end and get a bigger amp and better subs

something like this

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_113KAC7204/Kenwood-KAC-7204.html?tp=115

 

[SSS 18734 5,000+ posts]

I installed that MRP-M500 at 4 ohms on a Kicker L7 in my friend's car. Sounds pretty good and gets fairly loud.

I'd imagine you'd get similar results with that setup, although you could definitely get better for your money.