are refurbished amps a bad idea?

[jriley3 10+ year member]

I'm trying to get a cheap amp off of ebay to power my kicker cvr which runns 300 watts rms 600 max on 2 ohms. Is it a bad idea to get a refurbished amp? and will the brand name really effect the quality of sound even if its just an amp?

heres two i was looking at.

http://cgi.ebay.com/BOSS-AUDIO-850-WATT-MOSFET-MONOBLOCK-AMPLIFIER_W0QQitemZ190205749409QQihZ009QQcategoryZ64570QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/VISONIK-V108XT-400w-RMS-MONO-CAR-AUDIO-AMPLIFIER-AMP_W0QQitemZ300204199435QQihZ020QQcategoryZ64570QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

also, does anyone have any links for info on creating a box for my sub? i have no idea what im doing but im gonna do it anyways lol.

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[Etac 10+ year member]

i only like new stuff

cause who knows how it was treated and how it broke in the first place

 

[WhoSayWho? 5,000+ posts]

I don't ever take a chance on refurb, but I might if the source was very reputtable and I knew they would stand by the product.

 

[fbi90909 5,000+ posts]

not a bad price. so i wouldn't worry too much about it. i don't know about the quality of the amp though.

refurbished amps are still like new amps. when they are taken in for repairs if repaired properly everything that seemed to fail is replaced and most are tested very well before they are sent back out as refurbs.

any parts that are going bad i believe are changed too

 

[blackbonnie 5,000+ posts]

you will get mixed results on this situation

 

[WhoSayWho? 5,000+ posts]

not a bad price. so i wouldn't worry too much about it. i don't know about the quality of the amp though.refurbished amps are still like new amps. when they are taken in for repairs if repaired properly everything that seemed to fail is replaced and most are tested very well before they are sent back out as refurbs.

any parts that are going bad i believe are changed too

I thought I would help, that "if" was kinda buried there.

 

[jriley3 10+ year member]

also, if ive got a kicker that will run 300 watt rms, and the amp that will run 850 total, and it will be 2 ohm. what kind of amp kit will i need. what gauge wiring and stuff?

 

[WhoSayWho? 5,000+ posts]

also, if ive got a kicker that will run 300 watt rms, and the amp that will run 850 total, and it will be 2 ohm. what kind of amp kit will i need. what gauge wiring and stuff?

I doubt that amp will push 850. I would bet against it. Hell, if you look closely it gives an RMS rating for 4ohm and then gives a Max rating only for 2ohm.

I bet you would be much better off staying with your Kicker than that amp.

 

[jriley3 10+ year member]

no i mean the sub is the kicker, i dont have an amp for it yet.

 

[BobbyDD 10+ year member]

I'd use 4 gauge wire. I'd only buy a refurb if it has a warranty from the manufacturer.

 

[WhoSayWho? 5,000+ posts]

no i mean the sub is the kicker, i dont have an amp for it yet.

Oh, I still think you are setting yourslf up if you buy with that amp. Don't listen to the guy telling you how much TLC that refurb has received. Use common sense instead. All you know is that it has had a problem at least once and now it is being sold on e-bay for $40. I think you can pretty much discount the possibility that they carefully diagnosed the problem(s) and it is now like new. It is much more likely to be DOA, IMO.

 

[jriley3 10+ year member]

yeah. good call. well theres one that is new for like 75, forgot company name, but its basically the same power and what not. ill probably go with that one.

 

[WhoSayWho? 5,000+ posts]

yeah. good call. well theres one that is new for like 75, forgot company name, but its basically the same power and what not. ill probably go with that one.

Let me ask you a couple of questions -- your Kicker sub is rated at 300RMS if i understand correctly. Do you know if it is a single coice coil or dual voice coil? Is it 4ohm or 2ohm?

 

[king ranch 5,000+ posts]

why would you pay 60 bucks or so for a amp like that when u can get a kicker 400.1 for around 130 new and prob used on here for 100 shipped or under and if u need a 4ohm stable then get the kicker 350.2 and bridge it and its about the same price

 

[jriley3 10+ year member]

why would you pay 60 bucks or so for a amp like that when u can get a kicker 400.1 for around 130 new and prob used on here for 100 shipped or under and if u need a 4ohm stable then get the kicker 350.2 and bridge it and its about the same price

that's why i asked if the brand names really do make that much of a difference. plus thats twice the price.