Best value 3Kwt amplifier for 2021 ?

[Fishchris]

Hello all. New here.
So my system is totally up and running, and has never sounded better. But here's why I'm asking about a good value, solid 3Kwt amp....
Currently, I'm running a Wolfram C2500.1 it does very well for my setup "except" that it gets hot very easily... especially in our Sacramento Summer weather. I've went through all kinds of trouble to keep it really cool, and now, I can pretty much play it full tilt, indefinitely, without it over heating. But Here's the thing that makes me paranoid > When I first got this all setup (before I had a temp gage on it) I was getting all happy, and beating on it (right below clipping) for quite a long time. Finally, it went into thermal protection. Wouldn't have been such a huge PITA "except" that once it did, it confused my HU, which started giving me a popup saying, "Amp Error". Okay yea, I know that. Problem is, even after the amp cooled off, and turned back on, my HU still wouldn't work, but instead, kept telling me, "Amp Error".... ended up having to completely disconnect my HU from the back to get that code cleared. So I really don't want to ever overheat my amp again (not that this is a good thing for any amp in the first place... but especially mine)

Plus now, with Wolfram not having a good future outlook.... So anyway, 2500 wts might be a good wattage for me, but who in car audio ever wants to replace something and not make it at least a little stronger lol My 18" sub is supposedly rated for only 1600 watts.... But 1) I know there is always some impedance drop, among other things, that reduces the actual wattage going to the sub, and 2) I'm a stickler about NEVER clipping my amp. At the first slightest red flicker, I back off a touch. I just feel like I can get by with a 3Kwt amp, on this sub.

Anyway, I tried to keep this short. But I can answer any questions you might have about my system. So yea, who makes the best value 3Kwt amp in 2021 ?

PS, I have a really solid electrical setup too, which I can discuss if your curious.

Click to read more...

 

[MattinMO]

Really hard to say right now because so many brands don't have stock but the new smart3 bass series from taramps looks interesting.
CAB-22 from apex makes 2200 plus watts
And tbh I didn't read any of your post other then the subject....

 

[Popwarhomie 5,000+ posts]

What about spending that money on having your vehicle ceramic tinted? Makes a nice difference in temp. But I do understand the want for headroom and impedance rise.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

What about spending that money on having your vehicle ceramic tinted? Makes a nice difference in temp. But I do understand the want for headroom and impedance rise.

That's some legit advice right there. I had my Explorer with 35% tint on the full windshield and 5% on all other windows, never got too hot in my vehicle

But OP, a lot of times amp heat comes from low voltage and dirty signal. What's your charging system like? Amps get hot when they are struggling to perform with the energy that they have, because when you don't have enough voltage, you need more amperage, and amperage is what heats up wires and circuits more than anything.

I've demoed for quite literally hours on end at competitions, just showing off, in like 90+ degree weather. My amps got hot, but never would shut down, because the electricy was so clean and the high voltage I was able to keep on music kept the amp from having to use large amounts of amperage to make wattage.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

I'm not sure if that's your problem, but maybe tell us what electrical charging system you have.

I had 1 300 amp alt, external voltage regulator, charging at 14.8-15v. I had 4x AGM batteries with a total of 380 AH. 4 runs of zero gauge, 2 power, 2 ground, in a closed loop type electrical system, I never ground to the frame, not for amplifiers at least. This was all for 2 amps rated at 1200w a piece @ 12.6v. I never had problems and was doing high 140's from about 27 hz to about 65-70 hz, with 2 18's, on 2400w rated at 12.6v. I say that, because you have the same power levels as I did. So just food for thought, I could play full tilt and lowest I would drop is about 13.8v, unless I played above 65 hz which just ate my voltage because the subs were unloading, I could drop even down to 11v because of my box size, if my crossovers didn't slope 63 hz and above off at a certain rate (I had 12db/octave slope for smooth 63 hz+ roll off, up to about 70-75 hz or so). So just things to think about for yourself, hope that maybe helps.

 

[Kickstand Premium Member]

I'm not sure if that's your problem, but maybe tell us what electrical charging system you have.

I had 1 300 amp alt, external voltage regulator, charging at 14.8-15v. I had 4x AGM batteries with a total of 380 AH. 4 runs of zero gauge, 2 power, 2 ground, in a closed loop type electrical system, I never ground to the frame, not for amplifiers at least. This was all for 2 amps rated at 1200w a piece @ 12.6v. I never had problems and was doing high 140's from about 27 hz to about 65-70 hz, with 2 18's, on 2400w rated at 12.6v. I say that, because you have the same power levels as I did. So just food for thought, I could play full tilt and lowest I would drop is about 13.8v, unless I played above 65 hz which just ate my voltage because the subs were unloading, I could drop even down to 11v because of my box size, if my crossovers didn't slope 63 hz and above off at a certain rate (I had 12db/octave slope for smooth 63 hz+ roll off, up to about 70-75 hz or so). So just things to think about for yourself, hope that maybe helps.

If you don't ground to the frame where do you ground to then
Not questioning it, just curious.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

If you don't ground to the frame where do you ground to then
Not questioning it, just curious.

I had 2 runs of 0 gauge for ground running from front battery to the rear 3-battery bank, the I had 500 amp 4/0 welding cable for power wire off my alt and the front battery was grounded directly to the alt casing with the same 4/0 cable.

So alt was fully connected to front battery with 4/0 500 amp welding cable for both power and ground, then I had 2 runs of zero gauge to rear battery bank for both power and ground, 4 runs total.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

That's part of why I did a 149.3 @ 35 hz with a box tuned to 29 hz with 2 technically under-powered 18's, on 2400 rated watts @ 12.6v.

Bench testing said those elemental designs 9.1's did about 1380w @ 1 ohm @ 13.8v.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

If you don't ground to the frame where do you ground to then
Not questioning it, just curious.

 

[Fishchris]

TY guys
Okay, so first about my electrical. I'm running a 320 amp Pro Power alternator. Love it. I'm not much into big, or multiple, or expensive high tech batteries, as I always felt it was better to make enough power right from the start, than to try to "store it".... But none the less, I do have a 6 month old, 100 amp hour AGM. Coolest part of my electrical though, is my 500 farad XS Power supercapacitor. Made such a huge difference stabilizing my voltage, and dynamic headroom in my music.
Long story short, I can play full tilt and hold 14.5 volts.... If I'm driving, but even at idle, maybe 14.2. What still bugs me, is that even with the stereo turned completely off, my voltage drops to 13.6-13.8, after I've been driving it for a while and the computer (is it called the ECU ?) tells the alternator everything is full and it can back off now. Urggg.

As for my cabin temp, my roof is insulated with 1/2" closed cell insulting foam, and my whole cab is also deadened with Noico 80mm (don't know why I waited so long for that !)
Also, in the Summer, I leave my AC fan cranked up, then use remote start and wait 15 minutes before I even get in the truck or turn on the system. So it's like 70-75F by the time I get in it.

All of this ^ plus I have a couple of PC case fans mounted in front of my amps + I have routed the back seat air (I ripped the back seats completely out, 2 weeks after I bought it brand new in 08') through dryer duct, and right into the center of my fans....

So, as I say, I can now play it indefinitely without it overheating. I just had to jump through 14 hoops to make it happen.... Which I know is kind of goofy, but it works.
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But about amps, I had asked about a great value 3Kwt amp... But the best I could find were 3500 wt Skars.... Then I saw that Williston tested those at nearly 3800 ! I'm all for dynamic headroom.... But on my 1600 watt sub, whew, I dunno ?! Granted, actual wattage getting to the sub out of 3800 would probably be about 2600-2800.... But that's still quite a bit for a 1600 watt sub.... Hmmm.
About my hokie rigged cooling Looks pretty goofy, right ? But it works. I have a temp gage on the amp (bottom center) that I can easily see from the driver seat, and I'm always watching it.

 

[metalheadjoe 10+ year member]

If you don't ground to the frame where do you ground to then
Not questioning it, just curious.

The frame and body are generally used as the path to the negative battery terminal for convenience. Basically someone said "we have all this conductive metal; why not use it?" There used to be vehicles that had a positively charged chassis. Ultimately though, the circuit is between the battery terminals. By running "ground" cables directly to the negative battery terminal, you accomplish the same thing as a chassis (frame) ground in most vehicles, but you eliminate the possibility of poor junction points and ensure a strong electrical path to the negative terminal.

Vehicles are not connected to the earth the same way buildings are, so the term "ground" is not meant literally as it is in 120v+ ac circuits.

Hope that helps.
- Joe